Govt
committed to promote composite
culture of State: Mangat
Excelsior
Correspondent
Jammu, Jan 17: Minister
for Health and Medical Education
Mangat Ram Sharma has stressed
the need of protecting and
promoting culture in the face of
globalization. He said
maintaining local cultural
identity was must while competing
in the fast shrinking world.``
He
was speaking at a cultural
function organized by Yamini
Cultural Society at Abhinav
Theatre here today.
The
Minister said that J&K State
has a unique composite cultural
identity and the Government was
committed to promote Ladakhi,
Kashmiri and Jammu cultures.
Earlier,
over a hundred children drawn
from various schools, presented a
colourful cultural programme
depicting rich heritage of our
composite culture.
Students
from K.C. Public School, K. S.
Public School, Luthra Public
School Talab Tillo, and A. S. N.
Schools took part in the inter
school talent competition.
Kashmir Press
Association calls on CM
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: Kashmir
Press Association headed by G. H.
Kalloo met the Chief Minister,
Ghulam Nabi Azad here this
morning and apprised him about
various issues confronting the
media persons. Kashmir Press
Association is an elected body of
the media persons of Kashmir
Division.
The
Association discussed many issues
including the ones relating to
upward revision of rates of
advertisements, need to
rationalize registration of
newspapers, establishment of
press colony for meeting the
housing requirements of pressmen
and setting up of press club at
Srinagar.
The
Chief Minister gave them a
patient hearing and assured that
all issues concerning the media
persons would be accorded due
consideration.
Khajuria demands
sacking of other tainted
ministers
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: Maintaining
that sacking of Peerzada Mohammed
Sayeed will not stem the rot,
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
state president, Ashok Khajuria
has said that if Chief Minister
was really interested in rooting
out corruption from the public
life, he was left with no
alternative but to remove all the
tainted ministers from his
Council of Ministry.
Mr
Khajuria at a press conference,
here, today also demanded action
against those ministers who have
been indicted by the State
Accountability Commission (SAC)
and Kundal Commission.
The
BJP leader urged the Chief
Minister to initiate criminal
proceedings against these
ministers so that right signal
goes across the state that
corrupt and immoral elements have
no place in the state’s
scheme of things.
He
said such a purging would not
serve any purpose and the Chief
Minister simultaneously has to
rid his administration of the
corrupt bureaucrats who too have
been busy in misappropriating the
public funds and promoting the
interests of their near and dear
ones.
He
alleged that certain ministers,
bureaucrats, builders and police
officials are working in unison
to loot the public money.
Mr
Khajuria said the BJP is of the
considered view that the time has
come for the powers that be at
the state and in the state’s
Raj Bhawan to intervene so that
the people of state are freed
from the clutches of corrupt
elements who have been ruling the
roost for quite sometime.
The
BJP also criticized the Congress
for backtracking from its promise
of bringing the Bill seeking the
constitution of Delimitation
Commission.
He
said the Health and Medical
Education, Minister, Mangat Ram
Sharma who had given an assurance
to Harsh Dev Singh in State
Assembly is still clinging to his
ministerial position despite the
fact that Chief Minister, Ghulam
Nabi Azad snubbed him for making
such a commitment.
Mr
Khajuria said people of Jammu
face constant discrimination and
BJP is convinced that they have
no place whatsoever in the scheme
of things of coalition
Government.
‘Harsh
taxation, penalties under VAT
not addressed in Budge’
Excelsior
Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 17:
Terming the 2008
budget as people friendly, the
apex trade and industrial bodies
have regretted the half hearted
approach towards boosting of
local trade and entrepreneurship.
Welcoming
the steps taken for relief to the
tourism, industries and other
sectors the Kashmir Chamber of
Commerce and Industries (KCCI)
complained that difficulties
faced by the business community
due to harsh taxation/penalties
of the VAT regime have not been
addressed. Talking to the daily
EXCELSIOR, the KCCI vice
president Fayaaz Ahmed said that
the inconveniences faced by the
traders by way of inconvenient
VAT regimes were brought to the
notice of the authorities before
the pre budget proposals and
meetings, but no measures have
been taken in this regard he
said.
He
said the quantum of penalties
imposed on the business
fraternity need to be looked
upon.
He
further said that no fresh
programmes have been announced in
the budget for uplifting the
traditionally potential sectors
of agriculture and horticulture.
Representatives
of various industrial
associations under the
chairmanship of Federation
Chamber of industries Kashmir
Shakil Qalander, conveyed their
gratitude to the Finance Minister
for acceding their several
demands like grant of 3% interest
subsidy to existing units,
applicability of provident fund
on more than 10 employees,
considering scrapping of negative
list, constitution of committee
to decide fate of contract
service tax by units,
announcement of separate
treasuries for payments to
industry, toll tax exemption on
ingredients for poultry and
cattle feed and the like.
The
decision of providing
differential industrial package
to backward districts and
pursuing implementation of
central industrial package on
existing units without any rider
would go a long way to help
development of industry in the
State, the members observed.
The
industrialists also hailed the
decision of the Government to
support micro and small industry
which possessed high potential of
absorbing human skill and
suggested that the employment
mission should only advocate for
establishment of self employment
units.
The
members, however, expressed their
dismay for ignoring the sick
industrial units yet again which
was going to have an adverse
impact on the confidence of both
existing and prospective
entrepreneurs on the system.
The
ratification of MSMED Act,
besides some other measures
demanded by the industry had also
pained the fraternity, the
members added.
The
FCIK members, however, pinned
hopes that a substantial amount
out of the proposed capital
expenditure was earmarked for
creating, augmenting and
upgrading the industrial
infrastructure.
Noted
tourism expert M Ashraf expressed
his anguish over the fact that
tourism though being declared an
industry a decade ago did not
receive the kind of incentives
earmarked for industrialists. He
said the policy of the Government
was contradictory as it takes one
step in its promotion and on the
other side was creating hurdles
in its vertical growth. The
concessions offered in the budget
to the people associated with
tourism in the State are not
scanty. Incentives need to be
provided to tourism as can make
it a viable commercial private
sector, he said.
Weapon of
offence recovered
Husband
arrested for wife’s murder
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: Gangyal
police have arrested a murder
accused, who had killed his wife,
Kaku Devi with a sharp-edged
weapon at Sector No. 2 in Gangyal
on October 28 last year. He has
been identified as Jagat Ram son
of Ram Saran R/o Shella Panasan,
Reasi.
He
was arrested from a rented house
in Amritsar where he was living
after growing his beard and hairs
to keep his identity secret.
On
a specific information, police
parties led by SDPO Gandhi Nagar
Sukhdev Raj and SHO Gangyal on
the instructions of DIG Jammu
range Lalat Indu Mohanty, SSP
Jammu Parminder Singh and SP City
(South) Zahid Manhas raided the
house at Amritsar and apprehended
the accused.
He
has been brought here and lodged
in Gangyal police station where a
murder case has been registered
against him under Section 302.
The weapon of offence has also
been recovered from the accused
and case worked out.
JU approves
M.Phil course in Statistics
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: The
University of Jammu (JU) has
approved the Master of Philosophy
(M.Phil) course in Statistics
with immediate effect and
allotted 10 seats in the course.
Prof
J P S Joorel, HoD Statistics
disclosed this information in a
press conference at JU today. He
said, "Keeping in view, the
long pending demand of PG
students in Statistics, Vice
Chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo
has approved the M.Phil programme
in the subject with immediate
effect and 10 seats have been
allotted for it".
He
informed that notification in
this regard has been issued and
students can apply for the said
course upto January 29. The
M.Phil session will be beginning
from February 4. However, he
exuded confidence that the said
course will strengthen the
research programme in the subject
and also help the students to
seek employment.
Meanwhile,
Prof Joorel also informed that
the Department was also holding
maiden National Conference on
Emerging Trends in Stat-istical
Methods and Opti-mization
Techniques" in the
university on February 22. More
than 120 researchers including
world renowned Statisticians
would attend the conference.
Others
also present in the press
conference were Dr Rahul Gupta,
Dr Pawan Kumar, Dr Parmil Kumar
and JURSEA president Vikas
Sharma.
Hotel owner
convicted for double drawal of
rent
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: The Court
of Chief Judicial Magistrate
(CJM), Srinagar has convicted a
hotel owner for double drawal of
rent from Estates and Police
Departments.
An
official spokesman said that
Director Estates lodged a written
complaint with the State
Vigilance Organisation (SVO)
stating therein that during
verification of records it came
to fore that the owner of Hotel
President, Sonawar—Abdul
Qayoom Beig had fraudulently
drawn rent against fake bills of
the hotel.
Subsequently,
a case was registered and during
the course of investigation, the
involvement of hotel owner was
established. After the completion
of the investigation, the challan
of the case was produced in the
Court of CJM Srinagar which
convicted the accused.
The
Court also imposed a fine of Rs
1,37,675 on the accused.
Meanwhile,
the investigation of Vigilance
led to the surprise retirement of
Government official.
The
spokesman said that the
verification by SVO Kashmir
revealed that the date of birth
of Abdul Gani Shah, Works
Supervisor, Irrigation Division
Anantnag was wrongly reflected as
April 25, 1955 in his service
records.
Acting
on the report of Vigilance
Organisation and under the
directions from concerned
authorities, the Executive
Engineer, Irrigation Division
Anantnag retired the said
official on August 31, 2007
retrospectively with effect from
April 2006.
An
amount of Rs 2,22,000 received by
the accused public servant as
excess salary for the said period
has also been ordered to be
recovered from him.
TJAC intensifies
cadre mobilization for protest
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: The
Teachers Joint Action Com-mittee
(TJAC) has intensified its
campaign for mobilizing the
teaching cadre to participate in
protest demonstration to be held
on January 21 in front of
Divisional Commissioner office.
The
committee has also asked all the
teachers’ associations to
mobilize the community throughout
Jammu province for their active
participation. TJAC, which
comprised of four major
organizations namely Jammu
Kashmir Ladakh Teachers
Federation, Jammu Kashmir State
Teachers Association, United
School Teachers Association and
Physical Education Teachers
Asso-ciation, has decided to hold
said protest to highlight demands
of teaching community.
Under
the campaign, TJAC team
comprising Balwan Singh,
Maheshwar Sharma, Bharat Kumar,
Kulwant Singh, Hari Singh,
Darshan Lal Sharma, Dilip Singh
and Sukhdev Singh today visited
the schools of Bakshi Nagar,
Rehari, Sarwal, Janipur and Toph
Sherkhania.
It
is pertinent to mention here that
teachers are demanding notional
and financial benefits on the
pattern of Accounts Department,
benefits of earned leave,
implementation of transfer norms
and many other genuine issues.
|
