daily paper february 19, 2013

7/29/2019 Daily Paper February 19, 2013

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STUdenT aGeR E A D T H E N E E D

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 20138 Pages

Rs: 1.00

Jammu Edition

www.thestudentage.com

JKENG/2012/41612

Vol. 2 No: 47

US protesters urge Obama

to act on global warming

Nagaland Home Minister

detained for carrying

arms, 1 cr cash

The Indian democracy will

take decades to improveIN BRIEFIN BRIEF

Page

7

Editorial

Govt. orders honorariumhike of Lambardars,

Chowkidars

JAMMU, FEB 18- In a sig-

nificant move, the

Government today ordered

the enhancement in honorari-

um of Lambardars and

Chowkidars of Revenue

Department.

The proposal to this effect

was approved by Minister of

State for Revenue, Relief &

Rehabilitation, Mr. Ajaz

Ahmad Khan today. The hon-

orarium of Lambardars hasbeen hiked from Rs. 501 to

Rs. 751 and that of

Chowkidars has been raised

from Rs. 500 to Rs. 750. The

enhancement of honorarium

would contd on page 2

SC stays execution ofVeerappan aides

NEW DELHI: The Supreme

Court on Monday stayed the

execution on four aides of

Sandalwood smuggler

Veerappan, whose mercy

petition was rejected by

President Pranab Mukherjee

last week.

Acting on a petition filed

by contd on page 2

Marginal hike in heli-

copter fares in SMVDBJAMMU, FEB 18 - The

Chief Executive Officer, Shri

Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine

Board, Monday approved a

marginal increase in the heli-

copter fare on Katra-

Sanjichhat-Katra Sector from

the existing Rs. 699/- one way

per passenger to Rs. 800/- per

passenger for one journey

with immediate effect. This

increase has been allowed in

view of the escalation in the

cost of the inputs, particularly

fuel costs. Disclosing this,

Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari,

IAS, Addl. Chief Executive

Officer, contd on page 2

DPSC harassing me:S.A.R Geelani

SRINAGAR, FEB 18:Delhi

Police Special Cell (DPSC)

Monday cordoned the resi-

dential quarter of Delhi based

Kashmiri Professor and

human rights activist, S.A.R.

Geelani and directed him to

hand over his mobiles and

other

belongings. "DPSC is not

allowing me to move out.

They are at my door and ask-

ing me to hand over my

mobile sets and other belong-

ings which I am refusing so

far," contd on page 2

Two crore childrencreate Surya

Namaskar recordPATNA: 'Surya Namaskar'

programmes were organised

on Monday across the coun-

try on the occasion of Swami

Vivekananda's 150th birth

anniversary. Report suggests

that around 2 crore school

students performed 'Surya

Namaskar' across different

states. The School Education

Department and NGOs in

many states had made elabo-

rate arrangements for ensur-

ing grand presence in the

event. In Bihar, a controversy

had erupted over making

'Surya Namaskar ' mandatory

Page

6

BENGALURU: Oil minister M Veerappa

Moily on Monday ruled out a rollback in the

Rs 1.50 a litre hike in petrol and 45 paise per

litre increase in diesel rates saying only a

small raise has been passed on to consumers.

"No, No," was his refrain when asked if

the government will consider rolling back

last week's increase. "Our country imports

73-75 per cent of oil. We need to pay Rs 7

lakh crore for the imports. Where do we find

that kind of money," he said.

The first hike in petrol price in over three-

and-a-half months and the second rise in

diesel rates in one month exclude local sales

tax or VAT making the cost for consumers

Petrol price in Delhi went by Rs

1.80 to Rs 69.06 per litre from

February 16. Diesel rates went up

by 51 paise to Rs 48.16 a li tre.

"I think everybody would appre-

ciate that we have not put a lot of

burden on consumers. It is only

small doses," Moily said.

The increase in auto fuel prices,

which come on back of a similar

small hike in diesel price last

month, is expected to fuel inflation

that stood at three-year low of 6.2

percent in January. And there has been

demands for a rollback.

"The money (to pay for oil import) can be

either found by raising taxes or passing it on

to the consumers," he said.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation's

largest fuel retailer, announced an increase

of Rs 1.50 per litre in petrol price as interna-

tional benchmark oil prices climbed 7.5 per-

cent.

The diesel rate was raised in line with

last month's government decision to allow

oil firms to raise prices in small doses every

month till over Rs 10 a litre loss on sale of

India's most consumed fuel is totally

Oil minister Moily rules out rollback in petrol, diesel prices

JAMMU,FEB 18: Twelve

candidates today filed their

nomination papers for the

elections to vacant seats of

Jammu and Kashmir

Legislative Council before

the Secretary Legislative

Assembly here.

Those who filed the

papers include Davinder

Singh Rana, Showkat

Hussain and Abdul Majeed

from National Conference,

Muzaffar Ahmad Parray ,Naresh Gupta and Ms Rani

Baloria from Congress and

Naeem Akhtar Andrabi and

Yashpal Sharma from PDP.

Other candidates who

filed their nomination papers

include Shuban Krishen

Dudha, Mohammad Iqbal,

Sardar Kaaloo Khan

Hamdard and Mohammad

Amin Bhat .

Flanked by Chief Minister

Omar Abdullah and the

Finance Minister Abdul

Rahim Rather, Rana,

Showkat and Majeed filed

their nominations before

Mohammad Ramzan,

Secretary of the Legislative

Council and presiding officer

for the elections.

Amid enthusiasm and fer-

vour, the three leaders filed

their nominations, Rana con-

secutively for the second

time.

Prominent among those

present were Minister for

Planning, Labour and

Employment, Ajay Sadhotra,

Minister for Higher

Education, Mohammed

Akbar Lone, Minister for

Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo,

Minister for Law Mir Safi-

ull-ah, Minister for

Consumer Affairs and Public

Distribution ChoudhryMohammed Ramzan, Vice

Chairman, Board for

Development of Pahari

Speaking People, Kafil-ul-

Rehman besides Ministers

of State Nazir Ahmed Khan

Gurezi, Sajjad Ahmed

Kitchloo, Feroz Khan,

besides senior leaders,

including Provincial

President Kashmir Nasir

Aslam Wani, legislators

Surjit Singh Slathia, (State

Vice President) Abdul Gani

Malik, Kanwar Rachpal

Singh, Mohammed Yasin

Shah, Aijaz Jan, Dr Shahnaz

Ganai, Javed Dar, Ali

Mohammed Dar, Bimla

Luthra and party functionar-

ies.

After filing their papers,

the three leaders were pro-

fusely greeted and garlandedby the senior party leadership

besides host of workers and

supporters. They were driven

in a cavalcade to Sher-i-

Kashmir Bhavan amid slo-

gans. The three candidates

expressed their gratitude to

the party high command, par-

ticularly National

contd on page 2

J&K MLC Elections: 12 candidates file nominationsRana, Showkat and Majeed in the fray

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with Rana, Showkat andMajeed during nominations for MLC in Jammu

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18:-

The Cabinet which met here

under the chairmanship of

Chief Minister Omar

Abdullah today appointed

Mohammad Iqbal Khanday

as the new Chief Secretary of

Jammu and Kashmir.

Following the appoint-

ment of Mr. Madav Lal as

Secretary, Micro Small and

Medium Enterprises

Government of India, the

Cabinet approved the

appointment of Mr. KhandayIAS (JK:1978) as the new

Chief Secretary. Principal

Secretary to the Chief

Minister, Mr. B. B. Vyas will

hold the charge of Finance

Department in addition to his

own duties till further orders.

The Cabinet also

approved revised financial

delegation of works to be

allotted to JKPCC. Now all

civil works costing more than

Rs.700 lakhs as against 100

lakhs shall be allotted to the

JKPCC Ltd in respect of all

Government Departments

and Government corpora-

tions. Cabinet approved

enhancement of honorarium

from existing rate of Rs.

1500 and Rs. 2000 to single

tier of Rs.3000 per month in

favour of ReT Teacher.

Further the Cabinet approved

adjustment/absorption of sur-

plus Staff of Integrated Rural

Energy Programme (IREP)

Science and Technology

Department in some other

departments.

The Cabinet also

approved the establishment

of State Bio-diversity Board.

The Cabinet also accorded

sanction for reconstituting of

Cabinet Sub Committee to

examine the recommenda-tions of the Working Group-

V headed by S. Sagir Ahmad

regarding strengthening rela-

tion between the State and

the Centre. The Cabinet Sub

Committee will comprise of

Minister for Finance and

Ladakh Affairs as Chairman,

Minister for Rural

Development and Panchayati

Raj, Minister for Sports and

Youth Services, Minister for

Urban Development and

Local Bodies, Minister for

PHE, Irrigation and Flood

Control, Minister for CAPD

and Transport, Minister for

Planning & Development,

Labour and Employment,

Minister for Housing,

Horticulture and Culture as

Members.

Iqbal Khanday to be newJ&K Chief Secretary

MUMBAI: British Prime

Minister David Cameron

arrived here on Monday

morning on a three-day India

visit during which will he

meet captains of industry and

hold talks with top leaderswho are likely to seek more

information on the VVIPhel-

icopters scam involving an

Anglo-Italian firm. Having

arrived in India with the

largest trade delegation taken

abroad by a British Prime

Minister, David Cameron

today pitched forth a mega

plan to unleash the 'potential'

of the 1000 km corridor

between Mumbai and

Bangalore.

Kicking of his three-day

visit at a meeting with busi-

ness people and workers at

Hindustan Unilever Limited,

Cameron said, "It would

unleash India's potential

along the 1,000 km from

Mumbai to Bangalore, trans-

forming lives and putting

British businesses

in prime position

to secure valuable

c o m m e r c i a l

deals."

C a m e r o nwants British

companies to help

India develop the

corridor, generat-

ing investment

projects worth up

to $25 billion. And he has

come prepared. "With me

I've got architects, planners

and finance experts who can

work out the complete solu-

tion," he said.

contd on page 2

British PM arrives on 3 day visit to IndiaPitches for Mumbai-Bangalore corridor dream

NEW DELHI, FEB

18:President Pranab

Mukherjee today conferred

the 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize

for Peace, Disarmament and

Development to renownedWomen social worker Mrs.

Ela Ramesh Bhatt at a glitter-

ing ceremony at the

Rashtrapati Bhavan this

morning. Mrs. Ela Bhatt was

honoured for her life time

achievements in empowering

women, promoting grassroot

level entrepreneurship and

for her contribution towards

promoting equitable develop-

ment and peace. Speaking on

the ocassion President

Pranab Mukherjee said Ela

Bhat's orgainisation SEVA

has today become synony-

mous with rural inclusive-

ness and a vehicle of self

employment and self reliance

for women. The President

said, Ela Bhatt worked for

bringing women out of

poverty and through the pro-

motion of Self Help Groups

empowered them with the

freedom to choose and attain-

ing financial self- reliance.

Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh noted that,

inspite of developments, it isa matter of shame that inci-

dents of violence and sexual

offences against women are

on the increase. Dr. Singh

said, to deal with this, the

UPAgovernment has adopted

a mix of legislative, institu-

tional and procedural

reforms. Dr. Singh said, the

Justice J.S Verma committee

have resulted in the promul-

gation an ordinance, amend-

ing and strengthening the

criminal law to deal with sex-

ual offences against women.

Speaking on the ocassion,

Indira Gandhi Memorial trust

Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi

said, Ela ben has seen women

as the true nurturer of pros-

perity. She put women at the

centre of economic devlop-

ment. Mrs. Gandhi said, in

the contd on page 2

Ela Bhatt conferred 2011 IndiraGandhi Prize for Peace,

Disarmament & Development

NEWDELHI: India, US and

Afghanistan will hold their

second trilateral meet here

tomorrow to discuss all

aspects of the situation in

Afghanistan, especially in the

backdrop of US' announce-

ment of withdrawing 34,000

American troops from the

war-torn country in the next

one year.

The official-level meet will

discuss ways to enhance coop-

eration to deal with common

challenges and opportunities,

including combating terrorism

and violent extremism and

increasing regional trade and

investment, sources said.

Afghan Deputy Foreign

Minister Jawed Ludin, Y K

Sinha, Additional Secretary

(PAI) and Vikram Kumar

Doraiswami, Joint Secretary

(Americas) from India and

Assistant Secretary for South

and Central Asian

AffairsRobert Blake from the

US will lead their respective

delegations.

Coming within days of US

President Barack Obama

announcing the specific troop

withdrawal plan for

Afghanistan, the meeting is

also expected to focus on its

impact and future strategy.

Announcing that 34,000

American troops will be with-

drawn from war-torn

Afghanistan in the next one

year, Obama showed confi-

dence of ending a decade-long

war by the end of 2014.

"This spring, our forces

will move into a support role,

while Afghan security forces

take the lead. Tonight, I can

announce that over the next

year, another 34,000 American

troops will come home from

Afghanistan," he said in his

annual State of the Union

Address to the Congress.

"This drawdown will contin-

ue. And by the end of next

year, our war in Afghanistan

will be over," he said. The first

India-US and Afghanistan tri-

lateral was held in the US last

September during which the

three sides had free flowing

and frank discussion on all

aspects of the situation in

Afghanistan. Meanwhile, top

government sources said India

was still "studying" the details

of meeting hosted in the UK

by British Prime Minister

David Cameron for presidents

of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The meeting was also

attended by top spies and mil-

itary generals from the three

countries contd on page 2

India, US, Afghanistan to hold trilateral meet tomorrow

JAMMU: Over 7,500 stu-

dents on Monday performed

'Suryanamaskar', a special

sequence of yoga postures,

here as part of Swami

Vivekananda's ongoing 150th

birth anniversary celebra-

tions.

"Over 7,500 students in

over 90 institutes in Jammu

performed Suryanamaskar, a

special sequence of yoga pos-

tures with 10 steps", North-

India Samiti coordinator,

Gain Chand told news

sources

This was organised as a

part of the ongoing 150th

birth anniversary celebra-

tions of Swami Vivekananda,

with a view to propagate the

ideals of Swamiji among

school students, he added.

Reports from other dis-

tricts are still awaited as a tar-

get of 16,000 students from

over 240 schools has been

fixed for the Suryanamaskar

programme in Jammu and

Kashmir, Chand said. A

nation-wide Suryanamaskar

programme is being carried

out as part of Vivekananda's

150th birth anniversary cele-

brations with the aim to cre-

ate awareness and interest

among students to practice

the Yogic exercise.

7,500 students in Jammuperform 'Suryanamaskar'

SRINAGAR, FEB 18:Life returned to nor-

mal in Kashmir valley on Monday after nine

days of complete shutdown and curfew fol-

lowing the execution of Kashmir youth

Mohammad Afzal Guroo in Delhi's Tihar Jail

on 9th of this month.

Shops, other businesses, educational insti-

tutions and public transport started normally

in the morning while the roads and markets of

Srinagar and other parts of the Valley includ-

ing Apple Town Sopore bustled with activity

today as private and public transport plied

normal run connecting south with north

Kashmir via Srinagar. Usual traffic jams on

almost all routes, particularly in the uptown

and civil lines, was seen as signs of normalcy

with all shops and business establishments

doing normal business. The streets of Srinagar

witnessed heavy rush and shopkeepers were

seen busy.

In old city, police and CRPF personnel

were seen deployed to thwart any protest

demonstration. "I have run out of rice during

the days of curfew imposed by government

Life normal after nine days, Rail service resumed

JAMMU: Jammu University

is set to host a two-day glob-

al conference on Yoga and

meditation from February 21

here.

"The University of Jammu

is organising World Yoga

Conference from February 21

to February 23," said Vinay

Thusoo, Jammu University's

Public Relations Officer.

J&K Governor and the

university's Chancellor N N

Vohra will be the chief guest

at the conference, he added.

The conference will be on

the theme 'Global peace and

harmony through holistic

approach of Yoga and medi-

tation' and is likely to be

presided by university's Vice

Chancellor Mohan Paul

Singh Ishar. Professor

Swatantra Kumar, vice-chan-

cellor of Gurukul Kangri

University in Haridwar, will

be the guest of honour while

JammuUniversity to

host global yogameet from Feb 21

Page 1_.qxd 2/19/2013 9:52 AM Page 1


2/8

J&K MLC Elections...Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah and the

Working President Omar Abdullah for reposing trust

in the three leaders. Rana pledged that he will strive

hard for coming up to the expectations of the people

by raising issues confronted to them in the highest

democratic institution of the State.

Rana exhorted party rank and file to gear up for

elections scheduled in 2014 and steering National

Conference to grand success. He mentioned that the

party has a glor ious hist ory of public s ervice and sac-

rifice.

"National Conference is not a party but a move-

ment that has withstood test of times and upheld the

cause of the people of the three regions of the State",

he said, while cautioning the party workers to remain

vigilant against those who have been conspiring, in

one garb or the other, to weaken this party of masses.

He stressed the need for maintaining unity and

called upon the workers to fan out in their areas for

further strengthening their rapport with the people.

"Sincerity of purpose and good intentions are strong

tools to fight for the just cause of the people", he

maintained. He also asked Sarpanchs and Panchs to

redouble their efforts in serving the people, whom he

described real fountain head of power.

The Provincial President welcomed the contest-

ants from the Valley on behalf of the party leadership

of Jammu, saying the unity between the three regions

is a real strength of National Conference.

Also present were, State Vice Presidents, Rattan

Lal Gupta and Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari, Provincial

President NC Women Wing, Vijay Laxmi Dutta, exMP Mirza Abdul Rasheed, ex legislators, Sheikh

Bashir Ahmed, Ram Paul, Thakur Kashmira Singh,

M R Querishi, Haji Mohammed Hussain, Brij Mohan

Sharma, Rahim Dad, Iqbal Bhat, Bushan Lal Bhat

and senior leaders Gurdeep Singh Sasan, Jugal

Mahajan, Dharamvir Singh Jamwal, Sajjad Shaheen,

Surinder Singh Bunty, Rakesh Chib besides District,

Block Presidents and other functionaries.

Earlier, stream of National Conference functionar-

ies, workers and a large number of people visited the

residence of the Provincial President to greet him for

being the National Conference nominee to the LC

elections again.

British PM arrives...

As per reports, British and Indian officials had

been workin g with business representati ves fr om the

two countries on the Mumbai-Bangalore project

since last year. By 2030, if realised, the project could

generate close to half a million jobs, while indirect

jobs could bring t he total in the regi on to two million,

Cameron's office was quoted as saying.The first phase of the project would involve

investment in physical infrastructure, such as trans-

port networks , telecommuni cations and power gener-

ation. Later construction would concentrate on social

infrastructure such as welfare and education. India is

already developing 24 new industrial cities along a

1,483 km (920 mile) railway line between New Delhi

and Mumbai with Japanese funding, however, the

project has progressed at a sl ow pace.

Cameron is likely to be pressed for more informa-

tion on the Rs 3,600 crore helicopter scam involving

AgustaWestland during his meetings with the leader-

ship tomorrow. The helicopters, three of which have

already been delivered, were manufactured in south-

west England.

The visit also comes in the wake of India taking

steps to scrap the contract after Italian investigators

probe d alleg ation s that aeros pace group

Finmeccanica, the parent company of

AgustaWestland, had broken the law by paying

bribes to foreign officials.

This would be his second visit to the country since

he took over the mantle, with the first being soon

after assuming office in May 2010. In Delhi,

Cameron will hold comprehensive talks with Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh on a wide range of bilat-

eral, regional and international issues.

Besides the defence deal, other major issues

expected to figure during Cameron's visit would

include the Rs 12,000- crore Vodafone tax matter and

the UK hosting a meeting between the Pakistan and

Afghanistan Presidents.

Ela Bhatt conferred...

foot steps of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's

vision, Ela Bhat has touched and changed the lives of

million of people especially uplifting the vulnerable

and most marginalised sections of the society.

Jammu University to ....

Halina Majewski, a yoga scholar from Canada,

has been invited as a special guest.

The keynote address would be delivered by

acclaimed Yoga teacher and Padma Shri recipient,

Bharat Bhushan.

Life normal after...

don't know what will happen in future, so it is bet-

ter to be safe and stock items," Mohammad Sultan, a

resident of Nowhatta said.

Huge rush of consumers was witnessed outside

ration depots of Consumer Affairs and Public

Distribution Department in various areas of the

Valley with people waiting in long queues to pur-

chase ration. Even LPG cylinders were in demand,

with people eagerly waiting for the truckload of gas

cylinders at different points earmarked by gas com-

panies

withdraw money. Long queues of customers were

witnessed at ATMs of JK Bank on old Srinagar.

"I am waiting for my turn for past half an hour.

Due to strikes and curfew for nine days people have

run short of money and they now want to withdraw

money from the bank accounts. You never know what

will happen in Kashmir where situation turns from

normal to violent in no time," Neyaz Ahmed, a JK

Bank customer at Jawahar Nagar said. An official of

JK Bank told CNS that crore's of rupees were dis-

bursed from the different ATM boot hs of the bank

with more than 70000 hits by the customers. Railway

services from south to north Kashmir via Srinagar

resumed today after remaining suspended for nine

days.

After the execution of Afzal Guroo, Hurriyat (G)

and other separatist groups had called for strike to

mourn his death while as the State Government had

imposed unabated curfew all across the Kashmir.

Govt. orders...

take effect from April, 2012.

It is pertinent mention here that soon after his tak-

ing over, Mr. Ajaz had vowed to redress the griev-

ances of field staff of Revenue Department and facil-

itate their work and field operations and today's deci-

sion has come in this backdrop only.

SC stays ...

lawyer and human rights activist Shamik Narain

through senior counsel Colin Gonsalves in which

they sought the cancellation of the death penalty

awarded to the convicts as there has been an inordi-

nate delay in President deciding on their mercy plea.The plea sought the reduction of the sentence to life

imprisonment.

Veerappan's elder brother Gnanaprakash, Simon,

Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran were awarded

death sentence in 2004 in connection with a landmine

blast at Palar in Karnataka in 1993 i n which 22 police

personnel were kill ed.

While the court on Monday rejected the petition

on technical grounds - the convicts have to them-

selves appeal to the court - it also stayed the execu-

tion till Wednesday (Feb 20).

Their mercy petition was rejected by President

Pranab Mukherjee on February 13. The four convicts

are lodged in a jail in Belgaum in Karnataka.

A TADA court in Mysore had in 2001 sentenced

them to life term which was enhanced to death sen-

tence by the apex court. Gang leader Veerappan was

killed in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu police in

October 2004.

Marginal hike...

SMVDSB, informed that both the Operators viz.Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. and Global Vectra

Helicorp Ltd. had, for the past several months, been

asking for an increase in the helicopter fare in terms

of the Board's Agreement with both the Operators.

Their demand is based on the increase in the cost of

inputs, particularly the Aviation Turbine Fuel.

Pertinent to mention here that the current fare of the

heli tickets, during the present contract period of

April, 2011 to March, 2014, is substantially lower

than that which was in vogue earlier. Earlier, a one

way ticket for an adult passenger used to cost Rs.

1225/-; this had come down to Rs. 699/- per side

w.e.f. 1-4-2011.

Dr. Bhandari also informed that after due exami-

nation and appreciation of the requests made by the

heli service providers by a Committee which reached

conclusion that the fare of the heli tickets is low and

the rates need to be rationalized in view of the over-

all inflationary trend in the market and the cost of

inputs including manpower, fuel and transportation

etc. has gone up substantially in last one year. It was

noted that even the charges for traveling by pony

from Katra to Bhawan are higher i.e. Rs. 700/-, as per

the order of Dy. Commissioner Reasi dated

26.12.2012. This nominal hike would somewhat off-

set the price increase of various inputs which has

come about over last one year.

Dr. Bhandari stated that the new rates shall be

applicable w.e.f. 19.02.2013. All the tickets booked

on-line w.e.f 19.02.2013 as well as the tickets avail-

able on current basis from 19.02.2013 shall be priced

at Rs. 800/- per passenger per side. However, those

who have booked tickets in advance, need not pay

any extra amount.

DPSC harassing...

Geelani told CNS on phone and added that Delhi

Police Special Cell personnel are not accompanying

any formal order in this regard and on these basis he

has refused to hand over his mobile sets to them.

He further said that he is being continuously

harassed by DPSC personnel after the execution of

Afzal Guroo and this time also his quarter has been

cordoned and he is not being allowed to venture out.

Two crore children...

schools. Prominent Muslim groups had asked Nitish

Kumar government to make changes in the notice

issued and add the provisions of "optional or volun-

tary" so that the minority students could stay away

from the programme.

Later, the Bihar government adhered to the

demand of the Muslim groups and changed the provi-

sion in the circular. Earlier, around 50 lakh students

across Madhya Pradesh on January 12 took part in

'Surya Namaskar' ignoring Opposition protests and

fatwa by Muslim clerics even as Congress leader

Digvijay Singh saw nothing wrong in the yogic exer

STUDENT AGE

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 20132

Contd. from page 1...

MUMBAI, FEB 18:Out to

woo Indian businesses and stu-

dents, British Prime Minister

David Cameron today

announced his country would

introduce same-day visa serv-

ices for investors and said

there would be no limit on the

number of students from here

studying there.

"We have the biggest visa

operations anywhere else in

the world right here in India. I

announce that we are going to

introduce for businesses a

same-day visa service to those

who want to come to our coun-

try and invest...," Cameron

told India Inc at Hotel Taj, the

country's hospitality icon.

On the issue of Indian stu-

dents in Britain, he said there

is "no limit" on the number of

Indian students who can come

and study in universities there

and also no cap on the length

of time they can stay and work

in graduate-level jobs after

they qualified.

Cameron, who is accompa-

nied by the largest-ever trade

delegation, also said India

should continue to reduce trade

barriers to create better oppor-

tunities for British companies.

"Britain is looking to take

down the (trade) barriers ...we

want the Indian government to

continue to open up trade bar-

riers and make it easier to do

business here...We have to

make sure that just as we wel-

come Indian investments into

Britain, it is easier for British

companies like banking, retail

etc to invest in this vibrant and

fast growing economy," he

said.

The British premier also

said there are great opportuni-

ties for Indian companies to

invest in Britain.

"When I see Indian invest-

ment into Britian, I only see

hope...investment like Jaguar

and Land Rover, which is a

massive international success

story...We welcome that sort of

investments," Cameron said,

adding his country seeks to be

the most investor-friendly mar-

ket.

On his second state visit to

the country in under three

years, Cameron also called for

the need to forge greater part-

nership with India as the

British economy is starting to

recover from recession.

"The time to forge partner-

ship is now as the British econ-

omy has started to recover

from difficulties of last two

years and the Indian economy

powers ahead (to become) one

of the great powers," he said.

Cameron announces same-day visafor Indian biz, no cap on students

NEW DELHI: Speaking at the presenta-

tion of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,

Disarmament and Development for 2011 to

Ela Ramesh Bhatt of Self Employed

Women's Association (SEWA), President

Pranab Mukherjee emphasised that

empowerment of women is the key for gen-der equality and to elicit full participation

from citizens in nation-building.

President today said here that gender

disparity can be tackled only through eco-

nomic empowerment of women and

improving their role in governance.

"Gender disparity in our country can be

covered only through pro-active interven-

tion in areas such as economic empower-

ment of women, building adequate social

and physical infrastructure and improving

women's role in governance," Mukherjee

said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Monday said Parliament would pass the

Sexual Harassment of Women at

Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and

Redressal) Bill, 2012 to cope with increas-

ing violence and sexual offences against

women.

"It is our hope that parliament will

urgently pass the necessary legislation toenact a comprehensive law in this regard. It

is indeed a matter of shame that notwith-

standing the gains we have made, incidents

of violence and sexual offences against

women are on the increase," Manmohan

Singh said here.

He was speaking at a function where the

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,Disarmament and Development 2011 was

awarded to Ela Ramesh Bhatt, founder of

the Self-Employed Women's Association of

India (SEWA).

While the Sexual Harassment of Women

at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and

Redressal) Bill, 2012 has been passed by

the Lok Sabha, it is yet to be approved by

the Rajya Sabha. "While more women are

now joining the formal economy as a result,

a corollary of these developments has been

the heightened risk to their safety and secu-

rity," Manmohan Singh added.

The president also shared statistics and

said the overall sex ratio remains "disap-

pointing" and the literacy rate of women

was "lagging behind".

"Women comprise 48.5 percent of our

population. Though the overall sex ratio

has increased during 2001 and 2011, the

ratio of 940 females per 1,000 males in

2011 is a disappointing figure and reflectsthe distance that remains in achieving true

equality," Mukherjee said.

"The literacy rate amongst women has

increased from 53.7 per cent in 2001 to

65.5 per cent in 2011. However, female lit-

eracy still lags behind male literacy by 16.7

percent," he noted.

"Poor women are often incapacitated toact individually. Social mobilisation for

their economic redemption is a critical

necessity. To lend true meaning to empow-

erment, we have to expand their freedom of

choice," Mukherjee added.

Giving the Indira Gandhi Prize for

Peace, Disarmament and Development for

2011 to Ela Bhatt, Mr. Mukherjee said,

"Self-help groups have been found to be

one of the most effective tools for the

empowerment of women in developing

countries."

The prize is awarded annually to a per-

son or group in recognition of their creative

efforts towards enlarging the scope of free-

dom and enriching the human spirit. The

prime minister also announced schemes

mooted for rape victims like national finan-

cial assistance, support services, women's

national helpline and "One Stop Crisis

Centre" in 100 public hospitals under the

aegis of the National Mission forEmpowerment of Women.

Empowering women can tackle gender disparity: PresidentParliament to soon pass bill to prevent sexual harassment: PM

NEW DELHI,FEB 18:The

Uttar Pradesh government

has ordered for judicial

probe into the stampede at

Allahabad Railway station

on February 10th claiming

lives of 38 Kumbh pilgrims

and injuring many. Retired

Justice of Allahabad High

Court Justice Onkareshwar

Bhatt will conduct the probe.

He has been asked to com-

plete the probe within two

months.

Earlier, the government

had asked the Chairman

Board of Revenue Jagan

Mathuews to conduct the

probe within one month. He

was supposed to visit

Allahabad today to initiate

the probe. Sate Principle

Secretary Home Rajendra

Mohan Srivastav told our

correspondent this morning

that the government has also

decided to scrap the

Chairman Board of Revenue

probe and order about it is

being issued today.

Two Public Interest

Litigations are filed in the

Allahabad High Court and

its Lucknow bench seeking

judicial probe into the inci-

dent.

Railway has also set up

an inquiry committee headed

by the Additional member

traffic Railway Board to

probe into the incident.

Meanwhile the Bharatiya

Janata Party has demanded a

special audit by the

Comptroller and Auditor

General CAG into the

expenses made in the name

of Kumbh preparations.

Party`s senior leader and

chairman of Public Accounts

Committee of Parliament Dr

Murli Manohar Joshi also

alleged that state govern-

ment as well as Railways

had not made adequate

arrangements for the Kumbh

pilgrims. State BJP has also

set up a committee to probe

into the incident of stam-

pede.

UP govt orders judicial probeinto Feb 10 Allahabad stampede

NEW DELHI,FEB 18:The

Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs

Meira Kumar has convened

an all-party meeting on

Wednesday to ensure smooth

functioning of the Budget

Session of Parliament start-

ing on February 21. Our cor-

respondent reports, the

Speaker will be meeting lead-

ers of all parliamentary par-

ties a day before the three-

month-long session starts.

The session is expected to

be tumultuous with the

Opposition all set to attack

the government on a number

Affairs Minister Kamal Nath

has already met secretaries of

various ministries to firm up

the legislative agenda for the

session that will continue till

May 10 with a month-long

recess from March 23.

The Budget Session

begins with the Address of

President Pranab Mukherjee

to the joint sitting of

Parliament. The Rail Budget

will be presented on February

26 and economic survey will

be tabled the next day.

Finance Minister P

Chidambaram will present

Meira Kumar to holdall-party meet on Feb 20

for smooth session

MALE, FEB 18: A Maldivian

Court today ordered the police to

produce Mohamed Nasheed

before it, prompting them to

approach the Foreign Ministry to

talk to the Indian High

Commission where former

President is holed up for the sixth

day.

"We have received court

orders asking us to produce for-

mer President Nasheed before it

by 4 PM on Wednesday," Police

spokesman Hassan Haneef told

PTI.

He said they department,

through the Attorney General, has

approached the Foreign Ministry

asking it to get in touch with the

Indian High Commission, where

Nasheed has taken refuge since

February 13 to evade a similar

arrest warrant issued by the court

in a case concerning the detention

of Chief Judge of the Criminal

Court during his Presidency in

January last year.

"We have asked the Foreign

Ministry to ask the Indian

Mission to arrange and facilitate

Nasheed's arrest so that he could

be produced before the Court,"

Haneef said.

Maldives' President Mohamed

Waheed's Press Secretary Masood

Imad said the arrest warrant

would expire at 4 pm on

Wednesday.

"The police have been directed

by the Court to bring Nasheed

before it. The warrant would

expire at 4 PM Wednesday," he

said.

If Nasheed is found guilty in

the case, he could be barred from

standing in a presidential election

that is scheduled for September 7.

His party - Maldivian

Democratic Party - says the trial

is an attempt to exclude him from

the contest and has challenged the

court's legitimacy.

Nasheed Maldives' Courtask police to present

NEW DELHI, FEB 18:Holding

that investigation into the Rs

3,600-crore VVIP helicopter deal

was on at "many levels", India

today said Letters Rogatory is the

"best and strongest method"

available to it for seeking details

from Italian courts on the case.

External Affairs Minister

Salman Khurshid also said a CBI

team from here has gone to Milan

in Italy to get material and details

about the case.

"Our courts have to issue them

and they have to be addressed by

Italian courts. But it (Letters

Rogatory) is the best and

strongest method available to us

and hope that will work," he told

reporters here.

He was responding to a ques-

tion on whether Letters Rogatory

would be the best way to get

week refused to share any details

with India on the case.

A Letters Rogatory or letter of

request is a formal request from a

court to a foreign court for some

type of judicial assistance.

Khurshid said the Indian

Government has not been able to

get "concrete materials" from

Italian authorities.

"We are not able to get con-

crete materials from Italians. So

far whatever they have done, we

have reacted and responded. But

up to this point they have not

indicated anything. They are

unable to share with us anything,"

he said. The Minister said it was

little premature to get to any con-

clusion on the issue as the CBI

team from India is there to get

details. "Our team is there to

gather information and materials

Investigation into chopper dealon at 'many levels': Khurshid

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3/8

STATESTUDENT AGE


NEWS IN BOX

Madni reviews arrangementsfor budget session

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18:- Deputy Speaker, Jammu and

Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Sartaj Madni,

today reviewed arrangements for smooth conduct of upcom-

ing budget session commencing from February 28 while

chairing a meeting of senior civil and police functionaries.

The Deputy Speaker directed the executing agencies,

Estates department to speed up the pace of work and ensure

repair and renovation besides checking bottlenecks, if any, in

construction of the Assembly complex particularly in the

central hall, house and VIP chambers within a week's time.

Threadbare, discussion was held on arrangements made

by the Security, Traffic, Fire Services, Hospitality and

Protocol, Power Development Department, Municipality,

JKTDC, Health and Medical, Information, and Floriculture

departments. Besides, a detailed deliberation was also held

on issuance of entry passes, stay and provision for parking

facilities for media persons. Among others, Divisional

Commissioner Jammu, Pradeep Gupta, ADGP, Security, Dr.

Ram Lubhaya, IGPTraffic, Munir Khan, Secretary Law and

Parliamentary Affairs, Ghulam Hassan Tantrey, Secretary

Assembly, M. Ramzan,, Deputy Inspector General IRP, T.

Punchok, Deputy Inspector General Traffic Jammu, Shakeel

Ahmed Baig and other concerned officers attended the meet-

ing.

Meditation Guru Raj Kumar Dograpresents his art in Jail at Kot Bhalwal

JAMMU:Continuing with his mission of reaching the needy

and depressed people of the society, renowned Meditation &Spiritual Musiic Therapy Guru Raj Kumar Dogra once again

reached the Central Jail at Kot Bhalwal in outskirts of

Jammu for live presentation of his art.

Over 400 jail inmates, including hard core militants,

criminals, drug addicts and those in jail for various other

social crimes, attended the special session.

Raj Kumar Dogra said that during his research work of

last 15 years and the workshops, seminars, presentations in

India and aborad, has invited wide spread appreciation and

proved to be a medicine to cure the ailments, relieve stress

and strain, bring peace of mind and develop positiveness.

Dogra said that the Meditation Therapy can prove to be

beneficial to even those people who have taken gun in hand

and adopted the path of militancy. As this therapy produces

positive attitude, their minds get spiritual thinking and they

can once again return to the society as normal peave loving

citizens. Raj Kumar Dogra said although there has been a

number of self styled and self claimers of being the experts

in the line still one should prefer to contact the real and expe-

rienced person if he or she want to enjoy the fruits of origi-

nal therapy. Speaking about the significance of the

Meditation & Spiritual Music Therapy, Raj Kumar Dograsaid that the Indian music has the long history of its journey.

In the old days, there were special raagas for particular occa-

sions, events, religious ceremonies and social events. The

power and the effect of the music could be well judged from

the fact that a particular raga caved in the name of Agni or

Megha could create fire or bring clouds and rain.

Jail Superintendent Madam Rajni Sehgal thanked Dogra

for giving live presentation in the premises of the jail and

expressed hope that the medicine of this music therapy will

obviously bring good results in the jail inmates.

Meenakshi and Payal Dogra gave the vocal support to Raj

Kumar Dogra and Shalini Chouhan conducted the pro-

gramme. Swarangan Meditation Charitable Trust Members

Sanjay Kumar and Swaransh Dogra also accompanied Raj

Kumar Dogra.

Death of women sparksprotests in Kulgam

Stone pelting and shut down in PulwamaSRINAGAR, FEB 18: Heavy Protests trigger South

Kashmir's Khudwani and its adjacent areas of District

Kulgam over the death of a woman who according to people

was beaten and harassed by Special Operation Group (SOG)

and Army personnel from 9 RR during nocturnal raids in the

area. Police resorted to aerial firing and tear gas shelling to

disperse the agitated protestors while curfew was imposed

when the youth in large numbers assembled on roads and

started pelting stones on police and Para-military troopers

deployed in strength on roads. Meanwhile, in Pulwama agi-

tated protestors attacked Police Station in main market

demanding the release of youth who according to protestors

had been arrested during nocturnal raids.

According to reports, during the intervening night of

Sunday and Monday, Army and SOG personnel raided the

house of Haji Ali Mohammad Dar and Ghulam Mohammad

Gani residents of Cheder, Kulgam. Locals alleged that Army

and Special Operation Group personnel raided many houses

in the village including that of Late Ali Mohammad Dar.

During the nocturnal raid, inmates were asked to assemble in

their respective courtyards, they added.

"When the search operation was going on and nothing

objectionable was found in the housed, some army men

threatened a youth and Nazira Banoo of dire consequences.

She was slapped and harassed to the extent that she lost her

life probably due to fear," a resident said. When on Monday

morning people in the nearby villages heard about the news

they assembled in Cheder and marched towards the Army

camp situated in Khudwani in the building of Agricultural

University along with the body of Nazira Banoo. Protestors

chanted anti-India slogans and demanded stern action against

the guilty. In order to disperse the agitated protestor's, police

and Para-military troopers resorted to heavy tear gas shelling

and lathi charge which resulted in the injuries of dozens of

persons. Meanwhile a Police official said they are in the

process of collecting details. "It seems that the woman died

of cardiac arrest but it will be premature to say anything.

Investigation is going on and soon the reality will come to

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18-

Minister for Tourism, Mr.

Ghulam Ahmed Mir today

said that the government was

committed to provide better

basic amenities to the people

of state adding that in this

regard a massive infrastruc-

ture development pro-

gramme was underway

across the state.

Interacting with several

deputationists from valley

here today, the Minister said

that tourism being the back-

bone of state's economy, the

present government was

paying focused attention for

its promotion. He said

Tourism Department was

making strenuous efforts to

develop new potential spots

besides creating world class

tourism infrastructure in the

state.

The deputations who met

the Minister were from

Shangus, Dooru,

Arikushipora, Qazigund,Batagund, besides Migrant

Teachers Association. The

deputations put forth their

chatter of demands before

the Minister and urged for

early redressal.

A deputation led by

District Congress President

Anantnag, Mr. Gulzar

Ahmed Wani demanded con-

stitution of separate devel-

opment authority for

Acchabal-Chattapal. The

members also urged for up-

gradation of tourism infra-

structure in Shangus con-stituency, besides develop-

ment of Public Park at

Dathinag.

Another deputation from

Arikhushipora demanded

restoration of power supply

from the transformer

installed previously for lift-

ing ground water in the area.

They said that the ground

water lifting supply scheme

was not functional since a

long time as the transformer

at the site was not in use.

The deputation of con-

tractors associationQazigund pleaded for pend-

ing payment of the works

already completed on

Omoh- Jawahar tunnel road.

Another deputation from

Batagund, led by Mukhtar

Ahmed Bhat, demanded

construction of water supply

scheme in the area.

The Migrant Teachers

Association requested for

inclusion of their services

from the day of their

appointment.

The Minister gave a

patient hearing to the depu-tationists and said that their

genuine demands would be

taken up with the concerned

authorities for early redres-

sal.

Several deputations calls on Tourism Minister

Better basic amenities, tourismpromotion priority of Govt: Mir

Minister for Tourism, Ghul am Ahmed Mir nteracting with several deputationists at Jammu

JAMMU FEBRUARY 18:

Emphasizing on close coor-

dination among departments

and executing agencies, the

Minister for Urban

Development and Local

Urban Local Bodies, Mr.

Nawang Rigzin Jora has

asked the concerned func-

tionaries to speed up work to

ensure timely completion of

the projects taken up under

the Centrally sponsored

Jawaharlal Nehru National

Urban Renewal Mission

(JnNURM} programme for

the state.

The Minister was review-

ing the status on the projects

taken up under JnNURM in

the state at an officers meet-

ing here today

Commissioner Secretary

Housing and Urban

Development, Mr Jeetlal

Gupta, senior officers of

SMC, JMC, ULD, Kashmir

and Jammu and STRC were

present on the occasion.

The meeting was

informed that 108 projects

have been sanction by the

Centre under this pro-

gramme while Rs 548 crore

1312.64 crore. The meeting

was further informed that

under urban transport Rs.

26.40 crore has been

approved for procurement of

150 buses 75 each for Jammu

and Srinagar cities.

It was given out that under

urban infrastructure develop-

ment for small and medium

towns (UIDSSMT), Rs. 217

crore have been incurred so

far out of the sanctioned

funds of Rs. 424.42 crore

approved for 47 projects,

while work on five projects

of Rs 162 39 crore taken up

was in progress with expen-

diture of Rs. 26.80 crore.

Under Integrated housing

and slum development pro-

gramme (IHSDP), the Centre

has approved 50 schemes

costing Rs. 147.60 crore

against which Rs. 66.07 crore

have been expended so far.

The minister asked offi-

cers to include all the expens-

es while preparing detailed

project reports (DPRs),

including cost required for

shifting of utilities to avoid

delay in completion of the

works "No excuse would be

warned and asked officers

monitoring the progress of

the projects to seek help and

advice of the administrative

department in removing bot-

tlenecks, if any.

Mr. Jora asked the con-

cerned officers to hire the

consultants where required

and ensure that consultant

shall remain present at con-

struction sites till the proj-

ects are completed. He asked

officers to take necessary

guidance and advices of

administrative department

and ensure that projects are

Jora reviews progress on JNURM projectsRs. 548 cr expended, work on 108 projects in progress

Urban Development and Local Urban Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora discussing the working

on on the projects taken up under JnNURM at Jammu

SRINAGAR, FEB 18:

Terming the trial of Afzal

Guroo as flawed and a farce,

Kashmiri human rights

activist based in Delhi,

Professor S.A.R.Geelani

Monday claimed that Chief

Minister Omar Abdullah was

well aware of the fact that

Afzal Guroo will be hanged

soon after Ajmal Qasab."

Remember the day when

Kasab was hanged? The

secrecy was maintained. Go

and see what Omar Abdullah

tweeted then. He said that if

this can be done in secrecy,

others could be done as well.

He was hinting at Afzal

Guru. There is no reason not

to believe that Omar

Abdullah was not aware

about it or rather, knew about

it," Geelani told Srinagar

based News gathering agency

CNS and added that execu-

tion of Guroo was not judi-

cial but a political decision.

Stating that the hanging of

Afzal was a politically moti-

vated gimmick and an exam-ple of vote bank politics

Geelani said that to pave for

its victory in 2014 Parliament

Elections, Congress party

murdered Afzal

He lamented that Afzal

was not given a chance to

prove his innocence. "Afzal

Guroo gave requests at least

five times, seeking legal aid.

He gave the names of the

lawyers. Neeraj Bansal was

made his counsel. If you see

the records, you will find that

Neeraj Bansal gave an appli-

cation to the court saying that

he doesn't want to be Afzal's

advocate. The court asked

him to do the job for assisting

the court. So, he was not

fighting the case for Afzal, he

was assisting the court. It is

completely a case of justice

denied and today I can say

that an innocent man was

hanged," Geelani said.

Geelani claimed that it

was not only Omar Abdullah

but other mainstream parties

were also taken into confi-

dence on the Afzal issue. "It

is irony that despite knowing

everything the Jammu and

Kashmir Chief Minister is

singing a different tune in

Valley now. These political

leaders are all responsible for

the murder of Afzal Guroo.

Their crocodile tears will not

work anymore. They have

got fully exposed.'' He said.

Lashing at Indian media

for repeatedly airing the con-

fession statement of Afzal

Guroo on their channels,

Geelani said the even

Supreme Court maintained

that this statement was under

duress. "They go on lying tothe people till they are con-

vinced that what they hear is

the truth. They say that we

should have respect for the

courts, but do they have? The

Supreme Court has declared

the confession by Afzal ille-

gal but they are showing it

repeatedly even after his

death. They are like vultures

who want their pound of

flesh from a dead man,"

Geelani said and added that

no institution is coming for-

ward to help Kashmiri people

who are being suppressed

and whose voice is being

muzzled.

Execution of Afzal was a Judicial murder

CM was well aware about thefacts: S.A.R Geelani

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18-

The 3rd meeting of J&K

Heritage Conservation &

Preservation Authority was

held under the chairmanship

of Minister for Housing,

Horticulture & Culture,

Raman Bhalla, to review the

progress on restoration work

being done on various her-

itage sites across the State.Commissioner/Secretary

Tourism and Culture, Atal

D u l l o o ,

Commissioner/Secretary

R&B, Tanveer Jehan,

Secretary JKAACL Khalid

Bashir Ahmed, Consultant

Tourism and Culture, K. A

Qadri, Special Secretary

PWD, Special Secretary

Revenue, Deputy Director

Archives besides other sen-

ior officers of Tourism,

Culture, Planning, Revenue,

Industries, Housing, Law,

Agriculture Department

attended the meeting.

Bhalla informed the

meeting that the

Government has earmarked

corpus fund of Rs. 50 crore

for meeting the expenditure

on conservation and preser-

vation of rich heritage assets

of the State, against which

Rs. 2 crore stands released,

which would be invested as

long and short term meas-

ures for the purpose.

Bhalla said that initially

three heritage sites one each

in Kashmir, Jammu and

Ladakh regions would be

taken up for conservation by

the Authority.

In this regard, he directed

concerned to prepare conser-

vation plans for these sites.

The Minister stressed

upon the concerned authori-

ties to take all necessary

steps for making the authori-

ty more vibrant and result

oriented. He said Jammu and

Kashmir is proud to have

5000 years of living tradi-

tions with enormous number

of monuments, heritage

places archeology sites and

their preservation is on

focused attention of the

Government.

He said during past four

years strenuous efforts are

being made for preservation

of states' cultural legacy,

adding that the enactment of

Heritage Conservation and

Preservation Act would fur-

ther help in conserving the

distinct heritage assets

of the State.

Bhalla said that the

Ancient Monuments

Preservation Act wasalso updated after a gap

of 19 years and rules

and regulation for both

the Acts are in force for

the purpose.

The Minister

emphasized speedy

start of work on revival

of the pristine glory of

Zorawar Singh Palace

Vijaypur Reasi, Chamba

Rock Cut Sculpture

Kartsaye Kargil, Poonch

House Talab Tilloo Jammu,

Heritage Building SPS

College Srinagar. He said

the detailed project reports

on these projects have been

approved for early start of

work.

Govt keen to revive pristine gloryof heritage sites: Bhalla

SRINAGAR, FEB 18:

Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) has said the Congress

NC coalition was only

enhancing the pain caused by

the unholy haste and secrecy

adopted in the execution of

Mohammad Afzal Guru

through its heartless response

to people's sentiment and use

of brute force. In a s tatement

condemning the death of a

widow in Kaimoh as a result

of reportedly harsh intrusion

by government forces into

her house, party president

Mehbooba Mufti said the

refusal by government to

hand over the remains of

Afzal to the family was a

gross violation of their rights

and added a new chapter of

callousness to the sad

Kashmir story.

Reiterating the party view

that Afzal was sacrificed for

the political interests of rul-

ing coalition Mehbooba said

the party stood by its demand

for return of his body for bur-

ial in Kashmir. "Not just the

fundamental human rights of

the family are being violated

but even the religious

requirement of proper and

decent last rites have been

denied which will leave a

deep scar on the psyche of

people in the state" she said.

Mehbooba said the inter-

vention of the Supreme

Court in the case of

Veerapan's associates and

staying of their execution

even after the rejection of

mercy petition by the

President of India has estab-

lished beyond doubt that

Afzal was denied a legal

option because of UPA's

political temptations or a

deliberate disregard for the

rights of a citizen of Kashmir

and sentiments of its people.

She said the entire sequence

of events regarding Afzal

treated differently and

unjustly, which understand-

ably feeds the larger political

imbroglio.

Mehbooba said NC and

Congress have shown that

whenever they get together

to share power the people of

the state have to pay a heavy

price. "If on previous occa-

sions their lust of power

resulted in mass destruction

of Kashmir, this time they

have capped their four year

disastrous rule with an event

that would define the psyche

of generations and impact

course of history as few other

events have done" she said.

The least the government

could do to atone its sins in

Afzal affair is to return the

body for its proper burial by

the family, she added.

Strongly condemning the

use of force by government

to silence voices of protest

Mehbooba said the level of

fear created by it is unprece-

dented. If the youth prefer to

drown rather than face arrest

by police as happened in

Ganderbal, a lady Nazira

Begum died of a heart attack

in Kaimoh. She said the gov-

ernment is trying to enforce

peace of graveyard in the

state after provoking the peo-

ple through its atrocious poli-

cies. She said the mass arrest

of youth resorted to by the

government has no parallel

even in the tragic history of

J&K itself. "This govern-

ment is again creating the

same atmosphere in which

before 2002 the NC and its

infamous task force and SOG

pushed a gentleman of great

qualities like Mohammad

Afzal Guru into a situation

that led to his underserved

execution" she said. Therapy

Guru Raj Kumar Dogra once

again reached the Central Jail

at Kot Bhalwal in outskirts of

Govt. enhancing Kashmir's

pain by repression, denial ofGuru's remains: Mehbooba

Page 3,4 State.qxd 2/19/2013 9:54 AM Page 1


4/8

SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY

18: Incentive cheques worth

Rs. 1.18 crore under

"National Mission on

Saffron" were distributed

among 220 Saffron growers

of Zewan, Balhama &

Khunmoh at Lal Mandi

Srinagar today.

On the occasion, Director

Agriculture Kashmir, Dr.

Farooq Ahmad Lone said that

the "National Mission on

Saffron" is aimed to increase

productivity, maintaining

quality & improving market-

ing facilities of saffron. He

said that country has to import

saffron to meet the domestic

demand of 20 metric tons per

year & Government has

launched this programme to

increase saffron production in

the State, so that country's

demand is met.

He said that need of hour

is to initiate steps for protec-

tion of saffron crop besides

increasing productivity &

improving its quality. He said

that Spice Park worth Rs. 22.6

crore would be established at

Drusoo Pampore to facilitate

growers online national &

international marketing of

their produce at doorsteps

besides provide quality con-

trol facilities to them. He said

that 5 Bore-wells at the cost

of Rs. 2 crore were estab-

lished at Khunmoh, Balhama

for irrigation facilities to saf-

fron areas. He directed offi-

cers and officials of the

department to put their efforts

& utilize modern technology

in boosting the production &

enhance the quality of saffron.

Chief Agriculture Officer

Srinagar said that during cur-

rent year 54 Hectors of land

was covered under replanting

of corms programme and the

remaining area will be cov-

ered under rejuvenation pro-

gramme in next year. As

many as five Vermi-Compost

Units were established by

providing Rs. 1.50 lakh as

subsidy component to saffron

growers.

STATESTUDENT AGE


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JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18 -

Minister for R&B, Abdul

Majid Wani today said that

broader public interest and

necessity has been kept as the

criteria for sanctioning and

execution of Road and

Bridges (R&B) department

projects.

The Minister was

responding to various

demands put forth by deputa-

tions from various districts of

Jammu Province regarding

provision for proper road

connectivity, especially in

hilly and remote areas of

Kishtwar, Reasi, Poonch,

Rajouri, Doda, etc.

Mr. Wani reiterated that

the districts and areas with

low road connectivity per-

centage would be given top

priority so that the dream of

equitable development of all

regions and sub-regions of

the State is realized

Pradesh Congress

Committee, M. A. Malik,

Block President Palmar, Dev

Raj alongwith Sarpanches

from Marwah, Warwan and

other areas Monday felicitat-

ed Mr. Wani for taking over

as the R&B Minister in the

coalition government.

The members of the

Chairperson, Mrs Sonia

Gandhi and Union Minister

for Health and Family

Welfare, Mr Ghulam Nabi

Azad for the decision.

Describing Mr. Wani as

true public friend, who

understands and knows

ground realities and hard-

ships faced by people espe

he will address their griev-

ances on merit instead of any

other consideration.

The deputation highlight-

ed various demands and

sought early redressal. The

demands included upgrada-

tion of roads from Dacchan

to Marwa, Warwan to

Marwa Gulabgarh to

of Ishaan Nowapachi road,

upgradation and widening of

Malipeth Dakbunglow Road

etc.

Thanking the deputation

for reposing faith in him,

R&B Minister said that equi-

table development with spe-

cial focus on earlier unattend-

ed areas has been put high on

agenda.

Maintaining that as Public

representatives all Ministers

are entrusted to serve the

public, Mr wani assured the

deputations that he will very

shortly visit and tour all these

hilly and border districts to

facilitate rapid progress on

road connectivity programme

in these areas.

The R&B Minister further

assured the delegation that

their genuine demands would

be given due consideration.

He directed the concerned

authorities to examine the

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18:-

Retreating Government's

commitment for effective

decentralization of powers to

grass-root level, Minister for

Rural development and

Panchayati Raj, Ali

Mohammad Sagar has said

that the necessary mecha-

nism has already been put in

place to ensure that the

orders of empowerment of

Panchayati Raj Institutions

are implemented in letter and

spirit.

The Minister was speak-

ing at an interaction organ-

ized by the department of

Rural Development to over-

see the implementation of the

orders of empowerment of

Panchayati Raj Institutions at

satwari block.

District Development

Commissioner Jammu, Mr.

Sanjeev Verma, Director

Rural Development Jammu

Ms. Rehana Batool, Panchs/

Sarpanchs and officers of

different departments were

present.

Mr. Sagar said that the

present government has

already issued the orders for

vesting the supervisory pow-

ers of 14 vital departments to

Panchayats and any official

should not violate the same.

He said that the Additional

District Development

Commissioner of every dis-

trict has been nominated as

the nodal officer to ensure

the implementation.

The Minister said that by

ensuring the democratic

decentralization of powers

the people at grass root level

are being involved in the day

to day governance which

forms the basis of democrat-

ic setup. He asked the offi-

cers to involve the Panches

and Sarpanches in the formu

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18

:Chief Minister, Omar

Abdullah Monday while

expressing satisfaction over

the popularity of SKEWPY

among educated youth,

underlined the need for

bringing the clearance

process for launch of eco-

nomic units under Public

Service Guarantee Act

(PSGA) to make it time

bound and hassle-free.

Saying that SKEWPY is

right answer to address

unemployment problem and

generate wide-ranging eco-

nomic activities in industrial

and business sectors, the

Chief Minister said, 'in the

success of the budding entre-

preneurs in this field is the

success of SKEWPY, as such

all concerned need to work

with a commitment and dedi-

cation for obtaining targeted

results'.

After patiently hearing the

experience of entrepreneurs

who have established or are

in the process of setting up

economic units under

SKEWPY at marathon inter-

action session organized by

Jammu and Kashmir

E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p

Development Institute

(JKEDI) here this afternoon,

the Chief Minister said that

success attained by the entre-

preneurs taking advantage of

SKEWPY would serve as an

important motivating factor

for others to follow the suit.

"I am happy that you nar-

rated full account of your

success stories frankly and

truthfully in this interaction

session", he told the entre-

preneurs adding that the

experience shared by them

will serve as 'food for

thought' to the government

departments, Jammu and

Kashmir Bank and other

organizations associated

with SKEWPY to address

the areas identified by the

entrepreneurs in focused

manner.

"In order to make SKEW-

PY more productive, effec-

tive and fast track, it is

essential that the issues

regarding clearance of cases

under SKEWPY are brought

under PSGA", he stressed

and said that hassle-free

clearance of cases and dis-

bursement of loans in a time

bound manner has to be

ensured so that youth find

level play field to venture

upon.

Describing budding

entrepreneurs as explorers of

SKEWPY initiative, the

Chief Minister said that they

would act as role models for

others to utilize SKEWPY

initiative and earn substan-

tial livelihood for themselves

and others. He said hand

holding of entrepreneurs by

all the concerned agencies is

key to the progress and

growth of SKEWPY.

The Chief Minister said

that SKEWPY categorically

provides for advancing of

loans less than Rs. 10 lakhs

without any mortgage or

guarantee by entrepreneurs

and similar initiative has

been put in place by the

Centre Government to

encourage micro and small

industrial sector and address

unemployment problem.

"There is need to drive this

point home to the lower level

bank officers by the Jammu

and Kashmir Bank so that

entrepreneurs are not asked

for such requirements for the

cases involving less than Rs.

10 lakhs", he said and direct-

ed the Jammu and Kashmir

Bank authorities to educate

their officials accordingly.

The Chief Minister said

that he would constitute a

Committee of Secretaries to

re-examine operational

mechanism, scale of financ-

ing, expansion, enhancing of

age limit and lowering of

qualification for the youth

intending to take advantage

of SKEWPY so that its orbit

is further expanded and more

and more youth provided

opportunity to earn their

livelihood under this

scheme. Minister for

Planning and Development,

Ajay Sadhotra in his speech

highlighted the efficacy of

SKEWPY and said that

Jammu and Kashmir State is

the first State in the country

which has implemented the

historic initiative of Sher-i-

Kashmir Employment and

Welfare Programme for and

Youth (SKEWPY) under the

stewardship of Chief

Minister, Omar Abdullah.

Time limit for clearance of industrial units to be brought under PSGA: Omar'No requirement of mortgage, guarantee for loans less than Rs. 10 lakh under SKEWPY'


Minister of State forIndustries & Commerce and

Home, Sajjad Ahmad

Kichloo, today stated that

work on the Kishtwar cam-

pus of Jammu University will

be taken up shortly and in

Phase I, Academic Block and

Girls & Boys Hostels will be

constructed.

In a statement, the

Minister thanked Vice

Chancellor Jammu

University, Sardar Mohan Pal

Singh Ishar and Director, JUKishtwar Campus, Dr.

Shohab Inayat Malik for pri-

oritizing work on the

Campus, estimated to cost

Rs. 19 crore, for which 26

kanals of land has already

been acquired. "We have

identified another 101 kanals

of land for which Rs. 6 crore

compensation is required," he

said, adding work on Phase II

of the project will begin as

soon as the identified land is

made available to the execut-ing agency.

The Minister said the

Government is working to

strengthen the higher educa-

tion network in the State so

that we make our educational

institutions seats of excel-

lence and learning. He added

that Kishtwar Campus will

have state-of-the-art infra-

structure and required facul-

ties so that it emerges as a

seat of great learning.

Kichloo also said that hewill request VC JU to estab-

lish Department of Persian

Studies once the Campus is

commissioned as it will com-

pliment the people of

Kishtwar for their liking for

literature. He added that

hunger of younger generation

for knowledge should not

diminish for country's bright

future and prosperity

Work on JU Kishtwar Campus to begin soon: KichlooAcademic block, Girls & Boys Hostels to be constructed in Phase

Broader public interest, necessity to be the criteria for new projects: Wani

Minister for R&B, Abdul Majid Wani interacting with the deputations from various districts of JammuProvince at Jammu

Mechanism put in place to ensureempowerment of PRIs: Sagar

JAMMU: Panun Kashmir,

an organisation representing

displaced Kashmiri Pandits

on Monday demanded a

white paper by the central

government on visits of

Kashmiri separatists to

Pakistan.

"We demand that the gov-

ernment of India issue a

white paper on visits of

Kashmiri separatists to

Pakistan," president of Panun

Kashmir, Ashwani Kumar

Chrungoo said at a confer-

ence here today.

This comes in the wake of

JKLF founder Yasin Malik

sharing a dais in Pakistan

with 26/11 mastermind Hafiz

Saeed recently. He said

Panun Kashmir views with

serious concern the visit of

Kashmir separatists to

Pakistan over the years.

"There is a need for the

Indian state to review the

whole process of engagement

with Pakistan and make a

paradigm shift from its cur-rent policy paralysis on

Kashmir," Chrungoo said.

It has been observed that

secessionists have used these

visits to meet forces that are

inimical to the sovereignty

and security of India, he

claimed. J&K Liberation

Front leader Malik and Saeed

came together to mourn the

execution of Parliament

attack case convict Afzal

Guru in Pakistan.

Former Chief Information

Commissioner A N Tiwari

said the Section 24 must be

read in accordance with defi-

nition of 'information' and the

Right to Information given

under the transparency law.

According to RTI Act,

'information' is any material

in any form held by or under

the control of a public author-

ity.

He said the section says

"the information (any materi-

al in any form held by or

under the control of a public

authority) pertaining to alle-

gations of corruption does

not come under exemptions

given to security and intelli-

gence agencies".

Tiwari said when an infor-

mation seeker applies for the

information pertaining to

alleged corruption, it can be

disclosed.

CBI has pleaded before

the High Court that its pri-

mary job is to probe corrup-

tion cases and disclosing

information about them

would make the exemption

given to agency infructuous.

In his order, Chief

Information Commissioner

Satyananda Mishra had clari-

fied the point saying RTI Actneither makes distinction

between the exempted organ-

isations on the basis of the

functions they perform nor

between allegations of cor-

ruption on the basis whether

it is made against the

employees of the exempt

organisation or others.

RTI activist Subhash

Agrawal cited a Madras High

Court order in a case of

Directorate of Vigilance and

Anti- Corruption (an exempt-

ed organisation of Tamil

Nadu Government similar to

CBI) Vs R Karthikeyan and

V Madhav where it ordered

disclosure of information

related to corruption.

Panun Kashmir demands whitepaper on separatists' visit to Pak


Mr. Ghulam Nabi Gauhar, a

well known writer of theState, presented to Mr. N. N.

Vohra, Governor, a copy of

his latest book titled "Torch

Bearer in Dark Circle", at Raj

Bhavan, here today.

Briefing the Governor

about this volume, Mr.

Gauhar said that he had origi-

nally written this novel in

Kashmiri titled "Argi Ashud',

which he later recreated in

English, titled "Torch Bearer

in Dark Circle". The theme of

the book is the history of

Jammu and Kashmir in the20th century through the

medium of fiction. During the

past about six decades, Mr.

Gauhar has written 12 books

each in English and Kashmiri

and 3 in Urdu language, rang-

ing from novels, poetry,

research and Kashmir mystic

thought. The Governor

wished Mr. Gauhar good

health and continuing success

in his literary pursuits.

Ghulam Nabi Gauhar presentshis latest book to Governor

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18- Refresher

course on the topic "Settlement of

Disputes outside the Court under

Section 89 CPC : its juxtaposition with-

in the ambience of judicial justice sys-tem" was organized by the State

Judicial Academy for Sub-Judges and

Munsiffs. The course was organized

under the directions of the Chief Justice

and was presided over by Justice

Mansoor Ahmad Mir, Judge Incharge,

State Judicial Academy.

Dr. Virender Kumar, formerly found-

ing Director, Chandigarh Judicial

Academy, Prof & Chairman,

Department of Laws Punjab University

Chandigarh and UGC Emeritus Fellow

in law was invited as Resource person.

Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir high-

lighted the effectiveness of Alternate

Dispute Resolution mechanism contem-

plated by Section 89 which includes

arbitration, conciliation, judicial settle-

ment including settlement through Lok

Adalat and mediation. He said that

Section 89 CPC is an attempt to blend

the judicial and non-judicial dispute

mechanism in order to envisage equal

rights of every person in the eyes of law.

The Section was amended to bring the

Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

mechanism into main stream of judicial

system.

Keeping in mind the laws delays and

limited number of judges which are

available, it has now become imperative

to resort to alternate dispute resolution,mechanism with a view to end litigation

between the parties at an early date.

Referring to mediation as one of the

effective mode of ADR mechanism,

Justice Mansoor said that it is voluntary

and confidential process by which

through the intervention of a person

called mediator who is a neutral and

impartial person, the parties are helped

to come to voluntary and mutually

acceptable resolution of their dispute.

The Mediator only guides the process

but cannot impose any decision on the

parties.

Justice Mir stated that there is a need

of time to institutionalize the ADR

mechanism and to train the judicial offi-

cers and volunteers objectively on ADR

techniques.

Eminent academician, Dr. Virender

Kumar made an eloquent presentation

on the topic and referred to origin and

history of Section 89 CPC in the light of

case law developed on ADR mecha-

nism. He referred to the number of rea-

sons as impediment to the growth of

arbitration as an effective dispute resolu-

tion process as observed by Apex court

in a case in 2012.

He underlined the need for sensitiza-

tion of judges in arbitration matters. He

posed a question as to, "what is the uni-verse of settlement of disputes outside

the courts?" The universe of "outside the

court"" settlement legislatively extends

to include under Section 89 CPC arbitra-

tion, conciliation, settlement through lok

adalat or mediation. These specifically

enumerated four modes of redressal are

cumulatively and collectively called

Alternate Dispute Resolution process.

He stated that while make a reference,

judge becomes "critical connect"

between conciliation forum. The judge

is not obliged to make reference in every

case for arbitration, conciliation, lok

adalat or mediation, though Malimath

Committee made a recommendation for

compulsory. He explained in detail as to

how ADR mechanism could be made

workable. In this regard, he laid empha-

sis on sensitization of judges about the

basic understanding and appreciation of

the philosophy of ADR for its realiza-

tion. Equally, the Presiding Officers of

the Forum require orientation and re-ori-

entation especially the retired judges

who continue to treat lok adalats as if

they were appellate courts by proxy.

State Judicial Academyorganizes refresher course

JAMMU, FEBRUARY 18-

Minister of State for Revenue,

Relief & Rehabilitation, Mr.

Ajaz Ahmad Khan has under-lined the need for moderniza-

tion of revenue records to

streamline revenue operations

in the State.

Chairing a high level meet-

ing of the Revenue

Department here today, the

Minister asked the officers of

Revenue Department to

ensure computerization of

Revenue records in the State

within five years to enable

people hassle free access to

these records.

Mr. Ajaz also asked the

officers to work for effective

implementation of National

Land Records Modernization

Programme in the State. The

programme is aimed at com

daily paper february 19, 2013

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