JAMMU: The annual pilgrimage to Amarnath cave shrine will begin from June 28 this year and conclude on August 10, it was announced today.

The yatra period this year will be of 44 days, 10 days less than last year.

Keeping in mind the safety and security of the pilgrims, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has decided the schedule for the 44-day pilgrimage, a SASB spokesman said here.

Considering the present carrying capacity of the tracks and other available infrastructure on the yatra route to the Himalayan cave shrine of Lord Shiva, the Board decided that 7,500 visitors, excluding those who would travel by helicopters to Panjtarni, would be allowed to register for the pilgrimage on per day, per route basis, he said.

The registration process will commence from March 1.

The decisions were taken by SASB headed by its chairman N N Vohra, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, during a three-hour meeting of the Board which in New Delhi.

Regarding the duration and commencement of the Amarnath Yatra, the Board relied upon the approach set out by its sub-committee, chaired by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which had been set up in July 2011 to advise on the duration and schedule of future yatras.

The Board directed that the CEO should arrange a special Pooja on the day of Jyesth Purnima, which falls on June 13 this year to invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva for a smooth conduct of the pilgrimage, the spokesman said.

The pilgrims must furnish the prescribed Compulsory Health Certificate issued by the authorised doctors and medical institutes. All states and UTs have been asked to furnish a list of doctors and institutes who would issue these certificates which will be uploaded on the Board’s website – www.Shriamarnathjishrine.Com,

The CEO said the designated expert committee has revised the Food Menu which will be applicable to all ‘langar’ organisations as well as food stalls, shops or any other establishment which sells food or beverages.

The Board reviewed the arrangements being made for providing healthcare and sanitation facilities to the yatris and the measures being taken to preserve the environment of the Yatra area, he said. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Jain community was today accorded minority status by the central government which will enable them to avail of benefits in government schemes and programmes.

The decision to grant minority status to the community of about 50 lakh was taken at a meeting of Union Cabinet here, a day after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi took up this issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A group of Jains had met Rahul yesterday to press for their long-standing demand for minority status and Rahul then spoke to Singh in their support.

The Jains became the sixth community to have minority status after Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis.

Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan told that his ministry would soon issue a notification on the issue.

Once recognised as a minority, Jains would get a share in central funds earmarked for welfare programmes and scholarships for the minorities. They can also manage and administer their own educational institutions.

The community is already enjoying minority status in some states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan but the new decision extends that status across the country.

Numerically, the Jain community is small, with a population of about 50 lakh but they are prosperous, mostly engaged in business.

Khan said there had been a lot of representations from the community that they be treated as a minority. The ministry moved a cabinet note to this effect after Attorney General G E Vahanvati gave his go-ahead to their inclusion among notified minorities. (AGENCIES)

BALASORE ODISHA :  India today successfully test fired its 4000-km range nuclear capable ballistic missile ‘Agni-IV’, making it ready for induction into the Army.

“The test firing was a total success. The missile travelled its full range,” M V K V Prasad, director of Integrated Test Range, told.

The third consecutive trial of the missile was conducted at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast at 10.52 am, DRDO said, adding the serial production of the missile would begin now.

The test fire is the last one in the series of development launches.

Propelled by composite solid fuel rocket motor technology, Agni-IV was launched from its road mobile launcher, which is also indigenously developed by DRDO.

The long range radars and electro-optical tracking systems which were located all along the coast tracked and monitored all the parameters throughout the flight.

Two ships located near the target point tracked the vehicle and witnessed the final event, a DRDO release said.

Defence Minister A K Antony congratulated DRDO chief Avinash Chander and his team on the successful test launch.

“The missile took off majestically, rose to a height of over 850 km, covered the intended range in about 20 minutes, hit the target with two digit accuracy; meeting all mission objectives and proving the capabilities of the missile,” DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta said.

Agni-I, II, III and Prithvi are already in the arsenal of armed forces, giving a reach of over 3000 km and the country an effective deterrence capability, DRDO said.

“The event is of greater significance since the system was tested in its deliverable configuration with the active participation of Strategic Force Command personnel. The missile is now ready for induction and its serial production will now begin,” said Chander, who is also the scientific advisor to the defence minister. (AGENCIES)

SRINAGAR :  There will be no Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar to Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), today as drug row deepened further.    Jammu and Kashmir police arrested a driver after drugs worth Rs 100 crore were seized from a truck which had arrived here on January 18 from PoK.

However, the PoK authorities demanded release of the truck and driver. They announced cancelation of the bus service, official sources said.

They said during a meeting between representatives of both sides yesterday, the PoK has also announced suspension of the bus service till the row is resolved.     The weekly bus run today was cancelled and residents, who were scheduled to undertake cross Line of Control (LoC) travel were informed, sources said.

The service was started on April 7,2005 when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh flagged off first  bus from here for Muzaffarabad despite threat by militants.

The bus service has helped thousands of families, divided in 1947 due to partition, to  meet each other after India and Pakistan agreed to allow travel of separated families on ‘Travel Permit’ instead of International Passports.     However, it was also agreed that travel permit will be allowed to any person after intelligence agencies of both the countries clear his or her name.

(AGENCIES)

SRINAGAR, Jan 20:  Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) authorities today claimed diplomatic immunity for the driver who was arrested after recovery of a huge haul of brown sugar from his vehicle on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Cross-Line of Control trade route.
The claim was made by PoK’s Director General of Trade, a retired army officer, during a meeting with state government officials for breaking the deadlock over the arrest of the PoK driver, Divisional Commissioner (Kashmir) Shailendra Kumar told reporters here.
“Surprisingly they conveyed that under the (Cross-LoC) pact, these people have diplomatic immunity. We asked for the documents which provide diplomatic immunity even to drivers,” the Divisional Commissioner said.
The PoK authorities have detained 27 Indians and their trucks demanding release of the driver who was arrested after 114 packets of brown sugar valued at Rs 100 crore in the international market were recovered from his vehicle on Friday.
The PoK authorities have also refused to take back their 48 drivers and trucks which had come with goods to this side.
Kumar said the PoK authorities were asking for release of the driver and return of the narcotic substance as well.
“We explained to them that it is not possible as a case has been registered and a judicial process has to be followed. We cannot return them without a trial,” he said.
The Divisional Commissioner said the the PoK authorities were requested to take up the matter with their higher ups as “we are going to follow the law of land in this case”.
“We have also requested the state government to take up the matter with the Centre. We are hopeful some progress will be made in next couple of days,” he said.
The Divisional Commissioner said there were no directions to the administration to start any extra-judicial process.
“As per the law, possession of narcotic substance — whether by a local or a foreigner — is banned and illegal,” he said.
There was no information to suggest involvement of the government across the LoC in smuggling of narcotics to Kashmir but “we have to be careful. These substances can be used to target our youths”, Kumar said.
“It is a signal for us to remain vigilant. We need truck scanners to help in detection of illegal substances without unloading goods.” (AGENCIES)

SRINAGAR : A militant was killed in a fierce encounter that broke out in south Kashmir district of Kulgam, official sources said here today.
They said security forces and State police launched a joint operation at Shampora, about two km from national highway in Qazigund in south Kashmir following a tip off about the presence of a top Hizbul Mujahieen (HM) militant today.
However, an encounter ensued after militants opened fire from a house on security forces.The fire was returned leading to fierce encounter.
They said one militant was killed in the encounter and operation was still going on when the reports last came in. (AGENCIES)