Excelsior Correspondent

SAMBA, June 23: A meeting of bankers and District/Sectoral Officers was held to review the progress and performance of banks in key areas relating to deposits/advances and priority sector lending for the quarter ending March 2014. District Development Commissioner, Samba RK Varma while chairing the meeting had a detailed and threadbare review of progress achieved in sponsoring the cases by various departments like DRDA, KVIB, KVIC, DIC, Employment, SC/ST/OBC Corporation, Agriculture, Animal/Sheep Husbandry etc. under various schemes like SGSY, SGSRY, JKSSES, PMEGP. It was informed that the deposit and advances of banks as on ending March 2014 stood at Rs 2223.96 Crore and Rs 1210.10 Crore respectively, thus achieving a CD ratio of 54.41 %. Further, District has achieved 74.92% of target under total Annual credit Plan for the year 2013-14. The Lead Bank Manager, B.M. Sharma while giving a detailed account of the performance of Banks during the quarter informed that the progress under priority sectors, weaker sections and credit flow to women beneficiaries has been above the RBI stipulations. The house was informed that against the bench mark of 40% under priority sector advances, the banks have comfortably achieved 52.58% during the quarter. The achievement under advances to weaker sections of the society was 18% against the national goal of 10% and 5.27% to women beneficiaries against national goal of 5%. The DDC appreciated the efforts of banks and Agriculture Department for issuance of 29313 Kissan Credit Cards to eligible farmers. He instructed the Agriculture Department and banks to clear the backlog and ensure that all eligible farmers are covered under the scheme. He also urged upon the bankers to disburse credit under the KCC scheme. The DDC while speaking on the occasion advised the sponsoring agencies to conduct the awareness camps in the villages especially in far flung and border areas to expand their orbit so that more and more people are educated, motivated and facilitated to initiate self employment enterprises. Surinder Singh, DDM NABARD apprised the house that NABARD had sanctioned a watershed development project in the district. He also discussed about the Dairy Entrepreneur Development Scheme and farmers club programme of NABARD and urged upon the bankers and the government departments to utilize these forums for propagating their scheme. SK Wattal, Lead District Officer, Reserve bank of India stressed upon covering the unbanked areas of the district through bank branches or BC/BF model. Later, the DDC also reviewed the progress of SBI RSETI during the Local Advisory Committee meeting.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 23: GREF employee was arrested for eve-teasing women at Jindrah-Domail main chowk, falling under the jurisdiction of Jhajjar Kotli police station.
As per police sources, GREF employee namely Preet Pal Singh, son of Labh Singh of Pathankot, presently at 1623 Pioneer Company Suketar was found indulged in obscene acts at Jindrah-Domail main chowk.
Some passerby informed the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the GREF employee.
A case under FIR number 77/14 under Section 294 RPC has been registered against the accused at police station Jhajjar Kotli and investigation started.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 23: The management of Dulhasti Power Station, NHPC United has cautioned general public of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts not to move near Chenab river from June 25 (10 pm) to June 26 (8 pm) as the gates of Dulhasti Power Station Dam shall be opened for periodically reservoir flushing.
According to a handout issued, during this period the water level will rise temporarily and therefore the public residing near river Chenab downstream areas is requested to refrain from moving themselves, cattle and vehicles near the bank of river Chenab to avoid any mishap.
Anybody violating the request shall be doing so at his own risk and responsibility and NHPC/Management of Dulhasti Power Station shall not be responsible for the consequence thereof.

Excelsior Correspondent
RAMNAGAR, June 23: R  S  Pathania, general secretary, Pradesh Youth Congress toured a number of villages and addressed  series of public meetings at Palnu, Pathwar, Chigla Balota, Siameri, Mannal, Manwal and  Thelay.
He fired a salvo on lackluster political leadership as well as slip-shod local administration for failing to channelise and properly develop natural resources and pilgrimage tourism sites in Ramnagar.
“It is biggest travesty of time and place that Kailash Kund flanking boundary of Ramnagar is originator of four main rivers – Tawi, Ujh, Neeru and Basanter, with all these rivers passing through Ramnagar, but not even a single hydel/irrigation project has ever been planned or conceived by anybody, particularly those who had been raising hollow claims of developing Ramnagar as a model constituency,” he said, adding that  the potential of rich natural resources remains still untapped with the people living in these far-flung villages surviving over there on out-of-station labourer-ships as their small land-holdings are not sufficient enough to sustain their families.
He also sought tapping of tourism potential of the Majalta which was earlier known as ‘Pandava land’.  He  sought proper development, projection and creation of state-of-art tourism facilities at Devi Bani temple at Manwal, Akshardham temple at Ramnagar, Vasuki Nag Temples at Dudu, Basantgarh and Gandh Top, Narsingh temples at Ramnagar and Jansal, Aapshambu temples at Dalsar and Khoon, ancient Nag temple at Mansar, Jagannath temple at Thail, Pandava temples at Garh-Dhamma and Babay, Ambika Mata temple at Sundla and Chountara Mata, Bihana Choun, Merhada Mata, Gatolu Mata and Pingla Mata shrines.
Mr Pathania sought developing of Garh Samna Banj as a modal spot for snow-skiing. He also sought sanctioning of Gondola project in Dudu-Basantgarh.
Those who accompanied Pathania included Kuldip Singh, Mohan Lal, Sukh dev Singh, Jagmohan, Raj Kumar, Manzur Ahmed (all Sarpanchs), Capt Gopal Singh, Durga Das and others.