Category: Union Territory

NEWDELHI Oct 30: Congress Leader, Salman Nizami who first exposed the Reliance Insurance Medical scam after Governor Satya Pal Malik revoked and cancelled the insurance contract and asked State’s Vigilance Organisation (SVO) for probing the ‘fraudulent’ contract & action agtoday said ” Well done @jandkgovernor. With this expose PDP-BJP should leave J&K for once. And let thre be fresh appointments based on merit. Every youth should get a fair chance. Also those behind Reliance Insurance Scam should be booked immediately”. The contract was reportedly awarded to the RGIL less than a month ago. The huge embarrassment has encountered the company when it’s promoter, Anil Ambani, is embroiled in a controversy surrounding the ₹59,000-crore Rafale jet deal. The growing resentment among employees and Congress party specially Rahul Gandhi who after Salman Nizami’s tweet slammed the Modi Govt – said to have forced the Governor to cancel the contract after he had cleared it while chairing the state administrative council on August 31. Malik had on thursday said he cancelled the tie-up with Reliance General Insurance for providing the group mediclaim health insurance policy to employees as there was “some bungling” in it.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had on 30 September rolled out the group mediclaim health insurance policy for its employees, pensioners and accredited journalists of the state.

SRINAGAR, October 29: Police Station Kunzer received a written complaint from one person Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat stating that his sister (name withheld) has been raped by his father Abdul Majid Bhat.

Accordingly a case FIR NO 117/2018 under Section 376 RPC was registered and investigation was initiated in the instant matter.

During course of investigation statements of victim and other witnesses under relevant provisions of law were recorded. Medical examination of the victim has prima facia confirmed rape.

Subsequently the accused father Abdul Majid Bhat was arrested today by Police. Further investigation of the case is going on.

Srinagar: The restrictions will be imposed in Srinagar areas on Tuesday in view of the Lal Chowk Chalo called by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, officials said. Officials told KNO that the restrictions will be imposed in Srinagar areas falling under the jurisdiction Maharaj Gunj, Safa Kadal, Khanyar, Nowhatta and Rainawari. They said that partial restrictions will also be imposed in Kral Khud and Maisuma.Besides, the restrictions will also be imposed in Lal Chowk areas. JRL had called for protest sit in Lal Chowk against Kulgam killings.(KNO)

The JRL has called for protests after Friday prayers tomorrow against “killings and repression”.

Class work will remain suspended in all colleges and higher secondary schools of Srinagar district on Friday.

Official sources said the decision has been taken as a “precautionary measure” to avoid law and order situation in the district in view of protests called by the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL).

The JRL has called for protests after Friday prayers tomorrow against “killings and repression”.

Srinagar: The home minister, however, admitted that there were difficulties in bringing back underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Blaming Pakistan for the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday claimed that 90 per cent people in the state would like to participate the panchayat and urban local bodies polls scheduled this month.
The home minister, however, admitted that there were difficulties in bringing back underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Singh said approximately 6,000 violence related incidents had taken place in Jammu and Kashmir in 1995 and the number has come down to about 360 in 2017.
“I do agree that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir should improve. But, the problem that we face is mostly because of Pakistan.
“We have always tried to improve relations with Pakistan. But the country will not mend its ways. It continues to sponsor militancy in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said speaking at the HT Leadership Summit here.
Referring to the forthcoming elections to the panchayat and urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, the home minister said 90 per cent people of the state would like to get involve in the poll process, which the current government has started after a long break.
When asked about the several BJP candidates getting elected to the local bodies unopposed, Singh said in the recently held panchayat elections in West Bengal, 43 per cent candidates won uncontested and such things are not uncommon.
Talking about the now-snapped BJP-PDP alliance, he said both the parties had joined hands, honouring the mandate of the last state assembly elections, but the “experiment did not succeed”.
Singh said naxalism was the biggest challenge the nation was facing till a few years ago, but the menace has been contained to a great extent now.
“Naxalism was spread in 126 districts and it has come down to just 50-52 districts now, and among them the worst hit is just 10 to 12 districts,” he said.
Asked about the arrest of some alleged Naxal sympathisers and terming them as “urban Naxals”, Singh said there are people who are trying to incite violence or support violence using Maoism and the government would allow them to do so.
On Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that the BJP has taken over some institutions, Singh said the “allegation is baseless”.
“He (Gandhi should have given at least one example where this has happened. We have always maintained the dignity of every institution in the country,” he said.
On incidents of lynching, the home minister said even though the law and order is a state subject, the central government has issued a number of advisories to the states asking them to take action.
Commenting on the recent agitation by farmers, Singh said the government has given some promise to the protesting farmers and those will be fulfilled.
“I have invited the protesting farmers and had discussions with them for two-three hours. We have been in touch with the farmers. I spoke to them when they were agitating. We are still in touch with them and are arriving at a consensus on many matters,” he said.

New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday said local body polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be of historic significance in many ways and help re-establish the long overdue grassroots democracy.
In a statement, the home minister said the central government will provide all support, including central forces, for smooth conduct of panchayat and urban local body polls.

“These local body elections will have a historic significance in many aspects. The local bodies’ elections in Jammu and Kashmir will re-establish the long overdue grassroots level democracy in the state,” he said.
Elections to local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir are due next month.

‘Salary of SPOs to be enhanced in a day or two’

Srinagar, Sep 25: Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam on Tuesday said that 400 additional companies of paramilitaries are reaching Srinagar for security of the proposed municipal elections and monthly salary of SPOs are likely to be enhanced in a day or two.
Addressing a press conference at Banquet Hall Srinagar Chief Secretary said “400 additional companies of paramilitaries are reaching Kashmir for election related security arrangements.”
Claiming that increasing tendencies of resignations among SPOs in Police department is restricted to some areas in Kashmir valley the Chief Secretary said ‘Very soon the monthly salaries of SPOs are likely to be enhanced and in a day or two you will see quantum jump in the salaries of SPOs.”

Screening of facts

Amir Ali Shah (23) from Bijbehara town of Anantnag district has invested more than two years to come up with website ‘Stop Fake in Kashmir’
The webpage will keeptabs on unverified and fake news being circulated onthe social media where users can upload a link or screenshot of the news they want to verify
The back-end team of the website will also run the information through its sources on the ground and check the veracity of the news

Anantnag: To tackle the menace of fake news, a youth from south Kashmir’ Anantnag district has developed a website on which news can be verified and facts can be checked.

Amir Ali Shah (23) from Bijbehara town of Anantnag district has invested more than two years to come up with website ‘Stop Fake in Kashmir’. The website is the first of its kind developed in the Kashmir valley.

Though the formal launch of the website is a week or so away, it is already up and running over the Internet.

The website, says Shah, will act as a watchdog to keep tabs on unverified and fake news circulated on the social media where users can upload a link or screenshot of the news they want to verify.

“The website will give a feedback on whether the news is true or fake based on web searches,” Amir Shah says.

Moreover, he says that the back-end team of the website will also run the information through its sources on the ground and check the veracity of the news.

Shah conceived the idea of developing such a platform in January 2016 after the entire Kashmir valley went into mass hysteria following fake news that suggested that the polio vaccine administered to children was expired and had caused some deaths.

Thousands thronged hospitals that day because they were concerned about the welfare of their children. The administration had to make repeated announcements about the news being fake, but the damage had been done,” Shah says.

He says the incident made him think about a platform where people can check the veracity of a piece of information and act accordingly.

While Shah was busy working on the website, there were many such incidents that created frenzy in the general public and kept him motivated to develop a platform.

“Some of the examples are the fake list of candidates selected to work in Jammu and Kashmir Bank and other news related to encounters and killings,” Shah says.

Apart from being a fact-checking website, Shah says ‘Stop Fake in Kashmir’ is also a website of general information for the public.

He has included emergency phone numbers, Facebook pages and Twitter handles in the website “in case someone wants to run through the information himself without our help”.

The Anantnag youth has also scheduled to conduct workshops in various schools and colleges across the Kashmir valley to educate the younger lot on “news consumption” and “fact-checking”.

Srinagar, Sep 21: With flu season just around the corner, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday urged people to get vaccinated against flu.
“Vaccination is the single best defense against flu,” said DAK President and flu expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
He said everyone 6 months and older should get annual flu vaccine before the start of flu season which begins in October and can last as late as May. Since it takes two weeks for flu vaccine to become fully effective, it is best to get the vaccine now. However, vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season.
Dr Nisar said this season’s flu vaccine has been updated to better match currently circulating viruses. This year quadrivalent influenza vaccine containing H3N2, H1N1 and two B viruses is recommended. There are number of flu vaccines available, but there is no preference for one vaccine over the other.
“The nasal spray flu vaccine is back for children and needle-shy adults. It is approved for people between age of 2 years and 49 years. It is not recommended for pregnant women,” he said.
“Getting a flu vaccine reduces illnesses, doctors’ visits, hospitalization and death,” said Dr Nisar.
He said while the vaccine is recommended for all, it is especially needed in young children, elderly, pregnant women and people with medical conditions.
“Children 6 months through 8 years getting vaccinated for the first time and those who have received only one dose in their life time should get two doses of vaccine this season spaced at least 4 weeks apart,” he added.
Dr Nisar said vaccination to expectant mother is critically important to protect their newborn babies’ upto 6 months who are too young to receive the vaccine.
“It is mandatory for healthcare workers to get vaccinated to prevent spread of flu to patients who are vulnerable to flu-related complications and death,” he informed.
Dr Nisar said in addition to the yearly flu vaccine, people can prevent the spread of the flu by maintaining good hygiene.
“Washing your hands and covering your cough or sneeze will keep you and people around you healthy and well. If you are down with flu, stay away from work, school and gatherings until you are free from symptoms,” he said.
Flu is a respiratory disease which manifests with cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose and body ache.