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 Migrants of Purkhoo staging dharna against their eviction. -Excelsior/Ashok Kashmiri
migrants Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: The Kashmiri migrants today staged a demonstration at Purkhoo and resisted police....more
Judiciary never felt the pinch of ongoing financial crunch: CJ Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: Despite the fact that each sector of the State has been ....more Bali's plea to business community of India Excelsior Correspondent NEW
DELHI, Dec 23:
The Minister for Industries and Commerce...more Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU,
Dec 23: Ch
Talib Hussain former Minister and Senior.....more |
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Malik asks
Govt to fill up vacant posts Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: MLA Gulab Garh, Malik Abdul Gani....more Harsh returns from Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: Mr Harsh Dev Singh, Panthers Party....more
Strike cripples medicare
facilities Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: The Government Medical College.....more PEC of Edu Board organises one-day advocacy prog Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU,
Dec 23: The
Population Education Cell of the State Board ......more Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec. 23: Reacting on the incident in which nine........more 2 Lakh mt minteral reserves
indentified by GMD in J&K JAMMU, Dec 22: Nearly two lakh million tonnes.......more |
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Kashmiri migrants protest against eviction at Purkhoo Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: The Kashmiri migrants today staged a demonstration at Purkhoo and resisted police attempt to evict them from one room tenements. Yesterday, police had evicted 29 families from the tenements on the ground that they had occupied more then one tenements. Police said when they were about to resume the operation this morning, the migrant families including women and children fathered there and resisted the attempt. Police gave up the efforts till late this evening as migrants didn’t allow them to move ahead and threatened to commit suicide if they were forcibly evicted. Meanwhile, a release issued by the Displaced Welfare Committee, Purkhoo said the migrants of Purkhoo and other areas have strongly condemned police action on them and lambasted the administration for unnecessary harassing the innocent families putting up in the camps. The members alleged that police resorted to lathicharge on migrants causing injuries to a number of them. Police also used tear-gas shells on the camp inmates, the release said. The members alleged that children were harassed by the police and a number of pregnant women were assaulted. They demanded a judicial inquiry into the entire episode and intervention of Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah to save them from police action. Police, however, said they they had ordered from top to get one room tenements vacated from the migrant families who had been using Government accommodation at two different places. |
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Judiciary
never felt the pinch of ongoing Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: Despite the fact that each sector of the State has been reeling under financial crunch, Chief Justice, Mr Bhawani Singh said that the judiciary never felt even the pinch of the crisis. While addressing the gathering on occasion of inauguration of the counter of Jammu and Kashmir Bank within the High Court premises, Chief Justice said, "as far as the judiciary is concerned, the State Government seemed to be liberal and we were never confronted with any sort of shortage". "During my one and a half year stint, I had full cooperation of the Government whether it was the issue of circulation of funds or creation of posts", he said and added that judiciary at no point of time even felt the need to demand additional funds. Emphasising the need for branch within the Court premises, Mr Chief Justice said that financial transactions of the branch in Jammu had touched nearly Rs 7 crores while in Srinagar it had gone beyond Rs 3 crores. "These figures clearly justify the need for a full - fledged branch with the Court premises", he added. Eulogising the decision of Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Bank (JKB), Mr M Y Khan to grant Rs 1 lakh each for library purposes, Chief Justice, Mr Singh said,"with better reference section, judges would be enabled to give better judgements and the members of the Bar association would also be benefited". Chief Justice also urged the Chairman to set up another counter or branch at Srinagar district Courts, where the transactions worth crores were taking place. "It has become more important to have such branches after the State Finance Ministry has started giving salaries through cheques", he maintained. Earlier, Mr M Y Khan, Chairman of JKB said that the capital reserves of the bank had touched an all time high of Rs 3850 crores. "In addition, the aggregate advances and deposits had also increased over the last few years and the bank was being ranked as one of the best in this particular sector". The turnover, Mr Khan said of the bank by the end of March had touched Rs 7000 crores nearly and was expected to cross Rs 10,000 crores mark by the next financial year. Describing the May public issue of the bank a success, he said, "there was tremendous response to the public issue and surprisingly, there was over subscription. Ours is one of the few banks that has managed to raise money in this manner". "JKB was the sole bank, which withstood the phase of turbulence and met the requirements and kept the business and economic activity live during those years", he said and added that it also helped the State and Central Government to carry forward their schemes in those years. Claiming that JKB would be the first bank to go for computerisation on large scale, he remarked, "about 80 branches had already been computerised while 40 others will be automated by the end of the next financial year". "For public interest, it had also been agreed to increase the working hours in two of our branches in Jammu", he added. Dwelling upon future plans, the Chairman uttered, "we will be introducing several new schemes for the benefit of our customers including loans. We also intend to start our own credit cards very soon". The bank has sponsored two regional rural Banks viz Jammu Rural Bank and Kamraz Rural Bank. The percentage of the net NPA to net advances is 4.57 per cent. The J&K Bank CRISIL has reaffirmed ‘‘PI+’’ rating the highest credit rating to bank's certificate of deposits. The business as on March 98 crossed Rs 7041 crores whereas net owned funds exceed to Rs 275 crores. The capital adequacy ratio at 20.48 per cent as on March, 1998 and forex business turnover touched a new high of Rs 811 crores. The business per branch touched to Rs 1903 lakhs, he added. Finance Minister, Mr Shafi Uri, who was also present on the occasion appreciated the role played by JKB during the years of turbulence. "While most of the banks had chosen to wind out their offices from Valley and set up on this side of Banihal, only JKB stayed there to meet the requirements of the customers". "Under the chairmanship of Mr Khan, the bank has achieved several milestones and today, the institution has managed to carve a niche for itself at the national level", he continued. Subsequently, Finance Commissioner, Mr Ajit Kumar presented a memento to Chief Justice, Mr Bhawani Singh while Mr Surinder Kumar, General Manager presented a memento to Mr Mohammad Shafi, Finance Minister. Mr Devinder Raina, Director presented the vote of thanks. |
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Bali's plea to business community of India Excelsior Correspondent NEW DELHI, Dec 23: The Minister for Industries and Commerce, Mr Bodh Raj Bali, today urged the business community to supplement the efforts of the Government aimed at the rapid socio-economic development of the State. Addressing 93rd annual session of Punjab Haryana Delhi Chamber of Commerce here, he said the State has vast potential for setting up industries in agriculture, horticulutre, floriculture, hydel power, tourism and infrastructure sectors. In the agriculture sector, Mr Bali said, the State has exotic agricultural produce as also various fruit crops. he said the State was creating food processing parks in Jammu, in the Valley and in Ladakh. Inspired by the rich raw material base and the liberal incentives provided by the State Government, he said, some front-line national and international companies, one of them a German, are making our State their destination. This, he said, will go a long way to rid the State of avoidable wastes because of shortcomings inherent in the transport pattern. The technology will also have at its disposal the vegetable boom of Ladakh, he said. In the tourism sector, the Minister said, his Government was committed to provide suitable locations for hotels of high standard setting up of amusement parks, etc which will be eligible for institutional financing as an indutry. He said the State Government had made a beginning by developing a cable car project with some of the like in pipeline. With regard to the communication, Mr Bali said Jammu and Kashmir is a hilly State and mostly depended on vehicular transport. Train service is available upto Jammu city only, he said and added Kashmir and Ladakh divisions were likely to remain outside its pale for quite sometime. The State Government, he said, was conscious that upgrading of road system was a pre-requisite for enhancing the quality of economic progress. He said the State was shortly throwing open the upgradation of Jammu-Srinagar highway to private investors. This highway, he said has takes the heavy load of thousands of vehicles every day and passage for passenger transport, trade and commerce between the Valley and the rest of the country. He hoped private sector with its resources, expertise and enterprise will contribute very solidly to stabilise and strengthen this vital link. The software technology park has been placed at Rangreth Srinagar in view of the temperate climate of Kashmir. It will constitute a high speed data communication centre. Giving the background for industrial take-off in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Bali said it was under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah in 1975 that a drive was started to invite industrial enterprise and established industrial houses from outside the State to set p industries both in private and joint sectors. The move had twin objectives - to give boost to the State economy and also create employment opportunities for the youth who otherwise were seeking only Government jobs. The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah has a determination to generate and consolidate a congenial atmosphere in the State. With this in view, Mr Bali said, the State Government formulated a new industrial policy. The Government, he said, is very liberal to make available fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, power and other related facilities on demand. The incentives provided include 90 year lease on land, capital investment subsidy, toll tax and sale tax exemption, subsidy on diesel generators and other such incentives. Managing Director of State Industrial Development Corporation, Mr Saleem Beig was also present on the occasion. |
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Talib Hussain flays present recruitment system Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Dec 23: Ch Talib Hussain former Minister and Senior Congress Leader has criticised the State Government for its failure in making the recruitment system meaningful which has resulted into ever increasing nepotism and favouritism. He said that in presence of an expanded and well equipped State Services Selection Board (SSSR), some departments particularly Health and Education departments have started a process of adhoc appointments which is uncalled for and highly unjustified. This is being done brushing aside the declared policy of the Government against such appointments which was necessitated after the exhortions and statements of a few Ministers in the public meetings. In this sort of confused situation, the whole recruitment method seems to have been made a mockery. As for as class IV appointments are concerned all the essential norms and procedures are being ignored so as to benefit a few handpicked reasons. He said it is true that Government cannot provide, jobs to all, but it can deliver justice if it desires to do so by providing jobs to the deserving and meritorious candidates who appear in the tests and interviews. While quoting an instance of injustice he said that from more than six thousand candidates who appeared in the interview for Class IV employment in Rajouri district, only 14 were declared ‘‘successful’’. Amongst the lucky 14, three persons who did not even apply for the posts found the place. He expressed his anguish over the selection process for the posts of Patwaris which was initiated about 4 years back in Rajouri district. Due to inordinate delay in finalising the selection list, the candidates apprehending undesired manipulations in the selection process. He called upon the concerned authorities to provide an ellaborate and clear recruitment policy can ensure justice and fairplay to the unemployed youth of the State. |
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