Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 23: The Secretary Academy, Khalid Bashir Ahmad, has issued a Calendar of Events according to which the Annual Drama Festival will henceforth be held in Jammu in the month of December for which preparations will be made from October 5 every year.
Similarly, he said, the Annual Drama Festival in Srinagar will be held in the month of September for which preparations will begin on July 5 every year. He said the Calendar of Events has been issued to streamline the process of holding various cultural and literary activities of the Academy.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 23: Observing that the Omar Abdullah Government’s term has been an era of empowerment, peace and prosperity, Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana on Thursday said the past five years witnessed the common man feeling empowered through the Panchayati Raj and ‘to ask questions’ and ‘to know why’ through an institutional mechanism, whether it is the SIC, SVC, SAC or Public Services Guarantee Act.
“Peace has led to economic resurgence”, he said while addressing National Conference workers in Block Bhalwal this afternoon, adding that the phenomenal increase in the per capita income and GSDP speaks volumes about development. He said the Government has made a sincere effort to tackle unemployment and unemployability by first tracking the issue and then creating an ecosystem which generated avenues for employment and self-employment. The performance has also to be seen in the light of the morass that the state was in 2008, when regional and communal passions were at their peak and whose aftermath was even felt in 2009 and 2010, he added.
“But the sincerity and integrity of purpose of Omar Abdullah cannot be doubted”, the Provincial President said, adding that through various challenges, he came out unscathed because of his dedication to the ultimate aim of the welfare of people of the entire state, irrespective of caste, creed, religion or region.
He said Jammu and Kashmir has traversed a long way from uncertainty to stability, disturbances to peace and deprivation to development during the past five years. “Development alongside restoration of peace got top priority and Jammu and Kashmir stepped into the path of progress, which is being acknowledged by one and all”, he added.
The Provincial President said that Omar Abdullah proved adversaries and pessimists wrong by his determination and sincerity of purpose which rekindled a hope among the people about better tomorrow. “This worked well with peace overtaking gloom and economic activity gaining momentum in a big way”, he said and referred to the flourishing tourism, enhanced socio-economic activities, spurt in education and fillip in developmental process. The peace and development, he said, became eye sore for the political opportunist, who saw their evil designs falling flat with people getting engaged with chorus of life peacefully.
“If this tenure of Omar Abdullah Government was a challenging era of placing the state on path of development, the next term will to consolidate the gains of development and further raising infrastructure to enhance the quality of life of the people”, Mr Rana said. He asked the party workers to fan out in their respective areas and prepare for the ensuing elections in a big way. He said with presence in every nook and corner, National Conference was poised to register a big victory at the strength of the good work done by the Government during the past five years.