Anganwadi
workers stage massive demonstration
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 15: A massive
demonstration was held by Anganwadi
workers in front of Divisional
Commissioner’s Office at Mubarak
Mandi here, today in support of their
long pending demands.
The call
for the demonstration was given by
Anganwadi Workers Welfare Association
which is an affiliated unit of Akhil
Bharatiya Anganwadi Karamcharis Maha
Sangh and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).
The
demonstrators, who had come from
different parts of Jammu province were
demanding regularisation of their
services and hike in salaries of workers
to Rs 5000 and helpers to Rs 3000.
Further
they demanded payment of salaries in
time, release of T A Allowance, Rent of
Centres, fuel charges @ Rs 300 per month
and promotion of Anganwadi workers as
supervisors.
The
Advisor to Chief Minister, Mr Janak Raj
Gupta also visited the venue of
demonstration and assured the workers
that he will take up the issues with
Chief Minister. He also assured them that
the problems of Anganwadi workers and
helpers will be redressed.
The
Association is also demanding that all
posts of supervisors be filled up from
Anganwadi workers as is a precedence in
other states, besides no male supervisors
be appointed, new rules be framed and
recruitment process be made through
Service Selection Boards.
The
demonstration among others was addressed
by Laxman Ravinder Singh, senior BMS
leader, Swarna Choudhary president of the
Association, its general secretary,
Neelam Sharma, Koushallya Devi, Ashok
Choudhary, Pardeep Sharma, president
J&K State Government Employees
Federation, and its vice president Subash
Ji.
Earlier
the workers observed two minutes silence
as a mark of respect to Ashok Sodhi
photojournalist of Daily Excelsior who
attained his martyrdom at Samba recently.
NPP
chief demands immediate dismissal of
coalition Govt
Excelsior
Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 15: Prof Bhim
Singh, chairman of National Panthers
Party (NPP) today described the coalition
Government in Jammu and Kashmir as
‘security risk’ and demanded
its immediate dismissal to save the
people from further death and
destruction.
"There
is nothing like law and order or security
in Jammu and Kashmir. Some Ministers and
top bureaucrats are busy in loot of the
State exchequer while others have been
preaching secession and exploiting the
communal sentiments of the innocent
people", the NPP chief alleged.
He said
that the main ruling partner PDP has
threatened the security of the State and
caused alarming situation. He quoted PDP
patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed demanding
Pakistan currency which means accession
with Pakistan while his daughter has been
levelling highly provocative and
malicious charges against the Indian
Army.
Prof Singh
demanded immediate criminal action
against the PDP president under Section
153(A) and 120 for creating hatred and
ill-will against the world celebrated
Indian Army.
He urged
the Governor of J&K to discharge his
constitutional mandate to save the State
from death and destruction by dismissing
the Coalition Government and bringing PDP
leaders to justice without any delay.
Planning
Commission member reviews
State’s development
Excelsior
Correspondent
Srinagar, May 15: Member Planning
Commission Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar, who
is on 6-day tour of the State chaired a
high level meeting of State, officers
here today to review the functioning of
various departments including School,
Higher and Technical Education, Youth
Services and Sports, Labour and
Employment, Social Justice, Minority
Affairs and Cultural.
The
meeting was informed that 92 percent
teachers presence in schools has been
achieved. While as13.26 lakhs children
were being provided mid day meal. Ten
projects have been taken in
private-public partnership in education
sector, the meeting was informed. It was
further said that 29 trades are available
in the existing ITIs and government is
contemplating for introducing 22 more
trades in the technical institutions.
The
meeting was informed that 501 cases for
employment were registered and Rs. 761.23
lakhs assistance provided in 2006-08
under employment scheme. Moreover, 85
trade unions were registered comprising
560 members. 8392 inspections were
conducted and 60 prosecutions initiated.
Under the ESI schemes 35891 persons were
registered and 2124 cases were registered
under JK Self Employment Scheme providing
Rs. 3987.56 lakhs financial assistance.
Rs. 7082.30 lakhs were disbursed under
Self Help Group Schemes. The meeting was
told a fast track recruitment process has
been launched to make quick selection of
the candidates.
Dr.
Mungekar addressing the meeting
appreciated the schemes launched for the
welfare of the people in the state. He
said that the centre government was
pondering in establishing separate
financial institutions for the
development of the minority communities
in the State.
Among
other Principal Secretary Planning M. I.
Khanday, Principal Secretary Labour and
Employment B. L. Nimesh, Secretary
Technical Education K. M. Wani, Secretary
Education G. A. Peer, Secretary Culture
Jaffar Iqbal, Managing Director Women
Development Corporation, Director
Perspectives and Planning and senior
officers of the line departments attended
the meeting.
Court
orders release of property attached by VO
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 15: Special Judge
Anticorruption Jammu Kartar Singh allowed
the appeal against the order of
attachment of property by the State
Vigilance Organization (SVO) and ordered
release of attached property in the
favour of appellant.
According
to the appeal filed by Mumtaz Hussain
Bhat presently posted in District
Institute of Education and Training,
Poonch as Junior Assistant, a case under
Prevention of Corruption Act was
registered against him and during the
course of investigation, SSP passed an
order attaching the property of appellant
at Mohalla Gandi Kassi Ward No.18, Poonch
comprising of three storied building with
three shops in ground floor.
The order
of attachment was allegedly passed after
obtaining prior approval from the
Vigilance Commissioner. The Designated
Authority summoned the appellant and the
latter in terms of the notice submitted
his reply supported by the relevant
record to show that there was absolutely
nothing acquired by him which could be
said to be disproportionate to his known
source of income.
After
hearing both the sides, Special Judge
Anticorruption observed "as per the
case of prosecution the attached house
was reconstructed by the appellant and
its value is Rs 17.17 lakh but nothing
has been stated in this regard in the
order of attachment passed by the
IO".
"Even
if it is presumed that the house was
reconstructed by the appellant, the IO as
well as the Designated Authority has
ignored certain silent features of this
case. It is stated that the father of the
appellant constructed a house along with
two shops in 1970 and the said property
started generating income", the
Court observed, adding the appellant has
also attached copies of agreements to
sell which proved that he had sold some
land also and in this way he generated
his income for renovation of the house.
The total income of the appellants has
neither been considered by IO nor the
Designated Authority in order to come to
the conclusion that said income was not
sufficient to renovate the house.
The order
of attachment as well as impugned order
seems to have been issued in haste
without permitting the appellant to rebut
the allegations made against him by the
IO, the Court said, adding the Designated
Authority while holding enquiry, did not
exercise his jurisdiction as a civil
court but based his finding on entries
made in the case dairies.
In other
words, no proper enquiry has been
conducted in this case because while
functioning as Civil Court
it was not
possible to conclude the enquiry so
early. It has resulted in miscarriage of
justice because the principles of natural
justice have been violated and the
appellant has been condemned unheard, the
Court observed.
With these
observations, the Court allowed the
appeal, set-aside the impugned order and
ordered , release of the attached
property in the favour petitioner.
Man’s
body found in Ravi; youth ends life
Excelsior
Correspondent
KATHUA, May 15: Body of a villager
was found lying at river Ravi bed near
Basantpur under mysterious circumstances
today while a youth committed suicide by
consuming some poisonous stuff at his
residence in the township of Kathua last
night.
Reports
said that 35-year-old Subash Singh, son
of Rattan Singh, resident of village
Basantpur Burni went missing yesterday.
The family members started his search but
could not trace him till late last
evening.
Some
people spotted a dead body lying in the
dry river bed of Ravi river this morning
and informed Basantpur police.
Immediately after receiving information,
the police party rushed to the spot and
found man lying dead under mysterious
circumstances in the river. The family
members also reached there by that time
after receiving information.
The body
was shifted to district hospital Kathua
for post-mortem and later, handed over to
the family for last rites. The police
suspects it as a blind murder. Some marks
were also visible on the body. A case
under section 174 CrPC has been
registered in this connection.
Meanwhile,
a youth namely Pritam Chand, resident of
Ward No. 14, Kathua town allegedly
consumed some poisonous substance at his
residence last night. As the family came
to know about it, they shifted Pritam
immediately to local hospital. The
doctors washed his stomach. As his
condition continued deteriorating, the
youth died in hospital after some time.
The police registered a case for
investigation. The cause behind this
extreme step could not be ascertained
immediately.
Clerical
staff holds rally, strike enters 49th day
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 15: The work in all
Government offices remained paralyzed as
the clerical staff strike entered 49th
day today.
To lodge
their protest against the failure of
Government to redress their demands, a
rally was organised by Jammu , Kashmir
and Ladakh Clerical Staff Association
which is spearheading the present
agitation at Exhibition Ground here.
The
Association leaders, while warning the
Government not to test their patience
decided to extend the strike upto May 22
as the State Government has miserably
failed in implementing the agreement made
with the Association on March 10, this
year.
Besides
the rallies and demonstrations were also
held by the clerical staff at different
tehsil and district headquarters in
support of their demands. The speakers
criticized the Government for its double
standard and discriminative policies
towards them.
They also
warned to march towards Civil Secretariat
in case the demands were not settled
immediately.
Addressing
the rally Mr Ram Kumar Sharma,
coordinator announced that Apex body of
the Association has decided that in case
the demands were not settled immediately,
the striking clerks will march towards
Civil Secretariat in Srinagar.
The other
leaders who addressed the demonstration
included Rehmatullah Malik, Swatantar
Bakshi, Ravi Singh Bahu and Anil Kumar.
SSH
burns effigy of Raj Thackeray
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 15: Reacting sharply to
the alleged anti-North Indians statement
of Raj Thackeray, Shiv Sena Hindustan
(SSH) today held a protest demonstration
and burnt his effigy.
Addressing
the SSH activists, Vipan Hindu condemned
the statement of Thackeray and called it
as inflammatory and damaging. He further
said both Raj and Uddhav were sailing in
the same ship by having similar approach
against North Indians..
Also
speaking, Dimpy Kohli alleged that
Maharashtra Government was sleeping over
the matter and taking no action to
contain them. He, however, warned the duo
to desist from making such statements and
demanded their arrest.
Among
others who were also present included
Vikas Dewan, president Transport Cell,
Rajan Gupta, Shiv Kumar, Gian Sharma,
Sanjeev Kumar, Rakesh Kak, Pradeep Kumar
and others.
FONL
to go on hunger strike
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, May 15: With an objective
of mounting pressure on State Government
to re-fix the rates for conferring
ownership rights on rational basis, the
Forum of Lease Holders/ Occupants of
Nazool /Government Land (FONL) Joint
Action Committee today announced to go
for hunger strike.
The
decision was taken in a meeting of FONL
chaired by Inderjeet Khajuria here today.
In the meeting speakers resolved to
launch twenty-four hour relay hunger
strike by four to five volunteers.
Addressing
the meeting Mr Singh said that the
protest demonstrations held by a large
number of farmers and urban landholders
at Budgam, the other day against
implementation of Roshni Scheme blasts,
Government’s claim that conferring
of ownership rights on the occupants of
the lands has provided relief to the
occupants and large number of people are
benefited out of it.
He said
that Government is according great
benefits to rural masses under the said
scheme as they serve as great vote bank,
whereas the urban lease holders are
scattered and are hardly influenced by
sops in elections.
Those who
attended the meeting were president, S S
Pathania, general secretary, S Gajan
Singh, secretary, Iqbal Khullar, vice
president, Somnath Sharma, treasurer, ML
Sharma and joint secretary, Ajay Bakshi.
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