Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: GND University Amritsar defeated RTM University Nagpur in a close contest by fifteen goals to twelve (15-12) in the opening match of the All India Inter-University Korfball Championship, organized by the Department of Sports and Physical Education, University of Jammu, here today.
Walkovers dominated in other matches scheduled for the day. University of Kota got walkover against Calicut University, SG Baba Amravati got walkover from Gondwana University, Punjab University Patiala received it from CD Lal University and University of Pune got walkover from DCRUST, Murthal.
Earlier, the Minister for Medical Education and Youth Services and Sports, Taj Mohi-ud-Din declared the Championship open in an impressive, well attended and colourful function.
Speaking on the occasion, Taj said holding of such events apart from promoting sports culture in the State also send the message of peace and harmony.
Prof Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu also spoke on the occasion and stressed the participating teams to give their best and assured them that all necessary arrangements are in place to ensure their comfortable stay on campus .
Prominent among others present on the occasion were Prof Neelam Saraf, Dean Academic Affairs, Prof Keshav Sharma, Coordinator All Campus, Prof Manoj K Dhar, Controller of Examinations, Prof Neelu Rohmetra, Rector, Kathua Campus, Prof Deepak Raj Gupta, Director SHTM, Prof VD Singh, Director, DDE, Prof NK Tripathi, Dean Students Welfare, Prof Desh Bandhu, Director, CDC, Prof. Dhian S.Bhau, Director Sports and Physical Education, Jaikumar Sharma, Special Secretary to Vice-Chancellor and BK Magotra, former Director Physical Education.
GNDU Amritsar outplays RTMU Nagpur in inaugural tie
VC SMVDU shares vision with faculty, students
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: After taking over the stewardship of the university, Prof Sudhir K Jain, the fourth Vice Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, addressed the faculty and students in the Matrika auditorium in the University campus.
In his address, Prof Jain shared his vision of making SMVDU an institute of national and international repute and said that he would try his best to make his term the most productive and memorable one for all the SMVDU fraternity.
Reminiscing his stay at IIT Kanpur as a researcher in seventies, Prof Jain urged all the faculty members to have mutual respect and work with a greater sense of responsibility and commitment in view of the fact that this university has been established out of the funds of the shrine, which increases their responsibility manifold.
Registrar, Roop Avtar Kaur, all Deans, Directors and faculty members were present on the occasion.
Earlier the programme began with a warm welcome of the Vice Chancellor by Dr Vandhana Sharma, Director, School of Languages and Literature who said that SMVDU was fortunate to have a Vice Chancellor who has been associated with the university since its beginning and the one who epitomizes commitment, humility and positivity.
Retd SRTC workers’ rally towards Civil Sectt foiled
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: The protest rally of voluntarily retired workers and employees of J&K State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) towards Civil Secretariat was today foiled by the strong contingent of police near Dogra Chowk here today.
The VRS given SRTC workers, under the banner of All J&K SRTC Volunteer Retirement Employees Association assembled at Exhibition Ground near Press Club here in the morning and held strong protest demonstration. Dev Raj Bali, president and general secretary Surinder Singh of the association were leading the protest.
After staging protest for some time at the venue, the retired SRTC employees holding banners and placards in hands started protest march towards Civil Secretariat. They were shouting slogans in support of their demands and also against SRTC management and Transport Minister. As they moved towards Vinayak Bazar (Lower Gumat Bazar), a strong contingent of police intercepted them. The police raised barricades and did not allow them to move ahead. The cops asked them to move back to the same venue at Exhibition Ground.
The workers showed some resistance but could not move ahead in view of strong police cordon. Later, the agitating SRTC workers moved back to the original venue and started protest demonstration. Several trade union leaders addressed the gathering and criticized the management of SRTC for its failure to clear pending 126 slabs of COLA, clear pending arrears and provide benefit of 6th Pay Commission to the VRS given SRTC employees. Besides Dev Raj Bali, Balwinder Singh and Surinder Singh also addressed the workers’ gathering. The workers later dispersed after holding protest for about an hour.
Doda migrants hold protest
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: The erstwhile Doda migrants held a demonstration in front of Press Club here today in support of their demands.
The demonstration was led by Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Baig chairman of the Erstwhile Doda Migrants Committee.
The protestors with flags in their hands shouted slogans against the anti migrants policies of the Government. They, while criticizing the step motherly treatment of the Government towards the erstwhile Doda district migrants and demanded formulation of a concrete policy for their rehabilitation.
Addressing the demonstrators Mr Baig said that Doda migrants are facing totally injustice as the Government has failed to recognize their demands. He said the Doda migrants have suffered a lot and have faced immense loss due to terrorism as many people were killed by terrorists.
He demanded relief and other benefits at par with Kashmiri migrants and their rehabilitation.
He said the Doda migrants are sitting on dharna for over last eight years in front of Divisional Commissioner’s Office here but the Government has failed to redress their problems. He demanded construction of a Colony for the Doda migrants and payment of relief at par with Kashmiri migrants and compensation for the damage suffered by them. He warned to continue the struggle till it reaches to its logical conclusion.
He said that Government should not test their patience and if it delays the demands the migrants will be forced to take extreme step.
Sakina Itoo calls on Governor
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: Sakina Itoo, Minister for Social Welfare, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan, here today.
During the meeting, the Governor and the Social Welfare Minister discussed several important matters concerning the welfare of all those falling within the less-privileged sections of the society. The implementation of various schemes and programmes enabling the welfare of differently abled persons was also discussed.
Ms. Itoo also briefed the Governor about the obtaining status of implementation of the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the State.
11 Sr Scale Stenographers promoted
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: Government today accorded sanction to the promotion of 11 Senior Scale Stenographers as Private Secretaries in the J&K Private Secretaries of Heads of Departments Cadre (Gazetted).
The promotees are Tsering Angmoo, Gurcharan Singh, Shabir Ahmad Shabir, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Mohammad Hussain, Nanda Rani Mehta, Fayaz Ahmad Shah, Preduman Krishan Raina, Sanjeev Sharma, Balvinder Singh and Ghulam Nabi Tak.
Holiday cancelled
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: The holiday on September 30, 2013 declared on account of half yearly closing of banks under the Negotiable Instruments Act will now be a working day.
An order in this regard was issued by General Administration Department today in partial modification of Government order dated December 13, 2012.
SRO-349 appointees ornament pieces in various departments
* Establishment of coaching centres need of hour
Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Feb 20: The outstanding sportspersons who have been appointed in various departments of the State, under SRO-49 with a purpose to promote sports in the State simply remain ornament pieces rather frill attached to their offices or institutions in the scheme of things in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to reliable sources, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir with an objective to promote sports and games in the State, appoints 25 sportspersons under SRO-349 every year, but instead of utilizing their services up to the optimum level, these employees remain indulged in solving their own problems rather than producing good stuff in the prevailing system in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
With the appointment of 125 candidates under SRO-349 in last five years, one has yet to witness any player been produced by these officials to represent the State at the national scene and not to talk of the International one.
Further, none of these officials, barring some exceptional cases, has shone in his sports discipline after getting the job.
Sources said that in very few cases it may be the fault of these employees, otherwise, it is the various departments which leave them in the lurch rather than utilizing their services and help them harness their knowledge, they make them busy in solving their own issues.
“I was hired by the Federation of India to be part of India Camp in my sports discipline. I participated in the event with enthusiasm and valour. However, when I came back, I expected felicitation by my department, but instead of that I was served an explanation as to why I had joined the Camp. The incident dejected me and forced me to lose interest in the game. In such an atmosphere, how can you expect promotion of sports in the State,” said SRO-349 appointee while talking to EXCELSIOR and expressing anonymity.
Sources said that there is another SRO with regard to sanctioning of Special Casual Leave to outstanding sportspersons when they are engaged as coaches or players by any recognized association, institution or federation, adding that the same has hardly been implemented in letter and spirit in our State.
“The sorry state of affairs is that when there should have been separate coaching centres to utilize the services of outstanding sportspersons, these appointees are hardly given any coaching assignments in their sports disciplines, helping ‘jack of all trades and master of none’ to rule the roost,” said another SRO-349 appointee while expressing anonymity.
“Moreover, what is disgusting is the fact that the International and the National medalists are in the same league as for as the job status is concerned, which needs amendment,” the appointee added.
It is pertinent to mention here that barring Jammu and Kashmir Police Department, which at least allows outstanding sportspersons to enjoy their game and skill, the other departments have kept them as decoration pieces, serving as a stumbling-block in enhancing the standard of sports in the State.
Experts believe that the need of the hour rather the demand of the situation is to establish more and more coaching centres in the State and utilize the services of all forms of coaches including outstanding sportspersons and award and reward them as per their result.
Rural areas heading towards socio-economic transformation: Sagar
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Ali Mohammad Sagar has said that the Government has ensured the socio-economic transformation of the rural and far-flung areas by putting in place a vibrant and fully empowered Panchayati Raj System.
The Minister was speaking at one day interaction on the status of devolution of powers to the Panchayats, organized by the Department of Rural Development at Majalta block in Udhampur district.
District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, P. K. Pole, Director Rural Development, Jammu, Shafiq Ahmed Raina and other senior officers of various departments were present.
Mr. Sagar said that the Government has created a watershed in the political history of the State by holding elections to the Panchayats and ensuring their empowerment with the powers of 14 vital departments. He said a senior officer of the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner has been nominated as the nodal officer for overseeing that these orders are implemented in letter and spirit.
Calling upon the officers and the Panchs and Sarpanchs to work in close coordination with each other, the Minister said that the same is necessary for carrying out sustained and need based development of the rural and far-flung areas. He said that they should convene regular meetings so that the bottlenecks if any in the empowerment of Panchayati Raj representatives are removed.
The Minister said that the Government has been holding these types of interactions across the State on the directions of the Chief Minister to get the necessary feedback about the status of implementation of the orders for the empowerment of the PRIs. He warned that the officials and the persons who are found deviating from the order would face action.
Mr. Sagar said that the Government was committed to put in place a 3-tier system of governance to ensure the democratic decentralization of powers so that the people at grass root level are involved in the policy formulation and the implementation of various schemes undertaken by the government for the welfare of the people. He said that the Government believes in sustained action rather than rhetoric and has ensured holistic development of the State.
Coalition has failed to implement 74th Amendment: Kavinder
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: BJP State general secretary & former Mayor Kavinder Gupta, while addressing a press conference here today, lambasted the NC-Congress coalition for its failure to implement the 74th Amendment of the India Constitution, which gives ample powers to Municipal Corporations.
Kavinder Gupta said that the elections to the Urban Local Bodies without the implementation of this amendment will prove to be a futile exercise. He said that even Section-42 of the J&K Municipal Corporation Act provides for functions of the Corporation but it is unfortunate that the powers have not been given to the Corporation and the concerned divisions of departments like PHE, PDD, R&B till date has not been handed over to the corporation. He further pointed out that as per Section-5 of the Municipal Corporation Act, an election to constitute the Corporation should have been completed before the expiry of its duration. The State Government even after about three years of the expiration of the term of last corporation has not taken any step to constitute the same.
Mr Gupta also pointed out that as per Section-6 of the J&K Municipal Corporation Act, the population in each ward shall not be less than 7500 but till date no step has been taken in this regard as a result of which there are certain wards which have population between four thousand to six thousand and in certain wards it is more than ten thousands, which is resulting in disparity and need to be removed before holding any exercise related to election of the Corporation.
Commenting on the recent notification issued by the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, Gupta said that the manner in which the JMC seats have been reserved for different categories seems to be politically motivated. It also seems that the whole exercise for reservation has been undertaken to debar the vocal and the genuine representatives who were instrumental for strengthening the last corporation. He gave instance of the reservation of the seats of former Mayors, Dy. Mayor and even the persons who had headed different committees of the corporation.