Category: Union Territory

  • Lt Governor launches e-Application-cum-issuance of Domicile Certificate

    Count of G2C e-services reaches 27

    Calls for hassle free issuance of Domicile Certificate

    Aaliya Tariq from Baramulla-first applicant to receive domicile certificate through e-mode

    Jammu: Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu today launched e-Application-cum-issuance of Domicile Certificate, developed by Jammu and Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA), here at the Raj Bhavan.

    With the launch of this service, the count of the Government to Citizen (G2C) online services reached 27. It is an addition to the UT Government’s e-governance initiatives to speed up public delivery mechanism through minimal human intervention, besides ensuring efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services.

    Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Sh. Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor & Administrative Secretary of Information Technology department; Sh. G N Ittoo, Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla and other senior officers were present, in person and through video conferencing.

    Aaliya Tariq D/o Tariq Ahmad Langoo from Sopore, Baramulla became the first recipient of domicile certificate through e-mode today. The PRC holders and other applicants can apply for issuance of domicile certificate online by providing Aadhaar number and receive the certificate through online mode. PRC holders will be able to receive their Domicile Certificate through this application without visiting any office.

    The Lt Governor observed that the UT Government has taken this people friendly initiative to provide Domicile Certificate through online mode across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Domicile certificates must be issued within stipulated time frame and any laxity or malpractice on the part of the issuing authority shall invite strict administrative action, he added.

    He directed for upgradation of IT network connectivity in all Districts, particularly border and hilly Districts, for the hassle free issuance of Domicile Certificate in the UT.

    He advised for updation and customization of the application in future with services like SMS alert and further directed for utilizing services of Community Information Centres (CICs) and Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the UT to assist the applicants as a nodal point for filling up the e-application form and provide them with necessary technical support.

    The Lt Governor also called for opening of more Aadhaar Registration Counters in the underserviced areas and rural pockets to ensure hassle free Aadhaar generation and updation in these areas so that people without Aadhaar number get Aadhaar as well domicile certificate quickly.

    Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, Bipul Pathak, briefed the Lt Governor about the salient features of the application and informed that the necessary training has been imparted to the officers concerned with the process of issuance of Domicile Certificate.

  • China deploys fighter jets on border from Ladakh to Arunachal

    Leh: China has also been alerted after India deployed MiG-29 and Apache fighter, helicopters in Leh following violent clashes along the India-China border. China has also deployed a large number of fighter jets, aviation aircraft, and helicopters to its airbases Hotan, Nagyari, Shigatse, and Nayingchi adjoining Ladakh. The Chinese army has also increased its offensive operations and monitoring to prevent the Indian jawans ahead of Finger 4 at Pangang Soo Lake on Paigam Soe Lake.

    As reported by The Tribune, China has deployed fighter, jet bombers, and fighter helicopters at its airbases along the border with India at Hotan, Nagyari, Shigatse, and Nyingchi. The PLA has also increased its movement on the border of Arunachal. On the Pangang Soe Lake where the Chinese Army wants to replace the LAC, it has also deployed a large number of soldiers and weapons in Gogra Hot Spring.

    After this action by China, the risk for India’s Depsang, Murgo, Galvan, Hot Spring, Koool, Phookache, and Demchok has increased greatly. India has stepped up preparations to meet the challenge of China. It is reported that talks are taking place between the two armies today. Earlier, a similar meeting was held on 6 June.

    Agencies

  • COVID-19 death toll rises to 84 in J&K

    PTI

    Srinagar: A 65-year-old COVID-19 positive patient has died in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the death toll due to the disease to 84 in the Union Territory, officials said on Monday.

    The patient, hailing from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, was suffering from bilateral pneumonia, hypertension and diabetes. He died at the SMHS hospital here on Sunday night, the officials said.

    “His COVID-19 test results came positive on Monday morning,” they added.

    With this, the number of COVID-19-related fatalities has risen to 84 in the Union territory.

  • 6 Operational Commanders Among 106 Militants Killed This Year: Officials

    Srinagar: Six operational commanders of different militant groups active in Kashmir Valley have been killed this year, officials said on Monday.

    In all 106 militants have been so far this year and among those slain include six operational commanders of outfits like Hizbul-Mujahideen, the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansaar Gazwatul Hind.

    “They include Riyaz Naikoo, Abdul Rehman alias Fauji Bhai, Zubair, Qari Yasir, Junaid Sehri, Burhan Koka, Haider and Tayab Walid,” a senior police officer told GNS.

    Addressing reporters here on Sunday last, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Vijay Kumar said the 106 militants were killed so far this year while “100 to 200 militants are still active”.

    After wiping out militancy in South Kashmir, our focus will shift towards North Kashmir, IGP added.(GNS)

  • Opening of liquor shops, highly concerning and condemnable: Rector Darul Uloom Raheemiyyah

    As per media reports, 67 shops have been granted permission to sell liquor.

    Rector Darul Uloom Raheemiyyah, Bandipora, expressed deep concerns. Majority of the residents of valley are in abhorrence with it, as in our religion, it has been absolutely prohibited (Haraam), rather considered as root of all evils (Umm-ul-khabaais). The ruling, as per Shariah, regarding it is same as that of Urine. Therefore, trying to make it more publicly accessible and available is as good as destroying the society.

    It’s quite astonishing, that on one hand, authorities destroy addictive/intoxicated crops and take pride by showing it in media and on other hand is permitting such an addictive deuced entity to be abundantly available in the market. Such a logic is beyond one’s understanding.

    We want to live our leftover life as per the environment of our belief and according to our faithful deeds. Want to eat and live on the sustenance what’s permissible.

    If government authorities can’t help us in such tough times although it’s their responsibility to safeguard the religious tenets, language and culture, religious permissible and non-permissible of the residents, at least they should not encourage evil and deuced entities in society and environment. Therefore news reports pertaining to allowing the sale of liquor in the valley at numerous places is highly concerning, condemnable and synonymous to destroying our society and social fabric.

  • OIC to hold emergency meeting on Jammu and Kashmir

    Meeting to bring together foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey

    The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir will hold an emergency meeting via videoconference on Monday to discuss the latest situation in the disputed territory.

    OIC to hold emergency meeting on Jammu and Kashmir
    Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) | Representational Picture

    The online meet will bring together the foreign ministers of the Jammu And Kashmir Contact Group member states: Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the OIC said in a statement.

    “The meeting is part of a series of continuous Jammu And Kashmir Contact Group meetings to address the issue,” OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen was quoted as saying.

    The OIC, founded in 1967 and consists of 67 countries, is the collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their economic and political interests.

    Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts but claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is also controlled by China.

    Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars — in 1948, 1965, and 1971. Two of them have been over Kashmir.

    Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against the Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

    According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict since 1989.

    On Aug. 5, 2019 the Indian government revoked Article 370 and other related provisions from its Constitution, scrapping the country’s only Muslim-majority state with its autonomy. It was also split into two federally administered territories.

    Simultaneously, it locked the region down, detaining thousands of people, imposing movement restrictions and enforcing a communications blackout.

    Agencies

  • India-China border tensions | Army deployed at LAC as stand-off continues

    The Modi government is very unhappy that the Chinese President Xi Jinping broke all the promises by not reining his favourite PLA western theatre commander Gen Zhao Zongqi, people aware of the development said.

    India has deployed its specialised high altitude warfare forces along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) to repel any transgression by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in either western, middle or eastern sectors.

    Top government sources confirmed that Indian Army has been directed to safeguard the LAC from any cross-border aggression by the PLA, which is showing hostile intent by amassing troops in a bid to cow down the Narendra Modi government.

    It is understood that specialised forces trained over the past decades for fighting on the northern front have been pushed up to the frontier to impose military costs if the red flag goes up. Unlike the PLA which moves in infantry combat vehicles and paved metalled roads to move, the Indian mountain troops are trained in guerrilla warfare and fighting in high altitude as shown by them in Kargil War.

    India,China,India Chief border
    The Indian mountain troops are trained in guerrilla warfare and fighting in high altitude.(Pic Courtesy: Indian Army)

    “The art of mountain fighting is the toughest as the cost of human casualties is 10 to each troop of the adversary sitting on a height. The troops from Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Gorkha, Arunachal and Sikkim have adapted to the rarefied heights over centuries and hence their capability of fighting is close quarter combats is without match. The artillery and the missiles have to have pin-pointed accuracy or else they miss the mountain target by miles,” said a former Indian Army chief.

    The other thing that works for the army is that the Tibetan plateau is flat on the Chinese side while the Indian side starts from K2 peak in Karakoram, to Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, to Kanchenjung in Sikkim and Namche Barwa across Arunachal Pradesh border. “In mountains, it is not only difficult to capture territory but more difficult to hold it,” a China expert with South Block said.

    While India has noted with appreciation the voices coming out in its support from the Trump administration, including the President himself, the mood in Delhi is more like “atmanirbhar (self-reliant) Bharat” with no intent of asking anyone for military or diplomatic support. “I have my battalions lined up with armoured personnel carriers and artillery. India will not instigate or precipitate any skirmish but will reply to any transgression. The days of LAC nibbling are over. This is a battle of nerves and India is prepared to wait, come snow come sunshine,” said a senior minister.

    The Modi government is very unhappy that the Chinese President Xi Jinping broke all the “peace and tranquility” promises by not reining his favourite PLA western theatre commander Gen Zhao Zongqi, who is insistent on imposing 1960 eastern Ladakh map based on exaggerated territorial claims on India. This map where China claims territory upto Kongka La was unveiled by then Chinese premier Chou En lai.

    Incidentally, Chou En Lai, the premier during 1962 conflict, had close links with President Xi Jinping’s family and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s wife is the daughter of secretary of the former premier. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar father K Subrahmanyam was involved in India’s war effort as an officer in the Defence Ministry.

    It was only to set aside these historical baggage that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initiated the Wuhan and Chennai understandings so that the two leaders could promote the bilateral relations post-Doklam. It is quite evident that President Xi had no such plans and has used tensions in East Ladakh to divert global attention from failure of China to alert the world about coronavirus. In the same way, another paramount leader used the 1962 conflict to deflect attention from the famine, due to failure of Great Leap Forward movement, in which millions of Chinese died.

    With inputs from HT Web Desk

    (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed)

  • Army jawan killed as Pakistani troops shell forward areas along LoC, IB in J-K

    PTI

    Jammu: An Army jawan was killed on Monday as Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortar shells at forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

    The heavy Pakistani firing and shelling were reported along the LoC in Poonch district’s Krishna Ghati sector and Rajouri’s Nowshera sector, and along the IB in Kathua district, the officials said.

    An Army jawan, guarding a forward post, was critically injured after being hit by cross-border shelling in Nowshera sector, they said, adding that he succumbed to his injuries later.

    He is the fourth Army personnel to be killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch this month. Two soldiers were killed in Pakistani firing in Rajouri district on June 4 and 10, while another soldier fell to cross-border firing in Poonch on June 14.

    There has been a spurt in Pakistani shelling along the border in Jammu and Kashmir this year with over 2,027 cases of violation of a ceasefire agreement being reported till June 10.

    Earlier, a defence spokesman said, “At about 0330 hours today, Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Krishnagati Sector in Poonch district,” a defense spokesman said.

    “Again at about 0530 hours Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector, district Rajouri,” he said.

    The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, he said.

    Along the International Border, Pakistani Rangers engaged in heavy firing on forward posts and villages in the Karol Matrai area of Hiranagar sector in Kathua district, an official said.

    He said the unprovoked firing from Pakistan started around 1 am and the Border Security Force (BSF) gave a befitting retaliation.

    The exchange of fire between the two sides continued till 3.50 am, the official said.

  • International Yoga Day celebrated across J-K and Ladakh

    PTI

    Jammu/Leh: The International Yoga Day was celebrated across Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on Sunday, with Lt governors of the two UTs taking part in the special events at their residences and urging people to practice yoga at their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) also held yoga sessions inside their camps to mark the day.

    File Photo

    A Raj Bhavan spokesman in Jammu said Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu, along with his wife Smita Murmu, led the celebrations in J-K by practicing yoga at home as per the common yoga protocol issued by the Union Ministry of AYUSH, in consonance with the theme Yoga@Homeand Yoga with family .

    Murmu, in his message, encouraged the people to practice yoga from their homes during the challenging situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Yoga maintains harmony between the body and mind of practitioners and is useful in managing lifestyle disorders, mental stress and wellbeing, especially improving respiratory health and immunity during this ongoing situation,” he said.

    The Lt governor advised the people to inculcate yoga in their daily routine as a way of life for a balanced, healthy and peaceful living.

    Principal Secretary to the lieutenant governor, Bipul Pathak, senior officers, security personnel, household and secretariat staff of the Raj Bhavan also participated in the yoga session while maintaining adequate social distancing, the spokesman said.

    Reports from Ladakh said the International Yoga Day was celebrated throughout the Union Territory.

    Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh R K Mathur observed the event at Raj Niwas in Leh where he performed several ‘yoga asanas’.

    Mathur, in his message, stressed on the importance of yoga and said it is the most valuable gift of our ancient tradition.

    He ascribed great physical, mental and spiritual benefits to the yoga practice and exhorted upon the people to inculcate the habit of practicing yoga in daily life.

    “Yoga enhances personal endurance and it can help in fighting pandemic like COVID-19,” Mathur said, adding that yoga can contribute towards social well-being and building peace.

    Besides the security forces, various political, government and non-government organizations also held a series of functions across the two UTs to mark the day, officials said.

  • Pakistani troops shell forward areas along LoC in J-K

    PTI

    Jammu: Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortar shells at forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and Poonch districts on Monday in violation of a ceasefire agreement, officials said.

    “At about 0330 hours today, Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Krishnagati Sector in Poonch district,” a defense spokesman said.

    The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly, he said. Exchange of fire was going on when last reports came in from the area, the spokesman said.

    “Again at about 0530 hours Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector, district Rajouri,” he said.

    Pakistan has been violating the ceasefire agreement three to four times a day in the past fortnight, officials said.

    Pakistan has violated the ceasefire over 800 times this year.