BJP, the most treacherous party: Chuni
Transcription
BJP, the most treacherous party: Chuni
Internet Edition: www.refugeemessage.com, DAILY E-Paper: epaper.refugeemessage.com REGD. NO. L-29/JK-305/12-14 RNI NO. JKENG/2006/16811 A Constructive Force In The Community Vol. 10 Issue No: 128 Jammu, Saturday 30, May 2015 Pages 8 Price: ` 2/- BJP, the most treacherous party: Chuni RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: “Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) the most treacherous party that kept aside all its ideology, principles and values only for its lust to enjoy power” Rajiv Chuni, Chairman S. O. S International An organization for PoK Displaced Persons stated this while addressing a press conference in Jammu. “During one year of its rule in centre, BJP has totally sidelined the issue of PoK Displaced Persons who have been waiting for the package for the last 68 years. Although, BJP has given the assurance of resolving the issues/problems of PoK DPs and it has mentioned it in their manifesto and if BJP has forgotten it then it must read its manifesto to prove if our allegations are wrong” Chuni stated. S. O. S International Chairman further stated that PoK DPs voted BJP candidates wholeheartedly during 2014 general elections with a ray of hope and looking at the commitment of BJP to resolve their long pending demands since 1947 as it was mentioned in the BJP’s national manifesto; PoK DPs not only extended their overall support to BJP but also played a concrete role in their win in general elections. He further said that PoK DPs community used their franchise with high morale and with great expectation as he appealed the community to extend their full support to BJP. “Two sessions of parliament were held since BJP took the reins of nation but both BJP MPs i.e. Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP JammuPoonch Lok Sabha seat and Dr. Jitendra Singh, MP Udhampur Doda Lok Sabha seat has never raised/mentioned the issues of PoK DPs in parliament, forum or any public arena as per BJP’s promise which it was made during elections. BJP government in centre has been enjoying power for one year and nothing has been done on ground, even though BJP MPs intention of not presenting PoK DPs issues at any public arena has brought BJP under scanner” Chuni alleged. He further said that during elections, both MPs used to appease PoK DPs and showed castles to deprived community and after winning elections, why did they turn Nelson’s eye towards PoK PC on environment discusses core issues with stakeholders RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests held a meeting with the officers, representatives of civil society and NGOs here at Jammu today to deliberate upon core environmental issues. Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Ashwani Kumar and the members held threadbare discus- DPs? “Why have they kept criminal silence for the last one year?” he asked. While making BJP remembering, Chuni said that S. O. S International has fought a long battle for the resolution of PoK DPs issues and only then erstwhile government of NC- Congress after the spam of 67 years passed the proposal in this matter and sent it to centre for approval but it’s very unfortunate that Modi government and both BJP MPs has not given any momentum to the genuine demands of PoK DPs but on the contrary it was put in cold bag- gage. S. O. S International Chairman further stated that Prime Minister, Narinder Modi raised slogans of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas” and “Ache Din Aane Wale Hai” but it has been proved just a farce and if BJP looks and observes on both slogans of Modi then it will find Asks them to support business activity in J&K Cont. on P-6 Stage set for “Pedal for Kashmir” on May 31 RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: More than 2000 participants from across the J&K State including 1050 participants from JK Cycling Association and 50 International, National players from other States of the Country have expressed their interest to participate in the cycling event being held on May 31. Four participants who have recently attended Common Wealth Games are also participating in this event. Cont. on P-6 further said that Modi government has brought several schemes for the Valley migrants for their return which cost in billions. Chuni stated that in spite of knowing the fact that Kashmir is in India and it has democratically elected government, adding that thousands of Kashmiri Pandits are doing businesses, jobs without any fear moreover they are residing there in peaceful manner. “What is the constraint of bringing schemes worth billions for the community (KPs) for their return to valley whose thousands of people are already residing there peacefully on their own sweet will”? Chuni asked. He stated that it is exceptionally hard to understand for him that new schemes are being made for their return to Valley even after knowing that they are being given bundles of money for living outside the Valley. “It seems that Central Government’s and its bureaucrats’ ability to think has gone out of order that is why they are simultaneously showering billions of public money for return of KPs to Kashmir Valley as well as to keep them out of Valley”, Chuni alleged. Cont. on P-6 Several deputations call on CM RBI Governor interacts with J&K Bankers sions with the stakeholders on the issues pertaining to environmental degradation and the steps afoot to preserve the fragile ecology of the region. While responding to the issues highlighted by the participants, the committee members stressed that the need of the hour is to think ahead of time to achieve sustainable developmental goals. They stressed on taking up afforestation More than 2 thousand cyclists expected to join the event: Sahai none of the slogans have been executed for PoK DPs. “BJP should ashamed of itself of conceitedly briefing its one year’s achievement but on the contrary, the truth is totally dissimilar. “BJP witnessed unprecedented success in Jammu province in general elections by winning 2 seats and winning 25 seats in Legislative Assembly in which PoK DPs played a constructive role where BJP has never opened its account in Kashmir Province even though security deposit of BJP candidates were forfeited but BJP has briskly insulted PoK DPs mandate. Chuni further said that since BJP came into power has given various relief packages to Kashmiri Pandits for more than 12 times in a year and on the other hand, PoK DPs have been given only fake assurances for the last one year. “It is very sad those who boycotted BJP in elections are given affectionate treatment and all the policies are made for them but those who supported BJP wholeheartedly are being deprived from everything which is totally unacceptable to PoK DPs” Chuni alleged. S. O. S. International Chairman RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, met several deputations here today. A delegation of media-persons from Chhattisgarh, which is on a study tour to J&K, also called on the Chief Minister. Led by Mr. Mohan Rao, Chairperson, Press Gallery Committee, Chhattisgarh, the delegation informed Mufti Sayeed that during their visit to J&K, they are looking forward to get firsthand experience on how legislative business is conducted and covered in the State. The team of journalists has already visited Himachal Pradesh. A deputation of Islamia College Teachers Association (ICTA), led by its President Prof. Abdul Majeed, highlighted the issues confronting the col- lege, in particular, its teaching and non-teaching staff. The Chief Minister informed the delegation that he will soon convene a meeting of the Governing Board of the College to resolve the issues raised by the Association. A deputation of Hari Singh High Street Traders' Association also met Mufti Sayeed and requested for proper rehabilitation of Municipal Building Shopkeepers, who have been relocated due to Jahangir Chowk-Ram Bagh Flyover. The Chief Minister assured the delegation that he will get their representation examined for necessary action. In his meeting with a delegation of Wings and Shalimar Exhibition, led by Akeel Hassan, the Chief Minister issued directions to Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, to examine their representation for appropriate action. Another delegation of Salamabad-Chakoti Traders’ Union, led by its President Tariq Ahmad Khan, met the Chief Minister and requested for promotion of crossLoC trade by inclusion of more items. Mufti Sayeed assured the delegation that he will review cross-LoC trade so that it is made vibrant. He said inclusion of banking and telecom facilities, people-to-people contact and introduction of luxury coaches will be taken up to facilitate the trade and people-to-people contact across the LoC. A team from HDFC Bank, including Ravi Narayanan, Senior Executive Vice President, Head Branch Banking West, and Zubair Iqbal, Circle / State Head, Cont. on P-6 RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Mr. Raghuram Rajan Friday asked Banks in J&K to create an environment for stronger business activity especially following devastating floods that damaged the economic pursuit of the people. He said concerted efforts are needed to enhance the Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR) in the State and in this regard asked the Regional Director, RBI, Mr. D. Sethy to take up with the banks the issue of low CDR. He said it is extremely important that financial sector succeeds in helping the business activity in J&K and assured that RBI will certainly help in facilitating the process of spread of credit and financial services. Mr. Rajan said that there is immense potential and scope in J&K tourism and it requires a big push which is only possible with the support of the Union Government. Earlier, the Regional Director RBI, Mr. D. Sethy, while welcoming the RBI Governor, said that J&K needs more such visits of the top management of RBI. Chairman J&K Bank, Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed on the occasion said that J&K Cont. on P-6 Academic excellence with extra co-curricular activities need for hour: Priya Sethi Inspects various educational institutions of Anantnag RM NEWS SERVICE ANANTNAG, MAY 29: Upliftment of academic standards with extra cocurricular activities are on priority of the present Government. This was stated by Minister of State for Education and Information Smt. Priya Sethi while inspecting various educational institutions of District Anantnag. She was accompanied by District D e v e l o p m e n t Commissioner Anantnag, Director School Education Kashmir, besides other concerned officers. Priya Sethi visited Govt. Cont. on P-6 Asiya Naqash visits CHCs, PHCs Drabu for providing incentives for revival of economy Rajan assures of looking into suggestions put forth by Govt Directs round the clock operationalization of PHC SafaPora RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Ms. Asiya Naqash today visited community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres of Sumbal, Sonawari, Hajan SafaPora, Naidkhai and Trigam areas and reviewed their functioning. The Minister took stock of the medical facility being provided to the patients at these centres and interacted with patients and their attendants. She also inspected wards, labs, OPD and other Medicare units. Ms Asiya Naqash interacted with ASHA and Anganwari workers during her visit and highlighted the importance of mother and child care. She said that ASHA and Anganwari workers have to play important role in creating awareness among the people about the Health Care facilities available under different schemes Cont. on P-6 RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Calling for the need of providing incentives for promotion of entrepreneurial spirit and revival of the flood ravaged economy of the State, Minister for Finance, Labour, Employment and Culture, Dr. Haseeb A Drabu said that such efforts would give an impetus to the economy of the State. The Minister was speaking at an interactive programme organized for the Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Dr. Raghuram Rajan. Chief Secretary, Mr. Iqbal Khandey, Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, Mr. Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr. B. B. Vyas and Administrative Secretaries of different departments were also present. Dr. Drabu while pitching for declaring all the lending in J&K as priority sector lending for one year said that financial debt relief in the form of waivers/write offs should qualify as CSR expenditure. He further added that Ministry of Finance be requested to subsidize rate of interest on all rehabilitation and reconstruction lending of Commercial Banks. “Specific relief package be given for existing KCC barrows, one time waiver of Rs. One lakh would benefit 8 lakh farmer family and all farm lending be converted into KCC lending, same to be done for ACC lending”, Dr. Drabu added. The Minister said that there is a need to move away from asset based or financial statement based lending and called for putting in place a mechanism by which banks can lower the rate of interest on the Cont. on P-6 (PAGE 2) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 Avoid these heartburn triggers A lso known as chronic acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, heartburn can lead to serious complications. Even though heartburn is caused by reflux of gastric acid in the food pipe, if a person has symptoms of heartburn for the first time it may be difficult to distinguish it from pain of cardiac origin, because that pain can sometimes mimic heartburn; and vice versa. Therefore, it is not advisable to take new heartburn lightly as it may require immediate medical consultation. Here are the top 5 heartburn triggers, which one must consider. Heartburn and Smoking. As if there were not enough reasons to quit smoking already; smoking is one of the main causes of heartburn too. Smoking can weaken the valve between the stomach and esophagus, making the fatdigesting bile salts to go to the small intestine, thus leading to heartburn. Large meals, fatty foods and heartburn. A giant greasy pizza along with a tall glass of iced coke might sound like an ideal meal on a Friday night, but watch out; this can be one of the main reasons why you might suffer from heartburn. Right after eating a meal full of calories, one may suffer from stomach stretching. This basically happens D Shraddha Kapoor goes house hunting he actress has been wanting to buy a house of her own to have her own space. For the same, even in the midst of her busy schedule promoting her upcoming film and prepping for her next, the actress has taken some time out and has been checking out apartments. The actress is looking for these apartments not very far from where her parents live; so somewhere in Bandra or Juhu. There are few things that she has in mind for her apartment. Infact she has also liked a few apartments but is yet to zero down on the best one. Shraddha shares, "Yes, I have been hunting for an apartment, not very far away from where my parents live. I have shortlisted a few. Mom and dad are helping me finalize." T when the LES, the ring of the muscle that keeps the stomach acids from flowing in the unwanted direction stretches - acting as one of the main trigger of heartburn symptom. Heartburn and exercise. If you suffer from heartburn, then exercises such as crunches and extreme ab exercises can put extra pressure on the abdomen, pushing the stomach acids back into the esophagus. This leads to heartburn giving a feeling of burn. Also avoid exercise related to certain positions such as headstands and yoga moves reversing the natural flow of stomach, thus leading to heartburn. Also if you are a heartburn victim, never exercise on an empty stomach and wait for two hours after eating and before working out. Heartburn and medications. At times, many medications can also lead to heartburn. A regular use of medicines like aspirin and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs may play a havoc on oesophagus. NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and prescription Cox-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex can lead to heartburn. Thus, it is a must to take these medications, with due permission from your doctor. Quick ways to prevent heartburn: Some of the quick ways to prevent heartburn are: Don't wear belts or clothes that are tight fitting around the waist. Make sure your bed clothes are loose-fitting. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Sleep on your left side. Studies have shown that this position aids digestion and helps with the removal of stomach acid. Sleeping on the right side has been shown to worsen heartburn. Sonakshi to follow Shraddha and Priyanka a b a n g g " a c t r e s s Sonakshi Sinha, who will soon be seen as a judge in "Indian Idol Junior", will entertain the audience in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with her voice and sing live at the 16th edition of the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards in June. Hosted by actors Ayushmann Khurrana JAMMU and Parineeti Chopra, IIFA Rocks, an exclusive music extravaganza, will see a host of musical performances by Shankar-EhsaanLoy, Mika, Ankit Tiwari, Kanika Kapoor, Javed Ali and the Nooran sisters. Sonakshi will also exercise her vocal chords at IIFA Rocks on June 5. "There will be some exciting first-ever at the IIFA Weekend and Awards. Sonakshi Sinha is going to take the stage as a singer at IIFA Rocks," Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International Entertainment, the organisers of IIFA, told IANS over phone from Mumbai. Actresses Jacqueline Fernandez, Aditi Rao Hydari, Lisa Haydon and Lauren Gottlieb will also perform at IIFA Rocks. Joseph shared that Sonakshi will perform on the awards night June 7 as well. "On the awards night, we will see performances by Hrithik Roshan, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Parineeti Chopra, Shraddha Kapoor, Sonakshi and Shahid Kapoor. It will be larger than life, big and spectacular," he said. Established in 2000, the International Indian Film Academy was initiated with the aim of celebrating Indian cinema across the world. Tobacco set to kill 8.4 million people in 2022 R ise in tobacco use will lead to death of 8.4 million people across the globe by 2020 and at least 70 percent of these will occur in the developing countries, health experts said here on Thursday. Pointing out that tobacco-related diseases were the single most important cause of preventable deaths in the world, they said there has been a rise of 20 percent of women smokers due to lifestyle changes. "In all 50 percent of the cancers in India are directly or indirectly related to tobacco consumption," said Sudhir Khandelwal, head of psychiatric department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Khandelwal, also the chief of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, said: "There are several myths because of which people start consuming tobacco and slowly get addicted to it ending up ruining their life." Noting several myths as the prime reason behind youngsters picking-up smoking or consumption of tobacco in other forms, Khandelwal said many people were under the wrong perception that consuming less amount of tobacco would not cause any damage. "Every form of tobacco consumption such as hukka, inhaling and the pan causes the same damage that chewing tobacco does. Slowly and slowly there comes a time when people get addicted to it," he said, adding that the youth consuming tobacco in any indirect form was more likely to get into active consumption of tobacco with time. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey stated that in India the percentage of students who initiated bidi smoking before 10 years of age has increased from 26 percent to 45 percent. Donali Jhanjee, additional professor of the psychiatric department, said the disturbing trend as earlier age of initiation leads to higher chances of getting addicted to tobacco and greater health damage in the longer term. She also said India currently has 275 million of tobacco users and its consumption is responsible for half of all the cancers in men and a quarter of all cancers in women. "India also has one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the world, partly attributed to high prevalence of tobacco chewing. It is also associated with more common dental ailments such as dental caries, periodontal disease and tooth loss," Jhanjee told IANS. She added that the tobacco addiction was now recognised as a chronic medical illness on the same lines as hypertension and asthma. "Treatment in the form of both medicines and counselling is available to treat tobacco use and a psychiatrist may be approached for the same in both government or private setting," she said. Wednesday, and wrote: "Thanking sharukh n amir for the 1st look of bajrangi bhaijaan. V touched n extremely happy. God's give them n thr fans all the happiness." The first look of "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" focusses on only a peek-a-boo into Salman's look. One can make out that he sports a rugged and intense look with a stubble. But it's a silver locket dangling from his neck that has grabbed all the attention. f you are consuming more than five espressos worth of caffeine every day, you are putting your health a risk. According to the European Food Safety Authority, excess caffeine consumption could cause problems like increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, tremors, nervousness, insomnia and panic attacks, reported the BBC. As per the report, if healthy adults were 400mg a day, they were still in the safe zone with no health consequences. For pregnant women, the limit is 200mg a day due to the impact on the growing foetus, while in kids 3mg per day for every kilogram the child weighs was been recommended. is that, Pradeep Gharat was appointed as public prosecu- tor at a fee of Rs 6000 per hearing. However, on May 6, 2015 the session court found Salman Khan guilty and sentenced him to five years of jail, convicted under all charges including under Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code (rash and negligent driving); 279 (rash driving); 337 (causing minor injuries); 338 (causing major injuries) 427 (negligence) in connection with the case. But the sentence was suspended by the High Court and he was granted bail in cash of Rs 30,000. The final appeal would be heard in the month of July 2015. Meantime,Salman Khan has been given permission by the court to travel abroad. The 49-year-old also shared that the teaser of his much anticipated film would be releasing on Thursday night. "Bajrangi Bhaijaan ka namaste, aapko! # BB Tea s e rTo nig ht @BBThisEid," he tweeted. Directed by Kabir Khan, "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" is extensively shot in Kashmir, Mandawa and Delhi. The movie narrates the tale of a Muslim boy and a Brahmin girl, essayed by Kareena Kapoor Khan. Big B teases Deepika about the Way She hat the 'Piku' family gets along very well is almost a fact by now. With Deepika calling Amitabh Bachchan Baba and with the entire cast having their share of inside jokes, they are definitely a happy bunch. And recently we hear that Amitabh Bachchan, acting like a typical father, pointed out specific things about T the way she writes! During the shoot of the film,there was a scene wherein Deepika was required to fill out details while checking into a guest house. And while she stood filling out the register, her Baba walked up to her and openly teased her about the way she wrote. Sr. Bachchan even went on to demonstrate and explain to her the correct way of writing. Now isn't this something all of us have heard in our houses too? 'Piku' is a family comedy drama that revolves around a quirky father-daughter relationship essayed by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone with Irrfan Khan top lining the cast, in a pivotal author backed role. 'Piku' also marks coming together of Shoojit Sircar, Ronnie Lahiri and Juhi Chaturvedi, the team behind Vicky Donor. Produced by MSM Motion Pictures (a division of Sony Entertainment Network), in association with Saraswati Entertainment Creations Limited and Rising Sun Films, and distributed worldwide by Yash Raj Films. 'Piku' released worldwide on May 08, 2015. Ajay Devgn's big plans for Diwali 2016, 2017 I S achieve so. The only details available regarding the case uperstar Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan's gesture of promoting "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" has touched the "Dabangg" actor Salman Khan, who has "thanked" his colleagues for supporting his forthcoming film. Both Shah Rukh and Aamir shared the first look of "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" on their respective social media pages. The "extremely happy" Salman took to micro-blogging website Twitter on S Drinking more than 5 cups of espressos is dangerous Salman Hit and Run Case: Matralaya fire destroy all documents uperstar Salman Khan, allegedly accused of 2002 hit and run case, faces a new detour in the chain of events. As the star was granted bail, after getting convicted of all charges on May 8, 2015. According to the sources the Maharashtra Government's top department does not posses any file in relation to Salman's hit and run case. It has been revealed that the file of Salman's hit and run case 2002 were burnt during the fire at Mantralaya in 2012. Further it was informed that, the Government officials were suppose to recreate all the documents and files, but apparently the officials have been unable to When SRK and Aamir made Salman emotional T hough he might miss the 2015 Diwali to entertain his fans, Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn is all set to dominate the silver screen on Diwali 2016 and 2017. The release date of Ajay's upcoming directorial venture "Shivaay" has been preponed from January 2017 to Diwali 2016. Also the sequel of his 2012 film "Son Of Sardaar" has been lined up for Diwali 2017, read a statement. "Shivaay", which marks the 46-year-old's return to the director's chair after "U Me Aur Hum", will feature him in the title role alongside 17-year-old Sayesha Saigal. Meanwhile, "Son Of Sardaar 2" will see the actor back in a turbaned look. Ajay, who has mastered almost all the genres including action, thriller, romance and comedy, announced the film's release date on Twitter on Wednesday. "Sorry yaar, duniya bekar bina Son of Sardaar! Get ready for the sequel releasing Diwali 2017," he tweeted. Until then, Ajay will next be seen in "Drishyam", a thriller directed by Nishikant Kamat. He plays a middle class family man named Vijay Salgaonkar. Check Out: What is the biggest surprise of 'Singh Is Bliing' ct or- filmm aker Pr abhudhe va, who is directing "Singh Is Bliing", says Lara Dutta will be a surprise package in the film. "I was impressed by Lara's performance in the film. She is a surprise package... she is superb. I can't reveal anything about her character at this point of time, but we have shot all the major portions of the film with Lara and she is too good with her work," Prabhudheva told IANS. "Singh Is Bliing' features Akshay Kumar, Bipasha Basu A and Amy Jackson apart from Lara. It is releasing on October 2. Asked about the chemistry between Akshay and Amy in the film, he said: "I know it's an unusual pairing, and their chemistry is too good. You all will realise it once you watch the film. (PAGE 3) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 JAMMU Jammu Bandhs reflect anger of people against BJP-PDP: Congress RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: A meeting of JKPCC was held here today at PCC Headquarters, Shaheedi Chowk Jammu to review the status of ongoing membership drive of the party and the current political situation in the state.The meeting was attended by senior functionaries of the PCC, members of the executive, frontal heads and district presidents of Jammu province which was presided over by Vice President and former Minister Shri Mula Ram.The meeting was attended by Vice President PCC, General Secretaries PCC, Members of the Executive PCC, Secretaries and Organizing Secretaries PCC, District President and heads of Mahila Congress, INTUC, Seva Dal and Youth Congress.The participants shared the inputs about the ongoing membership drive from different blocks and assembly constituencies of all districts of Jammu province and the present status of the current membership drive as part of the membership all over the country as per instructions of the AICC. The participants sought more membership for various blocks and constituencies in view of good response from the grass root level and requested for extending the time limit in this regard to reach to every nook and corner especially in the remote and farflung areas.The President JKPCC Mr. Ghulam Ahmed Mir who was scheduled to arrive from Srinagar to preside the meeting could not reach in time due to delay of the flight while Shri Sham Lal Sharma-Sr. Vice President PCC was unable to attend the meeting because of ill health. The meeting was attended by Vice President PCC and former Minister MR. Raman Bhalla, Kanta Bhan besides other senior leaders of the party.On the request of the party leaders, the President JKPCC extended the date for the membership by ten days and requested all concerned to deposit the membership by or before the 10th of June, 2015.Speaking in the meeting the senior leaders of the party asked the party functionaries and workers at the grass root level to accelerate the process of ongoing membership drive and enroll the maximum members in order to strengthen the secular and democratic forces in the state. They said that Congress has a vital role in the state in view of its unifying and secular policies which are essential for maintaining harmony and secular fabric of our pluralistic society.Senior Congress leaders said that people are getting disenchanted with the policies of the BJP and PDP government in the state in view of the failure the coalition partners to honor the commitments made to the respective electorate during the elections. The people feel cheated by the betrayal of the BJP to their ideology and election promises made to hoodwink the people in JWAM activists protest against failure of various departments to perform Jammu region to secure their votes. The party made a 'UTurn' on all important commitments and has made a 'summersault' for entering in to corridors of power. The two consecutive complete bandhs in Jammu region reflect the anger of the people who have rejected the policies of the unholy coalition in the state and the policies of the centre government.The meeting felt that the party has been playing the role desired from a vibrant opposition in the state when the two ideologically and fundamentally opposite forces have entered into an unholy alliance for the sake of power, keeping aside the electoral promises and aspirations of the people and are taking such decisions which are against the interests of the people and different sections of the society. The meeting also expressed satisfaction over the series of conventions held in various parts of the state and decided to further gear up the activities to activate the cadres in order to expose the opportunist combination and their wrong policies as a result the political and security atmosphere is being vitiated and the anti national forces are getting encouraged day by day. Various Sikh Organizations criticize baseless statements over issue of delay in Gurudwara elections RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Various Sikh Organizations of J&K under the banner of Sikh United Front J&K including Bhai Kanhiya Nishkam Sewa Society, AISSF, Sikh Naujwan Sabha, Sikh Welfare society and other intellectuals have strongly criticized the baseless statement of members of S.G.P.B., Akali Dal Badal, Akali Dal Amritsar regarding the issue of delay in the Gurudwara elections.While addressing a joint press conference, S.Avtar Singh Khalsa, Gen.Secy. Sikh United Front J&K said that according to J&K State Gurudwara Endowment Act the tenure of the District Gurudwaras Parbhandak Committees is for five years but unfortunately the president J&K State Gurudwara Parbadhak Board has dismissed the elected DGPC Jammu without any fault. Mr.Khalsa asked chairman Gurudwara Board that why he dismissed an elected DGPC Jammu which was elected in 2003? He said that the Sikh Sangat also asked when all the DGPCs in J&K are working smoothly but the Chairman PDP-BJP coalition to script new chapter of peace, progress in J&K history: Bhasin RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: In spite of the repeated requests and pleas for complete black topping of Jammu roads and the west constituency, to the BJP-PDP Govt, PWD R&B ministries and the chief engineers of PWD R&B, JMC, ERA no action is being taken for the black topping of the Jammu city and west constituency roads.Traders of the west constituency demanded the resignation of the BJP MLAs of Jammu city, raised slogans for their resignations and took out strong protest rally held dhrna on the Amphalla, Rhari Chungi New Plot Janipur high court road led by Sunil Dimple president Jammu west assembly movementfor the worst condition of the Jammu city roads, the worst traffic problems, for the construction of the flyovers in Jammu city and against the betrayal by the BJP-PDP Govt, on the NHAI toll road tax zazia on the Bantalab, Nagrota high way.Dimple alleged that PWD R&B has no immediate plan of blacktopping as the tendering process for all the BT works has increased the problems and no black topping is being done due to three years maintenance guarantee. Dimple also said we will continue the agitation for opening the AIIMS in Jammu till the foundation stone of the AIIMS is not laid down. "RBI Governor's visit fruitful" Coalition sensitive to sufferings of flood affected artisans: Hamid RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Appreciating the visit of Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Dr Raghuram Rajan to floodaffected areas of Pampore, Rajpora, Awantipora, Littar, Kakapora and other areas of Pulwama district in Kashmir, People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Hamid Choudhary today said that these people if are provided better means to sustain their livelihood they would go a long way in also keeping the traditional handicrafts alive while making their both ends meet.Having suffered a lot during floods these people including artisans were still trying to bring their lives back on rails and this effort of Finance Minister, Dr Haseeb Drabu in making RBI Governor have the first hand information about people's sufferings is a great initiative that will enable financial institutions to come forward and help affected ones in whatever manner they can, Choudhary Hamid added.The PDP leader said that state government was quite sensitive to people's sufferings and such initiatives were also aimed at supporting the flood-affected people of J&K and reviving their livelihood in whatever possible manner the coalition government can. He said financial institutions can play a major role in reviving the shattered economy of flood affected people and RBI must explore all such possibilities and extend the same to J&K State as soon as possible. CII organised Workshop on 7QC Tools for Industry RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: CII J&K State Council organized workshop on 7 QC Tools for industry. Welcoming the delegates Mr Rahul Sahai, Convenor, MSME & Ma n u f a c t u r i n g Competitiveness Panel, CII J&K State Council & Managing Director, Sahai Group of Industries said that CII has been continuously working towards its mission on strengthening the industry through its various activities with the help of its Centers of Excellence (CoEs) helping SMEs transform their business processes.7QC Tools form the fundamental founda- tion for all problem solving and quality control activities and are also an important element of Lean Manufacturing. They are used to analyze the production process, identify the major problems, control fluctuations of product quality, and provide solutions to avoid future defects. Statistical literacy is necessary to effectively use the seven QC tools. These tools use statistical techniques and knowledge to accumulate data and analyze them. The knowledge of these tools has become essential to improve the internal competitiveness of organizations.The objective of the workshop was to make the participants understand the 7 QC tools, Methodology of improving quality, reducing in-house rejection, reducing customer complaints & customer returns, Role and responsibility of Production Supervisor Basics of Quality Circle for Product Quality Improvement. The workshop was conducted by Mr Rajesh Dahiya, an experienced Counselor in Manufacturing Excellence at CII AVANTHA Center of Comp etitiveness, Chandigarh. Workshop was attended by 40 participants from Samba, Gangyal and Baribrahmana Industrial Area. Reiterating commitment of his party to address grievances of every sections of the society, General Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Daman Bhasin today called upon party workers to reach out to the masses to solve their day today problems. He observed that after formation of PDP-BJP coalition government in the State responsibility on party workers has enhanced manifolds and workers have to shoulder this responsibility with dedication.Addressing one day convention of party workers of Jammu West Assembly segment, Mr Bhasin maintained that formation of PDP-BJP government was historic event in the political history Jammu and Kashmir because both the parties have over-whelming mandate of the people of the entire State. "As visionary leadership of both the parties is aware of all issues pertaining to the State, this historic opportunity would be proved as turning point in the history of J&K to change destiny of the residents of this State", Mr Bhasin hoped and mentioned that PDP would play the role of big brother in Kashmir Valley and BJP would play the same role in Jammu region. He hoped that PDP-BJP coalition would script a new chapter of peace, progress, prosperity and development in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.Bhasin made it clear that attaining power was not aim of forming PDP-BJP coalition but main objective of this government was to set up new system of governance with transparency and accountability."Aim of PDP-BJP government is to transform the system of governance by removing mis-governance, corruption and maladministration", he said and exhorted party workers to work as agents to bring change in the system and to provide governance to the people at their door step.Highlighting achievements of PDP-BJP government in the State, Mr Bhasin said that during the tenure of nearly three months this regime has earned credibility and trust of the common masses through its actions and acts. "Effective steps are already being initiated by the present regime to provide muchneeded relief to the common people from the miseries of the mis-governance and corruption promoted by the NC-Congress coalition regime during the past six years", he said and regretted that legalization corruption was not noticeable achievement of the previous NC-Congress government.Senior Leader & Former MLC Sh. Ved Mahajan, Vinod Sharma, Senior Leader, R K Bali, Ashok Jogi, Rajinder Manhas, Narinder Singh Raina, Geeta Thakur, Suresh Sharma, Vikas Bhatti, Sukhvinder Singh, Anju Bhan, Ritu Gondhi, Nana Ji Wattal, Mushtaq, Ashok Jain, Ashutosh Kapoor, Davinder Dogra, Geeta Kapahi , Sneha Gupta and many others were present on the occasion. Burglaries soar despite police patrolling Rising thefts question mark on police functioning : ANC RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Theft cases are on rise in and around Jammu city. Cases of thefts are being reported everyday but police failed to plug this menace. Awami National Conference (ANC) has expressed serious serious concern over increase in cases of burglaries, and stressed to take concrete steps to restore credibility of Police in public who otherwise in fear psycosis over sudden spurt in burglary cases in Jammu. Addressing media persons in Jammu, ANC Provincial President, Gian Singh in presence of Youth President, Raj Sharma and District President Jammu, Vijay Magotra asked the Police authorities to have an over-all view of the crime, security, law and order situation of the zone.While elaborating, Singh mentioned that maintenance of law & order, prevention of crime, speedy investigation and disposal of cases, adequate attention to public grievances on day-to-day basis, special attention to public importance cases, strengthening police-public rapport are of utmost importance and Police should give prime focus to address all these issues.Singh, while briefing the Media emphasized the need for people-friendly approach and behaviour of the police force at the cutting edge level and stressed that the Police should not only be fair in their actions but also should look like being fair to everyone. Public confidence can be generated through their people-friendly attitude which should be exhibited at all levels. He stressed for professional approach in investigation of crime especially public significance cases. The Involvement and close supervision of senior officers, use of scientific-investigation methods is required for quality investigation and public satisfaction, he added. General conduct of police especially subordinate ranks to common people has to be helping and cordial and not rude and indifferent. Singh also stressed that touring by police officers in their respective areas, meeting people and interacting with them on social and professional matters is of significance. Gurudwara Board has dismissed the DGPC Jammu vide Article 63B of Gurudwara Act for his direct personal interference to run the affairs of DGPC Jammu. Some vested interests persons connected with the present Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee Jammu have filed litigations in various courts including J&K High Court in order to delay the gurudwara Elections deliberately for their vested interests and have managed to get stay orders issued as and when the election notifications were issued by the Government. All these petitions were challenged by the members of Sikh United Front J&K. In response to this the Govt. of J&K nominated a new DGPC Committee to look after the affairs of the State Gurudwaras headed by S.Dalip Singh vide Article 63C of Gurudwara Act, SRO No.357 in the year 2008 for a period of six months. After the completion of the above said period S.Dalip Singh resigned from the post vide letter No.DGPC/197-200/2009 dated 28.04.2009. the law department of the State nominated a new committee vide SRO-375 vide notification dated 19.12.2011 headed by S.Mohinder Singh, Retired District Session Judge for running the Gurudwara affairs. The order of this committee was challenged by previous District Gurudwara Parbhadak Committee Jammu through its Joint Secy.S.Manjit Singh in the Hon'ble High Court of J&K at Jammu vide OWP No.D1657/2011, CMP No . 2 3 0 5 / 2 0 11 / Ca v e a t No.1426/2011 and 1427/2011 and got an interim order issued in their favour and refused to vacate the office of the DGPC Jammu.Others who were present at press conference are S.Ramneek Singh Bijral, S.Gurdev Singh Gill S.P.(Retd), S.Surinder Singh Kala Convener J&K Motor Transport Companies Association, Jammu, Fateh Singh, Raja Singh, Darvinder Singh, S.Harpreet Singh, S.Gajjan Singh, Surjit Singh Kuku, S.Kulwant Singh, S.Rajinder Singh, S.Manmohan Singh, S.Kapoor Singh Dutta, S.Harpal Singh & Ors. Remove Bann Jammu Toll Plaza or be prepared for consequences: Harsh RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Seeking the removal of Toll Plaza at Bann Nagrota on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh lambasted the Union govt. for doling out the most differential treatment to Jammu region in yet another field. He regretted that while the Union Govt. has closed down 62 toll plazas across the country on National Highways and Expressways recently during the current week in 'public interest', the toll plaza in Jammu has been most contemptuously allowed to operate much to the chagrin and indignation of the Jammuites. Hailing the closure of the said Toll Plazas elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Gujrat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Utter Pradesh on public demand, he questioned the State and Central govts. for discriminatory treatment doled out to J&K which was also being governed by a BJP partnered govt.Admonishing the Union as well as State govt. for their apathy and neglect of the Dogra Land, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh lamented that the duly elected MPs and MLAs of the region had miserably failed to espouse the cause of Jammu public at appropriate forums resulting in their deprivation. He regretted that despite public protests and demonstrations for removal of Bann Toll Plaza, the elected representatives failed to impress upon the concerned authorities to remove the same on the analogy of the aforesaid 62 Toll Plazas removed in various other states. Making out a strong case for closing of Bann Toll Plaza, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that Jammu is visited by millions of pilgrims every year who would be obliged to pay heavy taxation in the form of Toll fee for conducting their religious pilgrimage. Likewise, he pointed out , that lacs of pilgrims would be visiting the Amarnath ji shrine who would also have to bear the burden of heavy taxation. He said that imposition of Taxation on pilgrims in the form of Toll fee from Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims and Sri Amar Nath ji pilgrims is like imposing 'Jazia' which is unacceptable and intolerable. He said that taxation of pilgrims is highly impious, irreverent and sacrilegious act which would receive stiff resistance from the Jammu people. He further cautioned the govt. that the said highly profane act of the govt. would further affect the tourist influx in the state in view of huge fee prescribed for various kinds of vehicles. He said that as per the schedule published by the NHA1 a car/jeep has to pay Rs. 85 for single journey or a monthly pass of Rs. 2810. Likewise the rate for 7 axle vehicles is Rs. 545 for single journey or a monthly pass of Rs. 18,185.He further said that huge tax being extorted from pilgrims and tourists visiting the state would also have dissuading effect on them thus giving a blow to the tourist promotion initiatives of the govt. and overall economy of the state which is largely dependent upon pilgrims and tourists. Besides, he said, there were several commuters who were daily shuttling and the toll was operating very harshly upon them. He said that huge tax fixed was unaffordable for a common man. Moreover, the National Highway was incomplete, pot holed at various places with construction work still in progress at several locations, the govt. could not have launched the toll plaza at all, he maintained. He also expressed concern over the grossly inadequate and highly congested space specified for opertionalization of the said toll plaza resulting in huge traffic Jams. Rebuking the despicable apathy and cowardice of the Saffron representatives, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh called for immediate removal of the toll plaza Bann Jammu in public interest in conformity with decision taken by the Union Govt. with regard to identical cases in other states.Pointing out towards the web portal launched by the Union Road Transport Ministry for providing information to the road users regarding the Toll Plazas operational in the country along with fee rates for various kinds of vehicles, facilities available and emergency contact nos ., Mr. Harsh Dev Singh further stated that the said web portal reveals that the Bann Toll Plaza is charging the highest rates without being provided with corresponding facilities. Strongly flaying the police action on the protestors and commuters at Bann Toll Plaza yesterday who were protesting against huge fees and lack of facilities, he cautioned the state govt. to refrain from dictatorial approach and settle the issue of Toll Plaza at the earliest or else be prepared for the consequences. Dogra Sadar Sabha organizing "Save the Birds Day" programme on June 2nd RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Gulchain Singh Charak, President Dogra Sadar Sabha issuing press statement in Jammu has said that as per the past practice, Dogra Sadar Sabha, J&K, Jammu in collaboration with Wild Life Protection Department, J&K, is organizing "Save the Birds Day" programme on 2ndJune, 2015 at 10:00 AM at Dogra Hall, Jammu wherein besides large number of Sarpanches, Panches, Numberdars, Chowkidars, other prominent persons of the civil society and large number of students hailing from different educational institutions are going to take part. Sabha will provide them the earthen pots to be installed at different places filled with water for the birds. Sabha also provides large quality of such pots to various other organizations. It is campaign towards saving the birds in which Sabha distributes earthen pots to school and college students, Villagers and members of the civil society.While expressing the importance of the day, he said as we all know, Birds and Wild animals play very important role in maintaining the ecological balance. For birds, the Summer months till Monsoon sets in - is difficult period especially in whole of the Jammu province when ponds have tried up and there is hardly any water for the birds to drink.It is more of an awareness campaign and in this, the role of Press & Electronic Media is very important, so we feveroently appeal to all the medial persons to extend their help for this noble cause. He, on behalf of the Sabha appealed the students in particular and public in general to join us in our endeavors of saving the birds by spreading this noble message and putting the same into actions as well - which we are going to convey on "Save the Birds Day" on 2nd June, 2015 at Dogra Sadar Sabha Bhawan, Jammu. (PAGE 4) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 JAMMU From universities to coaching shops EDITORIAL Endemic discrimination ecent reports about some Muslim families and individuals being denied housing accommodation or not being allowed to buy apartments in Indian cities point to an endemic issue of urban bias. While discrimination and biases of various kinds are common in urban sprawls across the world, there is something systemic about the denial of housing to Muslims in Indian cities. Surveys have pointed to various forms of bias, where residents display an aversion to those belonging to other castes and religions being in their neighbourhood. Neither access to education nor economic betterment has mitigated the problem of social bias. The sad reality in the city of Mumbai in particular has been that more than two decades since the 1992-93 communal riots, discrimination remains entrenched; indeed, it is today open and unchecked. Communities such as Dalits also encounter biases when they seek housing, but Muslims are an “easy target” because their names often point to their identity. Even online websites have seen home-sellers and owners openly denying houses to Muslims and people from certain other communities, before outrage against the practice got some websites to announce non-discriminatory policies on listings. Legally speaking, this is a difficult issue to tackle. In the case of public housing, there cannot be any discrimination, and any form of bias in renting out or selling houses is illegal. But in the case of the private and cooperative housing market, the issue is more complicated. There are several housing colonies that are exclusive if not exclusionary to particular communities. These restrict residents to a particular community on the basis of their right to freedom of association, which was endorsed by the Supreme Court in Zoroastrian Co-operative Housing Society Limited v. District Registrar Co-operative Societies (2005). Yet, the Supreme Court has over the years developed a fairly comprehensive jurisprudence that regulates relations between “private parties” based on constitutional principles and fundamental rights. This could legally provide a basis for non-discrimination on matters related to housing. Judicial interventions apart, legislative action is required to address such acts of discrimination. The Rajindar Sachar Committee in its recommendations in 2005 sought the setting up of an Equal Opportunity Commission to provide a legal mechanism to address complaints related to discrimination in matters such as housing. Towards the fag end of its tenure the UPA government discussed the setting up of such a Commission, but nothing came of it. It is time to revisit the issue and implement this legislatively. R ROMILA THAPAR he proposed standardisation of university syllabus will only drag down the quality of education to the lowest common denominator. The Ministry of Human Resource Development announced a short while ago that it was introducing changes in the structure and functioning of central universities, numbering around 40. The suggested changes were made public in a proposed Universities Act. A large number of academics from various colleges and universities based in the National Capital Region examined the suggestions. They went through the proposed changes with a fine-tooth comb, since the proposed changes, if implemented, would affect the academic quality of tertiary education at the college and university level. After frequent meetings over six months, they have jointly produced a document titled ‘What is to be Done About Indian Universities? Reflections from Concerned Teachers’. The document explains at length why they have found unacceptable, for academic reasons, much of what has been suggested. It is available on Facebook and has already brought in many worthwhile posts. It is an extremely important statement from a large body of teachers, containing their responses to the proposals, as had been requested. Hopefully, it will be discussed widely by the HRD Ministry, the University Grants Commission, and other organisations related to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Education, unfortunately, has not been taken seriously enough by governments, either past or present. The abysmally low budget for education is now down to around a minuscule 3 per cent. Despite this, there is still a fond belief that development can be achieved. Development needs well-educated people or else it goes nowhere. Do politicians fear an educated citizenry? Reform over overhaul T Governments tend to start at the wrong end in their attempts to improve education, drawing plans to make dramatic changes at the highest levels, advocating more central universities, IITs, IIMs and the like. As is often said, the concern should be to improve the levels of existing institutions. Yet the nitty-gritty of education lies in the quality of schooling. Proposals made by United Progressive AllianceII, for more universities, continue to be the project of the present government. But a serious revision of the educational system in India requires laying a good foundation for primary and secondary schooling by improving their quality in a systematic and rational manner. This applies as much to content as is does to facilities. A higher budget would allow for a larger number of schools, and these are desperately needed. But numbers are not enough. The location of the school has to be such that it is not hijacked or marginalised by upper castes and the wealthy. The socially and economically underprivileged are then left without education. Schools also have to be adequately equipped, teachers properly trained, and the benefits of education made apparent. This needs as much careful attention as tertiary education. Without good quality schooling, the institutes of higher learning are handicapped. Students with substandard schooling are unable to cope with higher education, the heavy financing of which has little meaning. Education has many functions. It provides information, as the Internet does, but the difference is that it is meant to provide reliable information, and teach students to think logically and analytically. If knowledge has to advance, existing knowledge should be questioned. Such critical enquiry is the crucial point of education in any field — whether the sciences, social sciences or the humanities. It is also incidentally the best job training a student can receive. Myth-spinning is important to a child’s imagination but should not be confused with learning and scholarship. The linking of schooling to tertiary education also has to do with some reactions to the suggestions made in the proposed Universities Act. The proposed standardising and centralising of the syllabus has been suggested as a way to improve the quality of education. Also, the centralised recruitment of faculty and students, we are told, will allow them mobility. Can the complete syllabus for all subjects in 40 universities be centralised and standardised? It will be a mammoth, unnecessary exercise, predictably a disaster. The budget would have to be doubled to provide for adequate libraries and laboratories. Or will education be reduced to a set of statements to be memorised? Better institutions will have to lower their standards to accommodate those that are inferior, in order to standardise the syllabus. The quality of education will have to be that of the Lowest Common Denominator. High standards demand diversity and a constant and reliable upgrading of knowledge, essential for nurturing intellectual curiosity. With standardisation and centralisation, universities will become teaching shops and coaching schools. A common entrance exam will mean a rush for the metropolitan universities, as these are better launching pads for decent jobs. How then will the system of quotas and reservations play out? Will the numbers have to be continually reconfigured? The other major problem will be language. Today, regional languages are the effective medium in most universities, particularly at the undergraduate level. So, can teachers and students be moved from, say, Punjab to Kerala, with the demand that they have to use whatever language is current in the new place? Or will the transfer of teachers and students be also used as a punitive measure to silence opposition? Bilingualism — a regional language and a com- mon language — may be one solution, provided a common language can be agreed upon. Schools for the rich and poor This is just a sample of the kind of problems that will confront us if the proposed changes are introduced. It doesn’t take much foresight to predict the major casualties in our university system. Poor quality education and large numbers of young people who are unqualified for the jobs they seek doesn’t make for a healthy society. Neither the sciences nor the social sciences can be taught merely as identical information in 40 universities. Every discipline requires thinking, questioning and debating, as there is intellectual content in each subject, essential to its understanding. This debate cannot be dictated. A syllabus handed down ‘from above’ and not thought through by the faculty will be turned into merely memorising information. If state universities provide poor quality education, then quality education will shift to private universities that do not have such restrictions. But private universities are usually unaffordable for most students. Public universities will become institutions for the poor, just as the government school system has. A bigger problem will be the end of the autonomy of the university, as has been pointed out in the response by the Delhi academics. The viability of a university depends on its being an autonomous institution responsible for maintaining high standards and initiating innovation. The quality of the public university system and its continuance is crucial to any modern society. Private universities, however good they may be, cannot provide the required tertiary education for everyone. The proposed changes will therefore destroy the more significant aspects of the role and function of the university as an educational institution. (Romila Thapar is Professor Emeritus in Ancient History, JNU.) The Chinese fault line in foreign policy M. K. NARAYANAN lack of coherence marks the Modi government’s foreign policy, especially in strategic relations with China and Pakistan. Nothing that has been said or done during the past year has reduced differences between India and them A This is the season of results and of drawing up report cards. Having completed a year of governance, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government’s performance is up for review, with its approach on the foreign policy front attracting a great deal of attention. Not surprisingly, political pundits have accorded it an ‘A’. Nevertheless, it still merits a more detailed look. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s record of visiting 18 countries in 57 days has to be appreciated. Yet, it should not be overlooked that even a less ebullient Prime Minister like Dr. Manmohan Singh of the predecessor United Progressive Alliance government managed a hectic schedule during his first year in office. But two major differences, no doubt, exist. The first is that in marked contrast to visits by previous Prime Ministers to foreign countries, each of Mr. Modi’s visits has involved detailed planning to ensure the best teleological impact. The second is in terms of economic content — new business openings, substantial increases in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, estimated to be around $28.8 billion, and talk of India as being the next big investment destination. If the raison d’être of high profile prime ministerial visits is Business with a big ‘B’, then Mr. Modi has made a spectacular start. Mixed results Both aspects are in keeping with the Prime Minister’s penchant for transformational initiatives, an aspect that was evident during his more than a year-long election campaign. Foreign visits have the added advantage of linking the Prime Minister’s persona with outcomes, and where the Prime Minister’s image becomes the crucial selling point. Mr. Modi’s visit to the United States in 2014 demonstrated what impact a brilliantly calibrated campaign could produce. However, on many of the substantive issues, the balance sheet tends to be mixed. For instance, the Prime Minister kept his commitment to pursue an “activist neighbourhood policy”. Yet, to claim that his visits have already produced concrete results would be premature. Foreign policy outcomes need a long period of gestation and it would be naive to think that a single visit would alter another country’s policies. This is particularly true of countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal who tend to hedge their bets when it comes to India versus China. Nevertheless, the energy and drive on display has helped push the boundaries, enabling India to demonstrate its determination to be the preeminent power in the region. Coming to strategic aspects, one discerns a certain lack of coherence and consistency. This is specially true of strategic relations with our two biggest neighbours, China and Pakistan. Vis-à-vis Pakistan, the inconsistencies in our attitude have further compounded the dysfunctional nature of Pakistan’s approach to India. Nothing that has been said or done during the past year has reduced tensions between the two countries. If anything, the degree of suspicion has increased. Dealing with Beijing The approach towards China has clearly needed to be more subtle and dexterous than has been the case. The bonhomie on display during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September 2014 and Mr. Modi’s visit to China in May 2015 was exceptional. Notwithstanding this, the hype and glamour have tended to obscure the reality that little progress on most aspects of the relationship has taken place. Mr. Modi’s recent visit did yield much in economic terms — agreements and business-related memoranda of understanding worth at least $22 billion. He also unveiled a vision of unlimited opportunities for Chinese business and investment in infrastructure and energy-related projects. The Joint Statement issued after the visit is extremely positive on trade, development and investment issues, and also on taking the necessary measures “to remove impediments to bilateral trade and investment and facilitate greater market access”. However, dealing with China is like dealing with the unknown. Rather than protocol-driven statements, one needs to look out for signals and nuances which are often better indicators of where the relationship is headed. Hence, references in the Joint Statement issued after Mr. Modi’s discussions with Chinese leaders, to the “historic imperative for India and China to enrich their bilateral relations” and that “India-China bilateral relations are poised to play a defining role in the 21st Century in Asia and Globally”, count for little. In specific terms, the Chinese have given no indication, whatsoever, that they would back India’s claim to a seat in the United Nations Security Council; no assurance of helping India with nuclear Export Control Regimes, and in overcoming the remaining obstacles to nuclear trade issues, and no signs of softening its stance on the vexed boundary question, merely committing itself to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, pending a final resolution. As a keen observer, the Prime Minister would certainly have noted the absence of any reaction from the Chinese side during the visit, to both the contents of the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region (unveiled by him and U.S. President Barack Obama during Mr. Obama’s visit to India in January 2015), and to the deepening of India’s relations with Shinzo¯ Abe’s Japan. This is significant and disconcerting, compounded further by the absence of any serious discussion on the situation prevailing in Pakistan and West Asia, and the implications for the region of Mr. Xi’s signature initiative viz., the Maritime Silk Road. Apparently, the Chinese believe that there is not much scope for a meeting of minds on crucial issues. The Afghan vacuum Meanwhile, China continues to engage in a series of moves that are highly detrimental to India’s interests. With Pakistan as the fulcrum of China’s approach to South Asia, China is now seeking to exploit the vacuum in Afghanistan, at a time when India’s leverage there has been greatly reduced following Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani taking charge. China has also very recently hosted “secret talks” between Afghan and Taliban leaders in China, which were attended by both Chinese officials and representatives of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). China also continues to stall India’s moves in the United Nations to have Hizbul Mujahideen chief and head of the ‘United Jihad Council’, Syed Salahuddin declared as a “global terrorist”. The proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor linking Western China with the Gwadar Port in Pakistan through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), is an even more serious matter, directly impinging on India’s sovereignty and security. Its implications are far graver than the border dispute between India and China. (PAGE 5) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 Radioactive Leak Detected at Delhi Airport; Plugged, Says Home Minister Rajnath Singh NEW DELHI, May 29 (Agencies): A radioactive leak from a medical consignment was detected in the cargo area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi this morning. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the leak has been plugged. Officials have emphasised that there is no need for panic. The incident has not affected airport operations. Two people who handled the consignment have been taken to AIIMS hospital in Delhi. Officials said the consignment of sodium iodine from Turkey meant for a private hospital, had leaked in a small area of the cargo hold and was quickly isolated. The area has been cordoned off and a team of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF is at the spot. Atomic energy experts are on their way to the airport, Rajnath Singh said. Officials said the leak was detected after two loaders at the airport offloaded from a Turkish Airlines plane, packages that were wet and then reported that their eyes were watering. Both the men have been taken to hospital. The plane on which the consignment flew to Delhi from Istanbul has been isolated. The airline and the cargo company are also looking into how the leak happened. Sodium Iodine is used in the treatment of cancer. Patanjali food park shootout: Ramdev's brother jailed for 14 days DEHRADUN/HARIDWAR: Yoga guru Ramdev's younger brother Ram Bharat was sent on a 14day judicial remand after being produced in a Haridwar court late on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in a clash at Patanjali Herbal Food Park, which left one dead and almost eleven others injured. Tight police security was put in place in the Padartha area, where the food park is located, as tension loomed large after 42-year-old Daljeet Singh, who was killed in the fight that broke out between food park staff and local transporters, was cremated at his village Aithal near Haridwar on Thursday. Police teams probing the incident reported finding seven rifles and several lathis from inside the park premises. "All the weapons have been seized," Sanjay Gunjyal, IG Garhwal, told TOI. In another development later in the day, seven men, who were identified as private guards employed with the food park, were arrested from the Badshahpur bus stand in Haridwar. Arrest Ramdev too along with his brother: Congress Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, Ramdev's close aide, Archarya Balkrishna told mediapersons on Thursday that the incident at the food park was a result of "the food park's employees acting in self-defence". "We feel genuinely sad that a man was killed in the incident," he added. Regarding Ram Bharat's arrest, Balkrishna alleged that he was being falsely being implicated at the behest of the state government who was out to take "political revenge." "No FIR has so far been lodged against the real culprits in the case," he alleged, adding that after the Wednesday incident, a number of miscreants had ransacked the food park factory for hours. "Almost eight people were injured in the melee, but the police refused to file an FIR. It is unfortunate that the police, in connivance with politicians, is conspiring to render thousands of people working at the factory, jobless," Balkrishna alleged. Oxford gets its first-ever female vice-chancellor LONDON, May 29 (Agencies): The oldest university in the English speaking world has got its first ever female head. Professor Louise Richardson, currently the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St Andrews, has been nominated as the next VC of the University of Oxford. The first women's colleges were founded in the 19th century and women became full members of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges - Brasenose, Jesus College, Wadham, Hertford and St Catherine's first admitted women in 1974. St Hilda's College which was originally for women only was the last of Oxford's single sex colleges. All colleges have admitted both men and women since 2008. Oxford currently has 11 female heads of house - the Rector of Exeter; the Principals of Lady Margaret Hall, Mansfield, St Hilda's, St Hugh's, and Somerville; the Provost of Oriel; the Master of Pembroke; the Warden of St Antony's and the Presidents of St John's and Wolfson. Oxford has been the alma mater of the who's who of the world. Twenty-six British prime ministers have been educated at Oxford University. The list includes present PM David Cameron, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. Oxford has educated Indians since 1871. Since then, some of the most famous Indians, including two of India's PMs - Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have studied here. Indians have also held academic posts here including former president of India, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and India's Chief Scientific Advisor and Bharat Ratna recipient Professor C N R Rao. Mamata to accompany PM during Bangladesh visit KOLK ATA/DELH I, May 29 (Agencies): In a significant development,West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday decided to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Bangladesh next month. The decision follows a formal request from the Centre. However the West Bengal CM kept the Centre on tenterhooks as MEA officials said they had not heard officially from the State government till late on Thursday evening. Speaking to The Hindu Trinamool Congress secretary general and State's Education Minister Partha Chatterjee confirmed the visit of the Chief Minister saying it would further strengthen the country's relation with Bangladesh. Ms. Banerjee's decision could also be the first clear sign that apart from the LBA, the two countries could even consider an accord on Teesta water sharing that has been held up by West Bengal's concerns. "We want a win-win situation for both India and Bangladesh. The presence of the Chief Minister will ensure that interest of West Bengal is not jeopardised," Mr. Chatterjee said. The visit also assumes significance as Ms. Banerjee had refused to accompany former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Bangladesh in September 2011. Despite much persuasion from the Centre Ms. Banerjee had opted out of visit at the eleventh hour expressing reservations over not being consulted over the proposed Teesta water sharing treaty which she had described against interest of farmers of the State. Rahul Gandhi's 'paathshaala' quip is is another win is a resurgent run NEW DELHI, May 29 (Agencies): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was his nonchalant self when in a recent interview he was asked about the sustained attack by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi against his government and its policies. "The Congress has suffered a crushing defeat and ended with less than 50 seats. Even after a year, they are not able to digest this. The peop le have punished them for their sins of omis sion and commission. We thought they would learn from this, but it looks as though they are proving right the earlier saying that if con is the oppos ite of pro, then Congress is the opposite of Progress," he told PTI when asked about Gandhi's sustained campaign. W hile the Prime Minister has exhibited calm, his ministers have been launching an all about attack against Gandhi. Home Minister Rajanth Singh returned to the BJP's familiar pre-poll refrain of 'yuvraj' to describe the Congress Vice President while trying to justify the multiple foreign visits of the Prime Minister during his first year in power. "Earlier, there was nothing to show on TV when PM went outside Ind ia. Now TV channels all over the world broadcast the visit. Presidents and PMs of other countries break all the protocols to welcome our PM at the airports...Congress' `yuvraj' went on two months ' sabbatical abroad without informing anyone. As the Home Minister, I was also worried about his whereabouts. And he is now levelling mindless allegations against our PM," he said. External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj also while attending a meet to mark one year of the Modi government in Dehrad un like many other BJP leaders before here was effusive in her praise of the Prime Minister "It is no mean achievement that in just one year of his tenure our Prime Minister has emerged as one of the front ranking leaders of the world," Swaraj said. But coming on a day the Congress Vice President launched a fresh scathing attack on the Prime Minister over his meeting with his predecessor Manmohan Singh, the BJP only ends up sounding like it's on the back foot. HRD ministry's lesson for IIT Madras students: Kids, criticising PM Modi is not on syllabus NEW DELHI, May 29 (Agencies): 1908. The venue is University of California at Berkeley. Christian evangelist J. Lovell Murray who had worked in India is giving a lecture at the University on Awakening of the Orient. Indian students who found the talk offensive because of his comments about Hinduism asked if he would skip the part of his talk that called Hindu priests immoral. He refused. 16 of them led by Girindra Mukerji, who had just obtained his master's degree at the university, occupied the front row. Mukerjee had been cited as a "role model" for other Indians by the university's president at his farewell after he defended his thesis. After Murray's talk, Mukerji asked for the chance to reply and launched into an attack on British rule in India. Half a dozen more of the protesters joined him and the meeting had to be quickly brought to a halt. The January 18, 1908 issue of San Francisco Call ran the headline "Hindu Students Flay Missionary." Someone commented that whatever his intent, Murray's talk, 'Awakening of the Orient', had certainly lived up to its name. This story is now part of the South Asian Radical History Walking Tour in Berkeley. Flash forward to 2015. Another reputed institution of higher learning. Another political protest. This time in India. And the headline reads "IIT-Madras bans student group for criticizing PM Modi, his policies." Girindra Mukerjee feels like a distant dream. By now the facts are fairly well-known. Someone sent an anonymous complaint to the HRD ministry accusing the Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle at IIT-Madras of spreading "hatred" against the Prime Minister. At issue is a pamphlet reproducing the speech of Dravidian university academic R Vivekananda Gopal on Dr. Ambedkar which accuses the government of a "Hindutva agenda", "assisting multinational corporates to loot Mother India" and "communally polarizing the people by the ban on cow slaughtering, ghar wapasi program and promoting Vedas". These are accusations that you can rou- tinely see debated and discussed in the media. The opposition parties, whether the Left or the Congress, have all gone to town and shouted themselves hoarse on some variant or the other of this. This is hardly "maut ka saudagar" territory. To think that a university, a place that should actually foster debate, an IIT that is routinely touted as one of India's crown jewels, wants to squelch debate is just plain shocking. The dean Sivakumar M. Srinivasan has said that the APSC has "broken the code of conduct" and did not follow "certain procedures". Perhaps there are technical reasons for de-recognizing the APSC that the dean will care to inform the public about later. Kejriwal-Jung tussle: SC issues notice to AAP govt after Centre's plea on anti-graft body's powers NEW DELHI, May 29 (Agencies): The Supreme Court asked the Delhi government on Friday to reply within three weeks on the Centre's plea for a stay on a high court ruling that restored the power of the state government's anti-corruption branch (ACB) to probe central government's employees in graft cases. A recent HC ruling had said the anti-corruption branch (ACB) can probe Delhi Police officers, giving a shot in the arm to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in his tussle with lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung. Delhi Police function under the Union home ministry. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had moved the Delhi high court on Thursday, challenging the home ministry notification that also said Jung had discretionary power over appointments and transfers of key bureaucratic posts in the Capital. The Supreme Court described as tentative the HC observation, even as it issued the notice to the city government. The apex court, however, clarified that at this stage there was no stay on observations by HC, which had termed the Centre's notification a "suspect". The NDA government notifcation issued last week barred the ACB from registering cases against central officers, escalating an all-out turf war between CM Kejriwal and LG Jung. The gazette notification dated May 21 also said the LG will have jurisdictions over matters connected with services, public order, police and land and he may consult with the chief minister whenever he thinks necessary on issues of services using his own "discretion". The appointment of senior bureaucrat Gamlin as acting chief secretary by the LG had initiated the slugfest in Delhi, with Kejriwal questioning the LG's authority and accusing him of trying to take over the administration. Modi's first year: Chinese state media slams NDA's foreign policy NEW DELHI, May 29 (Agencies): Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy securitydriven with no dramatic reforms, an article in staterun Chinese media said his decision to provide evisas for Chinese nationals is inadequate and it should be extended to business and work visas. "With only a vague foreign policy platform one year ago, it now becomes clearer that Modi has largely inherited his two predecessors' foreign policy legacies and no dramatic reform has so far been seen," the article by a researcher from Tsinghua University published in the Global Times on Thursday said about Modi's first year in power. "This is especially evident in his handling of major power politics. He tries to seek better relations with the US and Japan in general, and strike an optimal trade-off between guarding against China's increasing influence and expanding the economic cooperation," it said. "Under Modi, India's China policy is still heavily securitydriven. As a result, Modi's foreign economic initiatives to work with China are jeopardised by security concerns, especially those from the security institutions and domestic hawks," the article said. "In a successful piece of public diplomacy, Modi announced during his recent visit to China that evisa facilities will be extended to Chinese nationals, a hard-won compromise after bargaining with security and intelligence wings over their security concerns. But what gets in the way of bilateral exchanges are the conference, business and working visas, a situation that this announcement does nothing to improve because e-visas cover only tourists," it said. Overt security concerns such as border dispute and China's Pakistan policy drives India's policy towards China, it said. "Thus there is a vicious circle preventing the improvement of bilateral relations: When China proposes expanding cooperation, India stresses there is no trust; China proposes to establish and enhance trust, while India mentions China's relations with Pakistan; China hails mutual understanding, and India wants unilateral compromise on border disputes; when China wants to negotiate on border issues, India says there is no trust to base a solution on," it said. (PAGE 6) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 JAMMU Mufti visits MLA Kupwara, condoles son’s demise From Page: 1 BJP, the most treacherous... Is Kashmir in the possession of other Nation where KPs require visa or passport to visit there? Asiya Naqash visits CHCs... including National Health Mission (NHM). he asked. Why can’t rest of KPs reside in Valley if thousands of KPs are already living there peacefully? Chuni asked. Chuni further stated that he would like to revive PM Modi that PoK DPs deserve respectable return as PoK DPs were looted and deprived from their every basic stuff that makes one’s life worth living. “PoK DPs were thrown out of their native places by brutally killing, raping their women and till date they have got only repeated fake assurances by government of sending PoK DPs back to their places with dignity and honor. “Our ancestral land is still in the illegal occupation of Pakistan for the last 7 decades and presently we are running in fourth generation desperately waiting for our dignified and respectable return to our homes”, Chuni said. S. O. S. International Chairman put various question to Prime Minister Narinder Modi to answer during the press conference: 1. Why hasn’t the government brought such schemes for PoK DPs who are living in exile to provide them monthly cash relief, kerosene oil, ration and other necessary commodities for their livelihood as provided to Valley Migrants? 2. Why hasn’t government tried to vacate PoK territory till today? 3. Why weren’t schemes introduced for PoK DPs for their livelihood till their respectable return to their home? 4. Why weren’t scheme made for education facilities for PoK DPs wards? 5. Why weren’t reservations made for admissions to PoK DPs wards in technical and professional institutions of the Country? 6. Why hasn’t any scheme been introduced to give better life to PoK DPs by shifting them from camp’s life for the last 68 years? 7. Why hasn’t such schemes formulated for unemployed youth to accommodate them in government services? 8. Why have distressed PoK DPs been deprived from such facilities as it is being provided to Valley Migrants since their migration from Valley by every successive government? S. O. S International General Secretary Dr. Gurmeet Singh said that biased approach is being kept by all the successive governments towards PoK DPs. “At the end I want to know that why there are two yard sticks in tackling Valley Migrants and PoK DPs?” he asked. Others who were present JS Mangal, Lalit Kumar, Roshan Lal, Virinder Khajuria, Vinay Sharma, SP Gupta, Sanjay Kohli & Rajesh Sharma. PC on environment discusses... process in entire state on war footing and abridge the gap between the plantation and tress that are being cut. The Members suggested for taking up plantation on a large scale and setting up of local nurseries to meet the requirements of saplings. “It is imperative to set realistic goals and chalkout effective plans for tangible results” the members maintained. They also called for intensifying action against encroachment of forest lands and strict enforcement of laws. The Committee expressed dismay over the appalling condition of River Tawi and stressed on immediate removal of waste from the river bed. The Chairman asked Commissioner JMC to mobilize the resources for cleaning of the river adding that the preservation of water resources should be prioritized. The Committee maintained that solid waste management plan should be well envisaged and incorporated in the master plan to cater to the increasing population and to provide better quality of life to the people. The concerned executing agency was directed to submit a report regarding the sewage treatment plant at the earliest. It was stressed that the Master Plan is implemented strictly with special provisions of green spaces and parks which act as lungs of a city. The concerned agencies were asked to enforce the laws strictly and take measures to contain noise pollution. The Committee also reviewed the steps being taken during the Amarnath Ji Yatra and Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Yatra for disposal of waste and stressed that effective mechanism should be put in place to ensure that the ecology of the area is not disturbed. They stressed that sensitizing the general public and strict enforcement of laws hold the key to environment preservation. The Chairman exhorted that the problem of environmental degeneration has assumed great proportion and ‘We can no more remain mute spectators to the issues”. “Collective responsibility towards the cause is required by all stakeholders to ensure that we give better environment to our future generation” he added. He also stressed on introducing environment as a compulsory subject in the school as a step to generate awareness. Representatives of various organizations highlighted the vital environmental issues regarding deforestation, encroachments on forest lands, threat of endangered species, issues of unplanned urbanization and inadequate solid waste management plan. The Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Dr. Pawan Kotwal was asked to submit a comprehensive detailed report on action plan regarding the Master Plan of Jammu City. The Committee members stressed that concerned departments should work in synergy to prepare realistic plan for sewerage and solid waste management. Later, while speaking to the media persons, Mr. Ashwani Kumar informed that the Parliamentary Committee held deliberations with various stakeholders in the state on the issues pertaining to safeguarding and preserving the ecological balance. He said that directions have been issued to the concerned departments to submit detailed plans to cater to the futuristic needs of the people which will be taken up at the concerned quarters to ensure that bottlenecks are removed and feasible solutions are found . He said that the Committee will submit a detailed report regarding these vital issues to the Prime Minister and to the concerned Ministry so that concrete measures are taken to preserve and rejuvenate the fragile ecology of the region. Mr. Ashwani Kumar stressed that public participation is imperative to save the environment and asked the NGOs and members of civil society to involve the people in this mission. He said science and environment should be made complimentary and supplementary to each other. “Environment is a legacy we have inherited to pass on to our future generations and its paramount that we protect and preserve it” he added. More than 2 thousand... This was disclosed by Additional Director General of Police (Armed) J&K, Mr. S.M. Sahai at a Press Conference held here today. He said that participants from other States including Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Karnataka, Cycling Federation of India, National Campers of Cycling Federation of India. Mr. Sahai said that aim of organizing such sporting event is to promote sports culture in the state and identify the talented sports persons besides providing opportunity to the youths of the state to enable them to prepare themselves in National/ International level sporting events. By carrying out such activities J&K Police wishes to create a healthy society and conducive environment in the State. Director General of Police, Mr. K. Rajendra shall flag-off the event at 6.30 am on May 31, 2015 (Sunday) at Police Golf course Boulevard Road. Prize distribution ceremony shall take place at 8.30 a.m. at the same venue. Minister for PWD (R&B), Jenab Altaf Ahmed Bukhari will be the chief guest on the occasion. Adequate arrangements have been made at the Venue and enroute with sufficient number of water sponges, table, medical aid and ambulances. The rules & regulations for the event shall be as per the guidelines of Cycling Federation of India. Open registration shall be held at Golf Course from 29th May-2015 onwards. Several deputations call... J&K, also met the Chief Minister and discussed various issues concerning the banking sector. During the meeting, HDFC Bank agreed to adopt two educational institutions to be identified under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). RBI Governor interacts... State has passed through very difficult and challenging times and banks will try their level best to meet genuine demands and aspirations of the people. He said people have suffered immense loss due to floods and we have to see whether we can entertain requests of debt and interest relief and in this regard we would like to take up the issues with the State and the Central Governments. The meeting was attended by representatives of public sector banks operating in the State. Academic excellence with... Girls Higher Secondary School Anantnag and interacted with the students and enquired about their academics besides needs and problems. She urged the girl students to opt for the career based streams and not to adhere to the traditional ones. The Minister felicitated the girl students who got different positions in recently announced board results. She also visited Middle School Khandipahari located at far flung area and directed for finalizing the land acquisition dispute there so that additional accommodation and toilet facilities can be arranged for the said school. Mrs. Sethi also visited District Institute of Education and Trainings Anantnag and took a detailed review of the available facilities there. She showed dismay over the condition of the infrastructure of the main building and directed for its early renovation. Earlier various employee unions also met the Minister which include K.P. Colony Welfare Forum and K.P. Colony Vessu Welfare Forum. Mrs. Priya Sethi gave patient hearing to the deputations and assured early disposal of their problems. She also interacted with teaching community and urged them to work with dedication for upliftment of academic excellence in schools. The Minister asked the authorities to equip the hospitals with latest diagnostic facilities and other equipments and ensure availability of all Medicare facilities to the patients so that they do not suffer during their medical investigation. She announced that the Primary Health Centre SafaPora will function round the clock from today and directed the Hospital authorities to implement the orders with letter and spirit. She said that an ambulance would be provided to PHC SafaPora soon. During the visit to Community Health Centre, Hajan a large number of locals met the Minister and demanded posting of a lady doctor and other Para-medics. Asiya Naqash stressed on regular cleanliness of wards and corridors and maintaining proper sanitation of the hospitals. On the occasion, the Director General Indian System of Medicines (ISM), Director Family Welfare briefed the Minister about the facilities being given to the indoor patients. Drabu for providing incentives... loans taken for developmental activities in the State so that the pace of development of state can be accelerated. For the post flood management scenario in the State, Dr. Drabu spelled out a 5-R programme of restoration of livelihoods, reconstruction of public infrastructure, revival of business, rebuilding flood management systems in the State and redeveloping J&K as the sustainable State. The Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Dr. Raghuram Rajan while interacting with the officers highlighted the core areas including tourism which need special focus and attention so that it can be promoted in a big way and the economy of the State gets the required fillip. He also called for digitization of the land record which he said would expand the credit flow substantially. Dr. Rajan said that many good small industries got affected due to floods and focus should be on these healthy sick industries rather than focusing on unhealthy sick industries. He said Agricultural Infrastructure and marketing also needs to be strengthened in the State to boost the local economy. “All the suggestions and requests put forth by the government would be explored”, Dr. Rajan said. Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, Mr. Khurshid Ahmed Ganai also spoke on the occasion and spelled out the measures needed to be taken for putting the industrial scenario of the flood hit valley and other parts of Jammu division back on the rails by providing the necessary incentives. Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr. B. B. Vyas also spoke on the occasion. Veeri reviews arrangements for Haj pilgrimage RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Minister for Hajj and Auqaf, Mr. Abdul Rehman Veeri Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the arrangements put in place by the State Hajj Committee and various state and central government departments for the Haj pilgrims from the state. The Minister was informed that flights from Srinagar to Madina Munawara will operate from August 16 .The flights will operate directly from Srinagar to Madina Munawara. A total number of 6600 pilgrims are proceeding for Haj this year from the State. He was also informed that Air India is putting in service planes of greater capacity this year. He directed timely arrangements of boarding and lodging and vaccination of pilgrims. Mr. Veeri directed the officials to ensure that the pilgrims do not face any inconvenience during their stay and travel. He stressed for close coordination between all agencies responsible for the conduct of Haj for providing best services to the pilgrims. The meeting was further told that first phase of training of the selected pilgrims has been conducted throughout the State except Leh and Kargil, where it had to be postponed on the advice of district administration and now a team of trainers is being deployed shortly for the purpose. The 2nd phase of training to the pilgrims would be given after the holy month of Ramadan, the meeting was informed. The meeting also reviewed flood restoration works of the Haj House and the Minister was apprised by the concerned about the status of each work of the complex. The Minister directed the concerned authorities to ensure the completion of the flood restoration works with focussed attention on completion of renovation and landscaping, drainage, sewerage, jacketing of boundary walls, street path lights of the Haj Complex well in time. Mr Veeri also directed the concerned authorities for installation of lift system in residential block on priority. In this regard he instructed them to submit a proposal to the government at the earliest for sanction of funds. D i v i s i o n a l Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr. Asgar Samoon, Executive Officer State Haj Committee, Mr Fayaz Ahmad Lone, Chief Engineers R&B, PHE, ERA, UEED, MD JKPCC, besides senior officers of Health, Floriculture, Airport Authority, Municipal Cooperation and other concerned departments attended the meeting. RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Minister for Agriculture Mr. Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura while on tour to Karnataka State to have an insight and first hand information of the Silk Industry in Karnataka met Chairman and other officers of Central Silk Board and discussed various important issues pertaining to Sericulture and Silk Industry of Jammu and Kashmir. It was decided that in addition to the promotion and development of Precocoon Sector emphasis will be laid on Post Cocoon Sector for value addition and employment generation. It was pro- posed that in addition to multiend reeling Units, possibilities of establishment of automatic reeling machines will be explored. This initiative will help the State to produce Silk yarn of International quality and will in turn strengthen the weaving sector and export of silk fabric and garments. Chairman Central Silk Board agreed to continue the support to the State to develop Silk Industry on modern lines. The Minister also visited Central Silk Technological Research Institute at Bengaluru and Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, Mysore and discussed various issues of R&D in Silk Industry. Central Silk Board agreed to provide technology and financial support to the State to promote the Silk Industry. The Minister was accompanied by Director Sericulture Dr Malik Farooq and Joint Secretary (Tech.) Regional Office, Central Silk Board, New Delhi Dr R.D. Singh. It is pertinent to mention that Jammu and Kashmir has very congenial climate for cocoon production. Due to the concerted efforts of Sericulture Development Department and Central Silk Board, Sericulture has become attractive and profitable in the State. RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today visited the residence of Bashir Ahmad Dar, MLA Kupwara, whose son, Basharat Bashir, died in a fatal road accident near Pattan on May 26. Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh, Minister for Rural Development, Abdul Haq Khan, Minister for Public Works, Floriculture, Gardens & Parks, Syed Altaf Bukhari and Minister for Animal Husbandry and Science & Technology, Sajad Gani Lone were also present. The Chief Minister spent some time with Bashir Ahmad Dar and the other members of the bereaved family and expressed sympathies with them in their hour of grief. He also prayed for peace to the departed soul. Beerwa Fruit Growers Association calls on Horticulture Minister RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: A deputation of Fruit Growers and Traders Association Beerwa led by former MLA, Dr. Mohammad Shafi Wani called on Minister for Horticulture, Mr Abdul Rehman Veeri here today. The deputationists pleaded for development of fruit mandi at Beerwa, providing of quality pesticides to fruit growers, relief for affected growers of September floods, implementation of crop insurance scheme and development of fruit plant nursery in the area. The Minister gave patient hearing to the deputationists. He said that horticulture is the backbone of States’ economy and government has initiated several measures to promote this industry in the State. Mr Veeri said that high density fruit plants imported from European countries would be introduced in the State. He said in order to control the menace of sale of spurious pesticides the government would constitute a State Regularity Authority. He said steps have been also initiated to launch crop insurance and market intervention schemes to support the growers. Power shutdown RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: In order to carry out emergency works/branch cutting on 11 KV Nagrota feeder, the power supply to TRT Nagrota, Migrant Camp Nagrota, Toll Plaza Nagrota etc will remain affected from 6 am to 12 noon on May 30. SDM reviews Sudhmahadev Mela arrangements RM NEWS SERVICE UDHAMPUR, MAY 29: A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Devendra Sharma Sub Divisional Magistrate, Chenani at Sudhmahadev to review the arrangements for the smooth conduct of three days Sudhmahadev Mela which is commencing from June Ist at Sudhmahadev. The meeting reviewed the plan for making provision of drinking water, power supply, medicare, sanitation, security, transport, accommodation, repair of road, checking of rates of essentials and parking of vehicles etc. Sub Divisional Magistrate stressed upon the officers concerned to make coordinated efforts for ensuring the arrangements well in advance to make the mela a grand success. DC pays surprise visit to Govt. offices, Hanjura meets Chairman Central Silk Board, discusses seeks explanation from absentee employees future action Plan for Sericulture, Silk Industry RM NEWS SERVICE KATHUA, MAY 29: To check the punctuality in the offices, District Development Commissioner Kathua Ajay Singh Jamwal paid surprise visit to various offices in DC Office Complex today. Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Atul Gupta, Chief Planning Officer, Ram Rattan, AD Planning Babu Ram accompanied the DDC during the inspection. During the inspection, the DC found some officers and officials absent from duties without proper leave or permission besides movement registers were also not properly maintained. Taking serious note of this, the DC issued notice to the absentees to explain their position. While warning the officers/officials, the DC said that strict action will be taken against the erring employees. He passed strict directions to the officers for maintaining punctuality and movement registers in their respective offices. He directed the district heads to be on time and adhere to the office timings strictly so that general public do not face any inconvenience. During the inspection, the DC also checked the cleanliness in and around office premises and passed instructions to the officers for keeping the offices neat and clean. Assistant Commissioner (Development) Kathua Sunil Sharma was nominated as Nodal Officer for checking cleanliness of the offices in Snehapriya Roi crowned Indian Princess 2015 Javid Baig chairs Estimates Committee meet RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: A meeting of the Committee on Estimates of J & K Legislative Assembly was held here today. Chairman, Mr. Javid Hassan Baig presided. Legislatures Mr. Mubarak Gul, Mr. Ishfaq Ahmad Sheikh, Raja Manzoor Ahmad and Mr. Abdul Rahim Rather, who are members of the committee, participated in the meeting. The meeting discussed various matters relating to Estimates at length and gave various suggestions with regard to future course of action of the committee. Speaking on the occasion, the chairman urged upon the members to make the best use of their powers as people have pined hope on them. He also called concerned members to ensure punctuality in the committee meetings. Earlier, the members gave assurance of support to the chairman and put forth various suggestions to discuss the matters relating to Irrigation and Flood Control, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution and Power Development Department during next meetings. They also gave suggestions for making the committee a vibrant tool for bringing transparency and accountability in the public delivery system. Secretary Legislative Assembly Mr. Muhammad Ramzan was also present in the meeting. Snehapriya Roi has won sixth season of Indian Princess 2015. The first runner up award has gone to Shaista Marianne where as Sukanya Bhattacharya was adjusted second runner up.The mega event was held at Music hall, Rangsit University; Bangkok.It was hosted by Bollywood heroine, Minissha Lamba. The event started with a wonderful welcome speech by event organizers, Mr. Sunil Rane and Ms. Varsha Rane. Several important dignitaries were present to pledge their support. Mr. Satish Sahgal of Sahgal group was one such personality. Mr. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Thailand was the chief guest of honour during occasion.The previous year's winner Chandni Sharma performed on a medley of songs after which a participants' introduction round was held with Bollywood dance finale. Actress Surveen Chawla gave sizzling performance on hit songs like "Aaj phir tumpe pyaar aaya hai", "Tune mari entry" and "Tere bina kick milti nahi". Gauhar Khan set the stage on fire with performances on "Chittiya kalaiya", "Suraj dooba hai yaro" and "Dance basanti". Among the other winners, Miss Photogenic award was won by Sukanya Bhattacharya. The Best Body award went to Audrey D'silva and Amanpreet Karnawal got Miss Talented award. Bhavna Makhija was declared winner for Best Hair category and Best Smile was gone to Shaista Marianne. Miss Reality was bagged by Aparajita Verma and Miss Great Community Award was got by Parul Sharma.The contest was conceptualised by Mr. Sunil Rane . It was backed by the Atharva Group in association with its hospitality division-Blue Ocean Resort & Spa and its entertainment divisionAshwagandha Entertainment Pvt. Ltd as well.The Tourism Authority of Thailand has actively supported Indian Princess for the international training and grooming of contestants in Thailand . (PAGE 7) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 JAMMU FIFA Congress live: Sepp Blatter asks to be re-elected despite corruption crisis ZURICH: Sepp Blatter will seek another term as FIFA president later Friday after asking soccer leaders to entrust him with guiding the governing body's recovery from a corruption crisis — again. "We have been hit and I personally have been slapped," Blatter said at his 2011 reelection, which was overshadowed by a bribery scandal within FIFA. "I don't want that ever again." Four years on, FIFA's reputation has been bruised by the deepest scandal in its 111year history, and Blatter's leadership is coming under question. Sepp Blatter wants a fifth term as head of FIFA. APSepp Blatter wants a fifth term as head of FIFA. AP The 209 FIFA member nations will decide Friday whether to stick with the 79year-old Blatter or end his 17year rule by backing Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan. The vote comes two days after Swiss police arrested seven soccer officials, including two FIFA vice presidents, as part of corruption investigations in the United States and Switzerland. It has been a dramatic build up to the election, which European dele- gates wanted to delay. "It is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organization," Blatter told the opening session of the FIFA congress Thursday, a day after the police raids in Zurich dominated headlines around the world. "Let this be the turning point. More needs to be done to make sure everyone in football behaves responsibly and ethically." UEFA President Michel Platini believes that requires the departure of Blatter, warning that a boycott of the World Cup by European nations could be considered if there wasn't a change of president. "I feel pain in my stomach," Platini said. "As someone who has worked with FIFA for many years, I am absolutely sickened." Having opted against challenging Blatter himself, Platini is among the leading supporters of Prince Ali and believes at least 45 European votes will go to the Jordanian royal. But a Blatter victory seems more likely — given the broad extent of his power base — barring a fresh development in the twin-pronged investigations by Swiss and American authorities. A two-thirds majority would be enough to win the secret vote, or a simple majority in a second round of voting. Just forcing the ballot to a sec- Abhinav Bindra seals berth for fifth consecutive Olympics NEW DELHI: Abhinav Bindra walked away with India’s fourth Olympic quota place in his first final of the year. After failing to make the cut in the previous two World Cups at Fort Benning and Changwon, luck smiled on the country’s only Olympic gold medallist. Bindra totalled 627.5 points to qualify sixth for the final on Thursday, and once he shot 122.4 in the final to finish sixth at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, a quota place for the Rio Olympics was India’s. There were three spots up for grabs in the 10m air rifle event and of the eight finalists, Zhu Qinan and Yang Haoran of China, having already won quota places were ruled out. Belarusian Vitali Bubnovich too had already won a quota place and Russia’s Vladimir Maslennikov was not in contention as two of his countrymen had already bagged spots in the event. So the moment reigning Olympic champion Alin George Moldoveanu of Romania was eliminated in the final, the quota places were decided. Ukraine’s Oleh Tsarko was awarded the first quota of the day while Serbia’s Stephen Pletikosic was the third after Bindra. Gagan Narang (50m prone), Jitu Rai (10m air pistol) and Apurvi Chandela (10m air rifle) are the other shooters to bag quotas before Bindra. Bindra had faced fitness issues before flying to Munich. He had complained of shoulder impingement, but the injury wasn’t serious. National Rifle Association of India chief Raninder Singh lauded Bindra for the result. “He is not an Olympic champion for nothing. He is very clear about his goals and preparations leading up to big events. It is something every professional sportsman in this country should emulate. We have our fingers crossed for him for the Olympics,” he said. The gold was won by Qinan with a total of 206.0 points while Maslennikov finished second with 205.7. Tsarkov finished third with 184.2 points. This was Qinan’s 21st medal in World Cups. Rio would be Bindra’s fifth successive Olympic Games and maybe the last time he will compete in India colours. He had announced his retirement from active sports during last year’s Asian Games in Incheon. “Tomorrow will mark the end of my professional shooting life! I will, however, still shoot, compete as a hobby shooter, training twice a week. Yes, I will still try to be at Rio and my bio is now most appropriate! Great times and am sure there will be a few more!” Bindra had tweeted then. ond round could represent a victory of sorts for Blatter's critics, denying the incumbent president an emphatic mandate in his next term. But while pressure seems to be mounting on Blatter globally, he has proven to be a survivor of scandals. Blatter's presidency seemed set to end after four years when, in the build-up to the 2002 vote, he was accused of financial mismanagement by members of FIFA's ruling executive committee and a criminal complaint was filed with Swiss prosecutors. Blatter still beat Issa Hayatou — now a FIFA vice president — to retain the presidency and the criminal complaint came to nothing. FIFA is clearly in the sights of law enforcement agencies again, although Blatter has not been accused of wrongdoing in the criminal investigations. A U.S. Justice Department probe accused 14 international soccer officials or sports marketing executives of bribery, racketeering, fraud and money-laundering over two decades in connection with marketing rights worth hundreds of millions of dollars awarded for tournaments in North and South America. Is the FIFA waiting to hear from Chennai? LONDON: Chennai may not have made its big moves to get the 2017 under-17 FIFA World Cup but the championship officials who were in Kochi on Thursday, appear keen to have the Tamil Nadu capital as a host. “Javier Ceppi (the Tournament Director) mentioned today that Kochi is one of his favourite venues but Chennai is his favourite,” Joy Bhattacharya, the Project Director of the under-17 World Cup, told The Hindu. “It has the only FIFA-compliant stadium in the country and we have also had a look at the training venues.” “We are waiting for that big push, the Tamil Nadu Government guarantee, to get things moving in Chennai.” That could be one reason why the FIFA has provisionally selected five venues, it could be waiting for Chennai to be the sixth to host the group phase. “Now that Jayalalithaa is back as the Chief Minister, things could happen very fast if she wants to,” said Bhattacharya. Are the Tamil Nadu Government and the State football body TFA listening? Defending champion Saina Nehwal bows out of Australian Open NEW DELHI: World number one and defending champion Saina Nehwal crashed out of Australian Open Super Series on Friday, after losing to Wang Shixian of China in the quarterfinals. Fifth seeded Wang dominated the match from the beginning and registered an emphatic 21-15, 21-13 victory over the second seeded Indian ace. Saina could not live up to her reputation of being a gritty fighter against the Chinese on Friday and lost the last 8 encounter in straight games in just 42 minutes. With Saina's defeat, Indian challenge in Down Under came to an end as others had failed to reach the quarterfinal stage in Sydney. A four-decade wait ends for Warriors OAKLAND: It wins Game 5 to best Rockets 4-1; to tip-off Finals at home against the Cavaliers Golden State Warriors is headed to the NBA finals for the first time in 40 years, eliminating the Houston Rockets on Wednesday to set up a title clash with Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors, the best team in the regular season with 67 victories and 15 defeats, pulled away late to beat the Rockets 104-90 and seal a 4-1 series victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals. Warriors are back in the championship series for the first time since 1975, when they swept the Washington Bullets in four games to win the title. The Warriors hosts game one in Oakland on June 4. Four games to glory “We’re four wins away from the goal,” reigning MVP Stephen Curry told the crowd, his words almost drowned out by the cheering of the Warriors faithful. Curry, playing with a protective sleeve on his right arm after a frightening fall in game four in which he also hit his head on the court, led the Warriors with 26 points. Forward Harrison Barnes played a key role, helping Golden State break open a close contest with four straight baskets to cap an 112 scoring run that turned a six-point lead into an 87-72 Warriors advantage with 7:07 left to play. Barnes scored nine straight points on a jump shot, a three-pointer, a running basket and a dunk. “I was just trying to be aggressive,” said Barnes, who stepped up after team-mate Klay Thompson left the game with an ear laceration that had to be stitched up. Thompson scored 20 points before he took a knee in the ear from Rockets forward Trevor Ariza. “Obviously they were putting a lot of attention on Steph,” Barnes said. “When (Thompson) went down, I was just trying to fill in the pieces.” Golden State’s rookie coach Steve Kerr, who won five NBA titles as a player, said it was a different feeling to coach a team to the finals. “It’s maybe even more rewarding because you feel responsible for a lot of people’s welfare,” he said. As for getting there for the first time in 40 years, Kerr said, “it’s a joy.” The Warriors defence harried Rockets star guard James Harden into a dismal two-for11 shooting performance. He missed all three of his threepoint attempts and finished with an NBA play-off record 13 turnovers. Harden, runnerup to Curry in MVP voting, had scored a spectacular 45 points as the Rockets fended off elimination in game four, but was held to just 14 in this one. Dwight Howard led Houston with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but the Rockets shot just 35.1 per cent from the field. “We were extraordinarily bad at finishing at the rim,” said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. “We didn’t finish very well at the rim. They got too many offensive rebounds and we had too many live ball turnovers at the top of the floor,” McHale said. “Those three things really doomed us.” Barnes delights Houston had cut the Warriors’ lead to eight points with 4:19 remaining when Barnes hit two free throws and came up with another dunk. The Rockets couldn’t get the deficit below nine points the rest of the way in an end to a season in which they battled injuries but notched the third-best record in the regular season. “This isn’t where we wanted to end at,” Harden said. “It’s a really good season for us. Next year we want to be better, and we will.” Bengaluru FC - Mohun Bagan: Where the battle lines will be drawn BENGALURU: As the I-League title decider looms ever closer, Goal takes a look a some key performers for both teams and explain how the battle will shape up... History will be created this weekend, on Sunday to be more precise, when Mohun Bagan step up to challenge Bengaluru FC in a fairy tale winnertakes-all I-League title deciding match, at the Kanteerva stadium, Bengaluru. No one could’ve scripted a better finish to this year’s championship, which has entertained with the right dollops of thrills and spills. But what’s enticing is that the Blues’ bout with the Mariners will put on show some of the best performers throughout the season on display in direct retaliation with one another. Individualistic opera’s are often key to a team’s synchrony and so both teams' lynchpins will be on top form to put in their best display of the season in this fulcrum of tie on which their champi- onship hopes rest. It’s easy to categorize this match as a war of the league’s best attack versus defense. However, deference must be paid to the other great façade of these teams - their midfield. The engine rooms have succeeded in taking the pressure off their strikers and it’s a vital hunting ground that must be dominated by either team. For the hosts, impetuous lies on the Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Joshua Walker axis of control. 13 of Bengaluru’s 34 goals have been sourced from the centre of the park and Sanjoy Sen, the coach of Bagan will be aware that with Bengaluru’s strikers are hardly in record breaking form, he will find the need to stop the dam breaking from the middle. They have a habit of shooting from distance, as illustrated from a few of Lyngdoh’s strikes, which have often confounded goalkeepers and smacked the back of the net. Also, on the minds of the visitors is the method to keep Sunil Chhetri quiet. The Indian record goal scorer for the national team is having an extended parched season, scoring just two goals, although one may argue he has been played blasphemously out of position. On the flip side, he played virtually in the same spot last year, but with a different output, that of 14 goals. Bello Razaq and company will be on their toes to keep Chhetri and his cronies, namely Robin Singh and Sean Rooney out of the most dangerous areas of attack. Denson Devadas and Sehnaj Singh have stepped up to the fore in the Bagan midfield this term, with not just goals but also plenty of bite. Are they an oddpair that complement each other tidily? Based on their combined performances this term, one would think so. Sehnaj and Devadas have both scored a goal apiece, whilst their partner often in the middle, Bikramjit Singh too has a goal to his name. The aforementioned duo, in the absence of an out and out creative attacker, tend to act like destroyers and their efforts to keep the duo of Lyngdoh and Walker shut will be of particular importance. Sehnaj has earned an international call up for his adventures and he will be keen to cap it off with an I-League title. Sri Lanka Cricket sacks three in sexual favours scandal COLOMBO: Sri Lankan cricket’s governing body on Wednesday announced the sacking of three officials after allegations that members of the women’s national team were asked to perform sexual favours to keep their places. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said all three officials were shown the door at the end of their contracts last month after an internal inquiry found two of them guilty of sexual harassment and a third of improper conduct. The board said in a statement that “there was no evidence of any physical intimacy” by any of the three men, none of whom have been named. But the investigation had nevertheless determined that “there have been a few incidents of sexual harassment which were committed by two male officials” and that the third was guilty of “improper conduct ... which did not amount to sexual harassment,” the SLC added. Sri Lanka’s sports ministry said at the weekend that criminal prosecutions would follow after its own inquiry had found two team managers demanded sexual favours from team members. Under Sri Lankan law, anyone found guilty of sexual harassment can face up to five years in prison plus an unspecified fine. The board said both its own report and the separate inquiry by the sports ministry had highlighted the “unsat- isfactory situation” involving the women’s team, where there was “favouritism and bias”. “Both reports have commented adversely on the failure to ensure that a female manager handles the women’s cricket team,” SLC said, adding that they will take appropriate action to “rectify” management issues. Despite the sports ministry’s weekend announcement, no charges have been brought against any official so far. An independent panel was asked by the ministry last November to investigate local media allegations that unidentified players were dropped from the team for refusing to have sex with sports officials. Velavan Senthilkumar triumphs CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s Velavan Senthilkumar defeated Yohan Darius Pandole of Maharashtra 11-3, 11-4, 6-11, 12-10 in the under-19 section of the ISA junior Open squash here on Thursday. Ms. D. Sabitha Bengra, Principal Secretary (School Education), Government of Tamil Nadu, gave away the prizes. The results: (all finals): Boys: U-19: Velavan Senthilkumar (TN) bt Yohan Darius Pandole (Mah) 11-3, 11-4, 6-11, 12-10. U-17: Adhitya Raghavan (TN) bt Abhay Singh (TN) 1210, 11-3, 4-11, 9-11, 115. U-15: Tushar Shahani (Mah) bt Rahul Baitha (Mah) 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6. U-13: Neel Joshi (Mah) bt Navaneeth Prabhu (TN) 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-8. U-11: Paarth Ambani (Mah) bt Vivaan Shah (Mah) 8-11, 6-11, 11-2, 12-10, 11-9. Girls: U19: Adya Advani (Mah) bt Harshit Kaur Jawanda (Del) 10-12, 12-10, 11-5, 11-6. U-17: Akanksha Sulankhe (Goa) bt Sunayna Kuruvilla (TN) 11-8, 11-5, 12-10. U-15: Samita Sivakumar (TN) bt Diya Joukani 11-4, 511, 11-7, 11-9. (PAGE 8) SATURDAY 30, MAY 2015 JAMMU Sukhnandan inaugurates Channi-Mansar WSS Lift water supply scheme to benefit 17300 souls RM NEWS SERVICE UDHAMPUR, MAY 29: Minister for Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Flood Control, Mr Sukhnandan Kumar today inaugurated newly constructed Water Supply Scheme-Channi Mansar. The scheme is a Lift scheme and the Source of WSS is Gambhir Nallah. A lift scheme, with Gambhir Nallah as sources, has been developed to delink Mansar Lake, and completed at a cost of Rs 5.28 crore. With a capacity of supplying 15000-gallon water per day, the scheme will benefit 17300 population of Channi Mansar, Morah Padey, Lower Machia, Upper Kha, Saral, Chowa, Battal, Kakrae, Bhatti and pilgrim/tourist spots of Khoon and Mansar. MLA Ramnagar Mr R S Pathania , Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Chief Engineer, PHE Mr Pran Nath, SE PHE, SE Irrigation and Flood control, XEN PHE , Sarpanches, panches and a large number of local people of the area were also present on the occasion. Addressing the people, the Minister said that the Government is committed to the overall development of the state and “Our priority is to complete the ongoing projects so that people get the benefit at the earliest”. He further added that the Government is committed to uplift the economic condition of the people and I&C Minister visits Chakan-Da-Bagh Holds interaction with Cross LoC traders RM NEWS SERVICE POONCH, MAY 29: The Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Parkash today visited Trade Facilitation Centre, Chakan-Da-Bagh and interacted with the Cross LoC traders. Accompanied by Deputy Commissioner, Nisar Ahmed Wani, Senior Superintendent of Police, J S Johar and Senior BJP Leader, Pardeep Sharma, the delegation of traders apprised the Minister about the issues hampering smooth flow of cross LoC trade and put forth their demands for its further growth and expansion. They demanded increase in number of tradable items as well as increase in the number of trucks allowed in a day to other side. They also demanded further strengthening of infrastructure at TFC and communication facility between traders of the two sides. The delegation also urged the Minister to facilitate visit of J&K traders to PoK. Saying that LoC trade is an effective tool for Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between the people of two sides, the Minister assured the traders that appropriate measures would be taken to facilitate further growth of the trade. He said that with the removal of bottlenecks cross LoC trade would further expand and benefit the traders besides normalizing relations between the two countries. Earlier the Minister also chaired a meeting of officers of DIC, Handloom and KVIB to review their functioning. The concerned officers briefed him about various activities of their departments. The Minister emphasized on the need for establishing new industrial estates and asked the concerned officers to identify land for the same, which would in turn help in the establishment of more industrial units and generation of employment for the unemployed youth in district. He asked the officers to facilitate industrial unit holders and eliminate unnecessary formalities, which lead to delays. He directed them to proactively facilitate the growth of industrial units and work with dedication and aware the public about various schemes of their departments. Later, the Minister also addressed a public meeting at Dak Bungalow Poonch, where he reiterated the commitment of coalition government to work for overall development of the state with special focus on the hitherto neglected areas. He said there is huge scope for the development of agriculture and horticulture sector in the district and necessary steps will be taken to harness the same. The Minister also met a delegation of flood victims and gave a patient hearing to their grievances. Tarigami, Hakim condemns killing of telecom operators, demand stern punishment for guilty RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Strongly condemning the spree of fatal attacks on cellular operators and civilians associated with telecom franchise business, MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and MLA Khan Sahib Hakim Mohammad Yaseen have expressed serious concern over the fallout of such attacks on normal life in Kashmir.In a joint statement issued here, the two leaders demanded that the guilty be immediately identified and stern punishment be awarded to them. They said that the killing of an operator and a deadly attack on a civilian who had donated land to a telecom company in Pattan have not only resulted into network breakdown but has hit the business community in North Kashmir badly."J&K is suffering from mounting unemployment problem and in such circumstances telecom business had provided a ray of hope to the qualified unemployed youth. The For Advertisement in this Newspaper Contact: +91-94191-91412 Ph./Fax: 0191-2581412 Published, Printed, Edited & Owned by RAJIV CHUNI Printed at Ess Ess Ess Offset Press, Taskeen Complex, Mohalla Dalpatian, Wazarat Road, Jammu - 180001, Ph.: 0191-2581412 Published from 451-Bakshi Nagar, Jammu-180001 (J&K) Ph/Fax: 2581412 (Mob) 94191-91412 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] _________________________________________________________ All disputes are subject to the exclusive Jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Jammu only. cellular services have become a lifeline for the people both in terms of communication and the business. The government must ensure that adequate measures are taken to ensure their safety and hassle free telecom," Tarigami and Hakim demanded.Meanwhile, the two leaders have appealed the people of Budgam to maintain peace and social harmony so that the forces trying to disrupt the peaceful environs for their petty interests are defeated. provide them better basic facilities. Minister also listened to the demands of the people and assured all possible help from the Govt side. MLA Ramnagar demanded additional WSS for Majalta Hqr and water tankers for Majalta and Ramnagar. He urged for sanctioning of more funds for making old WSS functional. Earlier, Minister inspected the under construction Water Supply Schemes Sialkoribar and Bilaspur-Deot at Majalta area. The work on both these schemes is in full swing at an approx cost of Rs 3.79 crore (Sialkori-Bar WSS) and Rs 3.87 crore (Bilaspur-Deot WSS). The Minister directed the executing agency to ensure speedy completion of these WSS so that the people of the area get the desired benefit at the earliest . He further directed that there should not be any compromise on the quality of works. He also directed the officers to ensure proper filtration and treatment of the drinking water before it is supplied to the common masses. Art in Public Places: Programmes on Habba Khatoon, Ahad Zargar on May 30, 31 RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: Under its much acknowledged initiative “Art in Public Places”, J&K Government’ Department of Culture is organizing special programmes on legendary Kashmiri poets, Habba Khatoon and Ahad Zargar at Iqbal Park and Badam Vaer on 30 and 31 May respectively. Habba Khatoon is a 16th century Kashmiri mystic-poet and ascetic, who is also known as 'Nightingale of Kashmir'. Ahad Zargar is a celebrated Kashmiri poet famous for his fiery verses. Pioneered by the Minister for Finance & Culture, Dr Haseeb Drabu, the initiative is aimed at bringing local culture and art into the day to day lives of the people. Drabu is known for his inspiring initiatives, during his stint as J&K Bank Chairman, to preserve and promote state's cultural heritage. It is being done in a different way to bring out the richness of the state's culture through theme-based programmes by dedicating evenings to legendary poets, musical instruments and poetic genres, Dr Drabu said. The programmes also provide a platform to the youth to showcase their talent through art and photography exhibitions, street plays and street art. "The objective of this distinctive series of programmes is also to promote creative theatrical expression and artistic enrichment," Dr Drabu said. Reasi Police holds PCPG meeting at Jerri RM NEWS SERVICE REASI, MAY 29: To understand the concerns of local residents about policing issues in a better way and strengthen the bond with public, District Police Reasi have organized a series of public meetings across the district. Under this series, a Police Community Partnership Group Meeting (PCPG) was held today at Jerri, Reasi, with DySP(Hqr) Reasi-Mohan Sharma in the chair. The meeting was attended by sarpanches, panches, prominent citizens, a large number of local youth and women of the area. The participants raised various issues and sought ban on liquor, check on bovine smuggling, overloading by matadors and buses, improvement of roads and special matador service for students. While speaking on the occasion, Mohan Sharma explained the objective of the event and appreciated the people for sparing their valuable time to attend the meeting. Rafi anguished on mysterious fire breakout at Mausoleum in Budgam Kavinder reviews progress of R-APDRP works in Jammu city RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Speaker Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta today reviewed the progress of Restructured Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme (RAPDRP) works in Jammu city being executed by IRCON International Limited – a Government of India Undertaking. Chairing a meeting of Power Development Department engineers PDD and representatives of Ircon, the speaker had thorough review of the status and progress of works undertaken to strengthen the power distribution system in the Jammu city. Superintendent Engineer EM&RE Sunil Gupta, XEN Arvind Chibber, AEE Sanjeev Rometra, General Manager/ Electrical IRCON International Limited Rajendra Kumar Choudhary, other senior officers attended the meeting. Kavinder Gupta directed the executing agency to gear up men and machinery for timely completion of the prestigious project. Showing serious concern over the pace of work under the project, Kavinder Gupta said that the work of erection of poles is very slow and it need to be speeded up to improve the power scenario in Jammu city . He also directed the executing agency to ensure quality work and immediate restoration of dug up roads. General Managar, IRCON told the Speaker that the work is delaying due to shortfall in supply of PCC Poles. However, he said that company has now ordered the same from outside the state. The Speaker also asked the Power Development department to maintain smooth supply of power in the city so that people may not suffer in the prevailing hot conditions. He called for close check on the power pilferage, which lead to damage to the distribution transformers. He also asked them to ensure replacement of damaged transformers within shortest possible time. Pertinently, as a part of Reforms in the Power Sector, Government of India has launched the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP) as a Central sector scheme. The focus of the project is on the actual demonstrable performance in terms of AT&C loss reduction, establishment of the reliable and automated sustainable systems for collection of base line data, adoption of information technology in the areas of energy accounting, consumer care and strengthening of Distribution network of State Power Utilities. The scheme also envisages establishment of supervisory control & data acquisition system/ distribution management system in large towns, capacity building, incentive scheme for distribution personnel etc. Qamar for Integrated Development of Horticulture in Rajouri RM NEWS SERVICE RAJOURI, MAY 29: MLA Rajouri, Ch. Qamar Hussain today presided over one day Horticulture awareness camp at Lah (Thana Mandi) wherein a large number of fruit growers from adjoining areas participated. Director Horticulture, Jammu, A.K. Sharma was also present on the occasion along with field functionaries including Chief Horticulture Officer, Y.K. Kesar, District Horticulture Officer and Horticulture Development Officers. The farmers were made aware about different components of the schemes launched for Integrated Development of Horticulture in Rajouri District. The MLA emphasised upon the farmers to plant more and more fruit trees as the area has huge potential for horticulture growth due to its good agro climatic conditions. He also advised the field functionaries of the Department to interact with the farmers in different zones of the District to train them and facilitate the horticulture activities to increase profits for the poor growers. He also advised the Horticulture Department to get certification of Horticulture produce to enable the growers to earn better returns. He asked the unemployed youth to get training in top working/ budding/ grafting operation so that they can earn their livelihood from the incentives being offered by the Department. The Director Horticulture Jammu, while speaking on the occasion, informed that a road map has been formulated for Rajouri district for implementation of different components under Area Expansion with intensive crop cultivation, integration with vermi compost unit/ vermi bed, creation of water source, protected cultivation and INM/IPM practices. He stressed upon the growers to go for high yielding varieties of fruit plants and execute the components timely to cash maximum benefits. The participating farmers demanded power tillers, vermi compost/ vermi beds, water harvesting system and integration with micro irrigation. Shiv Sena leaders to perform 1st poojan at Holy Cave of Baba Amarnath Ji on 2nd June RM NEWS SERVICE SRINAGAR, MAY 29: PDP General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir has expressed deep sorrow and anguish over mysterious fire break out at a mausoleum of revered Shia religious leaders in Budgam.Mir urged upon the government to investigate the case on fast track basis and stressed that if it is confirmed to be a man made conspiracy then strict action should be taken.Mir said that PDP calls for sectorial harmony and condemns such incidents in strongest words "disrespect to the mausoleum of revered leaders is unacceptable ,let's spare no efforts to condemn this cowardly act and we must maintain peace and tranquillity to defeat the mischievous elements" . APPEAL S. O. S. International An Organisation for PoK Displaced Persons Appeals to all PoK Displaced Persons to become member of this NGO for giving it momentum and direction Contact:- 451- Bakshi Nagar, Jammu-180001 Behind Jammu Medical College (Mob): 94191-91412 (Ph./Fax): 0191-2581412 RM NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, MAY 29: Press Conference jointly addressed by State President Dimpy Kohli Sena Leader Vikrant Kapoor, Rakesh Gupta Chief Spokesperson G.I Singh of Shiv Sena Bala Sahib Thackrey while taking to media person they expressed regrets that despite of several communications through memorandum and through media neither CEO of Amarnath Ji Shrine Board nor Governor Sh. N.N Vohra responded. As a matter of fact as per centuries old Hindu traditions 1st Poojan used to held in Jyesth Purnima this year it falls on 2nd June. This 1st Poojan should be performed at the Holy Cave before commencement of Yatra culmination of Yatra takes place on Sawan Purnima which falls on 29th August Shri Amarnath Shrine Board following the culmination tradition then why not 1st Poojan on 2nd June at Holy Cave. So sena volunteers and other volunteers from Hindu organizations will proceed for Holy Cave on 31st May from Jammu to perform the 1st Poojan at Holy Cave of Baba Amarnath Ji. He further said that we still appeal to Governor N.N Vohra to arrange this Poojan on 2nd June and also permit our volunteers to perform the same. If the Governor fails to do so our volunteers will proceed to Holy Cave at any cost. We donot understand why the other Hindu organization like Bajrang Dal, RSS and even BJP over these issues and have not issued any statement injustice of our demand so for and other who present in the press conference Sh. Vinay Gupta, Rohit Bahu and others.