Patnitop Snow Festival concludes

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March 6, 2012

Patnitop March 5: Three Day Snow Festival organized by J&K Tourism Department in collaboration with Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) concluded at Patnitop.

On the occasion Superintendent of Police, Ramban, Anil Magotra was the chief guest and he distributed prizes among the winners.

During the 3-day event various winter sports activities and cultural programmes depicting traditional folk culture of the state were organized in the main meadow of Patnitop. The sports activities and cultural items were so forceful that compelled everybody present on the occasion to give repeated cheers.

The skiing completion in which participants within and outside the different parts of the state attracts a large crowd on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer, PDA, Dr. Raman Kesar said that the objective to organize snow festival at picturesque Patnitop was aimed at to popularize the famous tourist destination across the country and to boost tourism industry in the region.

He said that sincere efforts would be put in place to attract domestic and foreign tourist to this health resort so that they can feel the natural charm of the spot.

Assistant Director Tourism, Batote, Tariq Hussain presented vote of thanks.

RML Hospital to be re-developed: Azad

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad lighting the lamp during a function at RML Hospital, New Delhi on Monday.

Excelsior Correspondent

NEW DELHI,Mar 5: The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced that re-development of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi would be taken up in two phases during the 12th Five Year Plan. He was addressing the first batch of Post Graduate and Super Speciality students passing out of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (PGIMER-RML). He urged the fresh graduates to take up assignments in the rural areas for some years at least to begin with, added medical fraternity should extend the fruits of scientific advancements to the poorest households in the remotest regions of the country.

Spelling out details of the re-development plan of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Mr Azad said in the first phase, it is proposed to construct a super-speciality building with state of art medical facilities. The new facilities will provide services like Cancer Care Centre to provide Medical, Surgical and Radiation Oncology Services; Paediatric Cardiology Services will be added to the Cardiac Care Service; Surgical Gastroenterology and Endocrinology Services to compliment the Gastroenterology and Endocrinology departments; Transplant Facility for organ donation and transplant; day-care services for super-speciality departments as also private wards for patients of Super-speciality departments.

He also said while all these activities are in the pipeline, man-power and equipment for Paediatric Cardiology Services and an Electro-physiology Lab have already been sanctioned. Mr Azad mentioned that another two plots of land measuring approximately four acres in the heart of the city have been earmarked by the Union Urban Development Minister on his personal request.

He also informed the gathering of the recent initiatives taken up by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to augment the human resources in health sector. He informed that 46 new medical colleges have been established just in the last two years raising the number from 289 to present day 335.

The number of MBBS seats has gone up from 32,892 to 41,469, an increase of 8,577 seats. Similarly, the number of PG seats has increased from 13,000 to 21,181, an increase of 8,181 seats. To overcome faculty shortage, Mr Azad said DNB graduates have also been made eligible to take up faculty assignments and more measures to bridge the gap are underway.

Earthquake jolts North India

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

NEW DELHI, Mar 5: Strong tremors were felt in Delhi and parts of North India which were shaken by a moderate intensity quake this afternoon resulting in minor damages to some buildings. Tremors were also felt in different parts of the J&K State. The moderate intensity earthquake measuring 4.9 on Richter scale was recorded at both seismographic centers in Jammu and Srinagar respectively. According to Director, Meterological, Sonam Lotus “the tremors were felt at 13:12:03 (IST), one minute after the same were felt at Delhi at 13:11:03 (IST). However, there was no report of any damage

DPC deferred due to investiture ceremony

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 5: The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), scheduled to meet tomorrow to take up promotion cases of top police officers, has been deferred in view of investiture ceremony of President’s Police Medals at Raj Bhavan. The DPC comprising Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, Home Secretary BR Sharma and Director General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep Khoda was scheduled to take promotion of police officers of the rank of IGPs, DIGs and SSPs

Inordinate delay in execution of road projects under PMGSY Oppn puts Govt in dock, demands action against delinquent officers

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 5: Several Opposition MLAs today put the Government in the dock over inordinate delay in the execution of road projects under Prime Minister’s Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGY) and demanded stern action against the delinquent officers. “It is pity that even one or two kilometer long roads have not been completed during the past four years”, Kathua MLA, Charanjit Singh said while pointing towards the written reply given by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ali Mohd Sagar on behalf of the Minister Incharge Public Works Department, in response to his question..…..

Verbal spat between Speaker, Nizamuddin Ruckus in Assembly as PDP storms into Well; BJP, NPP stage walk-out

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

By Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Mar 5: Pandemonium gripped the Legislative Assembly during Zero Hour today with People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLAs storming to the Well of the House for not being allowed to raise the issues concerning the common masses and members of other Opposition parties holding protest on different issues before staging walk-out. There was also a verbal spat between Speaker and PDP MLA Nizamuddin Bhat. As soon as Zero Hour began, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Nagrota, Jugal Kishore raised the issue of Custodian Department property and demanded that the occupants of the property must be given ownership rights.

India-Iran to enhance cooperation in renewable energy

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

Excelsior Correspondent

TEHRAN, Mar 5: India and Iran have agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of renewable energy. In a meeting with Mehmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, in Tehran, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy called for an enhancement in bilateral ties and economic cooperation with Iran especially in the field of renewable energy. President Ahmadinejad agreed that the two countries should use their full potential to enhance cooperation and bilateral ties.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Abdullah had a bilateral meeting with the Iranian Energy Minister, Majid Namjou. Mr Namjou called India a leading country in the production of renewable energy. He added that Iran intended to develop renewable energies in cooperation with India. Dr. Abdullah outlined the progress that India had made in generating power through use of renewable energies, especially wind and solar. He also highlighted the progress of India’s National Solar Mission which has resulted in significant increase in installed capacity and an almost 40% fall in costs.

Dr. Abdullah also had bilateral meetings with the Governor-General of Shiraz, Hossein Sadegh Abedin, and Governor-General of Isfahan, Dr. Alireza Zakar Esfahani.

STATE — Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah with Iranian Ministers during a meeting in Tehran on Monday.

Beg, Malhotra, VC call on Governor

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 5: Dr. Mehboob Beg, Member of Parliament, met Governor N N Vohra, at Raj Bhawan, here today. During the meeting, Dr. Beg discussed with the Governor various issues relating to the efficient and timely implementation of various important development and welfare schemes and programmes.

Amrit Malhotra, Chairman, Legislative Council also called on Mr Vohra.

During their meeting, the Governor and Mr. Malhotra discussed various issues relating to securing the rapid socio-economic advancement of the State.

This was Mr. Malhotra’s first meeting with the Governor after being elected as the Chairman of the Legislative Council recently.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tej Partap, Vice Chancellor, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST)-Kashmir, called on Mr Vohra.

During the meeting, the Governor and Dr. Partap reviewed the progress of the various measures being taken by the SKUAST-Kashmir for the advancement of modern practices in agriculture and its allied sectors in the Kashmir and Ladakh regions, particularly in the rain-fed areas.

Dr. Partap also briefed the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the University, about the status of various ongoing research projects and the new species of plant materials developed and released by the University in the recent past.

Cultural Academy: An institution at cross-roads

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Daily Excelsior

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March 6, 2012

After the Independence under the Naya Kashmir’s reconstruction program, our state was one of the first among its counterparts in the country to initiate series of people friendly progressive measures.

The formation of Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in 1958 was one such pioneering act that reflected upon the importance to which State held the sphere of culture and seminal role it plays in the lives of citizens. Status & Mandate: One of the few constitutional bodies in the State like Universities and Public Service Commission, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages was set up by the Government in the year 1958 by proviso to Section 146 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir for a specific purpose of to foster and co-ordinate activities in the spheres of letters and languages, visual and plastic arts, music, dance and drama and of culture generally. It was declared as an autonomous corporate body, vide SRO No-340 of 1963.
Having jurisdiction over the entire State, the Academy combines in itself the functions of: a) Sahitya Akademi (Akademi of Letters)b) Sangeet Natak Akademi (Akademi of Music, Dance & Drama)c) Lalit Kala Akademi (Akademi of Visual and Plastic Arts). Other than its headquarters at Srinagar, which moves to Jammu during winter in camp, it has also set up regional offices at Srinagar and Jammu and sub- offices at Leh, Kargil, Doda and Rajouri.

Woman IT officer to head crucial tax unit at OECD in Paris

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Daily Excelsior

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March 5, 2012

NEW DELHI, Mar 4: In a maiden honor for India, a senior woman IRS officer has been appointed as the head of the crucial tax transparency unit of global financial body OECD that also formulates combat policies against black money.

Monica Bhatia, a 1990-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, will now head the Secretariat of the global forum on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes under the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (CTPA) in the Paris-based body.

The significance of this appointment can be gauged from the fact that India at present is just in an “enhanced engagement” and a peer reviewer at Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and not a full-member of the top world body.

Bhatia, currently working as a director in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), will join her new office in Paris from April 1. Her appointment is seen as an acceptance to India’s efforts of tackling tax crimes and enhancing transparency in exchange of financial information.

“This is the first time that an Indian and also a woman is going to head this crucial body in the OECD. The fact that an Indian official will head the department at a time when India is only a partner and not a member of the global body speaks about the importance of the appointment,” a senior Finance Ministry official said.

“Bhatia will lead this major (transparency and exchange of information) OECD programme put in place in 2009 to advance the transparency agenda. She will have to ensure the quick and effective implementation of the peer review schedule which will soon start focusing on practical aspects of information exchange.”