Category: Union Territory

Naeem Akhtar asks KU, JU to initiate academic reforms in tune with market needs

SRINAGAR: Calling for expediting reforms in the higher education, Minister of Education, Naeem Akhtar today said the government will further strengthen financial autonomy of the State’s Universities to ensure quality education to the students.

The Minister was speaking at a meeting to discuss financial reforms in the University of Kashmir and University of Jammu. He said the government has taken up various steps to increase the base of higher education and raise the quality of academia to global standards.

The meeting was attended by Vice Chancellors of Kashmir and Jammu University, Commissioner Secretary Finance, Commissioner Secretary Higher Education and other officials.

The Minister assured the Vice Chancellors that the government will provide full support to both the universities in their endeavor to raise new infrastructure, start new courses, improve the curricula, begin new research projects and other steps.

The Vice Chancellors raised concern that the annual hike in their budget from state government is limited to 10 percent which has a potential to arrest the growth of the universities due to inability to hire new faculty. The Minister assured the meeting that the state government will devise a financial model where Universities will be encouraged to raise their own resources whereas any deficit will be covered through the state budget.

The Minister asked the Universities to expedite the reforms in education by removing those faculty positions of subjects that are outdated and adding the new faculty positions that are in vogue in market. He said the need of the hour is to produce job creators and not job seekers besides producing human resource that will bring positive change to entire socio-economic scenario of the state.

Bandipora: From past 10 years a family from North Kashmir has been living in a rented house in Bandipora after in 2006, Indian Army unit from 13 Rashtirya Rifles according to them forcibly occupied their one storey residential house located in Argam village of the district.

“It was March 4, 2006, when Army personnel forcibly entered into my house and occupied it and since then all my efforts to retrieve the house have proved futile as neither authorities nor the Army is ready to help me. I along with my wife and three daughters have been staying in a rented house in Bandipora,” Naseer Ahmed Khan who had arrived in Press Enclave Srinagar along with documents told news agency CNS.

He said that Rent Assessment Committee Bandipora in 2008 had asked Army to clear the rent of the house and: “under that assessment Army is bound to pay Rs 19,8912 as rent to me, but till date I have not received a single penny from them.”

The Argam resident said that he doesn’t need or demand rent from the Army but wants Army to vacate from his house. “Army didn’t oblige to the orders of Deputy Commissioner Bandipora when he directed them to relocate their camp to some other place,” he said and appealed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to look into the matter.

When contacted an Army official from 13 RR told CNS that they will look into the matter. (CNS)

Srinagar: A woman found out the brutal pain coming from her bladder was a surgical instrument left in her body five months ago, according to Block Medical Officer Pattan Dr Manzoor Hakim.

Raja Begum wife of Abdul Ahad Tantray, a resident of Sherpora Pattan area of North Kashmir checked into Sub-District Hospital complaining of severe pain- only to find out that the cause of the discomfort was a surgical thread tied with an instrument left over from when she had been operated by Doctors at SMHS Hospital Srinagar some five months ago.

“I was admitted at SMHS Hospital five months ago under MRD number 65024. The doctor whom I don’t know removed my gallbladder and since then I was suffering from severe pain,” Raja Begum told news agency CNS.

“She was in pain and then an X-ray found the surgical thread inside her body. We removed that thread during a two-and-a-half-hour operation,” BMO Pattan Dr Manzoor Hakim said.

The husband of the affected woman said that they are now considering legal action against the doctors at SMHS hospital Srinagar. (CNS)

‘Exams at this stage would put their educational careers at stake’

Srinagar: National Conference senior leader and provisional president Nasir Aslam Wani Monday said that deferment of examination of class 10 and class 12 would be in the interests of students at large.
He added that students who are yet to complete half of the syllabus should not be forced to appear in examinations, adding, “It would put their educational careers at stake.”
Wani told KNS that class 12 students must have required percentage of marks obtained in annual examination to be eligible for their upcoming competitive tests.
“These students have ambitious to appear in competitive exams like CET, NEET and others. They want to crack them. But under the provisions, the student who wish to appear in these exams must have the required percentage to be eligible for these tests,” he said.
Wani said that the government should defer the examinations as was done in past after ferocious floods hit Kashmir Valley in 2014. “I believe that the voices of students are to some extend genuine as they have not completed their syllabus so far. I think government should defer the examination till the students won’t complete their syllabus,” he said.
Pertinently, Board of School Education (BOSE) have issued date sheet for both class 10 and class 12 students. The examinations are scheduled to commence in November, this year.
Naeem Akhtar, Education Minister had also said the examination of 10th and 12th classes will be held as planned.
Meanwhile, Wani told KNS that his party is always in favour of peace between the neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan. “Peace between India and Pakistan is good for the people of Kashmir as any hostilities between them can prove harmful to the people of the state,” he said.
“We appeal both the countries to stop such kind of situation, which can leave people of Kashmir to suffer,” he said.
He said that the tall claims made by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in past falls ill on the ground as since this regime assumed the charge, the relation between the two countries is getting worse,” he said. (KNS)

26 people cross LoC in Karvaan-e-Aman

Srinagar: Despite escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Karvaan-e-Aman-Srinagar Muzzafarabad bus service hasn’t been affected as 20 people from this side crossed the LoC sans any hindrance on Monday.
Regional Passport Officer Srinagar, Firdous Iqbal who is nodal officer for the service told Kashmir News Service that 20 persons from this side of Kashmir crossed the LoC while six persons from that side entered in Kashmir Valley. “There hasn’t been any suspension of the Bus Service- it is functioning normally. Only on Eid, the service was suspended,” Iqbal told KNS.
The bus service connects Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital with erstwhile part of the state- Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir across the Line of Control. The bus is of symbolic importance to the efforts of the two nations’ governments to foster peaceful and friendly relations and follows the success of the Delhi–Lahore Bus, which was launched in 1999.
Nodal Officer of Karvaan-e-Aman, Firdous Iqbal said that the bus service operates every Monday and there were in total 26 people who crossed the LoC from both sides in the bus.
Pertinently, the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan after Uri attack hasn’t affected the bus service .While there were apprehensions of both sides about to getting engaged in a serious battle, the bus service, started as a Confidence Building Measure (CBM), has so far managed to safeguard itself from the animosity being witnessed on both sides. (KNS)

‘Education requires free, peaceful environment’

Srinagar: Joint resistance leadership Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, while commenting on the governments repeated announcements of conducting exams and opening school, questioned their concern, has said that how can a government that presides over the murder of children, pretend to be their well wishers? How dare they lecture us on the virtues of education and its importance to our future? How wicked are these Indian stooges to feign sympathy for the future of our children? Their brutal conduct during the last three months has blown their cover of deception. Also whatever they peddle as concern is their confusion about education and literacy.
Explaining the real essence and gist of education they said that literacy only makes us and our children familiar with sounds and signs but real education is what liberates our minds. Education enlightens the soul and enables a person to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong, truth and falsehood. Going by the basic and traditional definition of education, those presiding over the worst oppression of Indian state and lecturing us on ethical and social graces can be anything but educated.
In a statement issued to Kashmir Today, they said that had they been educated, they would have liberated themselves from the yoke of fake power and sided with truth standing beside their own people, as education would never make a monster out of people. It rather ennobles and awakens conscience of people.
Joint resistance leaders said that the minister concerned, who wants to help the state, continues with the charade of normalcy by conducting the exams, should first create an enabling environment. On the contrary he got the schools, colleges and universities occupied by the occupational forces; he cannot guarantee the safety and security of our beloved children who have been traumatized by the same forces across the state. Reminding the “worthy” and most vocal of the hatchery of collaborators, that in early 90’s this very minister used to extol virtues of freedom through his write-ups under various pseudonyms and today he not only supports but is on the forefront of providing a shameless cover to the Indian brutalities by parroting frivolous assertions about education, ethics and society.
He and other turncoats like him are today’s Mirs’ Jafars’, but they won’t stand for long before the sweep of truth coupled with peoples’ political consent.

‘People in J&K have been suffering enormous human tragedies, economic losses because of hostility in the region’

Srinagar: Maintaining that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have huge stakes in peace and stability in the region, Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti today said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would continue its efforts to seek larger political consensus for the peaceful resolution of the issues facing the State.

“There has to be a larger political consensus on how to meet the challenges confronting Jammu and Kashmir and make this a turning point in the State’s turbulent history so that our future generations have not to suffer the miseries of violence and bloodshed,” Ms Mehbooba, who is also the President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said while addressing the party cadres from district Ganderbal here.

Ms Mehbooba said PDP has, right from its inception, advocated an end to the violent and confrontational means and opted for process of dialogue and engagement for the peaceful settlement of the problems of the State and ending the miseries of its people. “PDP strongly believes that the fast-changing equations in the region offer the country’s leadership, not just a challenge, but also a great opportunity to take a giant step towards making India more at peace not only with its neighbors, but also with itself,” she said and urged Islamabad to take concrete confidence building measures towards reviving the peace and reconciliation process in the region to end the miseries of the people.

Reiterating that there is no alternative to reconciliation, Ms Mehbooba said the people in all the regions of the State have to suffer enormous human tragedies and economic losses because of the hostility in the region. “While people living along the borders in Jammu region suffer and live under the constant threat of cross-border shelling, the people in Kashmir valley are suffering because of the continued internal strife and recurrent violence,” she said and added that peace along the borders in Jammu region and within the mainland in Kashmir is key to development and progress as had happened between 2002 and 2005.

“There was not only peace along the borders from Kathua to Kargil, during that golden era, but the situation in Kashmir valley had also started transforming positively after witnessing a long and gloomy era of death and destruction,” she said and added that unfortunately due to the reversal of the peace and reconciliation process after 2008, uncertainty again returned to haunt the people of the State.

“We shall have to ponder over the emerging situation in the State and go deep into the reasons for mounting alienation especially among the educated youth,” Ms Mehbooba said and added that concrete measures shall have to be taken to address the causes of alienation and cynicism and at the same time revive the process of intra-state and inter-state reconciliation and confidence building.

Ms Mehbooba said the Kashmir issue should not be seen through the security prism alone and the country’s political leadership needs to invest in J&K’s peace and own and acknowledge the pain and sufferings of its people. “People of Jammu and Kashmir should not be given to feel that their dignity is being undermined,” she said.

Ms Mehbooba said despite passing through the darkest era of its history, the main source of the State’s confidence is the substantial potential of building upon its young and enterprising human resource. “It is heartening to note that even after having gone through the most difficult times, our young boys and girls are doing us proud in whatever field they take a plunge,” she said and added that the J&K’s young population has suffered immensely due to the conflict and our youth now need to connect with the larger world outside to grab the opportunities available to their counterparts elsewhere.

Reiterating her resolve to work for the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Ms Mehbooba said in a democratic setup the power lies with the public and they have to be given the due respect. She said the doors of her ministers and civil servants should remain always open for the common people. “If any Minister and other government functionary fails to respond effectively to genuine problems of the people, the complainants should directly approach my office,” she said and added that she would ensure effective action on such genuine issues that are brought to her notice.

PDP General Secretary, Mohammad Sartaj Madni also addressed the meeting

Srinagar: A day after government imposed a ban on local daily Kashmir Reader, Kashmir media mainly consisting of working journalists came out on road and demanded immediate revocation of the government order.

“The ban is simply an attempt to muzzle the Kashmir media,” a senior journalist part of the protest said. “Government can’t silence the media like this.”

After registering protest in Srinagar’s Press Enclave, the journalists holding a placard “Return of Dark Age” marched on Residential Raid to protest in front of Directorate of Information office in Polo View.

Notably, in a written order yesterday, the government conveyed to owner of theKashmir Reader to stop publication immediately. It cited that the daily was “incited violence” in Kashmir.

When last checked in, the scribes had observed a silent sit-in before the locked down gates of Directorate office. The scribes in protest placed placards – “Is Kashmir under martial law”, “Journalism is no threat to society” – on Directorate gates.

In the second Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India beat New Zealand by 178 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

New Zealand, chasing a target of 376 runs, were all out for 197 runs as the Indian bowlers put up a commanding display on Day 4.

India’s victory in the 250th home Test also helped the team reach the top position of the ICC Test rankings. This is also India’s fourth consecutive Test series win under Kohli at home. New Zealand openers Tom Latham (74) and Martin Guptill (24) gave the visitors a solid start but bowed down to the India bowlers in the fourth innings.

Mohammed Shami’s two wickets in quick succession put India back in the game. Wriddhiman Saha scored 50s in both innings while Cheteshwar Pujara made 87 in the first innings and Rohit Sharma made 82 in the second innings.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked a five-wicket haul in the first innings while R Ashwin, Shami and Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets each in the final innings.