NEW DELHI, Jan 20:
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 Dr 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. (PTI)
Jains granted minority status
PPAP demands AHDC for Pir Panjal region
Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, Jan 20: Pir Panjal Awamy Party (PPAP) has demanded Autonomous Hill Development Council (AHDC) for Pir Panjal region of the State on the pattern of Ladakh region of the State.
In a statement issued here, president of the party, Mohd Younis Chauhan, demanded the Government to create a separate Parliament seat for the Pir Panjal region. He alleged that present and former MPs representing the region, who belonged to different political parties did nothing for the region and were limited to selected pockets of Jammu district only.
Chauhan further said that derailment of Railway project for Rajouri-Poonch by UPA Government is another step motherly treatment to the region and appealed the people of the region particularly youth to come forward for the cause of the region.
The PPAP leader alleged mis-utilization of local area development funds by the MP of the region and sought inquiry into it.
JNU, MIEF to jointly work for revival of Sharda script
Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Millennium India Education Foundation (MIEF) & Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies JNU jointly announced dates for second two-day workshop on Sharda script learning. The workshop second in the series of educational workshops to create resource persons in Sharda script will be held in conference hall Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies JNU, New Delhi on February 18 and19 this year. The workshop will be conducted by renowned Kashmiri linguistic and Sharda scholar Prof T N Ganjoo.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Uday Kakroo Director Millennium India Education New Delhi said that this workshop will be refresher course workshop for those scholars who had taken part in the first such workshop held earlier from November 8 to 10 last year. Concurrently another workshop for new scholars willing to learn Sharda script will be held. This workshop will be conducted by Dr Kirti Kant Sharma expert in Sharda.
He said MIEF has entered into a long Agreement of Cooperation (AoC) with Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies JNU to undertake activities that would help revival of Sharda script which has become almost extinct through such capacity building workshops.
Under this AoC, capacity building workshops will be held on regular basis in Delhi, Jammu and Udhampur so that good number of resource persons and developed who would in turn be needed to study manuscripts written in Sharda script to translate them so that all manuscripts available in different libraries or with individuals are e-digitized in due course of time. Besides certificate based learning centers would be opened initially in Delhi, Jammu and Udhampur and courses would be open to all people of any age group who are willing to learn this script and help preserve cultural traditions of Kashmiris and take it to outside world.
Ramesh Manwati a student of the earlier workshop said this step will go a long way in revival of Sharda script which got setback due to past upheavals in Kashmir valley as well as 24 year long turmoil.
PNBMT reiterates demand for passage of Temples Bill
Excelsior Correspondent
-Excelsior/ Rakesh
JAMMU, Jan 20: Prem Nath Bhat Memorial Trust (PNBMT) today reiterated its demand for passage of Temples and Shrines Bill for protection of Hindu shrines and temples in Kashmir Valley which have suffered a heavy loss and damage during last 24 year turmoil through the hands of anti national elements and land mafia groups.
Addressing a press conference chief spokesperson of the Trust, Dr RL Bhat said the Bill for whose passage the Trust has launched the struggle is just to protect the Hindu shrines and temples by forming a Shrine Board.
He said that the PNBMT is pained to find that the officials of the Dharmarth Trust are making a false propangada against the Trust.
He added the Maharaja had created DT with a specific condition that no temple properties will be sold but unfortunately it has also failed to protect the shrines and temples which were managed by it.
Dr Bhat informed that even some of the officials of Dharmarth Trust were involved in selling temple lands and shrines land which included 100 kanals of Jawala Ji land. The Shrine Board will be accountable as every community member will have voting right in it which is to be established under the Bill and nobody would have his individual control over the temples.
“We had met former Sadar Riyasat, Dr Karan Singh and offered him to head the Board on Kashmiri temples and shrines after the passage of the Bill and there is nothing personnel with him”, he said, adding that “there is an urgent need to set up a Board to ensure maintenance of temples and shrines in the Kashmir Valley.
“We appeal to all stakeholders, including all mainstream political parties, to facilitate passage of the Bill in the State Assembly in the coming budget session”, Dr Bhat added.
Among others present were HN Jatto, MK Jallali, MK Raina, A.N Pandita and HL Bhatt.
Wani for CBI probe into J&K student’s death
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: R&B Minister, Abdul Majid Wani has demanded a probe by CBI in all such cases wherein J&K students, studying in various parts of the country, were found dead outside the State. Wani said that this is really a matter of serious concern, which needs to be investigated by the CBI.
Expressing grave concern over number of deaths of students belonging to different parts of State who were studying in various parts of the country, Majid Wani asked for the probe so as to ascertain the truth behind these sudden deaths and also to expose any foul play.
Wani said that like many incidents before, today, again we lost a bright and promising young man from our state. The R&B Minister was referring to a young boy Khalid Mintoo s/o Riyaz Mintoo from Doda who was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Punjab where he was pursuing an engineering course.
DRSC for early appointment of BOSE Chairman
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: The Departmental Related Standing Committee (DRSC-IV) of Legislative Council today reviewed the functioning of Education Department at its meeting held here under the chairmanship of MLC, Naresh Kumar Gupta.
Legislators, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Dr Bashir Ahmed Shah (Veeri), Mohammad Ashraf Mir and Rani Gargi Blowria attended the meeting and gave their valuable suggestions for further improving the working of the Education Department.
The Committee directed the concerned to take effective steps to complete the construction of school buildings under SSA, RMSA which are being constructed by PWD and other agencies and fill up of the all vacant posts in all the schools throughout the State. The Committee also discussed the issues related to appointment of EVs as Teacher before commencement of Assembly Session. It also asked the department to take effective steps for release of timely pay of the ReTs throughout the State.
The Committee also examined the working of Board of School Education (BOSE). The Secretary, School Education H K Singh apprised the Committee that a search Committee headed by Justice Bilal Nazki, retired Judge of High Court will submit its report and thereafter the Chairman will be appointed.
The Committee sought detail report regarding the pending issues from the Education Department so that further proceeding would be started.
SPD, SSA, S C Sawhney, Director, School Education, Jammu Tushar K Sharma, Deputy Secretary, Legislative Council Ishfaq Ahmed Wani, besides, officers and officials of concerned department and Council Secretariat also attended the meeting.
General category employees contest ‘misinformation’ on catch up rule
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: The general category employees have strongly refuted the `misleading’ and `mischievous’ interpretation of various Government orders and SRO by some organizations to hype a non-issue for their vested interests.
A group of general category employees, who visited the Excelsior today, sought to clarify that the catch up rule is an integral part of the Civil Services Rules. The Government is not going to introduce any such new rule as the same is already in existence and an integral part of the CSR rules, they explained, adding that the SRO 110 of 2000 upholds the catch up rule.
Making a rebuttal of the claims of some organizations, the general category employees said that reserved category people do not constitute 85 per cent of the population. Further their claim that the first appointment means appointment in the particular cadre is also refuted as the existing rules specify that the first appointment means appointment at first entry level gazetted cadre, they explained.
Pertinent to mention that All India Confederation of SC/ST/OBC Organizations had yesterday opposed the purported Government move of introducing catch -up rule in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
SOS International accuses BJP of double speak
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 20: SOS International an organization of PoK refugees, has lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for maintaining silence over the plight of refugees and only sharing the concern of Kashmiri migrants.
In a statement issued here today Rajiv Chuni chairman SOS International said that yesterday’s meeting between Kashmiri Pandit delegation and Narendra Modi has exposed the BJP of its hollow claims on refugees, who have been suffering for over last six decades without any assistance from successive Governments.
He said for BJP the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits is top on party’s agenda means that it is not concerned for the PoK refugees. He accused the BJP leaders of double speak as party was showing only lip service to PoK refugees demands and not supporting their cause sincerely.
Youth attempts suicide by consuming poison
Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Jan 20: A youth attempted suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at his residence in Sangur, here today.
Identified as Rajan Bharti (24), son of Amar Chand of Sangur, Udhampur, he fell unconscious on consuming the poison. The family members shifted him to District Hospital Udhampur where doctors repeatedly washed his stomach. He was responding to the treatment.
Cause behind the provocation could not be ascertained while Police has registered a case in this connection.
Charas smuggler held
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 20: Police today claimed to have arrested a drug peddler and recovered 3kgs of charas from him in Anantnag’s district of Bijbehara area on Sunday evening.
A police spokesman said on a tip off police established a naka at Keri-Kadal, and arrested Abdul Rahim Reshi son of Mohammad Abdullah of Kandipora, Bijbehara.
“Three kilos of charas was recovered from him. The drug peddler was arrested and a case FIR No. 07/2014 under Section 8/20 NDPS act was registered against him. Investigation has been started,” the spokesman said
The spokesman said 19 persons have been arrested under NDPS Act in last week.