JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that a “false propaganda” is being created against his Government that it is taking new initiatives only after his party’s drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

“Propaganda is being created against the Government that it is taking new initiatives after the defeat of (Congress-NC) coalition candidates in the parliamentary elections,” Omar said at Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) Teachers Conference at Zorawar Singh Auditorium here.

Replying to his critics, Omar said, “We are not bothered about this false propaganda. Our objective is to benefit the people of all sections of the society and we will continue to do this irrespective of all the false propaganda.”

The CM also indicated his Government’s intention to enhance the retirement age of university teachers, so that State educational institutions can retain talented and highly experienced faculty members and maintain high standards of teaching.

Omar said that due to disparity in the retirement age of the faculty of Central and State universities it has become difficult for the State institutes to retain qualified and experienced faculty members.

Omar said the Medical Education Department is facing similar situation, and the Government is actively considering enhancing the retirement age of faculty members of State universities. (AGENCIES)

PAHALGAM: Amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras, traditional Pratham Pooja was today held at Chandanwari on traditional Pahalgam route on the occasion of Jyesht Purnima.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) R K Gupta performed Pratham Pooja today on the auspicious occasion of Jyesht Purnima at Chandanwari on the traditional Pahalgam-Holy Cave track.

He invoked the blessings of Shri Amarnath for the smooth conduct of the ensuing Yatra to the Holy Cave Shrine, commencing from June 28.

Since 2011, the Shrine Board has been conducting Pratham Pooja on the auspicious occasion of Jyesht Purnima every year to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva for the peaceful conduct of the annual Yatra.

The CEO was accompanied by Additional CEO of SASB Preet Pal Singh and other officers and members of Baba Amarnath and Budha Amarnath Yatri Niyas, Karan Singh Charak, General Secretary, Sudershan Khajuria, Joint General Secretary, Shakti Dutt Sharma and Deepak Sharma.   The CEO also reviewed the status of the on-going works at the Access Control Gate, Chandanwari, and directed the concerned officials of Roads and Buildings Department to expedite construction of Shelter Sheds and repair of other damaged infrastructure.

Taking into account the significant delay and disruption of work caused by unprecedented snowfall during the preceding winter, the CEO ordered deployment of additional manpower, on double shift basis, for clearance of snow on the tracks and putting in place other Yatra related arrangements at all Yatra Camps on this route, before June 28, the date on which the annual Yatra is scheduled to commence.

The CEO has asked the engineers and other staff of the Board, Government Departments and all concerned agencies to work on a war footing basis.

Large accumulation of snow on the tracks and at the various Camp locations and inclement weather up to mid-May has seriously hampered the progress of restoration of tracks, without which it is not possible to make the required Yatra related arrangements at the farther Yatra Camps at Panjtarni, Sheshnag and Holy Cave.

With the deployment of additional manpower, it is hoped that the required arrangements will be timely in place, if the weather remains fair, he added. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI, June 13:
Lt Gen Amit Sharma has been promoted as Army Commander and appointed Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command which looks after the nuclear arsenal of the country, an Army spokesperson said today.
He replaces Vice Admiral S P S Cheema as the head of the tri-services command as the Navy officer has moved to Kochi to head the Navy’s Southern Command there.
Sharma (58) was the Chief of Staff of Japiur-based South Western Command of the army and had headed the force’s elite 21 Strike Corps.
The responsibility of the Strategic Forces Command is to operationalise the directives of the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA).
The Command has the sole responsibility of initiating the process of delivering nuclear weapons and warheads after acquiring explicit approval from NCA.
Lt Gen Sharma was commissioned in 45 Cavalry in December 1976 and has over the years held numerous command, staff and instructional appointments in all operational sectors including counter insurgency areas.
He had the distinction of having served as Colonel Administration of an Infantry Division in Jammu & Kashmir, Colonel General Staff of a Mountain Division in eastern sector and Brigadier General Staff of a strike corps.
Lt Gen Amit Sharma had also served as Defence Attache in Indian Embassy in Paris where he was responsible for Army and Naval cooperation with France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. He has commanded an armoured regiment, an independent armoured brigade in western deserts, an infantry division in a Strike Corps and the Strike Corps in the Southern Theatre. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI :  Against the backdrop of heavy shelling on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, India today reminded Pakistan that maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border is a “pre-condition” for having a normal relationship between the two countries.
Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said it has been India’s endeavour to establish peaceful and friendly relations with all neighbours, including Pakistan.
“On firing, I will like to reiterate that peace and tranquility on the border is of the highest importance in establishing the pre-condition for such peaceful and normal relationship,” she told reporters.
“Maintenance of peace and tranquility on LoC is one of the most important CBMs between India and Pakistan. That remains and will remain the case,” she said.
Singh was referred to the heavy shelling by Pakistani troops in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and asked where it leaves the process of building relations with the neighbour through ‘sari’ and ‘letter’ diplomacy, a reference to exchange of letters between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
“Our policy towards neighbours has always been to work towards peaceful and cordial relationship. So ‘sari’ and letter diplomacy helps that,” she said.
The Foreign Secretary was also asked whether India and Pakistan had established contact as was decided during meeting between Modi and Sharif here last month. “We will, by and by,” she replied. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI :  CBI has registered cases against six sitting and former members of Rajya Sabha in connection with the LTC scam in which travel reimbursement was allegedly claimed by them through purportedly forged bills.
CBI sources said that three sitting MPs — D Bandopadhyay of Trinamool Congress, Brajesh Pathak of BSP and Lalhming Liana of Mizo National Front — have been named along with some travel agents in the cases filed.
None of three MPs responded to phone calls seeking their reaction while SMSes sent to them, too, remained unanswered.
But TMC leader Derek O’Brien said in a tweet that, “This is a racket run by corrupt travel agencies… My colleague innocent. But we will cooperate to bust travel agency scam.”
Former Rajya Sabha members JPN Singh (BJP), Mahmood A Madani (Rashtriya Lok Dal) and Renu Pradhan (Biju Janata Dal), too, have been named as accused.
CBI sources said that searches are being carried out at 10 places in Delhi and Odisha at the premises of politicians and some travel agents who have been named in the case.
Sources said that the agency has found some more instances of alleged criminality during scrutiny of documents recovered during the first case registered in this connection on November 1 last year.
In the first FIR in the Leave Travel Concession scam, CBI booked JD(U) Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Sahani for allegedly siphoning off around Rs 9.5 lakh by presenting fake air tickets and boarding passes.
Besides the MP, an Air India customer service agent, Rubaina Akhtar, and a Lajpat Nagar-based travel operator, Air Cruise Travels Private Ltd, were also named in the FIR in the scam which saw LTC claims being forged citing travel on the state-run Air India.
During its analysis of documents, CBI had found prima facie irregularities in the LTC claims with an intention to maximise personal benefit by scuttling the laid-down norms in collusion with travel agents.
The scam came to light after the vigilance department of Air India (AI) was alerted about the arrest of a man at Kolkata airport last year in March with 600 blank boarding passes of the airline in his possession. (AGENCIES)

CBI registers cases against 6 Rajya Sabha MPs/ex-MPs in
LTC scam. Searches going on at their premises. (agencies)

SRINAGAR :  Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today questioned the timing of the ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) a day ahead of Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s first visit to the state since assuming office.
“Is it just a coincidence that the Defence Minister is visiting J&K, for his 1st visit, to review the security situation tomorrow?” Omar wrote on micro-blogging website twitter.Com.
Pakistan troops today targeted Indian posts with heavy firing and mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir in yet another violation of the ceasefire, prompting retaliation by Indian forces.
Omar said that the ceasefire violations in the Rajouri and Poonch areas were significant as some of shells had landed in civilian areas.
“Significant ceasefire violation in Rajouri and Poonch with reports of some shells having landed in civilian areas. Some livestock loss,” he further tweeted. (AGENCIES)

JAMMU :  Pakistan troops today targeted Indian posts with heavy firing and mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir in yet another violation of the ceasefire, prompting retaliation by Indian forces.
Pakistan troops fired 81-mm mortar shells and directed automatic and small-arms fire at Indian posts along the LoC in the Mendhar-BhimberGali-Keri forward areas of Poonch district at around 0730 hours today, said a senior Army officer.
No casualty or damage has been reported on this side of the LoC due to the firing, he said.
Indian troops guarding the border effectively replied with similar calibre weapons, he said, adding that the “exchanges occurred in three forward areas”.
The firing comes a day after an IED blast in the Tarkundi forward area along the LoC in Poonch in which one jawan was killed and three others injured.
Between end of April and mid-May, 19 incidents of ceasefire violation were reported along the LoC here.
In 2013, 12 jawans were killed and 41 injured in 149 ceasefire violations and firing incidents by Pakistan troops on forward posts, civilian areas and patrolling parties along the Indo-Pak border. (AGENCIES)