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An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ Proven wrong by vested interest people at Handwara.. Selfish Farmers across North Kashmir, hell-bent to prove the saying wrong, by excessive use of unhealthy Chemicals....

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

DDC Anantnag visits far flung

areas of the district 02

03

04

08

09

10

11

Tourism Department conducts

sanitation drive at Yousmarg

National Seminar on Art

Educationculminates at SCERT

Student Gang-Raped,

Boyfriend Thrashed By Robbers

US, China Accuse Each Other Of

“Bullying” Nationsa

Tomatoes: Nutrition Facts and

Health Benefits

Centre Hikes Sugar FRP Price To ₹

290 Per Quintal,

Soldier dies

while patrolling

in SonmargSonmarg, Aug 25, : A soldier part of a patrolling party died after falling unconscious in Sonmarg tourist area of Cen-tral Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Police sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that a soldier part of a pa-trolling party was on way from Brarimarg to Dumail when he felt unconscious. He was taken to Army

HEADL NES

T O D A Y

SRINAGARThursday 26 August 2021

17 Muharram 1443Vol No:11 Issue No: 190

Pages: 12 Price: ̀ 2/-RNI NO: JKENG/2011/39231

epaper.dailyheadlinestoday.com.

http/www.headlinestodaydaily.com

Follow us@

Truck driver allegedly beaten by some unknown person pretending to be cop in Batamaloo

person also looted cash amount of ₹ 7000 from truck: Alleges driver

SHEIKH MUDASIR

HT CORRESPONDENT

Srinagar, Aug 25 A truck driver from Anantnag on Tuesday alleged that he was beaten by some unknown person pretending to be a cop in Batamaloo area of Srinagar last night.Tariq Ahmad, a truck driver, told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer that some unknown person pretending to be a cop beat him up and also looted a cash amount of Rs 7000 from him when he had parked his truck near court in Batamaloo.He alleged that his truck was parked near court in Batamaloo and was sleeping inside the truck, when suddenly a person came in a black colour Santro bearing registration no. JK01S-1413.Tariq said that the person identified himself as a cop from Barzullah Police station and started frisking his vehicle.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

leads Pakistan to 109-

run win over West Indies

in second Test

SEE PAGE 12

Finance Minister

Launches EASE 4.0,

Reviews Performance

Of PSBs:

SEE PAGE 11

DR.AB QAYOOM HT CORRESPONDENT

HANDWARA, AUG,25: Apples are considered to be good for health, as it is well said that An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. However at these small hamlets of Handwara people associated with this trade have started axing their own feet by resorting to neferious means to fetch easy bucks. Apple has tremendous health benefits as it acts as anti-oxidant, boosts immune system, controls blood sugar, improves eyesight and fruits are also main

sources of vitamins and minerals. Alarming Increase in use of chemical to artificially ripen fruits has become a great cause of concern for the fruit Industry, particularly the crop. “Use of chemicals for artificial ripening is not only harmful for the health of apple trees but it’s brining a

bad name for apple industry of Kash-mir,known world-

wide for its quality and taste,”Showkat Pandith chairman BDC Langate told Headlines Today.”Overdose of chem-ical on apples can directly effect the humman health said Dr.Shaikh Owais.Kashmiri apple varieties are bearing

the brunt of trade malpractices at the hands of growers and traders who

have been making enormous use of ripening agents and artificial colours to market their premature-season yield.

Although the early season apple va-rieties like Hazratbali,Candition and Shimla have already been cultivated months ago, there is no end to use of ripening agents in the late-ripening apple varieties like Red Delicious and American, in despite an official ban on the colour sprays. GH.Mohd Babloo a fruit grower from village Gonipora Handwara said,Govern-ment should run a campaign across the fruit growing areas to educate the fruit growers.He said in order to avoid damage to trees, the growers have now adopted a new practice of spraying Ethephon to apples by laying the fruits on the ground after

plucking them from trees.This is more dangerous,because of the fact that once the fruit has been harvested its nutritional flow discontinues and the chemical though being dilute gets concentrated,”he added.According to studies, calcium carbide can also affect the neurological system by in-ducing prolonged hypoxia. It causes symptoms like headache, dizziness, high sleepiness, memory loss, cerebral oedema, numbness in the legs and hands, general weakness, cold and damp skin, low blood pressure and seizure. Pregnant women particularly need to be very careful and

22-year old girl

dies after tree

falls on herKupwara, Aug 25,: A young girl died on spot after a tree crashed down on her. The incident occurred at Maidian Keran area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Police sources told news agency Kashmir News Trust that a girl after leaving her house was proceeding to-wards her destination when a tree fell on her resulting in her on spot death. Police sources identified the deceased 22-year old girl as Sheena Bano daughter of Muhammad Gul Lone, a res-ident of Madian Keran that falls under the jurisdiction of police post Patroo.

CONT. ON PAGE 05

5 parliamentary panels visit J&K in past 2 weeks

HT NEWS DESK/KNO

Srinagar, Aug : As many as five parliamentary commit-tees have visited J&K after the monsoon session of the Parliament concluded earlier this month.As part of their study tours, the parliamentary standing committees on Home Affairs, Public Accounts Committee, Commerce, Urban Develop-ment and subordinate legis-lation have visited the Union

Territory in the past two weeks, details gathered by— reveal.The panels comprising MPs from both Lok Sabha and Ra-jya Sabha have made visit to Kashmir to examine different matters. While three of these committees are headed by Con-gress MPs, one each is headed by BJP and YSR Congress.The parliamentary standing committee on Home Affairs, headed by Anand Sharma of Congress, met chairpersons of block development councils and

district development councils, transporters, hoteliers, paramil-itary forces and representatives of J&K administration in J&K.The committee met different stakeholders to get feedback about the “administration, de-velopment and people’s wel-fare” in J&K Union Territory.This was the first visit of the committee to J&K after Ar-ticle 370 was read down and erstwhile state of J&K was reorganised into two

CONT. ON PAGE 05

Pak objects to Kiru hydro plant design; India says project fully compliant with Indus treaty

HT NEWS DESK

New Delhi: Pakistan has raised objections to the design of In-dia’s Kiru hydroelectric plant, a mega 624 MW project over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir, but New Delhi asserts that the project is fully compliant with the Indus Water Treaty, according to officials.Confirming this development, India’s Indus Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena told PTI that his Pakistani counter-part Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah raised the objections last week.Saxena, however, asserted that the design of the project is fully compliant with the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). It has been certified by the Cen-tral Water Commission, an apex organisation of the country in the field of water resources.

This run-of-river project is be-ing implemented by the Chenab

Valley Power Projects Limited, a joint venture of the National Hydropower Company and Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corpo-ration (JKSPDC).“As a responsible upper ripar-ian state, India is committed to full utilisation of its rights and believes in an amicable resolution the issues raised by Pakistan side in letter and spirit of the treaty.

“Pakistan’s objections on this project may come up for discus-sions in the next meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission scheduled this year in Pakistan. In the forthcoming meeting, the Indian side will explain its position and hope that Pakistan will appreciate the same and its apprehensions will be addressed through discussions,” Saxena said on Tuesday.The treaty provides Pakistan the right to raise objection on Indian design within three month of the receipt of the information. India has supplied the information on this project in June to Pakistan.Under the IWT signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually is allocated

Those speaking against BJP being

put behind bars: MehboobaHT NEWS DESKْ/KNO

Shopian, Aug 25: Former Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State and Peo-ples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday said that those speaking against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are being put behind the bars across India.Talking to reporters after ad-dressing workers at Circuit house Shopian, Mehbooba as per the news agency—Kash-mir News Observer (KNO) said that whosoever including politicians, students or activists speaks against BJP is being muzzled by lodging him/her behind the bars in India.She said BJP has resorted to selling all resources includ-ing Railway Station, Power projects and other important

things and “there is nothing to reproach them as they are doing it in whole India whosoever speaks against them is being sent to jail and what else can we expect from them about them for Hurriyat.”The accession of J&K took place with Nehru’s, Gandhi’s and Indira’s India where every-one used to live with harmony and brotherhood and if condi-tion

CEOs of Kashmir region yet to start affiliation, recognition process of Pvt

schools via online mode: GovtSrinagar, : The government has stated that Chief Education Officers (CEOs) of Kashmir region were yet to start the pro-cess of affiliation and recognition of private schools through online mode.The news has learnt that there were instructions of administrative department to all Chief Education Officers of Kashmir Province for switching over to online mode of recognition or affiliation of Private schools as envisaged under SRO-123 as a major reforms towards a transparent and CONT. ON PAGE 05

Govt revises water tariff in J&KSrinagar, The Jammu and Kashmir government has revised the rate of tap water in the union territory.As per the order, the authorities have decided to fix the water usage charges as per the different categories.The categories of users include domestic, commercial, indus-trial purposes, institutional and filling of water tankers etc“In terms of section 128 and section 145 ( 2) of JandK water resource ( Regulation and management) act 2010 the au-thority has decided to fix the water usage charges/ tariff for different categories of water for the year 2021- 22 effective from 1-4-2021 and tariff order remain valid till 31-4-2022,” the order reads.

CONT. ON PAGE 05 CONT. ON PAGE 05

Elderly man among two injured in

separate bear attacks in KanganGanderbal,: Two persons including an elderly man were injured after they were attacked by a bear in two separate incidents in Kangan area of Ganderbal district on Wednesday.An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer hat a 70-year-old man identified as Ghulam Ahmad Sheikh, son of Sadiq Khan of Akhal was injured after he was at-tacked by a bear.He said the injured person was rushed to SDH Kangan from where he was referred to SKIMS Soura for advanced treatment.In another incident, a 33-year-old man identified as Mo-hammed Rafiq Khatana, son of Ali Mohammed Khatana of Anderwan Kangan was attacked by a bear in his

Be the harbinger of Peace, Love and

Harmony : LG to Misguided Youth.

CONT. ON PAGE 05

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HT NEWS DESK

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 25: The responsibility of building a great nation and a prosperous Jammu & Kashmir rests on the shoulders of our youth. Bright young minds are the only force capable of building a peaceful, progressive and prosperous community, said the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha while addressing the Special Convocation of the University of Kashmir.Speaking on the occasion, Lt Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the University, congratulated the Gold Med-alists & those graduating from the University of Kashmir. “It was wonderful being amongst very talented young minds, who are determined to take the UT towards new horizons”, said the Lt Governor.Terming terrorism and violence

as a curse for the civilized soci-ety, the Lt Governor observed that while our country is pro-

ducing CEOs of Microsoft, Google, Adobe etc, on the other hand, the neighbouring country is pushing our youth on the wrong path. I urge those who are misguided by the en-emies to move forward with

peace, love and mutual trust, and walk together on the path of development, said the Lt

Governor.Highlighting the reforms National Education Policy is bringing in the education sec-tor, the Lt Governor observed that the new policy allows the students to learn things that

matter and are relevant to an ever-changing world.Working on the same trajec-tory, University of Kashmir will play a big role in J&K's knowledge economy and con-vergence of higher education and skill training, besides fulfilling the aspirations of a prosperous education system and future India, said the Lt Governor.Kashmir University has re-aligned the courses for devel-oping the culture of innovation & entrepreneurship, creating an intellectually stimulating environment, and taking mul-tidisciplinary research to the international arena, he added.The present education system is future-oriented where most of the ideas and ideals are taken from present circumstances. For the first time in history, we can proudly say that material wealth and mental wealth are

CONT. ON PAGE 02

Terms violence as curse for civilized society

Weatherman Predicts Relief from Scorching Heat from August 28.

HT NEWS DESK

Srinagar, Aug 25): Jammu and Kashmir has been under tight grip of the heat wave since past few days with the Meteorological department predicting relief from the hot weather from August

28.Talking to the news agency—, Director Meteorological depart-ment, Sonum Lotus said that the heat wave would continue across J&K till August 28.He also predicted relief from the scorching heat from August 28, saying that there is a possibility of light rainfall from August 28-29.“Kashmir areas would receive light rains during two days, which CONT. ON PAGE 05

Police arrest man after evading arrest for 11 years

Bandipora, Aug 25, In con-tinuation to stringent action against absconders, Police have arrested an absconder in Bandipora who was evading his arrest from last 6 years. Police received a war-rant issued by the court of Additional Special Mobile Magistrate Beerwah Budgam against an absconder Abdul Hameed Khan son of Abdul Gafar Khan resident of Pan-zigam Bandipora. Acting on specific

CONT. ON PAGE 05

‘Libraries-on-Wheels’ to hit the road in J&K soonLibraries Department, RRRLF Kolkatta joint initiative to make

reading material available at people’s doorstep HT NEWS DESK

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 25: The Department of Libraries & Research and Raja Rammo-hun Roy Library Foundation (RRRLF), Kolkatta are jointly going to launch a novel initiative - “Library-on-Wheels” - in J&K to reach out to the readers in the remotest corners of the UT by offering free library services at their doorstep.Making the announcement at the conclud-ing session of the two-day meeting of the UT-Level Library Advisory-cum-Purchase Committee (UTLLACPC) here today,

Director General, National Library of India (NLI) and RRRLF Kolkatta, Prof Ajay Pratap Singh said the initiative would be launched in all the Districts of J&K to make the quality reading material available in places or areas, where it is hard to find a public library.Prof Singh said the resources for the pur-chase of vehicles for Mobile Libraries would be arranged from Corporate Houses and Philanthropic organizations under CSR while the recurring cost for these vehicles including fuel, maintenance and other charges CONT. ON PAGE 05

No shackles can be placed on freedom of press’High Court quashes FIR lodged against a journalist

Jammu Jammu Kashmir High Court Wednesday said that no shackles can be placed on freedom of press by regis-tering FIR against a reporter. The court said that registration of an FIR against a Journalist is an attack on freedom of press and abuse of power by police. The court observed this while quash-ing the FIR lodged by police against a

Journalist Asif Iqbal Naik. Naik had filed a petition through Ad-vocate Faheem Showkat Bhat seeking quashment of an FIR registered against him for a story he had filed under section 561-A CrPc in 2018 at police station Kishtwar. The court in its judgment observe that the mode and manner in which the

impugned FIR has been lodged clearly reflects the mala fide on the part of re-spondents as the respondents could have given their version by similar mode but they chose unique method of silencing the Journalist and it is undoubtedly an attack on the freedom of press. The court of Justice Rajnesh Oswal after hearing the arguments from peti-

tioner’s counsel Faheem Showkat Bhat and Advocate General Sunil Malhotra said that press is often referred to as the fourth pillar of democracy and freedom of the press is vital for the functioning of any democratic country like India. “No fetters can be placed on the freedom of press by registering the FIR against a

CONT. ON PAGE 05

HT EXCLUSIVE...

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HEADLINES TODAY 02HT. CLASSIFIED / REGIONALAUGUST,26

2021,THURSDAY

GOVERNMENT OF UNION TERRITORY JAMMU & KASHMIROFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER MUFFASIL(R&B) DIVISION BUDGAM

NOTICE INVITING e-TENDERS

(Modified as per Circular No. A/Misc(2018)-III-895/J Dt.22-12-2020 Issued by Finance Department).

NIT No.100/e-tendering /MDB/2021-22/ 7476-96 DATED.23-08-2021For and on behalf of the President, of India, e-tenders (In Single cover system) are invited on Percentage basis from approved and

eligible Contractors registered with J&K UT Govt. CPWD, Railways and other State/UT/Central Government Departments for the following works:-

1. Name of the Project Authority: _______ Cities and Towns

2. Reference of Authorization Letter:

3. Arbitration Liability Nil

4. Position of AAA/TS:- Accorded5. Position of Funds:- Available.

The Bidding documents Consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifications, Drawings, bill of quantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms and conditions of contract and other details can be seen/downloaded from the departmental website www.jktenders.gov.in as per schedule of dates given below:-

Note :-The Bidders are advised to read all conditions laid down in the NIT carefully before uploaded softcopy any short fall found

in the soft copy the tender shall be rejected .

Note: As per Circular issued by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Secteriat Finance department vide No.OM

No.A/24(2017)-651 dtd.07-06-2018 which reads as under :-a)Furnishing of Hard Copies of bids immediately after submission of e-tenders is dispensed with .The same should be obtained

only from the Bidder who’s declared Ist Lowest (L-1) after opening of financial bids.b).The Cost of tenders should be collected by introducing E-challan/ or simply uploading a copy of necessary Treasury Challan/Receipt.

Bids must be accompanied with cost of Tender document in shape of Treasury Challan/ in favour of Executive Engineer Muffasil (R&B) Division Budgam (tender inviting authority).

1.All Bidders has to submit Bid Security Declaration Form instead of Earnest money deposit (EMD) as per the circular of Finance

Department ( Bid Security Declaration Form is as per Annexure ‘A” below).

2.The 1st lowest Bidder has to produce an amount equal to 3% of contract as performance security in shape of CDR/FDR/BG within 02 days before fixation of contract and shall be released after successful completion of work.3.The date and time of opening of Bids shall be notified on Web Site www.jktenders.gov.in and conveyed to the bidders automati-cally through an e-mail message on their e-mail address. The bids of Responsive bidders shall be opened online on same Web Site

in the Office of Executive Engineer Muffasil (R&B) Division Budgam (tender receiving authority).The bids for the work shall remain valid for a period of 120 days from the date of opening of bids.

DIPK-7229/21 Sd/- Executive Engineer, Muffasil (R&B) Division Budgam

S. No Name of Work Adv. Cost

(In rupees)

Cost of

T/Doc.

(In Rupees)

Time of

Completion

(calendar

days)

Class of

Contract

Major Head of

Account

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1

Restoration/Upgradation of karipora Haripora link road near DC office Budgam including link road to Masjid Shama-ud-din Iraqi (RA) by way of providing and Laying of WBM G-II, 75mm compacted thick wet mix, 50mm compacted thick bituminous macadam and 25mm compacted thick semidnese with 6mm thick seal coat.

15.00 lacs

600/- 10 days Registered Hot mix plant owner

Cities and Towns

4.

x

Cities and Towns

1. Date of Issue of Tender Notice 24.08.2021 10.00 A.M

2. Period of downloading of bidding documents 24.08.2021 10.00 P.M.

3. Bid submission Start Date 24.08.2021 from 10:00 A.M

4. Bid Submission End Date 31.08.2021 upto 4.00 P.M

5. Date & time of opening of Bids (Online) 31.08.2021 at 11:00 AM in the Office of the Executive

Engineer, Muffasil (R&B) Division Budgam

PUBLIC NOTICE

I am applying for D Class Contractor registration card if any-

body have any objection in this regard He/She may contact concerned authorities within seven days from the publication

of this notice after that no objection will be enertained.

HABIBULLAH THOKER

S/O GH AHMAD THOKER R/O KALANTRA BALA KREERI BLOCK WAGOORA

PUBLIC NOTICE

I am applying for D Class Contractor registration card if any-

body have any objection in this regard He/She may contact concerned authorities within seven days from the publication

of this notice after that no objection will be enertained.

RUKHSAR AHMAD BEIGH

S/O LATE NISSAR ULLAH BEIGH R/O SULTANPORA KANDI BLOCK WAGOORA

PUBLIC NOTICE

I Asif Farooq R/o Nowpora sopore want to transfer my elec-

tricity agreement bearing Consumer ID 0212040012492 at

main market Wagoora to Hanief Mohd Rather R/o wagoora.if any objection in this regard He/She may Co.Contact AEE PDD Watergam Wagoora within seven days from the publica-

tion of this notice after that no objection will be entertained .

ASIF FAROOQ R/O NOWPORA

PASSPORT LOST

I have lost my passport under passport number S 5600398.

Now I am applying for its duplicate if anybody have any

objection in this regard He/She may contact Passport Office Srinagar within seven days from the publication of this notice

after that no objection will be entertained.

PEERZADA ZIA UD DIN

S/O PEERZADA MOHD AKRAM R/O THINDIMA KREERI BARAMULLA

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DDC Anantnag visits far flung areas of the districtHolds Public Darbars at Mattan, Vailnagbal; Stresses

for strict monitoring on District Capex worksANANTNAG, AUGUST 25: The District Development Com-missioner (DDC) Anantnag, Dr. Piyush Singla today visited Mattan, Vailnagbal and other far flung areas of the district.On the occasion, the DDC held Public/Awami darbars at Mattan and Vailnagbal where local people along with their representatives (DDCs, BDC Chairpersons, Sarpanches and other PRI members) besides prominent civil society and Auqaf committee members participated.Addressing the gatherings at both places, the DDC said that administration is committed to provide transparent and acces-sible governance to the people besides prompt redressal of their grievances and demands. He said that it is heartening to see the local people mak-ing and implementing plans in tune with their aspirations of development and welfare.Dr. Singla said that this time the budget has increased to three times and field staff need to be more vibrant in completing the works on time and simul-taneously check quality of the works in all Panchayats under District Capex maintaining the PRIs should strictly monitor those for their quality and timely completion also.The DDC called upon the senior

citizens of the area to compli-ment the efforts of authorities in curbing drug menace among the youth adding families and

society have vital roles to play in this regard. He said Youth Clubs and Playfields coming up at Panchayat, village and ward levels will have significant effect on empowerment of youth besides utilizing their energy and talent in constructive and rewarding fields.Meanwhile, Dr Singla stressed the people to follow the CAB and advised them to get vaccinated and reg-ister themselves in the sehat scheme to get more benefits.On the occasion, several de-

mands were raised by Civil So-cieties, Auqaf representatives, PRI members which include provision of water supply for

Mattan, macadamization and maintenance of interior roads of Mattan, installation of street lights for Mattan town, acti-vation of dysfunctional lights of KP road Mattan, enhancing staff facilities in PHC Mattan, completion of Tehsil office Mattan, functioning of poultry project Mattan and Drainage and tiling of lonepora paths of MC Mattan .Later, the DDC visited the poultry project office Mattan to enquire about the function-

ing problems of the unit and instructed the project officer to send the report in this regard and also visited newly under construction Tehsil office Mat-tan where he directed the works wing of JKPCC to complete the construction soon for shifting of tehsil office Mattan .Similarly at Vailnagbal where the representatives of local committees PRIs raised vari-ous demands including water supply for Vailnagbal gojer basti, macadamization of seer hapatnar road , construction of sansh road, Dawlat Khan Bang road, tube wells for the area, protection from wild animals, cricket ground and dispensary for Manigam Salia, activation of filtration plant, reduction in electricity bills for poor STs, Bank Branch for Khayar and replacement of poles and trans-formers of the areas etc.The DDC issued on spot di-rections for redressal of certain demands and assured other gen-uine demands will be fulfilled in due course of time.The Darbars were also attended by chairman DDC Anantnag, DDC Member Khovertipora, BDC Chairperson Khoveripora, CMO, CPO, ACD, ACR, Ex. Engineers PHE, PDD, BDO and Tehsildar Mattan, BMO Mattan besides other PRI members and officials.

Community/ Village level awareness programme on 'End Violence against Women' held at B’gam

BUDGAM, AUGUST 25: The Jammu & Kashmir Women Helpline (WHL-181) today organized a Community cum Village level awareness programmes themed 'End Violence against Women' at Bachipora, Kawoosa areas of Budgam.The WHL-181 is a project of the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development and is being run by the State resource Centre for Women of the Department of Social Welfare in J&K.Speaking on the occasion, Project Coordi-nator WHL-181, Bilal Bhat highlighted the

overall services provided by the helpline. He said the helpline provides 24-hour immediate response to women in distress and represents them before the appropriate service providers such as police, MSK, FCC, & Legal authorities. He said the One Stop Centre (SAKHI-OSC) also provides services like hospital assistance, emergency response & psychological support /coun-seling, temerity shelter, etc.Bhat further informed the participants that they can get help from the helpline in case of domestic violence, dowry abuse,

mental torture, sexual assault, eve-teasing, cyber-crime, child sexual abuse, rape, economical violence or any other distress situation.Bhat apprised Women folk that Suicide is not a Solution, “Break your Silence Raise your voice” if you are facing Domestic Violence, Sexual harassment, Economic and Dowry Disputes, etc. In this situation Dial 24/7 Hours Toll Free no. 181 to get Access to Justice, Access to Welfare and Access to District Administration.

DC Bandipora releases first music album of specially-abled Singer Muntazir Nisar

BANDIPORA, AUGUST 25: The Deputy Commis-sioner (DC) Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad on Tuesday released the first music album “Doud” of specially abled singer from Bandipora- Muntazir Nisar.Joint Director Planning Imtiyaz Ahmad, Assistant Commissioner Development Abdul Rashid Dass, Chair-man Ali Sports Academy Faisal Ali and other senior officers were present on the occasion.The music album consists of melodious songs titled Chum Ne Baleni Doud touching the core and strings of the hearts of the audience.Speaking on the occasion, the DC appreciated the efforts of the young artists to present the album to the audience despite so many hardships.

He said songs sung by him depict the pain that differ-

ently abled persons have been going through and the singer has aptly presented it in the best possible way that will touch the strings of the audiences.He urged the artist

to continue to showcase his singing talent and assured

every possible help from the district administration to provide a helping hand to the persons with special abilities so that they can sharpen their talent.

Muntazir Nisar said the songs have been composed after the hardest toil, reveries, and recollections struck mind while composition, and then made up my mind to share them with my audience in the form of food of soul.He said the sleepless nights elapsed to get myself wet in the world of music and found the content of the song going to present the world of music. He said the more you think, the more ideas flow out like a torrent flows out, taking its direction straight away to its final destination.He said he tried level best to make full use of leisure, mind, talent and time to exe-cute and hoped the songs will revive the deadened feeling once you keenly listen and will come to realize the grav-ity of my feelings.

PUBLIC NOTICE

I have lost my 12Th pass character and School leaving certificate under roll no 3113450 session Bi Annual 2018.Now i am applying for its duplicate if anybody have any objection in this regard He /She may contact Principal Govt Hr Sec School Kreeri within seven days from the publication of this notice after that no objection will be entertained .

MASHOOQ AHMAD PARRAY S/O HABIBULLAH PARRAY R/O KALANTRA BALA KREERI

Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Lt. Governor’s Grievance CellCivil Secretariat Jammu

Vijay Ji HanglooSpecial Secretaray Goverment Public

Grievance

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HEADLINES TODAY 03 HT CITY / SRINAGAR.AUGUST,26

2021,THURSDAY

OWNER:SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Printer: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Publisher: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Editor: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Published From: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS BUILDING, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSI BHAT, LAWAYPORA, SRINAGAR. Printed at: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSIBHAT LAWAIPORA SRINAGAR 190017.. RNI NO: JKENG/2011/39231. CELL NO: 9419008414.

9999038812. Email Id: dailyheadlinestoday@gmail.com. Website: headlinestodaydaily.com

Verma chairs 2nd BoD of FDCL

Govt. invites applications for Subhash

Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan PuraskarSRINAGAR, AUGUST 24: The Govt. has invited applications from the

individuals/organizations for Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Purskar for the year 2022.

This annual national award is going to be conferred on individuals/in-stitutions for their exemplary work in the field of disaster management.

The application can be made on the link https://dmawards.ndma.gov.in up to 31st August, 2021, as per the official communication from the Gener-al Administration Department (GAD).

DC Kulgam visits rural, far-off areas of the districtHolds public grievance redressal camp at Bangward village

Farooq Rather

KULGAM, AUGUST 25:To get first hand appraisal of grievances, issues and demands of people living in far-off areas, the Deputy Commissioner, (DC) Kulgam, Dr Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat today visited far- flung areas in Kulgam and also held a grievance redressal camp at a hilly village Bangward here.

During the grievance redressal camp, deputations from Bangward and ad-joining villages besides PRI members called upon the DC and raised various demands and issues for disposal.The DC gave a patient hearing to demands raised by people and directed concerned officers to ensure prompt and speedy redressal of the issues. While addressing the people, Dr Bilal said that the ad-ministration is committed to provide better facilities to people and is working for holistic development of rural areas. He also apprised people that drink-ing water facility will be provided to all uncovered areas under Jal Jeevan Mission.The DC also instructed the officers to adopt robust mechanisms to mitigate the issues and grievances of people in a time bound manner.

During the visit, the DC was accompanied by ACD, ACR, and other offi-cers.

Mega Block Diwas held at Kulgam, DevsarFarooq Rather

KULGAM, AUGUST 25: The District Administration Kulgam today organised Mega Block Diwas at 2 blocks of the district to take appraisal of the public issues, grievances and demands.

During the mega Block Diwas at Devsar and Kulgam blocks, officers and officials from line departments listened to issues, grievances and demands of the people for timely redressal at both the venues.

Meanwhile, to take first hand appraisal of public grievances, issues and demands, the Additional District Development Commissioner

(ADDC) Kulgam, Riyaz Ahmad Sofi remained available at Block Devsar where he listened to grievances and issues of people for redressal.

During the programme, people from Devsar and its adjoining areas ap-prised ADDC about various issues and put forth their demands for redres-sal.The ADDC after giving patient hearing to the public issues, grievances and demands gave on spot directions to the concerned officers for timely redressal. He also assured to raise other issues with concerned quarters for early redressal.Meanwhile officers also remained available at Block Kulgam where people apprised them about their issues and grievances.

Present on the occasion were, ACP, ACD, Tehsildar Headquarter, BDO and other officers and officials.

Tourism Department conducts sanitation drive at Yousmarg

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 25: On the instruc-tions of Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Dr. G N Itoo, Tourism Department conducted a sani-tation and cleanliness drive at tourist destina-tion Yousmarg, Budgam today.

Around 100 Service providers and stake-holders of different kinds collaborated with the Department in the cleanliness drive. The drive was undertaken along the main meadow of Yousmarg, banks of Doodhganga and other surrounding areas.

Besides the employees of the Tourism De-partment, officials from Yousmarg Develop-ment Authority also participated in the drive.

The drive has been part of the Tourism Department’s efforts to keep all tourist desti-nations clean and ensure that natural re-sources like water bodies, meadows and forest fauna are not damaged or disturbed.

This year, the Department ensured that periodic and timely sanitation drives are car-ried at all the destinations across Kashmir to maintain and for upkeep of local ecosystems.

Sanjeev Verma reviews implementation of action plan under convergence of forest activities with

MGNREGS, revival of wetlandsSRINAGAR, AUGUST 25: Com-

missioner Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, San-jeev Verma, today convened a virtual meeting regarding implementation of action plan under convergence of forest activities with MGNREGS and action plan for rejuvenation, im-provement and revival of wetlands.

Principl Chief Conservator of Forests, Secretary in Forest De-partment, Director Social Forestry, Chief Wildlife Warden, Member Sec-retary JKPCC, District Development Commissioners, Assistant Commis-sioners Development, Directors of Rural Development Department, Jammu and Kashmir besides Divi-sional Forest Officers participated in the meeting.

Verma asked the Forest and Ru-ral Development Department to ensure enhanced coordination for successful implementation of mega plantation drive under convergence between forest activities and MGN-REGS in a time bound manner.

In compliance to directions of Chief Secretary, Commissioner Sec-retary asked all the Deputy Com-missioners to demarcate bio-fencing around wetlands, remove encroach-ment near wetlands and prepare ac-tion plans for effective management and conservation of wetlands.

Verma also asked the concerned officers to check solid, sewerage and plastic wastes in and outside the protected wetlands.

Commissioner Secretary, while elaborating measures being initi-ated by the Forest Department to-wards protection and development of green wealth in the UT, said that it is our earnest endeavour to in-crease the forest cover and stream-line the status of wetlands in J&K.

JKSSB successfully concludes CBT Examination for more than 1200 posts of different categories in H&ME DepttSRINAGAR, AU-

GUST 25: The Jammu and Kashmir Ser-vices Selection Board (JKSSB) under Accel-erated Recruitment Drive today successfully conducted Computer Based Test (CBT) for various posts of Health & Medical Education Department advertised vide Advertisement No-tification No. 02 of 2021.

The aforesaid exam-

ination was conducted in multiple batches from 17.08.2021 to 25.08.2021 at 35 examina-tion venues in Jammu, Srinagar, Baramulla & Budgam. 60723 unique candidates were sched-uled to appear in the CBT examination, out of which 43316 candi-dates appeared( 71%) in the said examination.

The Chairman JKSSB lauded the

efforts put in by various role partners for their enormous cooperation in ensuring smooth and hassle-free conduct of the CBT Examina-tion. The concerned Deputy Commission-ers and their team in the districts extended fullest possible coop-eration to the JKSSB in the smooth and transparent conduct of this exercise. Similar-

ly, Jammu & Kashmir Police made elaborate security arrangements at the venues for access control regulations, frisking etc. The JKSSB functionaries worked tirelessly for about 15 days to ensure smooth conduct of CBT despite varied challenges.

A multi layered structure for supervi-sion was established with one Centre Observ-

er and Centre Magis-trate for each Examina-tion Centre deployed by respective District Administrations, in addition to the Observer deputed by JKSSB.

The District Magis-trates had issued Pro-hibitory Orders under section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) around the Examina-tion Centres during the timing.

Advisor Baseer Khan inspects ongoing works on Transit Accommodation Camps at Wandhama Ganderbal, Odina Bandipora

GANDERBAL/BANDIP-ORA, AUGUST 25: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Ba-seer Ahmad Khan today vis-ited Wandhama Ganderbal and Odina village of Bandi-pora district to inspect the ongoing works on the Tran-sit Accommodation Camps in these areas besides tak-ing stock of various other ongoing development works in these areas.

He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Kritika Jyotsi-na at Wandhama, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad and DDC member Tahir-ul-Qadri at Odina, Chief Engineer R&B, Executive Engineers, AEEs and other senior officers of both the districts in their re-

spective districts.During his visit to the

site for Transit Accommo-dation at Wandhma Gan-derbal, the Advisor assessed the progress on works be-ing executed there. Chief Engineer R&B briefed the Advisor about progress of works on the project and discussed the layout plan for Transit Accommoda-tion. He was informed that the project which compris-es of 12 towers with 192 flats having total plot area of 30 Kanal had been ap-proved for an amount of Rs. 23 crore. The Advisor was further informed that the RCC structure is completed in all apartments besides structural steel truss is also completed in two blocks and

brick work in frames is in progress.

The Advisor also re-viewed the site layout plan for allied works which in-clude double storey shop-ping arcade, double storey Community Hall, boundary wall, approach road, securi-ty bunker and watch tower. The Advisor gave on spot directions for early submit-ting of DPR of these works and exhorted upon the Chief Engineer to expedite the pace of work so that the project gets completed with-in the stipulated timeline.

Officers at Odina site of Transit Accommodation informed the Advisor that transit accommodation is coming up at the cost of Rs 57.60 crores comprising of

480 flats in 30 blocks. They

said each block is four-sto-reyed with four flats in each storey thus totalling up to

16 flats in one block. The

structure is RCC framed structure with arrangement for lift provided. Brickwork

is to be provided for exter-nal and internal walls with wooden frames and shut-ters. Steel roof truss is to be provided with colour coated CGI sheets, officers informed.

Advisor took detailed stock at the site Odina and directed the officers to expe-dite the work so as to meet the deadlines. He stressed on maintaining the qual-ity of works all along the project.The Advisor also inspected various develop-mental works undertaken by the Rural Development department in both the dis-tricts. Advisor directed the RDD to utilize the remain-ing working season to the optimum so that the ongoing public welfare and develop-

mental works are completed before the onset of winter season. He said that special emphasis should be laid on the works that are properly reflected in the already pre-pared annual plans and em-ployment generating works so that people get meaning-ful livelihood opportunities in their own areas. The Ad-visor directed the officers of RDD to take up develop-ment of playfields, flood protection and other works under convergence mode as directed to them in the meetings held in the regard. The Advisor interacted with the DDCs, BDCs and PRIs at Manasbal and urged them to come forward and spread the message about the SOPs related to Covid.

COO Himayat releases annual activity report

2020-21 of National Academy, RUDSETISRINAGAR, AUGUST 25:

Chief Operating Officer, Hi-mayat, Department of Rural De-velopment, Kapil Sharma, today released annual activity report 2020-21 of National Academy of RUDSETI for Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and La-dakh

Pertinently, the National Academy of RUDSETI was estab-lished in April 2009 in response to an emerging need for capacity building and mentoring RUDSET Institute and Rural Self Employ-ment Training Institutes being created by different Banks across the country. NAR works as the National Level Resource Orga-nization for RUDSETIs and RSE-TIs and conducts research and development work in the field of Entrepreneurship Development. It undertakes projects in Enter-prise Promotion, Rural Develop-ment, Technology Transfer and imparting Human Resource De-velopment. NAR also acts as an advisory to policy makers relat-ing to Enterprise Promotion and Rural Development.

Besides, it had become neces-sary to have 3rd Party assessment of trainings being imparted to the candidates and for this purpose National Academy of RUDSETI

(NAR) set up a separate Assess-ment & Certification vertical. Ac-cordingly, office of the Assistant Controller has been established across the whole country to take care of the aspect of 3rd party as-sessment.

Rajat Otreja, Assistant Con-troller, NAR, presented a brief ac-count of activities undertaken in the UTs of J&K and Ladakh.

Speaking on the occasion, Ka-pil Sharma said that this vertical has completed 138 batches of as-sessment successfully in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir as well as

Ladakh and certified 2076 rural poor youth on successful comple-tion of assessment in 2020-2021.

Manju Gupta, VP J&K Bank; Anil Dhiwani, DGM RSETI, SBI; N. Sathiyamoorthy, Director Gen-eral NAR; BC Saha, NDR, NACER; RR Singh, Controller Assessment and Certification, NAR; Alok Modi, , Controller Assessment and Certification, NAR; Ashok K Razdan, SDR, UTs J&K and Lada-kh were present on the occasion while all RSETIs Directors and faculty of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh participated online.

Asks the corporation to bring more transparency in the its workingSRINAGAR, AUGUST 25:

Commissioner Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment De-partment, Sanjeev Verma today chaired the 2nd Board meeting of J&K Forest Development Corpo-ration Limited (FDCL).

Verma, who is also the Chair-person of J&K FDCL, stressed on the need for transparency and ef-ficiency in conduct of business. He urged that the introduction of Pay and Accounts Office (P&AO) system in the corporation is a sig-nificant step in this direction.

He asked the corporation to do their business up to the sat-isfaction of common masses. He impressed upon them to make the sale and distribution of timber accessible to people deserving it most. He exhorted upon them that no log felled naturally that is worth extraction should get spoiled in the woods.

The Board reviewed the im-plementation of decisions taken in the first board meeting that was held on 26th February this year. The MD of the corporation informed the board that since its functioning from 1st April 2021 the gross receipts of the corpora-tion from sale of goods and ser-vices upto July 2021 accumulates to the tune of Rs. 60 crore.

The board took note of the Au-

dit reports of the erstwhile J&K

State Forest Corporation for the period from 2014-15 to 2019-20, and approved the delegation of pow-ers to the Managing Director to culminate the task. The changes among Directors were also taken on record.

Directors of the Board who attended the meeting includes Dr. Mohit Gera, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests; Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary Trib-al Affairs Department; and Vasu Yadav, Managing Director, J&K FDCL. Besides these Director General Codes, Director Gener-al Budget, representatives from Rural Development Department, and Industries & Commerce De-partment also attended the BoD

meeting.

Pertinent to mention here that J&K FDCL was incorporated on 3rd December 2020 under the Companies Act 2013 and has tak-en over the assets and liabilities of the erstwhile J&K State Forest Corporation consequent upon the repeal of J&K State Forest Corpo-ration Act, 1978.

The structure of the Board of J&K FDCL consists of Admin-istrative Secretaries of Finance Department, Industries and Com-merce Department, Forest, Ecol-ogy & Environment Department, Rural Development Department, Tribal Affairs Department, Prin-cipal Chief Conservator of For-ests, and the Managing Director of the corporation.

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HEADLINES TODAY 04AUGUST,262021,THURSDAY HT - CITY / JAMMU / PIRPANCHAL

Head Constable Dies of Electrocution in Rajouri

M S Nazki

HT Correspondent

Rajouri, August 25:A head constable of

Police died due to electric shock in Than-

amandi area of Rajouri district in Jammu

division on Wednesday.Station head officer

Thanamandi Fareed Ahmad told HT that

a head constable recieved a severe electric

shock while on duty. He was immediately

rushed to nearby hospital, where doctors

declared him brought dead.He has been iden-

tified as Mohd Arif Khan son of Haji Abdul

Rashid Thakkar resident of Thanamandi.

He was posted in police station Thanamandi,

the officer added.Meanwhile a case has been

registered in this regard and investigation

takenup..

BSF Trooper, On Leave, Dies After Hit By Shooting Stone Along Mughal Road

M S NAZKI

HT CORRESPONDENT

Poonch, Aug 25 A Border Security Forc-

es’ trooper has died after hit by a shooting

stone near Peer Ki Gali along Mughal Road,

official on Wednesday afternoon said. They

said that the constable Nisar Hussein son of

Habib Ullah, a resident of Dhanore Jarallan

in Rajouri district was cutting wood when

hit by a shooting stone at Dhoke in Peer

Panchal area. The trooper was evacuated to

Government Sub-district Hospital Surankote

in an unconscious condition where the doc-

tors however declared him as brought dead

on arrival. The trooper was posted with 92

Battalion Border Security Forces and was

currently on leave, the officials told HTSDM

Surankote Nahiem ul Nisa has in the mean-

time visited Government Sub-district Hos-

pital Surankote to meet the bereaved family

members of the trooper.

DC B’gam holds Public Darbar at Kanidajan, Chrar-i-Sharief

Navin tours Jourian; inaugurates compact High Density Plantation of Mango, Kagzi lime

JAMMU. AUGUST 25:

Principal Secretary, Horti-

culture Department, Navin

Kumar Choudhary, today

conducted an extensive tour

of Jourian area of Jammu

district.

Director Horticulture,

Jammu, Ram Sevak, ap-

prised the Principal Secre-

tary of the progress being

made in respect of planta-

tion in sub-tropical areas of

Jammu division during the

ensuing rainy season under

CAPEX.While speaking on

the occasion, Principal Sec-

retary informed the farmers

about the incentives avail-

able under various centrally

and UT sponsored schemes

of the department.

Principal Secretary

handed over sanction for

start of work on Communi-

ty Tube Well with distribu-

tion network involving an

incentive of Rs 25.00 lakh for

irrigating 10 hectare com-

mand area of the orchard.

This will help the farmers

of the kandi belt to irrigate

their orchards properly for

a good production thereby

increasing their income. He

also handed over sanction

of four Power Tillers involv-

ing an incentive of Rs. 2.00

lakh to the farmers of the

area.He impressed upon the

officers to cover the whole

area with plantation of fruit

crops as there is a great

potential for horticulture

locally. He also asked the

concerned department to

open small veterinary units

in the area.Later, he inaugu-

rated compact High Density

Plantation of Mango and

Kagzi lime spread over an

area of 130 kanal at village

Jeda (Jourian), Khour by

planting a Mango sapling.

Block Development

Council Chairmen, Khour

and Bhalwal, Joint Direc-

tor Horticulture, Jammu,

Chief Horticulture Officer,

Jammu, Sarpanchs, district

officers and other block

level officers and officials

of the department were

present on the occasion.He

impressed upon the officers

to cover the whole area with

plantation of fruit crops as

there is a great potential for

horticulture locally. He also

asked the concerned depart-

ment to open small veteri-

nary units in the area.

DC Srinagar reviews implementation of COTPABan on sale of Cigarettes, OTPs near Educational

institutions, Hospitals to be enforced strictlySRINAGAR AUGUST 25: The

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sri-

nagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad

today chaired a meeting of Dis-

trict Level Coordination Com-

mittee under National Tobacco

Control Programme to review

the implementation of Cigarette

and Other Tobacco Product Act

(COPTA) at DC Office here.

During the meeting, the DC laid

stress on the need of awareness

generation among the masses

regarding the harmful effects

of using Tobacco products. The

meeting also discussed thread-

bare the measures to be taken to

curb the menace of smoking.

The DC asked the members of

the Committee to work in close

coordination so that Tobacco

Control laws are implemented

effectively on ground across Sri-

nagar.

He directed for strict enforce-

ment of Tobacco Control Laws

particularly near Hospitals and

Educational institutions and ini-

tiated appropriate ‘penal action’

against the defaulters under

rules. He further said that Tehsil

wise Enforcement Squads will

be constituted to monitor the un-

lawful sale of cigarettes and Oth-

er Tobacco Products (OTPs) in

Srinagar and curb the menace.

The DC directed the Chief Ed-

ucation Officer and all College

Principals to identify the shops

within the 100 yards radius of

their respective Educational In-

stitutions indulging in unlawful

sale of cigarettes and other to-

bacco products and submit the

details of the same for further le-

gal action against the violators.

He said that instances of vio-

lation are being reported from

the various quarters which have

been viewed seriously by the au-

thorities.

On the occasion, State Coordi-

nator Tobacco Control, J&K, Dr

Mohammad Naser, highlighted

the ill effects of Tobacco usage

and implementation of COT-

PA-2003 through a Powerpoint

presentation.

It is worthwhile to mention that

the government has ordered to

strictly enforce the provisions of

the Cigarettes and other Tobac-

co Products (Prohibition of Ad-

vertisement and Regulation of

Trade and Commerce, Produc-

tion, Supply and Distribution)

Act, 2003 and Rules. It has also

issued instructions from time to

time to all the concerned to take

penal action against defaulters.

Among others, Additional Depu-

ty Commissioner Srinagar, Syed

Hanief Balkhi, Chief Medical

Officer, Chief Education Officer,

Principal Amar Singh College,

National Seminar on Art Educationculminates at SCERT J&K Jammu

JAMMU AUGUST 25: National Seminar on Art Education- Policy, Practices and Pedago-gy organised by the Art Education & Vocational Education wing of the SCERT-J&K Divisional Office Jammu through virtual mode concluded today.

The seminar was organised on the di-rections of Principal Secretary, School Ed-ucation Department, B.K.Singh and under the guidance of Direc-tor SCERT J&K, Prof. Veena Pandita and su-pervision of Joint Di-rector SCERT Jammu, Surinder Kumar .

The seminar was attended by SCERT , DIET Faculty and re-source persons from the whole of Jammu and Kashmir UT. The objective of the semi-nar was to build up an understanding on the significance of Art Ed-ucation in school and to have an understand-ing on Art Integrated Learning as a pedagogi-cal approach,to provide a platform for sharing researches and innova-tions in Art Integrated Learning and to pro-

vide a platform for shar-ing new developments and challenges in the implementation of Art Integrated Learning in schools.

In the National Seminar presentations were given by key pan-ellists /speakers viz. Dr Sulekha Bhargava, Teacher, Delhi; Manda-kini Mathur, Chairper-son & Founder Devrai Art Village, Panchgani; Mansa Pande , Sr.Teach-er Educator & Con-sultant ,Maharashtra; Rekha Chug,Teacher ,DMC Primary School, Delhi; Nirupma Shar-

ma, Teacher, SDMC Primary school ,Delhi ; Narayan Mangalram, National Teachers Awardee 2020 Prima-ry teacher, Gopalwadi,

Maharashtra; Walter Peter, Founder & Di-rector Laa Po Laa TIE, Ahmedabad; Dr. San-tosh Rana, Lecturer DIET Rambagh ,Pat-na; Jaswinder Kour , Coordinator DRC for Pre-primary Educa-tion, Jammu Division.; Roohi Sultana National Teacher Awardee BMS, Kashipora Srinagar and Prof Jyotsana Ti-wari, DEAA, NCERT,

Delhi.The speakers en-

dorsed the key reflec-tions of NEP 2020 on Art Education & Art Integrated pedagogy as a tool to achieve the objectives of holistic, meaningful, integrated and joyful learning.

Earlier the seminar was inaugurated by Prof Veena Pandita, Patron of the seminar, who spoke at length on the subject and said that Integration of arts with other subjects means that art becomes the medium of teaching and learning, that is, drawing and painting, dance, drama, music etc become an integral part of class room process.

The seminar was co-ordinated by Tapasya Sharma, Se-nior Academic Offi-cer, SCERT J&K under the convenorship of Kishore Kumar, Head, of the Wing & Advisory Committee comprising Irwinder Kour, Deep-ak Sharma, Tapasya Sharma, Pooja Sharma, Akash Khajuria from SCERT-JK and Jas-winder Kour, Coordina-tor, DRC Pre-primary Education Jammu.

31 Udhampur villages set to be developed as Adarsh Grams

DC reviews progress, plan preparation under SCA to SCSPUDHAMPUR, AUGUST

25: Thirty one (31) villages of Udhampur district are being developed as mod-el villages under Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yoja-na (PMAGY) Scheme.

To review the prepa-ration of Village Develop-ment Plan for the identified villages being covered the scheme and take a overview of the plan preparation un-der the Special Central As-sistance to Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCA to SCSP), Deputy Commissioner, Indu Kanwal Chib today chaired a meeting with officers of various depart-ments here at Conference Hall DC Office Complex.

At the outset, the Dis-trict Social Welfare Officer Gourav Gupta gave a de-tailed powerpoint presenta-tion regarding the schemes and the new guidelines of the SCA to SCSP Scheme which are to be followed by the different departments, while proposing activities under the SCA to SCSP Plan.

During the meeting, the DC issued necessary directions to the Rural De-velopment Department and Social Welfare Depart-ment, She asked the twin departments to jointly work out a clear status of the works proposed under PMAGY with immediate

submission of the pending estimate so that the village development plans are com-pleted and made ready for implementation.

With respect to proposed Anganwadi Centres, the DC directed PO, ICDS, Udham-pur to provide the type de-sign recommended by the Government for prepara-tion of estimates. She said that the Anganwadi Cen-tres so constructed should be model AWCs. She also directed the Social Welfare Department to ensure that the ceiling of Rs. 20 lakh per village under PMAGY Scheme was not breached.

With respect to the SCA to SCSP scheme, the

DDC directed all the de-partments present to lay emphasis on income gen-eration, skill development components with focus on training youth in trades in demand in the market to enable them to earn liveli-hood.

She also stressed upon the special component of the Scheme providing for skill development with live-lihood generation/ self-em-ployment of BPL, SC wom-en and specially abled population. She directed the department to come up with creative ideas to en-gage this population group so that they contribute in the up-lift of their families

and steer out themselves from the vicious cycle of poverty. She said that the focus should be on a low-in-put cost oriented scheme with result oriented output while keeping the socio-eco-nomic environment of Ud-hampur district in mind. All the departments were directed to submit the pro-posed plans under SCA to SCSP at the earliest.

Chief Planning Officer, GM DIC, DFO, Assistant Commissioner Develop-ment and officers of differ-ent departments were pres-ent in the meeting. Chief Planning Officer, GM DIC, DFO, Assistant Commis-sioner Development.

JKBRSETI Poonch conducts plantation drivePOONCH, AUGUST 25: A plan-

tation drive “Amrit Van” was today

organised by J&K BANK RSETI to

commemorate the 75 years of India’s

Independence under the aegis of

“Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.

This programme is being con-

ducted by the Ministry of Rural De-

velopment Department and PRI un-

der the campaign (AKAM).

In this series, Director JKBRSE-

TI POONCH along with staff in pres-

ence of FLCC Rakesh Sudan and

staff of Middle School Bainch plant-

ed sampling of Pecan Nut and Flow-

ers in the premises of M.S Bainch.

Students and locals also partic-

ipated in the drive. The Director

RSETI appreciated and thanked all

the participants and advised them to

plant more trees in their surround-

ings to conserve the environment

and take pledge to carry forward the

noble mission of planting more and

more trees to combat the issue of

Global warming and climate change.

In this series, Director JKBRSETI

POONCH along with staff in pres-

ence of FLCC Rakesh Sudan and

staff of Middle School Bainch .

BUDGAM, AUGUST 25: The Deputy

Commissioner (DC) Budgam today

visited Kanidajan, Chrar-i-Sharief

and its adjacent areas to take spot ap-

praisal of status of ongoing develop-

ment and other welfare schemes.

During the visit a public interaction

programme was conducted at High

school Kanidajan where apart from

locals a huge presence of residents of

other areas was also witnessed.

Speaking on the occasion, the DC

said this place was chosen for Awami

Darbaar considering its topography

and its vulnerability of facing heavy

snowfall during winter season caus-

ing a lot of inconveniences to the local

residents.

He reiterated that the visit shall prove

fruitful as all officers of concerned

departments are present and they are

having the opportunity to get first-

hand appraisal of all issues relating to

their departments.

The DDC assured that in all such

earlier public interaction pro-

grammes basic issues like improve-

ment of roads, drinking water

supply, up-gradation of education

institutions, improvement in electric

transmission lines and installation of

substation enables it to introspect and

assess the demands.

During the visit, many issues were

raised including facilitation of ade-

quate passenger transport services

from Chadoora to all Kandi areas of

Tehsil Chrar-i-Sharief and establish-

ing of additional Health centers in the

whole area.

Responding to the public demands

and other issues, the DC assured that

whatever genuine issues put forth by

the public all have been recorded and

listed by all concerned.

The DC further added that there

are clear instruction to all District/

Sectoral officers that whatever issues

relating to demands/grievances they

can address under their authority

shall be mitigated on fast track basis,

avoid unnecessary prolonging and

delay, taking into consideration that

the area has short span of working

period left keeping in view impending

winter.

UTRC inspects amenities for inmates in District Jail Bhaderwah

Listens to grievances of prisonersDODA, AUGUST 25: In com-

pliance to the directions of the Supreme Court of India and as per protocol (SOP) prepared by the District Legal Services Au-thority, the Under Trial Review Committee (UTRC) today in-spected District Jail Bhaderwah to review cases of all under-trial prisoners.

The Committee comprised Chairman, District Legal Ser-vices Authority and Principal District & Sessions Judge Bhad-erwah, District Magistrate Doda, Secretary/ Sub Judge DLSA, SSP Doda, SP Bhaderwah, Superin-tendent Jail Bhaderwah besides other officers and officials and Police Staff.

During the visit, the Commit-tee took stock of basic necessi-ties available to the prisoners,

including clean drinking water, food, medical care, sanitation, proper clothing and bedding hygiene in kitchen, toilets and barracks etc.The Committee also

interacted with the inmates to listen to their grievances and is-sued on the spot directions to the concerned authorities regarding redressal of genuine grievances.

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HEADLINES TODAY 05CARRIED FROM PAGE 01 / CLASSIFIED. AUGUST,262021,THURSDAY

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LGdeveloping exponentially and simultaneously, added the Lt Governor.The Lt Governor asked the faculty members to maintain a balance between the teaching and learning aspects to produce global talent to meet the demand of changing market dynamics. The educational institutions need to focus on re-skilling, up-skilling, and new-skilling to make the young generation future-ready, the Lt Governor said.Underscoring the reformative measures taken by the UT Govern-ment in preparing J&K’s youth for Industry 4.0, the Lt Governor said that today, two Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training, one each in Baramulla and Jammu are making our youth acquainted with the new technological framework of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, besides accelerating the mission of Digital India.We are also channelizing the young energies through initiatives like youth clubs, and making them partners in the governance process, he added.Taking higher education to the far-flung areas of the UT, Kash-mir University has set up satellite campuses, and because of such efforts, it has been included in the top 50 universities of the country. The Skill Centre run by International Cooperation, Center of Excellence and Kashmir University is also facilitating the youth coming from small panchayats and towns, said the Lt Governor.Quoting Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Lt Governor asked the students to not believe in luck, but believe in hard work for a bright future. I hope Dr Kalam’s words will guide you in your new journey, added the Lt Governor.On August 15, the country celebrated its 75th Independence Day with great festivity. Now, the golden opportunity of the next 25 years is before you for the centenary celebrations of Indepen-dence and you must resolve to take the nation to a new height of development, the Lt Governor asked the youth.Sharing his experiences as an IIT student in Banaras Hindu University, the Lt Governor observed that today’s generation has more resources, more access to information and tools. Although we are living in a world consistently shifting due to pandemic, it is also providing more challenges and opportunities for growth, he added.The Lt Governor recalled his visit to Kulgam where he met with Tanveer Ahmed, who secured AIR-2 in the Indian Economic Service exam, and asked the youth to take inspiration from such achievers to build a better future.The Lt Governor also expressed his happiness over the girl students achieving maximum gold medals.Our country has built a vibrant democracy, a modern economy, in which the most important change is to make women socially and economically strong. The academic achievement of our girls is testament to the positive transformation taking place in J&K for women empowerment, the Lt Governor said.The Lt Governor congratulated the Vice Chancellor and all the faculty members for making constant efforts in bringing educational reforms, besides realizing the dream and vision of freedom fighters.Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir delivered the welcome address and read out the university report.Dr. Nisar Ahmad Mir, Registrar, Kashmir University conducted the proceedings and also presented the Vote of Thanks.On the occasion, the Lt Governor awarded gold medals to the students who excelled in academics. A total of 282 gold medals were awarded to girl students against 88 boys during the special convocation.Prominent among others present on the occasion were Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Member Parliament; Sh Junaid Azim Mattu, Mayor SMC; Sh. Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Sh. Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Ms. Sushma Chauhan, Administrative Secretary, Higher Education Department and Sh. Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir.Vice-Chancellors of various Universities, students and faculty members of Kashmir University were also present during the Special Convocation at Convocation Complex, KU.

HEATwould also bring the temperature down,” he said.Meanwhile, MeT spokesman said that the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, recorded a temperature of 32.9 degree Celsius today.He added that in the ongoing month, the hottest day in Srinagar was recorded yesterday at 33.2 degree Celsius. Kupwara in northern Kashmir was hottest in Kashmir today where mercury settled at 33.3 degree Celsius.The hottest in J&K was recorded in Ramban where mercury settled at 37.2 degree Celsius

TRUCK DRIVER“During frisking he took a cash amount of Rs 7000 from my dash board and when I tried to stop him he started to beat me and took the cash away,” Tariq alleged.He said that today morning he went to the police Barzulla station, where he lodged a complaint about the incident.Meanwhile, Tariq appealed to the police and adminis-tration to arrest the culprit at an earliest.“This is not the first incident in this area as many such incidents have taken place here before,” he added

SCHOOLSefficient governance in the school education department for all stakeholders with immediate effect from August-01 2021.“It has been found that the CEOs are still forwarding cases to this Directorate through offline mode despite clear cut instructions of the Administrative Department as referred above,” reads the communiqué issued by the Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK).The director directed all CEOs to switch over to online mode for the affiliation process and shall impart training to the dealing hands for operating the portal at district level after getting support from concerned NIC officials.“Besides they should give wider publicity to this information among all stakeholders and common masses in local print, electronic or social media platforms,” it reads Superintendent Police (West Zone)

KANGANresidential area after which he was shifted to SDH Kangan.Meanwhile, the teams of wildlife department have rushed to the spot to trace the wild bear

SONGMARGHospital Base Camp Nilgrath Sonamarg, where doctors declared him dead. The cause of his death is being ascertained while police have started proceedings under CrPc 174. The deceased soldier has been identified as Head Constable Manohar Kunkal, a native of Jharkhand. He was affiiated with 19 Infantry Division 15 Corps.

POLICEinformation about his presence, a police party from PS Ban-dipora under the supervision of DySP Hqrs Bandipora Mo-hammad Idrees raided the specific location and arrested the said absconder. He was wanted by law for his involvements in several criminal cases and was absconding since 2015.

INDIAto India for unrestricted use. The waters of western rivers —

Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — amounting to around 135 MAF annually has been assigned largely to Pakistan.According to the treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run-of-the-river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation.The treaty also gives right to Pakistan to raise objections to designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers.India is permitted to construct the run of the river plants on western rivers with limited storage as per criteria specified in the treaty, Saxena said.Earlier this year, during the meeting between Indus Commissioner of India and Pakistan, Shah also raised objections on the designs of Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir. To this, India said the designs are fully compliant with the treaty.Pakistan has also raised objections on hydropower projects in Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW) and Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) are in Leh; while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) are in Kargil. India had said the designs of these projects are also fully compliant with the treaty.

MEHBOOBAof India would have been like todays, J&K would have never acceded with India.People are being suppressed in Jammu and Kashmir and if same things continue, consequences would be dangerous, she said, adding that “BJP is lying that no political worker is under detention as 1200 people of J&K are still lodged in different jails of India whose parents have to accept public donations to meet their needs.”People living in different states of India are very poor and even there had no food during Covid crisis and dead bodies were seen floating in river Ganga, people even don’t have food to eat and house for shelter, who often sleep on roads and better is to give them food and shelter first and after that sell plots of Kashmir, she said while addressing workers.There are already around 10 lakh forces in J&K and 10 lakhs more forces can be brought here to get the plots, but the government should understand that the relation is with the people of J&K not with the land, she said—

LIBARIESwould be borne by RRRLF. The books and other reading material, he said, would be provided by J&K’s Libraries Department with the District Libraries serving as the base libraries for the initiative.He announced that on the recommendation of UTLLACPC, two public libraries from J&K including Gani Memorial Central Li-brary, Rajouri Kadal, Srinagar and District Library Samba would be upgraded under the centrally sponsored scheme – National Mission on Libraries (NML).The Committee approved setting up of IT Hubs at SRS Library Jammu and SPS Library Srinagar in convergence with Smart City Mission Jammu/Srinagar.The Committee was informed that the Jammu Smart City Ltd has already formulated Rs 4.30 crore DPR for upgradation of SRS Library Jammu including setting up of IT Hub while a similar proposal is under consideration of Srinagar Smart City.The Committee recommended that given its historic importance and rich repository of manuscripts and rare books, the Oriental Research Library, Srinagar be relocated to the upcoming Heritage Complex at Sherghari (Old Assembly Complex) where it can display the treasured collection of rare manuscripts and books. It was also recommended that the Libraries Department should approach the National Mission on Manuscripts (NMM) to get the Oriental Research Library enlisted as a Manuscript Resource Centre.In other decisions, the Committee called for putting in place a regulatory mechanism through the Department of Libraries & Research to regulate the functioning of Private Libraries & Reading Rooms coming up in J&K.In this regard, the Committee suggested that the Libraries De-partment should approach the Govt for laying down a framework for functioning of such Libraries & Reading Rooms so that the needy students and readers are not exploited.Proposals for automation and digitization of District Libraries, establishment of Digital Libraries at Gram Panchayat level in convergence with Mission Youth, J&K; establishment of Tribal Libraries in convergence with the Tribal Affairs Department; ar-ranging online/offline coaching for Competitive Exams including IAS/JKAS, NEET, JEE, AIPMT, CET, UPSC/JKPSC, NET/SLET, NDA/CDS, SSB, GMAT, CLAT, CAT etc through Public Libraries in collaboration with reputed Coaching Academies and Study Centres; shifting of City Central Library from SPS Library building to Gani Memorial Reading Room-cum-Library, Rajouri Kadal and establishment of Reading Rooms at Habba Kadal, Srinagar and Wanpora, Pulwama were also approved by the Committee.The meeting was attended by Director, Libraries & Research, Mr Mohammad Rafi; Director, Finance, Department of Culture, J&K; Representative of the Board of School Education, J&K; Deputy Director, Libraries Jammu/Kashmir; Assistant Director, Research & Publication wing; Chief Librarian, SPS Library Sri-nagar; Chief Librarian, SRS Library Jammu, Mr Satish Vimal, expert Hindi language; Mr Liaqat Jafri, expert Urdu language; Mr Rajeshwar Singh Raju, expert Dogri language; Mr Ghulam Nabi Haleem, expert Kashmiri Language; Ms Surinder Neer, expert Punjabi Language; Prof Parvez Majeed, Media Studies; Mr Saleem Pandit, Journalist and Mr Kulbushan Mahotra.Earlier today, Director General, NLI and RRRLF Kolkatta visited various libraries in and around Srinagar including Tehsil Library Ganderbal to take stock of the infrastructure requirement and availability of other facilities including books for the readers. He hailed the J&K’s Libraries Department for keeping its libraries open for readers, while all other public libraries across the country are closed due to COVID-19.

COURTreporter, who was performing his professional duty by publishing a news item on the basis of information obtained by him from an identifiable source.” Pertinently, an FIR was lodged against Journalist Asif Iqbal Naik who is working for ‘Early Times’ at Police Station Kishtwar after he filed a story about a man who had been tortured by police inside a police station. After the court verdict, Journalist Asif Iqbal Naik told news agency Kashmir News Trust that he had simply demanded action against the officer for misusing his power and maligning the profession of journalism. “Journalism is not a crime and journalists should not be treated as criminals. This case is classical example for those officers who abuse their power to settle scores,” Naik said. He said: “This is not the first case wherein I as a journalist faced harassment. Earlier I was banned from entering DC office Complex Kishtwar twice-once in 2008-09 & next time in 2018 after I expose ongoing corruption in the system. In 2018 High Court came to my rescue & stayed the order issued by the then DM Kishtwar,” he said adding that by engaging journalist in these types of cases, the officials at the helm of affairs not only try to intimidate them- but also waste the money-time and energy of journalists.

PANNALUnion Territories- UT of J&K and Ladakh UT.The Public Accounts headed by Adhir Ranjan Choudhary also visited J&K and Ladakh UTs between August 14 to 18 to look into the “provisioning, procurement and issue of high-altitude clothing, equipment, ration and housing of troops” on the basis of a report released by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in 2019.The parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation headed by Pratap Singh Bajwa also wrapped up its J&K visit last week after meeting the electricity stakeholders from different parts of the country.The parliamentary committees on Commerce and Urban De-velopment are presently in Jammu & Kashmir to discuss two different subjects.While the panel on Urban Development is holding discussions on implementation of central schemes like Smart City Mission, AMRUT, SBM (U), PMAY (U), the augmentation of infrastructure

facilities to boost exports is on the agenda of the parliamentary panel on commerce

APPLEsuch fruits and vegetables.” These fruit ripening chemicals were also banned by the state government in Kashmir in 2017, following reports of its ill-effects and an order was circulated by state horticulture department vide order no:75-Horti of 2017.Main while Kashmir Fruit Growers & Dealers Association (KF-GDA) Chairman Mr.Fayiz Ah Malik (Kaka G.) also issued an order copy on 27,06,2020.to higher authorities of Horticulture and Agriculture enforcement teams.In which the association highlights that the enforcement officials should take stern action against the violators, besides the field officers need to generate awareness among the growers about the ill effects of growth.While talking HEADLINES TODAY, Director Law Enforcement J&K, Bal Krishan Chandan said , Our teams are working round the clock in this regard, I assure you a stern action will be taken against those pesticide dealers and associates who are involved in this crime.He said, their should be no compromise on helath and wealth of country.he added.

Kathua Helicopter Crash: Searches

Continue For Missing PilotM S Nazki

Jammu, Aug 25 (GNS): Ten days after recovery of body of one of the two missing pilots of a helicopter of Indian Army's aviation corps which crashed near Ranjit Sagar Dam in the Basohli area of Kathua on August 3, searches continued for the second pilot on Wednesday, officials said.While the body of one of the pilots identified as Lt Col AS Baath was recovered on August 15, there was no trace of the remains of another pilot yet, official sources told GNS.Army has said to have intensified search operations for Pilot and helicopter which had crashed into the Ranjit Sagar Dam on August 3. Submarine Rescue Unit of Indian Navy was flown in to explore digitally located wreckage at depth of approximately 80 - 100 meters, the officials said.Air Force recently lifted the heavy equipment from Vishakhapatnam to Pathankot for speeding up the underwater search. Army and all other agencies including Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, NDRF, Ranjit Sagar Dam Authority and District Authorities continued searches for the missing pilot, he said. (GNS)

Day 29: No Trace Of Kishtwar Cloud-

burst MissingM S Nazki

Jammu, Aug 25(GNS): Eight women among 19 persons who went missing following a cloudburst and subsequent flash floods in Honzar Dachan village in Kishtwar district remained untraced on 29th day of searches, officials said on Wednesday.The calamity in the remote village of the Kishtwar occurred on intervening night of July 27 and 28.Director General of Police Dilbag Singh earlier this month had an aerial survey of the village. He also chaired a high-level meeting during which, among others, he stressed the need for intensifying the rescue operation to trace the missing persons.Authorities had pressed several teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with “sophisticated equipment” along with other res-cuers from police, Army and local volunteers, the officials said. However, NDRF, SRDF and other teams except police have withdrawn since.Success has been eluding the search teams after seven bodies were recovered and seventeen persons rescued in injured condition after the calamity.The missing persons include Saja Begum (60) wife of Ghulam Mohidin, Khursheed Ahmed (31) son of Mohammad Iqbal, Fida Hussain (26) son of Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Sharif (40) son of Ghulam Rasool, Almina Tasbassum (22) daughter of Mohammad Iqbal, Mata Begum (45) wife of Lala Tantry, Ghulam Mohammad (70) son of Ghulam Rasool, Fazal Hussain (18) son of Rustom Ali Chopan, Tariq Hussain (50) son of Nazir Ahmed, Zarina Begum (40) wife of Tariq Hussain, Mata Begum (45) wife of Ghulam Rasool, Fatima Begum (56) wife of Ghulam Ahmed, Bashir Ahmed (45) son of Rustum Ali, Begum (45) wife of Abdul Rehman, Sharifa Begum (38) wife of Ghulam Mohammad, Shakir Hussain (22) son of Ghulam Ahmed, Ghulam Ahmed (65) son of Abdul Aziz, Zubaida Banoo (25) daughter of Ghulam Ahmed and Khalid son of Haji Gami. Sources told GNS that as usual rescue operation was closed this evening by police and would be resumed tomorrow. (GNS)

Block DiwasDiv Com listens to people’s grievances at Dharmari

Says Govt committed to promote transparency, accountability & corruption free systemUrges PRIs to closely monitor development activities

REASI, AUGUST 25: Divi-sional Commissioner Jammu, Dr Raghav Langer today con-ducted an extensive tour of Reasi district and attended the weekly Block Diwas, here in Dharmari area and listened to people's issues. The Block Diwas was attend-ed by District Development Council, Chairman, Saraf Singh Naag; Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Charandeep Singh; Vice Chairperson DDC, Sajra Qa-dri; ADCs, ACD, CMO, CEO BDO, besides senior officers of various line departments.A large number of people in-cluding DDCs, BDC Chairper-sons, Sarpanches/ Panches and locals from adjoining Pancha-yats attended the Block Diwas.At the outset, the Division-al Commissioner interacted with the district officers present on the occasion and sought a brief status report on vari-ous flagship schemes of their respective departments.The concerned officers apprised the Div Com about the present status of works, schemes and key issues of their respective departments.The PRIs and Public put forth their demands seeking improved road connectivity, renovation of school buildings, better Health facilities, up gra-dation of Jal Shakti and power infrastructure, rationalization of teaching staff in schools, solution of mining issues, de-velopment of water bodies and other issues of public concern.The Div Com issued on the spot directions to the concerned departments for timely redress of the projected issues. He as-

sured the PRIs and Public that all the genuine demands would be met on priority.He also asked the district offi-

cers to establish close liaison with the PRIs and public and inform them regarding their projected issues. He also in-structed them to keep the track on the projected grievances till the same are redressed.The Divisional Commissioner highlighted that the Government has taken various mission mode projects for improvement of water supply schemes including Jal Shakti Mission (Har Ghar Nal se Jal). Similarly, PMGSY Phase-III is being started in near future for providing road connectivity to unconnected habitations and improvement of power infrastructure under SAUBAGYA scheme.The concerned officers also informed that most of the issues

raised by the public are under consideration and most of them would be resolved under lan-guishing projects, PMDP, Back

to Village and other funding schemes.The Divisional Com-missioner directed the DC to hold regular review meetings with all the concerned officers and seek physical and finan-cial status of executed works of Back to Village, 14th FC works, resolve issues related to mining, rationalize the teaching staff and redress all the issues raised by the public in a time bound manner. He also advised the DC to keep on changing the venues of Block Divas for better understanding of the problems of the public through Block Divas meetings.While addressing the gathering, the Div Com said that the Gov-ernment of UT is committed to development with transparency

and accountability. He men-tioned that the Government is creating a corruption free system.

He said that the office of the Lieutenant Governor has issued strict instructions to expedite the ongoing development works for their timely completion. He warned strict actions would be taken in case the contractors do not complete the works within the fixed timeline. "Many con-tractors have been blacklisted for poor performance and im-posed penalty clauses against such contractors’ he informed.Highlighting the importance of Panchayati Raj Institutions in execution and monitoring of de-velopment works, the Div Com said that PRIs can play a very effective role in supervision and monitoring of development works in their areas for their timely completion.

DC Ramban listens to people’s issues at Tangar, Parlanka villages; resolves several issues on the spot

RAMBAN, AUGUST 25: Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Mussarat Islam today visited Gypsum Mine Parlanka and Tangar village of Gandhri block and listened to the issues and grievances of general public besides resolving the same on the spot.BDC, Chairperson, Gandhari, Shamshada Begum; Additional Deputy Commissioner, Harbans Lal; CMO, Dr. Mohammad Fareed Bhat; Tehsildar, Ramban, Rafiq Ahmad; Executive Engineers of PDD, PWD and Jalshakti besides various other senior officers also present on the occasion.The Deputy Commissioner impressed upon the officers to ensure availability of basic amenities in rural and far-flung areas to facilitate the general public.Responding to the public demands, the DC directed the CMO Ramban to explore the possibilities for establishing a Health Sub Centre at Tangar. He also instructed the Department of ISM to organize AYUSH medicine distribution camps in the area.It was informed that a water supply scheme costing Rs 5.5 crore has been taken up in the area under Jal Jevan Mission to meet the local requirement of drinking water.The DC also directed the Executive Engineer JPDCL to augment the existing power distribution transformer 25 KVA to 63 KVA to improve power supply in Tangar area. He informed that after completion of power station work at Kanga the power supply scenario will be improved.Earlier, BDC Chairperson, PRIs and general public highlighted the demands and issues and sought adequate staff in schools, sanction of more Sheep units, clearance of payments pending under RDD, construction of road from Tangar to Gandhri via Dandi, up-gradation of Dharam Kund to Tangar road, SRTC bus service from Ramban to Tanger besides other developmental issues of Tangar area. They also complained about inflated power bills.

Kashmir University B.sc Nursing

Student Rubiya Gul Bags Gold Medal .

SULIMAN SAITH

Ganderbal 25th August :Kashmir University student of B.sc Nursing Rubiya Gul bags gold medal for securing first po-sition in 19th Annual convocation in Kashmir University which was held on 25th Aug 2021.Rubiya Gul is a young girl from Ganjipora Batwina Ganderbal, who after various battles came to the objective where everybody in the line of scho-lastics dreams up until now. Rubiya sought her fundamental education at Ganjipora Batwina Ganderbal and after that to accomplish exposure and quality education.Contending her batchmates she endeavored to get the top rank.We have prof-fesionals in various lines here in Kashmir. While in an exclu-sive Interview with a photojournalist from Central Kashmir Suliman Seith, Rubiya Said, "Ways might be unique loaded with thistles yet that doesn't mean we will stop to continue on, life is loaded with battles and we should remain solid to confront each difficulty and accomplish our objectives. In a recently held convocation, I think 70% girls were among the achievers, young ladies ought not linger behind they should come on cutting edge to demonstrate their capacities.Rubi-ya added.Local people in Ganjipora Batwina Ganderbal are visiting the home of Rubiya Gul to pay their appreciation and gratitude to the young lady who is currently an inspiration for the young ladies of entire area.

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Challenges and the Solution of ill

effects of Covid-19 Lockdown...Price-rise has broked the backbone of economy. Poor labourers, hawkers, small transporters and

daily wagers are the worst hit.

World over the economies are being hit badly by the contem-porary lockdown. The ill effects of this shutdown has started showing its impact. Although it is now a global phenomenon

however Kaahmir has been bearing the brunt of these lockdowns from last more than three decades now. Now the Continues lockdown from August 5 2019, followed by Covid Lockdown has further deteriorated the already ailing economy of Kashmir region. Kashmir Economic Alliance KEA very recently informed media in Srinagar that there has been a terrible impact of the Continues lockdowns from last three years now on the economy of J&K. Hundereds and even thousands of our dejected youth have lost their jobs completely or have witnessed a major Salery cut. Thousands of our daily wagers, transporters, labrors or small business operators have been rendered job less. Millions and millions of people have been rendered jobless across the globe and have plunged into poverty within last 20 months now. Covid Pandemic has broked the backbone of most of the giant economics of the world. As people suffer for want of the jobs Islam has the solution in the form of giving alms ‘Zakaat’ or ‘baitul maal’ The western countries,including the united state’s, are known to us for all the wrong reasons.Unquestionablly ,they do have a number of inadequacies. The mess and disorder around the world ,has, in one or the other way,a western hand in it.But they have been doing a lot of good work as well.Little is known about their virtue and righteousness.In The united state’s alone, there are Many billionaires,like Bill gates,Warren Buffet ,and Mark zukerberg ,who have been immensely playing a part for the alleviation of downtrodden and underprivileged.Warren Buffet is a notable philanthropist,who has vowed to give 99% of his fortune to philanthropic causes , mainly through Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.Same is being done by Mark zukerberg. They have been doing it not only in the united states but beyond it’s borders as well.The Gates foundation has been doing a lot of social work even in the remote corners of India,helping poor children with their education and healthcare facilities. Those video clips of people from some areas in south Kashmir, living with-out food and good shelter,circulating on social media ,some weeks ago,w-ere horrible and hair-raising.I had never imagined that in Kashmir people would be suffering from hunger and malnutrition. In a magazine,more than a decade ago,I had read that Singapore was the richest country in the world,with every household having property of minimum one lakh dollar’s.Monthly ,then,I made the calculations that Kashmir too doesn’t fall any-where behind.We too were the richest province in the country, with every household having it’s own shelter and nobody starving.Very proudly I would say the same, whenever any discussion erupted anywhere.But those video clips,which some Kashmiri pandit had shared,were shocking.It made me to reassess thing’s.It is making me state strongly that at our place too people are made to faint from the lack of food. Kashmir is a Muslim dominated province and Islam has equipped us with many instruments and rulings to not let anyone die of hunger or stay without a roof over his head.Zakaat and Baitul Maal are some of them.All along we have been hearing a lot about Baitul Maal and zakaat but these instruments seem to be just inscribed on paper’s.If we abstain from obeying the letter of the law but not the spirit ,hardly anyone will have to sleep empty stomach . Hardly people will be allowed to sleep in tin sheds.Our Prophet (SAW) has unam-biguously instructed us to see if our neighbors have eaten,before we eat or if any of our relatives or neighbors is in trouble. People of course are contributing, but probably their donations need to be channelized so that the needy and deprived are Lent a helping hand. The public at time’s seem to have apprehensions donating,worried if the their donations end up at the right people. As of now , Baitul Maal seems to be the most workable and man-ageable way of helping people at the local levels. When will kashmiris come around and recover consciousness.We all need to chip in to help the needy and underprivileged. But in way that has the least probability of getting into the hand’s of undeserving and fraud-sters.

06AUGUST,262021,THURSDAY

HT EDITORIAL HEADLINES TODAY

THURSDAY 26 August 2021,17 Muharram 1443

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By: M S Nazki

Some wonders on the down slopes of Pir Panjals towards Shopian do stand and call for attention but who

cares! This one has been screaming ever since the Mughal Road project became a

reality!

‘The love affair of Mughals with the verdure of Kashmir, an idyllic life in the Himalayas that thus began with

Emperor Akbar, continued till the late 17th century. But even as emperor after emperor made their way into Kashmir,

each leaving indelible impressions in the culture of this land, none were more dedi-cated than Emperor Jahangir either to the

valley or to the road leading to it’. Leg-ends and folklore are a testimony to that.

‘The great Mughal Emperor Akbar was illiterate; he could neither read

nor write. However, that had not stopped him from cultivating the acquain-

tance of the most learned and cultured poets, authors, musicians, and architects of the time - relying solely on his remark-able memory during conversations with

them. He was the man who spread the em-pire the expanse of which reached Kash-mir and was the first one in the lineage of the empire to travel on the Imperial

Mughal route.’

‘ But it was his son, Shekhu, Jehangir who made this route famous because

of his famous visits along with his queen Noor Jehan accompanied by his

massive entourage of his soldiers. It was this lover of beauty who went on to devel-op this route and also died on one of his trips somwhere between Behrahm Gala

and Bafliaz. Aliabad Sarai’ was one of the 14 Paravas (halting stations) on the 246 long route between Lahore to Srinagar. Another patriarch of beauty Emperor

Shah Jehan got it constructed in the last leg of the 16th century. He had ordered an Iranian engineer Ali Mardan Khan for its

construction’!

‘ Abul Fazl wrote about the Mughal

system of sub-continental commu-nication developed during the reign

of Akbar as reflected in the Ain-i-Ak-bari. It was during this period of rapid

road-building activity by Akbar that Kashmir was annexed by the Mughal Em-pire in 1586, and of the four roads (Na-mak Road, Pakhli Road, Poonch Route

and Kishtwar Route) that connected Kashmir to India of the total of twenty-six

total roads noted by Abul Fazl linking Kashmir the rest of the world, the Namak Road connecting Kashmir to Lahore went

on to receive maximum royal attention for infrastructural reinforcement, leading it to emerge as the most prominent of the few contemporary roads connecting the otherwise isolated, landlocked valley of Kashmir to India, known as the Mughal Imperial Road and on this lies this Sarai

a structure of beauty but now a monument that does need serious attention but no

one gives the same’.

‘Be there and spend a couple of nights and have the feel of the whispers, the careless ones which the walls of this

legendary halting station in the middle of the flushing meadows have to say. I have had it thrice at least readers try it once!

Everything has that magnetic aura which draws into the mysterious world of ro-

mance with nature, into a dreamland that is haunting, enchanting and mesmerizing.

Once you are into it, you simply do not one to come out! I have experienced, why

not you all also do so!

TRAVEL AND TOURISM:

The story is old and extremely fascinating. The Mughal army under the command of Qasim Shah annexed

Kashmir in 1586. This was the time when Akbar ruled the Empire. In November 1586, the last independent king of Kashmir was defeated by the Mughals in a fierce battle that took place around the Shopian area of South Kashmir. Thereafter started the romance of the emperors with the beauty of Kashmir and so came up all the beautiful places which people

from all over the world love. But all that we see did not come up in a day. From Akbar to Aurangzeb the imprints of the great Mughals can be found everywhere in the valley and one such big legend is this Sarai with the name Aliabad prefixed to it. The Mughals did not rule Kashmir directly from Delhi, as it was part of the Kabul province until Shah Jahan became the ruler. During the reign of Shah Jahan, Kashmir became a separate province of the Mughal Empire, administered by a Governor.It was always a summer affair and

Quite an elaborate one. After begin-ning their journey the entire Mughal caravan would pass through Gujarat (Punjab) , Kotla Arab Ali Khan, Bhim-ber, Jhangar, Nowshera, Chingus, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Surankote, Bafliaz, Noori Chamb, Chandimarh, Poshana, Pir ki Gali, Shopian, Khamp-ora Sarai and Srinagar. After crossing Bhimber, Nowhshehra, the imperial caravan would stay at Chingus sarai. From Rajouri and Thana Mandi Sarai onwards, the road is quite a zigzag affair and turns down to Surankote, which is a tehsil headquarters of the Poonch district. After passing Surankote, the Mughal caravan used to cross via Bafliaz village, which is located on the banks of Poonch river. The Mughal foot cavalcade would be accompanied by local people under the command of Jagirdars of the area. Emperor Jahangir used to stay at an elevated place called Baradari, which was constructed at Chandimarh –located 2 km ahead of Noori Chamb on the way to Srinagar. After crossing Chandimarh, there is a beautiful village called Poshana. The Mughals had constructed a Sarai in this village, too. From Poshana, the imperial caravan used to cross the Pir Panchal pass (Pir ki Gali). There is this beautiful Mughal Sa-rai, the Aliabad Sarai, located just across Pir ki Gali. The ruins of the Sarai can still be found at Aliabad and people from Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir throng to this area for an outing during the summers. From Aliabad Sarai, it would take the Mughal caravan a day or two to reach Srinagar. Between the Alia-bad Sarai and Srinagar, there is one more Sarai, located at Khampora village. The village itself is known as Khampora Sarai and is located around 16 km south of Srinagar.I The route was loved by the Mu-

ghals and they laid the plans for the infrastructure:Most frequently traversed during the

Mughal rule and infrastructure was developed to strengthen it and thereby to support it, this road navigated the Pir Panjal mountain range through the Rattan Pir Pass and Peer ki Gali, connecting Lahore to Kashmir via the halting stations of Gujarat, Dowlath Nagar, Kotla Arab Ali Khan, Bhim-ber, Saidabad, Nowshera, Chingus, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Behramgala, Poshiana, Aliabad, Hirpur, Shopian and Ramu.*While Jahangir had ac-companied Akbar to Kashmir several times in his youth, typically during fall, it was after his coronation and towards the latter half of his reign that travelling to Kashmir, usually with Noor Jehan in spring, became a matter of annual court tradition.*In 1620, 1622, 1624, 1625, 1626,

and 1627, Jahangir kept returning to Kashmir, leaving Lahore in March or April in order to reach Kashmir by May, each time travelling deeper

into the valley.*Even as parallel activities such

as documenting the highland bio-diversity with court painters and planning elaborate pleasure gardens accentuating the beauty of the valley were undertaken by the emperor, the central idea of basking in the bounties of nature that Jahangir initiated in Kashmir established a precedent that still renders the Kashmir as a romanticized getaway.* These were the places where

the romance between Jehangir the emperor who loved to live in his

own dreamy world and the empress Noor Jehan blossomed in the exqui-site waterfalls, banks of the rivers, extravagant meadows and lavish resting places.II. The Aliabad Sarai:The records suggest that earlier the

sarai was built here by Mughal em-peror Jalal ud Din Mohammad Akbar. He had built it for the conveyance of the travelers who used to trav-el on this route. However records further suggest that the Sarai was later on restored by another king Shahjahan who named it after his faithful governor Ali Mardan Khan, as such the sarai came to be known as Aliabad sarai.*The sarai follows the Mughal

architecture and is square in plan. It faces south. The sarai is built of rubble stone and small baked bricks which are raised in red lime mortar. Sarai has internally several cells and rooms which are believed to have been used by the travelers as their shelter. The roof is laid of earthen layers on which has grown the thick green vegetation.*The travelers who have been to

this site in the earlier times have recorded that the sarai of Aliabad has been the most glorious site of this hilly track. It has provided comforts not only to royal Mughal caravans but to everyone who happened to travel on this road.III. The layout:If you have an aerial view of the

structure it looks like a perfect square all covered with vegetation which looks like velvet. Simply an amazing creation as far as architecture goes. *Aliabad sarai is situated on the left

bank of Nallah Panchal below the feet of Ratinpeer mountain about 32km from the Shopian.*A perfect square, with two out-

grown domes, on the front and the back side. Very similar to the Chin-gus Sarai yet unique and smaller in dimensions. The stones used are the local sedimentary rocks bound together with Choona-surkhi; thou-sand times stronger than the concrete used today.*The cover of the front dome has

been hollowed; rest of the ceiling is still intact. A roundel over the roof is in dilapidated condition of the royal resting place.* A royal aperture with smooth slabs,

perhaps from Awantipora, lining it in a beautiful manner, but the door is missing along with a few slabs. There are two small rooms, on each side of the gate, for the gatekeepers (Darbaans in those days).*Opposite to the entry area, is a set

of three interlinked royal rooms, maybe, for the emperor and his queen. Then there are 26 other rooms, with the rhombus like corner rooms, in-terconnected all for the other royals who moved along with this massive foot cavalcade.*The left and right of the Sarai are

divided into seven equal compart-ments; while the front and the rear in nine compartments, including the entry area. And over the door of each compartment, is an arched lattice carved out of stone, left par-tially in one or two. They have been broken or stolen too. If maintained the place could be a major tourist attraction and economy booster but it’s not to be.*On the right side of the Mughal

Sarai, is a graveyard, with about 60 identifiable graves.

*Aliabad is not any village or town , it is simply a meadow. *There are no permanent settlers

found anywhere in the Aliabad stretch , but as records say there was once a hamlet of about 15 Muslim Syed families who permanently lived at the site .*The remains of an old graveyard

are still found at the site. These days one can see few nomadic families living seasonally in their small muddy Kothas, these are mostly bakerwals and shepherds who come from the hot plains of Rajouri and Poonch areas.

IV. Stories and folklore:Obviously the old route meant plenty

of stories carrying on down the eras. Not surprisingly the route has plenty of folklores that do tend to raise the goose pimples for a while.* The legend of Lal Ghulam: The

story carried by the annals tells that Lal Gulam was a man- eater. He would seize upon the passengers, hurl them down to devour them at leisure in his den in the declivity. It was the brave Ali Mardan Khan, Shah Jehan’s Governor in Kashmir, who on repairing the road for his master’s royal caravan was given a report about this monster. He came himself in full armor to this spot, went down alone to the den. Lal Gulam was out, but his son was in. The fearless Khan killed the beast. Since then the road was safe.* The suggestion of an astrologer: An

astrologer had suggested a diamond and a coin to be placed on a piece of rock of the declivity wherefrom the projection upward to the path ought to be built. Thus the path was repaired for the royal caravan. It was a very difficult task but it was made. When Governor Ali Mardan Khan came to take a look, accompanied by soldiers and workers, he asked whether anybody knew where the diamond on the pathway made was placed. A worker answered his call that yes, he knew where it was. The Khan lost no time to behead the worker Lal Gulam whose corpse was thrown down into the pit of the mountain. Khan’s brutal act was because of the apprehension that this slave/worker/Lal Ghulam could someday take away the diamond making the pathway made give in to natural calamities. The safety of the road demanded the death of Lal Gulam. The spot henceforth came to be known as Lal Gulam. It con-tinued to live in the memory of the people as Lal Gulam. It still does. Myth born in the past out of such a wonderful feat of engineering is obvious enough when communi-cation was very scant, in fact next to nothing. The fact might be that Lal Gulam was the dexterous slave engineer of the Mughal time ( may be a Kashmiri) who had built the difficult pathway, a sort of projec-tion, in those days especially made for royal elephants. Today there is a wide tarred road at this place for making the modern times massive trucks, busses and lorries move.*These are only two but there are

far too many that the historians have accumulated and have been carrying on since generations.Kashmir was always beautiful

since Nature had bestowed its entire bouquet of beauty on the place but it were the Mughals who ensured that the natural extravagance could be enhanced to be enjoyed by the posterity and we are doing so. But there are places that need to be re-stored so that they too become major attractions on the tourist itinerary. One such place calling for attention in the middle of the lavish flushing meadow is Aliabad Sarai. Hopefully the administration will check it out now! Because it needs to be!

For Feedback and responses tothe Authors writeup please drop in your suggestions/ constructivecriticism on ... dailyheadlinestoday@

gmail.com

Aliabad Sarai: It’s haunting, scary but an interesting place to stay!

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HEADLINES TODAY 07AUGUST,262021,THURSDAYHT. IDEAS/ OPINION EXCHANGE.

OWNER:SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Printer: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Publisher: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Editor: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Published From: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS BUILDING, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSI BHAT, LAWAYPORA, SRINAGAR. Printed at: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSIBHAT LAWAIPORA SRINAGAR 190017.. RNI NO: JKENG/2011/39231. CELL NO: 9419008414.

9999038812. Email Id: dailyheadlinestoday@gmail.com. Website: headlinestodaydaily.com

Afghanistan has long stood at the crossroads of a number of cultural and spiritual traditions. Because of its strategic location

between the Middle and Far East, it has been an important trading route and meeting place of different cultures for thousands of years. In the past Afghanistan has been home to Zoroastrian, Hindu, Buddhist as well as Muslim communities.

Afghanistan: A Land of Awakened People

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The war continues to rage in Afghanistan. The enduring violence and conflict has left

the nation, its people and economy in ruins. Over the past twenty years, billions of dollars have been spent and army commanders have gone. Like many of its neighbors in the Middle East, Afghanistan continues to find its existence challenged by the problem of terrorism, fundamentalism and fanaticism. Why is there so much violence and extrem-ism in Afghanistan? Why are the same Muslims that live in India, Indonesia and Malaysia able to live more peacefully with their neighbors? The an-swer could lie in an incomplete understanding of the history and culture of Afghanistan.Afghanistan has long stood

at the crossroads of a number of cultural and spiritual tradi-tions. Because of its strategic location between the Middle and Far East, it has been an important trading route and meeting place of different cul-tures for thousands of years. In the past Afghanistan has been home to Zoroastrian, Hindu, Buddhist as well as Muslim communities. All these traditions flourished in har-mony — the country thrived both intellectually and mate-rially because of its openness to various ideas — until the 20th century. Unfortunately, in this century Afghans have

been encouraged or otherwise forced to disown and disrespect their own ancestral heritage, which promoted the values of

non-violence and tolerance. Disowning these traditions has resulted in a rise of fanaticism and fundamentalism, which has radicalized an entire gen-eration.Many people don’t realize

that the ancient Zoroastrian religion has its roots in pres-ent day Afghanistan. Bud-dhism entered Afghanistan at a very early period, and

over the centuries, various rulers, both non-Buddhist and Buddhist, supported the widespread construction of

Buddhist monasteries there. Afghanistan was once a cen-tre of Vedic culture. In fact the word Afghanistan comes from the Sanskrit roots, “ahi”, “gana”, and “sthan”, mean-ing the country of awakened people. A number of Hindu teachers and Buddhists monks of great reputation lived in Afghanistan and founded fa-mous universities and schools

of yoga and meditation there. There was a rich tradition of meditation, spirituality, music, dance, and architecture, all of

which has been systematical-ly suppressed in recent times and replaced by an aggressive and extremist interpretation of Islam.When pride becomes asso-

ciated with aggression in a culture, it can lead youth to believe that theirs is the only right path, and that they have the right to destroy anything that they see as blasphemous

and against the will of God. If a person identifies himself pri-marily with a religion, culture or nationality, he can remain

locked in that position, to fight and die for it — and others will die with him.Often violence comes with

noise. Non-violence happens in silence. People who are vi-olent make huge noise; they make it known. People who are non-violent are quiet. But the time has come for people who are non-violent to make noise so that the violence will

quieten down. The message of non-violence has to come loud and clear so that it can be heard from a young age. The way to get rid of fanaticism in Afghanistan and elsewhere is through an education that emphases non-violence and is broad-based, multicultural and multi-religious so that as a child grows up, he or she does not think that only the Bible or the Koran hold the truth. Religious and spiritual lead-ers in particular need to have a broader understanding of cultures and religions. We have to teach children to embrace non-violence and value human life more than any particular religion or culture.When we learn to broaden our

vision and deepen our roots in this way, people will not fall into a narrow and rigid idea of the will of God; they will not act in aggressive and intolerant ways to defend it. We should encourage the people of Afghanistan to study their own history and to see the value of this broader perspective. Afghanistan thrived for cen-turies as a Centre of learning, commerce and culture. For Afghanistan to survive as both a culture and a country in the present, and to flourish into the future, its youth need to take a look at the wealth of their ancestral history and honor the diversity of their culture.Only then will the country

will be Afghanistan, the Land of the Awakened.

Author is spiritual Leader, Global Hu-manitarian, Peace Ambassador and Founder, Art of Living Foundation

For Feedback and responses tothe Authors writeup please drop in your suggestions/ constructivecriticism on ... dailyheadlinestoday@

gmail.com

23 boys and 23 August 1998 something was happening in the mountainous jungles of Kashmir valley!

Hamid Gada alias Bambar Khan had lured the boys into a trap but the plan was brought to a naught by the Indian army and hence it was a return back of the prodigals! But several other things also happened!

M S NAZKI

It was a norm in those days to

entrap young kids just off the blocks by showing them a world that never

existed. What existed was a ruse

and a mirage of dreams which were

never true. Many had fallen into the

deadly trap laid after some great

plastering of the fragile brains with

heavy duty verbosity laced with

superb words telling that everything

that was being done because it was

the decree of God’s. It could not

have been because the God’s do not

teach absurdity which means killing

the innocent and tearing apart the

strands that bind the brotherhood

of man. Humans do it for their own

selfish ends and that is what precise-

ly happened and in this whole gamut

it was Kashmir that got ruined.

Thirty two years later things seemed

to have mellowed down but still the

cinders of the flames simmer but occasionally’!

The Kashmiri youth

at that time thought

that some of the

most beautiful

things worth hav-

ing in your life come wrapped in

a crown of thorns. But that was not

the case. It was all falsehood coming

in wrapped with deft accumulation

of promises wrapped in lies. They

were being promised a moon in the

heavens (Jannat to be precise), mon-

ey in abundance, a lavish lifestyle, a

breathtaking voyage into the land of

pure (Pakistan), lovely maidens serv-

ing meals and the gun in hand. But

this was all a set up plan to booby trap

the youth with only one consequence

and that was a dreadful death with

bullets puncturing the body frames.

Those who died for the insignificant

and worthless cause chose their own

destiny which led them only on a one

way alley to hell (Dozakh). Obvious-

ly the choice was theirs’!

-‘The love of the Hurriyet lead-

ers, terror giants in Pakistan, the mo-

tivators here who had all the exquisite

art of brainwashing the young boys

and the Hurriyet leaders was all con-

ditional. They wanted Kashmir to be

on the boil and for that they needed

the blood to flow continuously of a Kashmiri and it did. They were being

paid for this nonsense. But what was

a young man off balance getting? A life of a fugitive on the run and kill-

ing spree, night journeys because of

the fear and then knocking doors of

the people in the interiors in desper-

ation to have food and sleep, getting

engaged in encounters and then get-

ting killed or massive funeral gather-

ings all for the purpose of keeping the

blood filled pot on the boil always’! It was profound stupidity all the way!

-‘ Why were the youth getting

themselves into a conundrum where

death was a certainty. Okay fine, they thought that it was for a cause. But

what was it? There was no cause at all. If there was one it was only which

the extreme leaders had created with

their catchy phrases, parables, mag-

netic ability of citing the examples of

the dead and buried intermixed with

magnetic interpretations of the word

Jihad in a wrong way. But for what? At least not for the youth rolling over

as ninepins but for themselves! I have

yet to see one singular young man

from the families of the extreme talk-

ers and basically chatterboxes joining

the militant ranks and getting killed.

Why go far, even the goofy Hizb

Chief’s (Sallahuddin) children did

not venture there and got themselves

enrolled in Government services and

the old man Geelani Sahib (as they

call him) was a member legislative

assembly of Jammu and Kashmir and

drawing the coveted pension along

with becoming an Amir of the Tan-

zeems operating in Kashmir. About

his children well every Kashmiri

knows. Apartments such as Geelani’s

residence in Hyderpora, Mirwaiz

Manzil and the erstwhile Rajbagh

separatists Piccadly circus did not

come up just like that. It was all made

on the blood of the youth of Kashmir

and this the young have to realize

as they stand at cross roads. One is

a road that has been tread upon the

most, initially smooth but then later

disaster ridden. The other is a road

not taken, which would definitely be tough initially but later smooth and

the destination, a garden of roses of

all varieties with all the fragrance.

-’23 years back on 23rd August,

23 boys got entrapped and were all

ready to move to POK absolutely

brain numbed with eyes gazing at a

fake galaxy of surprises, moving in

the jungles like possessed individu-

als under the grasp of the devils and

hypnotized to the limits. But sudden-

ly something happened, the spell cast

cracked like a mirror and each shard

showed them the realities with their

future glaring at them in the images

emanating from the broken pieces of

the mirror! Today they are living with

their families and children, 93 indi-

viduals in all including their wives

and children’. This story is about how

everything happened after the prodi-

gal sons returned home, courtesy In-

dian Army’!

What are the signs of a frustrat-

ed youth, angry upon himself yet not

knowing the exact reason and always

in dichotomy and an indecisive state

as to what to do and what not. Anoth-

er sure fire sign is the inclination to sulk and brood on trivial matters that

he is the victim of all possible things

being done by the Army and the secu-

rity forces. This is the exact material

which men like Hamid Gada alias

Bambar Khan used to look for, in fact

all others given the task of recruiting

young men to join the militant ranks

and later become scourge for the

society. The resentment is an inner

complaint, that murmuring, whining,

grumbling, lamenting, and griping

that go on inside the heart can always

be exploited. The feeling of being

the most misunderstood, rejected,

neglected, and despised person in the

world makes anyone vulnerable and

that is what the demons of fortune

are looking for. This complaining is

self-perpetuating and counterproduc-

tive because this is just for evoking

pity and receiving the satisfaction

which is given the icing by the men

with bad intent. All this leads to what

is most feared: further rejection and

finally death. Those boys who re-

alized this are doing very well but

those who did not, everyone knows

their fate! Bullets are meant for the

enemy but if our own becomes an en-

emy and fires at us, what should the security forces do? They have to hit

back and they do, the decimator of

the innocents has to be gunned down

and he is though surrender is still giv-

en as an option!

I The story: The group of 23rd

who could have been in the deadly

frying man where survival was just

momentary:

For a very long time they consid-

ered low self-esteem to be some kind

of virtue. They lost their touch with

their true self and embarked on the

destructive search among the wrong

people and in the wrong places. All

this was characterized by wrong

judgment after some feeble analysis

filled with adjectives of condemna-

tion, anger and resentment, bitterness

and jealousy, so pernicious and so

damaging to the heart. Anyone would

have got lost and so did these twenty

three and thereafter started the walk

on a road to hell.

* On 23 Aug 1998, a group of

23 young Kashmiri boys was appre-

hended, while attempting to cross the

Line of Control. These young boys

were being compelled into a path of

militancy through false promises by a

fellow Kashmiri by the name of Ab-

dul Hamid alias Bambar Khan, a res-

ident of Ganderbal. None could say

no to him because he was ruthless.

* For 10 days from 04 Aug to

14 Aug 1998, Khan, with the help of

local OGWs, was on mission recruit-

ment and had managed to influence

the psyche of these 23 young boys,

all within 18 years of age.

* Methods used were several and

these included coercion, using the

name of religion and Gods, threats or

whatever was possible with the bot-

tom line, ‘are you with us or not’!

*They were taken and kept in

the dense jungles of Ajas. Thereafter

the group moved across the Shamsha

Bari range into Gurez Tulail Valley,

with the aim of crossing the LOC,

into POK. There were men carrying

guns with them, so escape from the

dragnet was impossible.

*They were then to be trained

there in terrorism activities and there-

after had to infiltrate back into Kash-

mir and indulge in militant activities,

at the behest of the masters of evil

manifestations in Pakistan.

* Many before too had been tak-

en away like this and had fallen prey

to the words ejaculated out of devi-

ous mouthpieces with sly smiles on

faces which were experts at hiding

realities.

*Bambar Khan was one man

who was terror personified and no one could tell him no. (I will come to

his elimination later).

* On 23 August 1998, informa-

tion was received by the Brigade

Headquarters, that a large number of

youths were seen in the jungles near

the Kishanganga River. This was an

alarming scenario and the action had

to be taken and it was.

* An operation was launched.

It was led by (then Captain) and

now Brigadier Budhwar. This group

of youths was sighted in the lower

reaches of the forest.

* The soldiers held fire, as the terrorists accompanying these youths

had run away taking cover of the

thick foliage and vegetation. These

young boys on seeing the Indian

Army soldiers, shouted for help and

immediately surrendered.

*The troops quickly took control

of the situation and helped them to

cross the river, which was in spate

and escorted them to Gurez, where

they were medically examined and

were given food, water and warm

beds to sleep. Thereafter they were

brought to HQ 15 Corps in Badami

Bagh Cantonment and were reunited

with their parents.

* The prodigal sons had returned

to their homes from where they were

taken. It was perhaps the happiest

moment for their parents. They had

realized that all roads out of hell lead

home ultimately.

* Now they are back to their

homes. Once a person learns to read

the signs of love and thus to believe

it, love leads him into the open field wherein he himself can love. If the

prodigal sons had not believed that

the parents’ love, sister’s love was

already waiting for them, they would

not have been able to make the jour-

ney home. They came from there,

where they never belonged.

II. The story of love with life

continues:

The true adventurer goes forth

aimless and uncalculating to meet

and greet unknown fate. A fine ex-

ample was these kids on an unknown

journey, when they all started back

home.

*The rescued boys are now lead-

ing normal, happy lives and are mar-

ried and have families of their own,

with children, who themselves nur-

ture dreams of having successful ca-

reers, and being responsible citizens

of the country.* To commemorate

this day, an event was organized at

Manasbal lake, wherein, the rescued

individuals, along with their families

attended the great affair of joy.* A cultural event consisting of

an audio visual clip of memories of

these individuals of their harrowing

experiences with the terrorists in the

jungles was presented and a situa-

tional melodrama about the same was

also performed. Needless to mention

it had a message and everyone.

Continue on tomarrows issue

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HEADLINES TODAY 08AUGUST,26

2021,THURSDAYNATIONAL/ ADVT./ PROMOTIONAL PAGE

Student Gang-Raped, Boyfriend Thrashed By Robbers Near Mysore: Cops

Mysore: A student in Karnataka was al-legedly gang-raped and her boyfriend was beaten up after the couple refused to give money to a gang of robbers on Tuesday near Mysore, police said.

According to the FIR (first information report), a group of men surrounded the couple when they visited the Chamundi Hills in the outskirts of the city and asked them for money.

They were attacked when they refused. Two men allegedly raped the woman; her boyfriend was thrashed by the gang mem-bers.

Nearly 24 hours after the incident, the accused are still missing as the couple recovers in a local hospital.

The police have filed a gang-rape case under Section 376-D of the Indian Penal Code. No arrests have been made so far, po-lice have said, adding that the probe is on. Student Gang-Raped, Boyfriend Thrashed By Robbers Near Mysore: Cops

Mysore Gang-Rape Case: Police are still looking for the accused.

The police have filed a gang-rape case under Section 376-D of the Indian Penal Code. No arrests have been made so far, po-lice have said, adding that the probe is on.

The statement of the woman is yet to be recorded.

Chamundi hills, about 13 kilometers off the city of Mysore, is among the state’s popular destinations where the famous Sri Chamundeswari Temple is located. Bengal-uru, the state capital, is about 150 km away.

Overall positivity declining gradually in the district: DC Gbl

GANDERBAL, AUGUST 25: The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Krittika Jyotsna today said that overall positivity is declining gradually in the district and in this week the overall positivity has decreased to 3.47 percent.

The DC said this during a routine press briefing to present an overall situation of the Covid-19 in the district, besides the Covid containment and mitigation mea-sures employed so far in the district.

Giving details, the DC said that the active cases in the district are 58 and said that next 100 days are crucial and request-ed all to not lower the guard and continue to follow the Covid Appropriate Behaviour and other SOPs.The DC said that Block Diwas is resumed in the district from this Wednesday under strict observance of Covid Appropriate Behaviour and for next two weeks the Block Diwas will be con-ducted at District Head Quarter only and after analyzing the parameters with regard to Covid, the Block Diwas shall resume in other identified places of the district also and people would be informed accordingly. Head Quarter only and after analyzing the parameters with regard to Covid, the Block Diwas shall resume in other identified places of the district also and people would be informed accordingly.

Amarinder Singh To Lead Polls: Congress After ‘Remove Captain’ Calls

New Delhi: The Congress backed Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh a day after a section of party leaders re-newed their rebellion against his leadership. Senior party leader Harish Rawat said Mr Singh will lead the party in the coming state elections.

“We will contest 2022 Pun-jab elections under the lead-ership of Captain Amarinder Singh,” said Mr Rawat, who is the party in-charge in the state.

The demand for Mr Singh’s removal from the post of the Punjab Chief Minister resur-faced after he targeted the ad-visors of state Congress chief Navjot Sidhu over their com-ments on Pakistan and Kash-mir.

Yesterday, 3 party MLAs, including four ministers, held a meeting and said they will write to the Central leadership on the issue.

“Captain should be replaced

else the Congress won’t sur-vive... we will meet Sonia Gand-

hi over the issue,” said cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa after the meeting.

Today, the four cabinet min-isters -- Mr Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit

Singh Channi -- met Mr Rawat in Dehradun. After the meet-

ing with Mr Rawat, they were expected to go to Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting un-named sources.

The Congress has backed Mr Singh through the rebellion

in the party ranks that lasted weeks. But their compromise formula also included eleva-tion of Mr Sidhu, the biggest critic of the Chief Minister.

But the fresh infighting in-dicated that the crisis in the state party -- which started ear-lier this year -- is far from over. A section of MLAs have been contending that Mr Singh’s fail-ure to meet the promises made ahead of the last state elections has upset the voters and they will not forgive the party.

The Congress has decided to back Mr Singh, one of the few mass leaders in the party.

Asked if she thinks Mr Sid-hu is responsible for the unrest in the party, state leader Pre-neet Kaur said, “Of course he started it, it is his advisors”.

“The Chief Minister showed maturity and large-ness of heart. Once the high command decided that Sidhu was coming, CM said “It is the

Congress chiefs decision ánd I abide by it’,”” she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The rebels, she said, should “fall in line”.

“This is not the time to rake up all these things. You rake them up at the party plat-form and go ahead. We want a united Congress to fight the election,” she added. But the fresh infighting indicated that the crisis in the state party -- which started earlier this year -- is far from over. A section of MLAs have been contending that Mr Singh’s failure to meet the promises made ahead of the last state elections has up-set the voters and they will not forgive the party.

The Congress has decided to back Mr Singh, one of the few mass leaders in the party.

Asked if she thinks Mr Sid-hu is responsible for the unrest in the party, state leader Pre-neet Kaur said,

COVID-19: Active cases increase to 3,22,327

New Delhi: India logged 37,593 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased mar-ginally to 3,22,327, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The total tally of COVID-19 cases increased to 3,25,12,366 and the death toll climbed to 4,35,758 with 648 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The active cases comprise 0.99 per cent of the total infections.

The national COVID-19 recovery rate was re-corded at 97.67 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 2,776 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.67 per cent, the ministry said.An increase of 2,776 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

PM Modi says India remains firmly committed to move forward with goal of clean, modern mobility

New Delhi: Prime Minister Na-rendra Modi on Wednesday said holistic steps are being taken for the value chain associated with au-tomobile manufacturing so that the industry becomes more productive and sustainable

In a message to the auto indus-try body Society of Indian Automo-bile Manufacturers (SIAM) on its 61st Annual Convention, the Prime Minister also stated that India re-mained firmly committed to move forward with the goal of clean and modern mobility, while lauding the role of the industry in the coun-try’s progress“The role of the auto-mobile industry in India’s economy and progress has been remarkable. From contributing significantly to-wards manufacturing to furthering exports, from creating numerous employment opportunities to add-ing to the ease of living for people, the sector has been a partner in In-dia’s growth story,” Modi wrote in his message which was read out by SIAM President Kenichi Ayukawa

He further said, “Even during the nation’s fight against COVID-19,

the sensitive and active effort of the sector is deeply valued.”

Stating that modernity in mo-bility brings about a positive im-pact in almost every industry and every sector of the country, Modi said, “The 21st century India re-mains firmly committed to move forward with the goal of clean and modern mobility. Holistic steps are being taken for the value chain as-sociated with auto manufacturing so that the industry becomes more productive and sustainable.”

He also reassured the auto in-

dustry that “all the stakeholders have an important role in our gov-ernment’s steadfast efforts to trans-form India into a global manufac-turing hub”

Presence of manufacturing units of global automobile manu-facturers in India is reflective of a thriving ecosystem, Modi added

Reiterating that there are rapid changes taking place in technology, lifestyle and economy and old ap-proaches and old practices have to be changed, he said “It is also cru-cial to protect our environment, re-sources and raw materials.”

For this reason, Modi said, “In-dia is not only emphasizing on ex-ploring new possibilities but also encouraging a circular economy. Recently launched National Auto-mobile Scrappage Policy exempli-fies this vision.”The Prime Minis-ter said as India celebrates the 75 years of Independence, the next 25 years are very important for the country“We have to work together for the next generation infrastruc-ture, world class manufacturing and new age technology.

The four priestesses: These women in Kolkata are set to break into a male bastion during Durga Puja Sourav dutta,Kolkata

A group of women in Kolkata is set to break into a male bastion and create history during the upcoming Durga Puja in Kolkata. The group led by priestess Nandini Bhowmick and her colleagues – Ruma, Semanti and Paulami – will be responsible for all the rituals in the five-day festival at 66 Pally.With a message, ‘Maa Durga will be in-voked by mothers’, the popular south Kolkata puja committee is ready to set an example in the long history of the an-nual festival in the city. In a city where theme-based pujas pandals are a rage, the organisers have decided to smash gender inequality and celebrate women em-powerment in the true spirit of the festival. The struggle of a wom-

an deciding to become a priest is not unknown

in the city. In a 2020 Bengali film, ‘Brahma Janen Gopon Kommoti’, portrayed how a priest-ess wanted to change the traditional way of thinking of society. However, this isn’t the first time the puja committee is bring-

ing forward a unique concept. For years, 66

Pally is known among pandal hoppers for its innovative themes. Even last year, the pan-demic didn’t deter their enthusiasm. Commemo-rating the birth cente-nary of noted filmmak-er Satyajit Ray, they recreated Apu Trilogy

for the mega festival. The puja committee kick-started its 2021 puja preparations through ‘khuntipujo’ on August 22. Pradyumna Mukherjee, one of the officials of the committee, talked about their special theme of worshipping the goddess by mothers. “There are four priest-esses who are in-charge of puja this year. The festival will be con-ducted following all the traditional rituals. The main purpose of this puja is to bridge the gender gap. Maa Durga is worshipped by ev-eryone, so why should there be any gender inequality in it”. As the city gears up for the much-awaited autumn festival to beat the pandemic woes, the organisers are hoping it will be a special attrac-tion this year.

Sufis of yester years, Remembered today

Srinagar, Aug 25: Sufi Virasat, a grand Sufi spir-itual congregation was held at Bulbulshah Park, adjoining the heritage site of Zero Bridge, Srinagar on Wednesday. It is for the first time in recent years, the most admired Sufi shrines of Srinagar and adjoining areas were represented at the event by their members/shrine committees, other prom-inent citizens including Deputy Commissioner & Add. Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar city. The event was organized by Kashmir Society Interna-tional and Gee Gee Productions. Sufi Virasat was a turning point event, since it showcased the rich Sufi traditions of Kashmir. The ‘Kalaams’ of some revered Sufi saints were chanted by renowned folk singers such as, Gulzar Ganai and Sufi artist Dhananjay Kaul, who propagated the message of peace and communal harmony. Reminiscing the golden period of Sufis and the communal tranquility of that period, the attendees emphasized on the return of the values of brother-hood and peace. Sufism bestowed Kashmir with its great and grand message of cultural diversity and brotherhood. Unless Sufism in Kashmir is restored to its old glory, we cannot live as a peaceful, tolerant and pro-gressive society”, Farooq Renzu Shah, Chairman, Kashmir Society said.

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HEADLINES TODAY 09HT. WORLDAUGUST,26

2021,THURSDAY

US, China Accuse Each Other Of “Bullying” Nations

Delta-infected patients show 300 times higher viral load than others: study

Israeli fire kills teen during West Bank clash

Hanoi: US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday again charged China with bullying its Southeast Asian neighbours, the second time in two days she has attacked Beijing during a regional visit aimed at countering China’s growing influence.Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese state media accused Harris of seeking to drive a wedge between China and Southeast Asian nations with com-ments in Singapore that Beijing used coercion and intimidation to back its unlawful South China Sea claims.Speaking in Hanoi on Wednesday, Harris said there was a need to in-crease pressure on Beijing over its maritime claims.“We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressure... on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” said Harris during a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, which is crossed by vital shipping lanes and contains gas fields and rich fishing grounds.China has established mil-itary outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea and objects to foreign warships sailing through what it claims is its sovereign waters.The U.S. Navy regularly conducts “freedom of navigation” operations through the disputed waters, which China objects to, saying they do not help promote peace or stability.In 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China’s claim, but Beijing has rejected the ruling.“While pointing a finger at China and

accusing it of ‘coercion’ and ‘intimida-tion’, Harris willfully ignored her own hypocrisy in attempting to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington in its scheme to contain China,” the state run China Daily said in an editorial responding to Harris’s comments in Singapore.Harris’s Singapore speech was a base-less attack on China, the editorial said. “It seems that the United States’ only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China,” it added.In Hanoi, Har-ris met with Vietnam’s top leaders and offered support in several key areas, including the enhancement of its maritime security and more U.S. Navy ship visits to Vietnam.The U.S. administration has called rivalry with China “the biggest geopolitical test” of the century and Southeast Asia has seen a series of high-profile visits by top administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who visited Hanoi in late July.Harris’s arrival in Hanoi was delayed syndrome on Tuesday after the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam said it had de-tected an “anomalous health incident”, potentially related to the mysterious

Havana Syndrome.During the delay, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chi-na’s ambassador to Vietnam held a previously unannounced meeting, during which Chinh said Vietnam does not take sides in foreign policy. The Chinese ambassador promised a donation of 2 million COVID-19 vaccines during the meeting.China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and Vietnam is heavily reliant on materials and equipment from China for its manufacturing activities.Their ruling Communist Parties main-tain close ties, but Vietnam and China have been embroiled in a longstanding dispute over maritime claims in the South China Sea, known as the East Sea in Vietnam.The tensions havepropelled Vietnam into being one of the most vocal opponents of Beijing’s claims in the disputed waterway and Hanoi has received U.S. military hardware, including coastguard cutters.Ties between Hanoi and Washington have grown closer more than four decades after the Vietnam War ended in 1975, although Washington has said there are limits to the relation-ship until Hanoi makes progress on human rights.

UN Sees 80% Drop In Vaccinations In Afghanistan After Taliban Takeover

Brussels: In the first week following the Taliban con-quest of Kabul, COVID-19 vaccinations in Afghanistan have dropped by 80%, the UN agency UNICEF said, warn-ing that half of the few doses delivered to the country so far are close to expiry.

The Taliban seized con-trol of the Afghan capital on August 15, having already captured most of the coun-try earlier in the month after the United States decided to withdraw military forces af-ter 20 years of war.

Since the Taliban take-over “there’s been an 80% drop in people reached with COVID-19 vaccines,” a spokesperson for UNICEF told Reuters.

In the week starting on August 15, 30,500 people had been vaccinated in 23 of the 34 provinces of the country, whereas the previous week 134,600 people were inoculat-ed in 30 provinces, accord-ing to figures provided by UNICEF, which coordinates the rollout of COVID-19 shots

distributed across the world by the World Health Organi-zation (WHO) vaccine pro-

gramme Covax.“The drop is understand-

able, as in situations of cha-os, conflict and emergency, people will prioritize their safety and security first,” the UNICEF spokesperson said, noting the UN agency has been calling on all Af-ghan healthcare workers, in-cluding women, to return to

work.The spokesperson de-

clined to comment about

whether the drop in inocu-lations was also the result of Taliban’s possible vac-cine scepticism, but warned about risks caused by a pro-tracted slowdown in the vac-cination campaign. Nearly 2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine deliv-ered to Afghanistan, which is about half of the total so

far, expire in November, the UNICEF spokesperson said.

WHO data show that only 1.2 million doses had been administered as of August 20 in Afghanistan, which has a population of 40 million.

Gavi, which co-leads Co-vax with the WHO, said the programme has so far deliv-ered over 4 million doses to Afghanistan. ”Our priority today is to work with UNICEF and WHO country offices (...) to ensure our ability to con-tinue the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme,” a Gavi spokesperson told Re-uters, declining to comment on whether vaccinations had been hampered by the Tal-iban. Gavi, which co-leads Covax with the WHO, said the programme has so far delivered over 4 million dos-es to Afghanistan. ”Our pri-ority today is to work with UNICEF and WHO country offices (...) to ensure our abil-ity to continue the country’s COVID-19 vaccination pro-gramme,” a Gavi spokesper-son told Reuters,

SEOUL/DUBAI: People infected with the more trans-missible Delta variant have a viral load 300 times higher than those with the original version of the Covid-19 virus, when symptoms are first observed, a South Korea study found.

But the amount gradual-ly decreased over time — to 30 times in four days and over 10 times in nine days — and it matched levels seen in other variants after 10 days, the Ko-rea Disease Control and Pre-vention Agency (KDCA) said on Tuesday.

The higher load means the virus spreads far more easily from person to person, increas-ing infections and hospitalisa-tions, a health ministry official Lee Sang-won told a news con-ference.

“But it doesn’t mean Delta is 300 times more infectious...we think its transmission rate is 1.6 times the Alpha variant, and about two times the orig-

inal version of the virus,” Lee said.

The Delta variant of the

novel coronavirus was first identified in India and the Al-pha variant in the UK.

To avoid the spread of the Delta variant, now the domi-nant strain, the KDCA urged people to immediately get test-

ed when developing Covid-19 symptoms and avoid in-person meetings.

The rapid spread of the Del-ta variant and low vaccination rates have caught much of Asia off-guard, especially in emerg-ing markets, even as economies in Europe and North America reopen.

The study compared the vi-ral load of 1,848 patients infect-ed with the Delta variant with 22,106 people who had other strains.

South Korea reported 1,509 new coronavirus cases for Mon-day, raising the total to 239,287 infections, with 2,228 deaths.

It has vaccinated 51.2pc of its 52 million population with at least one dose of a vaccine, while 23.9pc have been fully vaccinated.

Iran’s deaths hit record dai-ly high of 709

Iran on Tuesday reported a record daily 709 deaths from Covid-19 as the worst-hit coun-try in the Middle East faced a fifth surge in infections led by the highly contagious Delta variant.

The health ministry said the total number of cases had reached 4.75 million with 40,623 new infections over the past 24 hours. Total fatalities rose to 103,357, state TV reported.

NABLUS: Israeli fire killed a 15-year-old Palestinian in the occu-pied West Bank on Tuesday when clashes erupted after Israeli forces searching for a suspect stormed a refugee camp near Nablus.

The Palestinian health min-istry said Imad Khaled Saleh Hashash died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head in the Balata refugee camp.

The Israeli army said it had conducted an overnight operation in the camp to apprehend “a sus-pect”.

“During the mission, live am-munition was fired at troops from rooftops. The troops responded with fire towards the sources of the shooting,” it said in a state-ment.According to the army, riot-ing then broke out, with residents hurling blocks and other objects from rooftops at Israeli soldiers.

“During the riot, a number of soldiers spotted a suspect on a rooftop holding a large object in his hands, attempting to throw it at an (Israeli) soldier standing under-neath the building.“One of the sol-diers responded with live fire and a hit was identified,” the statement added, without commenting direct-

ly on the teenager’s death.A crowd gathered later on Tues-

day in Balata for Hashash’s funer-al, waving Palestinian flags.

Armed and hooded men from factions including Fatah and Is-lamic Jihad fired shots into the air, a journalist said.

“A 15-year-old boy, what did he do?” said Khaled Ahmed, a cousin of the victim.

“An innocent boy sleeping at home, he heard a shooting in the camp so he went out like everyone else to see what was happening and was shot in the head,” Ahmed said.

Deadly unrest is common in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory Israel has occupied since 1967.

Earlier this month, four Pales-tinians were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces in the res-tive Jenin refugee camp.

Following the deaths, Palestin-ian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina warned of the risk of an “explosion of the situation” in the occupied territory.

Some 2.8 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, as do 475,000 Israelis in settlements that are deemed illegal under international law.

Saudi Arabia has added the Sino-pharm and Sinovac Covid-19 jabs to its list of approved vaccines, taking the total number to six, it emerged on Wednesday.According to the Saudi Gazette, the Ministry of Health an-nounced that there are a total of six approved vaccines in the Kingdom; Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-Bion-Tech, Johnson & Johnson, Moder-na, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.“In the event of giving approval to any other vaccines, it will be announced at the time through the official channels ap-proved by the Ministry of Health and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority,” the report quoted the ministry as say-ing.It added that according to the min-istry, there was a possibility regarding accepting the vaccination of those who had received two doses of the said Chinese vaccines, provided that they had received a booster dose of one of the other approved vaccines.Saudi Arabia has also eased Covid-19 restric-tions for fully vaccinated residents, allowing them to directly travel to the Kingdom from countries facing a trav-el ban, including Pakistan.According to a report by the Saudi Gazette, it is only applicable for those who have a valid residency permit (Iqama) and left the Kingdom on an exit and re-en-try visa after taking two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Saudi Arabia.Currently, the countries facing the

travel ban are India, Pakistan, Indone-sia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Lebanon, the report said. the report quoted the ministry as saying.It added that according to the ministry, there was a possibility regarding accepting the vaccination of those who had re-ceived two doses of the said Chinese vaccines, provided that they had re-ceived a booster dose of one of the other approved vaccines.Saudi Arabia has also eased Covid-19 restrictions for fully vaccinated residents, allow-ing them to directly travel to the King-dom from countries facing a travel ban, including Pakistan.According to a report by the Saudi Gazette, it is only applicable for those who have a valid residency permit (Iqama) and left the Kingdom on an exit and re-entry visa .

Saudi Arabia adds Sinopharm, Sinovac to list of approved

vaccines; booster after Chinese jabs mandatory

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9999038812. Email Id: dailyheadlinestoday@gmail.com. Website: headlinestodaydaily.com

Pakistan among states ready to mediate in Afghanistan: Lavrov

MOSCOW: Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan are interested in serving as mediators in resolving the crisis in Afghan-istan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.“We remain committed to the task of establishing peace and stability on Afghanistan’s territory so that it poses no threats to the region,” Mr Lavrov said.He also said Russia opposed the idea of allowing Afghan refugees enter Central Asia, the former Soviet region that lies between Russia and Afghanistan, or having US troops there.“If you think that any country in Central Asia or elsewhere is interested in becoming a target so that the Americans could fulfil their initiatives, I really doubt anyone needs that,” he told a briefing during a visit to Hungary.According to Reuters, Russia maintains close ties with Central Asia’s former Soviet republics and regards the region as part of its sphere of interest.Islamabad says an inclusive po-litical settlement is the best way forward for peace and stabilityIn Islamabad, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. Pakistan fully supports efforts in that direction, he added.According to a foreign minis-try statement, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the remarks in a phone call with Mr Lavrov about the situation in Afghanistan.The statement said Mr Qureshi

told Mr Lavrov that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is of crit-ical importance for Pakistan and the region. It said Mr Qureshi

informed the Russian foreign minister about Pakistan’s out-reach to regional countries for consultations on the challenges arising out of developments in Afghanistan.The statement quoted Mr Qureshi as also saying that Pakistan is facilitating the evacuation of for-eigners stranded in Afghanistan.‘Executions’In Geneva, the UN human rights chief said that she has received credible reports of serious viola-tions committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including “summary executions” of civilians and Af-ghan security forces who have surrendered.Michelle Bachelet gave no details of the killings in her speech to the Human Rights Council, but urged the Geneva forum to set up a mechanism to closely monitor Taliban actions.The Taliban’s treatment of women and girls would be “a fundamental red line”, she told the council’s emergency session, held at the request of Pakistan

and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).Independent UN human rights experts, in a joint statement, said that many people are in hiding as “the Taliban continues to search homes door-to-door” and that seizures of property and repri-sals are being reported. “If you think that any country in Central Asia or elsewhere is interested in becoming a target so that the Americans could fulfil their ini-tiatives, I really doubt anyone needs that,” he told a briefing during a visit to Hungary.According to Reuters, Russia maintains close ties with Central Asia’s former Soviet republics and regards the region as part of its sphere of interest.Islamabad says an inclusive po-litical settlement is the best way forward for peace and stabilityIn Islamabad, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. Pakistan fully supports efforts in that direction, he added.According to a foreign minis-try statement, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the remarks in a phone call with Mr Lavrov about the situation in Afghanistan.The statement said Mr Qureshi told Mr Lavrov that a peaceful and stable Afghan-istan is of critical importance for Pakistan and the region. It said Mr Qureshi informed the Russian foreign minister about Pakistan’s outreach to regional countries for consultations on the challenges۔

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HEADLINES TODAY 10HT - HEALTH AWARENESS.AUGUST,26

2021,THURSDAY

A tomato is a nutrient-dense superfood that offers benefit to a range of bodily systems. Its nutritional content supports healthful skin, weight loss, and heart health.

Tomatoes: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a fruit from the nightshade family native to South America.Despite botanically being a fruit, it’s gen-

erally eaten and prepared like a vegetable.Tomatoes are the major dietary source of

the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.They are also a great source of vitamin C,

potassium, folate, and vitamin K.Usually red when mature, tomatoes can

also come in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, green, and purple. What’s more, many subspecies of tomatoes exist with different shapes and flavor.This article tells you everything you need

to know about tomatoes.Tomatoes are an intensely nutritious plant food.

The benefits of consuming different types of fruit and vegetable are impressive, and tomatoes are no

different. As the proportion of plant foods in the diet increases, the risk of developing heart disease,

diabetes, and cancer decreases.

There are different types and sizes of tomato, and they can be prepared in different ways. These include cherry tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, raw tomatoes,

soups, juices, and purees.

The health benefits can vary between types. For example, cherry tomatoes have higher beta-carotene

content than regular tomatoes.

High fruit and vegetable intake is also linked to

healthy skin and hair, increased energy, and lower

weight. Increasing the consumption of fruits and

vegetables significantly decreases the risk of obesity and overall mortality.

1) Cancer

Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C

and other antioxidants. With these components,

tomatoes can help combat the formation of free

radicals. Free radicals are known to cause cancer.

A recent studyTrusted Source in the journal Mo-

lecular Cancer Research linked the intake of high

levels of beta-carotene to the prevention of tumor

development in prostate cancer.

Tomatoes also contain lycopene. Lycopene is a

polyphenol, or plant compound, that has been linked

with one type of prostate cancer preventionTrusted

Source. It also gives tomatoes their characteristic

red color.

Tomato products provide 80 percentTrusted Source

of dietary lycopene consumed in the U.S.

A studyTrusted Source of the Japanese population

demonstrates that beta-carotene consumption may

reduce the risk of colon cancer. Fiber intake from

fruits and vegetables is associated with a lowered

risk of colorectal cancer.

Diets rich in beta-carotene may play a protective

roleTrusted Source against prostate cancer.

Further human-based research is needed to explore

the possible roles of lycopene and beta-carotene in

preventing or treating cancer.

2) Blood pressure

Maintaining a low sodium intake helps to main-

tain healthful blood pressure. However, increasing

potassium intake may be just as important due to

its widening effects on the arteries.According to the National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey (NHANES), fewer than 2

percent of U.S. adults meet the recommended dai-

ly potassium intake of 4,700 milligramsTrusted

Source (mg).

High potassium and low sodium intake are also

associated with a 20 percent reduced risk of dying-

Trusted Source from all causes.

3) Heart health

The fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and choline content in tomatoes all support heart health.

An increase in potassium intake, along with a

decrease in sodium intake, is the most important

dietary changeTrusted Source the average person can

make to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.

Tomatoes also contain folate. This helps to balance

homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino

acid that results from protein breakdown. It is said

to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The management of homocysteine levels by folate

reduces one of the risk factors for heart disease.

Not only is high potassium intake also associated

with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, but

it is also known for protecting the musclesTrusted

Source against deterioration, preservingTrusted

Source bone mineral density, and reducingTrusted

Source the production of kidney stones.

4) Diabetes

Studies have shown that people with type 1 diabetes

who consume high-fiber diets have lower blood glucose levels, while people with type 2 diabetes

may have improved blood sugar, lipids, and insulin

levels. One cup of cherry tomatoes provides about

2 gramsTrusted Source (g) of fiber.The American Diabetes Association recommends

consuming around 25 g of fiber per day for women and an estimated 38 g per day for men.

5) Constipation

Eating foods that are high in water content and

fiber, such as tomatoes, may help hydration and support normal bowel movements. Tomatoes are

often described as a laxative fruit.

Fiber adds bulk to stool and is helpfulTrusted

Source for reducing constipation. However, re-

moving fiber from the diet has also demonstrated a positive impact on constipation.

More research is needed to confirm the laxative qualities of tomatoes.

6) Eye health

Tomatoes can help protect the eyes from light

damage.

Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, lutein, and

beta-carotene. These are powerful antioxidants that

have been shown to protect the eyesTrusted Source

against light-induced damage, the development of

cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration

(AMD).

The Age-Related Eye Disease StudyTrusted Source

(AREDS) recently found that people with high dietary

intake of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, both

present in tomatoes, had a 35 percent reduction in

the risk of neovascular AMD.

7) Skin

Collagen is an essential component of the skin,

hair, nails, and connective tissue.

The production of collagen in the body is reliant

on vitamin C. A deficiency of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. As vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant,

a low intake is associated with increased damage

from sunlight, pollution, and smoke.

This can leadTrusted Source to wrinkles, sagging

skin, blemishes, and other adverse health effects of the skin.

8) Pregnancy

Adequate folate intake is essential before and

during pregnancy to protect against neural tube

defectsTrusted Source in infants.

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate. It is

available in supplements but can also be boosted

through dietary measures.

While it is recommended that women who are

pregnant take a folic acid supplement, tomatoes

are a great source of naturally-occurring folate.

This applies equally for women who may become

pregnant in the near future.

Nutrition

Tomatoes are packed with nutrients.

One cup of chopped or sliced raw tomatoes con-

tainsTrusted Source:

32 calories (kcal)

170.14 g of water

1.58 g of protein

2.2 g of fiber5.8 g of carbohydrate

0 g cholesterol

Tomatoes also have a wealth of vitamin and min-

eral content, including:

18 mg of calcium

427 mg of potassium

43 mg of phosphorus

24.7 mg of vitamin C

1499 international units (IU) of vitamin A

Tomatoes also contain a wide array of benefi-

cial nutrients and antioxidants, includingTrusted

Source:

alpha-lipoic acid

lycopene

choline

folic acid

beta-carotene

lutein

The cooking of tomatoes appears to increaseTrusted

Source the availability of key nutrients, such as

the carotenoids lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Stewed tomatoes provide more lutein and zeaxanthin

than sun-dried tomatoes and raw cherry tomatoes.

Diet

There are easy ways to include the nutritional

value of tomatoes in any diet.

Be sure to store fresh tomatoes at room temperature

and avoid refrigeration, as this causes tomatoes to

lose their flavor.Incorporate more tomatoes into the diet using the

following tips:

Dip grape or cherry tomatoes in hummus or plain

yogurt dip and consume them as a side or a snack.

Add sliced tomato to sandwiches and wraps.

Add diced, low-sodium canned tomatoes to home-

made or jarred marinara sauces when making pasta.

Used canned, diced, or stewed tomatoes in soups.

Eat a piece of toast with avocado and tomato slices.

Make a quick salsa with diced tomatoes, onion,

jalapeno, cilantro, and freshly squeezed lime.

Dice fresh tomatoes and add them to rice and

beans, quesadillas, or tacos. Add them to omelets

or scrambles for breakfast.

Drizzle freshly sliced tomatoes and sliced mozzarella

with balsamic vinegar, and top with chopped basil.

Make a bruschetta as an appetizer.

Risks

Wash tomatoes before eating.

Including tomatoes in the diet has certain risks.

Every year, the Environmental Working Group

(EWG) compiles a list of fruits and vegetables

with the highest levels of pesticide residue. These

foods are known as the Dirty Dozen.

For 2017, tomatoes are number 10 and cherry

tomatoes number 14 on the list. Though it has not

been proven that eating organic foods has overall

health benefits, the EWG suggests that people should buy organic tomatoes where possible.

Buying organic minimizes pesticide exposure,

though this has not been definitively proven to prevent disease.

Remember to wash tomatoes before eating.

Beta-blockers, a type of medication most commonly

prescribed for heart disease, can cause potassium

levels to increase in the blood. High potassium

foods such as tomatoes should be consumed in

moderation when taking beta-blockers.

Consuming too much potassium can be harmful

to people with impaired kidney function. Failure

to remove excess potassium from the blood can

be fatal.

Those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may experience an increase in symptoms such as

heartburn and vomiting when consuming highly acidic

foods such as tomatoes. Individual reactions vary.

The nutrients of one food type do not give a com-

plete picture of how to achieve a healthful diet. It

is better to eat a varied diet than to concentrate on

individual foods. Good for the Skin and HairGiven

the rising levels of pollution, our skin and hair end

up bearing a lot of brunt. Incorporating tomatoes in

your regular diet actually helps to battle the wear

and tear our skin goes through. Tomatoes contain

lycopene, which is also used for facial cleansers.

And apart from eating them as salad, you can also

peel the tomatoes, and use the skin as a mask on

your face. It cleanses and refreshes your skin. And

the Vitamin A in tomatoes protects your hair from

external damages as well!

hairfall

Vitamin A in tomatoes protects your hair from ex-

ternal damages as well2. It’s Anti-CarcinogenicThe

Lycopene in tomatoes is reported to control the

growth of cancer cells, especially prostate, stomach,

and colorectal cancer. If you cook tomatoes, the

production of lycopene actually increases, so you

can curry it as much as you like.

The Lycopene in tomatoes is reported to control

the growth of cancer cells

Good for Your BonesDid you know that tomatoes

are loaded with Vitamin K and Calcium? According to United States Department of Agriculture, hundred

grams of tomatoes contain 110 mg of calcium.

That means your bones stay strong as long as you

eat tomatoes.

bones

Tomatoes help to protect the body from the adverse

effects of cigaretteIt’s a Great Anti-OxidantTomatoes are a good

source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. And these two

components help the body to get rid of harmful free

radicals in our blood. However, to absorb Vitamin C

into the system, the tomatoes need to be eaten raw,

so bring on the salads.6. It Helps Your HeartNow

tomatoes might not help to heal a broken heart,

but the Vitamin A, Vitamin B and potassium in

them help to decrease your cholesterol levels and

blood. In the long run, it can prevent heart related

diseases. So start loading up on tomatoes today.

acid reflux heart burnVitamin A, Vitamin B and potassium in tomatoes

help to decrease your cholesterol levels and blood

Controls Blood SugarTomatoes are known to have

a mineral called chromium. And did you know that

chromium works in keeping blood sugar levels

in check? So for those who have diabetes, or the history of it in the family, it’s a good fruit to include

in your diet.

Activates DigestionTomatoes help to improve the

digestive system, and the liver. Tomatoes are loaded

with fibre which helps prevents constipation too. So if you’ve eaten a bit too much or something too

spicy, bite into a small ripe tomato at the end of the

meal!(better digestion

Tomatoes help to improve the digestive system,

and the liver

. Works on Your ImmunityLoaded with vitamin

C, fresh tomato juice is brilliant when it comes to

boosting your immunity levels. The vitamin C in it

also controls the increase of stress hormones, and

helps your body to remain energised, and healthy.

Fresh tomato juice is brilliant when it comes to

boosting your immunity levels

It Helps to Burn FatIf you are on diet, now is

the time to include tomatoes as part of your daily

regime. Tomatoes encourage the production of the

amino acid called Carnitine, which is reported to

enhance the body’s fat burning ability to at least

30 percent, if not more.low carb diet weight loss

Tomatoes encourage the production of the amino

acid called CarnitineHow to Eat ItThere are plenty

of ways to add tomatoes to your diet, the salad being

the most common option.

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HEADLINES TODAY 11HT BUSSINESS AUGUST,262021,THURSDAY

OWNER:SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Printer: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Publisher: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Editor: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Published From: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS BUILDING, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSI BHAT, LAWAYPORA, SRINAGAR. Printed at: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSIBHAT LAWAIPORA SRINAGAR 190017.. RNI NO: JKENG/2011/39231. CELL NO: 9419008414.

9999038812. Email Id: dailyheadlinestoday@gmail.com. Website: headlinestodaydaily.com

Government May Announce Overseas Listing Rules In

Next Budget: OfficialThe government may announce rules allow-ing companies to list overseas in the next bud-get in February, as some issues are yet to be resolved and are under discussion, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday.The comments confirm a Reuters report that said government would take around six months to announce rules allowing compa-nies to list overseas - taking longer than some expected as the finance ministry irons out is-sues related to taxation.

Centrum Capital Gains Over 3% After Board Approves Transfer Of Subsidiaries

Share price of Centrum Capital gained around four per cent on Wednesday, August 25, a day after the company’s board approved the transfer of the entire business of its two wholly-owned material subsidiaries to its proposed step-down subsidiary through a slump sale. On Wednesday, Centrum Capital opened on the BSE at 35.90, swinging to an in-tra day high of 37.50 and an intra day low of 34.70, throughout the trading session.On August 24, the company’s board of direc-tors considered and approved the sale of the entire business of two of its wholly owned material subsidiaries - Centrum Financial Services Limited as well as Centrum Mi-crocredit Limited to its proposed step down subsidiary (- a proposed small finance bank), subject to the regulatory approvals.The rationale of the transaction is the pool-ing of business of the subsidiaries into the proposed small finance bank, according to a regulatory filing by Centrum Capital to the stock exchanges. The process will be done as per the in-principle approval received from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up the small finance bank.In June this year, Centrum Financial Ser-vices Limited received the “in-principle” ap-proval from RBI to start a small finance bank, which will help the company in taking over the scam-hit Punjab and Maharashtra Co-op-erative (PMC) Bank.

Aptus Value Housing Finance

Makes Weak Market Debut,

Lists At Discount Of 6.53%Aptus Value Housing Finance made a weak debut on stock markets as the shares opened for trading at 329.95 on the BSE, marking a discount of 6.53 per cent from the issue price of 353. On the National Stock Exchange, Ap-tus Value Housing Finance shares fell as much as 5.66 per cent from the issue price. Aptus Value Housing Finance shares were in high demand during the three-day share sale via initial public offering (IPO) which ended on August 12. The IPO was subscribed 17.20 times.Aptus Value Housing Finance’s 2,780.05 crore consisted of a fresh issue of 500 crore and an offer for sale of up to 2,280.05 crore.The company received bids for 94.82 crore shares as against 5.51 crore on offer, as per data available on the NSE website.Aptus Value Housing Finance is one of the leading housing finance companies in South India. It offers home loans for purchase of res-idential properties, and mainly targets first-time homebuyers in low and middle-income groups as well as self-employed customers. ICICI Securities, Citigroup Global Markets India, Edelweiss Financial Services and Ko-tak Mahindra Capital Company are the book running lead managers to the IPO, whereas KFin is the registrar to the issue. As of 10:30 am, Aptus Value Housing Finance shares traded 2.65 per cent lower at 343 per share from issue price atAptus Value Housing Fi-nance’s 2,780.05 crore consisted of a fresh is-sue of 500 crore and an offer for sale of up to 2,280.05 crore.The company received bids for 94.82 crore shares as against 5.51 crore on of-fer, as per data available on the NSE website.Aptus Value Housing Finance’s 2,780.05 crore consisted of a fresh issue of 500 crore and an offer for sale of up to 2,280.05 crore.The company received bids for 94.82 crore shares as against 5.51 crore on offer, as per data available on the NSE website.On the NSE, Centrum Capital opened at 35.50, touching an intra day high of 37.50 and an in-tra day low of 34.70, in the session today.On Wednesday, shares of Centrum Capital settled 3.98 per cent higher at 35.25 apiece on the BSE.

DC B’Pora reviews progress of works under District

Capex BudgetBANDIPORA: The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad today re-viewed the progress of works proposed un-der District Capex Budget (DCB) 2021-22.The meeting discussed detailed proposals under the District Capex Plan, 2021-22 in-cluding physical status of projects targeted for completion in the current fiscal and took a comprehensive review on the progress of developmental projects undertaken by vari-ous departments.It was given out that Rs 529 Crores have been earmarked for the financial year 2021-22 with major thrust on Jal Jeevan Mission (51%), PMGSY (21%), Rural develop-ment Department (8%), Education & Health (8%) etc.The DC informed that 3316 works have been targeted for completion for the fi-nancial year 2021-22 which includes 114 Water supply schemes, 24 PMGSY works, 23 Urban Development Works, 13 works of Education,

The Indian equity benchmarks ended on a flat note as traders booked profit at record highs earlier in the session a day ahead of the monthly expiry of August futures and option con-tracts, analysts said. Earlier in the day, the Sensex advanced as much as 239 points to hit record high of 56,198.13 and Nifty 50 index touched an all-time high of 16,712.45. Gains in Infosys, Reliance Industries, Tata Con-sultancy Services, HDFC and Hindustan Unilever were offset with losses in Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, Titan, Bharti Air-tel and Lasren & Toubro.The Sensex slipped 15 points to close at 56,944 and Nifty 50 in-dex advanced 10 points to settle at record high 16,635.“The market shows that it is going to be crucial for the short-term market scenario to sustain above the 16500 Nif-ty50 Index level. If the market is unable to sustain the level

of 16,500, it can witness lower levels of 16,350. Technical indi-cator suggests, a volatile move-ment in the market in a small range between 16,350-16,700,” Ashis Biswas, Head of Tech-nical Research at CapitalVia Global Research told NDTV.Ten of 15 sector gauges com-piled by the National Stock Ex-change ended lower led by the Nifty Consumer Durables in-dex’s over 1.5 per cent decline. Realty, Healthcare, Media, Fi-nancial Services and Bank in-dices also fell between 0.3-0.7 per cent.On the other hand, Nifty FMCG, IT, Metal and Oil & Gas indexes ended higher. Mid- and small-cap shares witnessed buying interest as Nifty Midcap 100 in-dex rose 0.3 per cent and Nifty Smallcap 100 index advanced 0.8 per cent.Adani Ports was top Nifty gain-er, the stock rose 3.7 per cent to close at 721. HDFC Life, Hin-

dalco, ONGC, Coal India, Tata Motors, TCS and Eicher Motors also rose between 1-2.6 per cent. On the flipside, Bajaj Finserv, Titan, Maruti Suzuki, Bharti Airtel, Dr Reddy’s Labs, Tata Steel, Axis Bank, JSW Steel, Cipla, UPL and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.The overall market breadth was positive as 1,992 shares ended higher while 1,213 closed lower on the BSE.

Finance Minister Launches EASE 4.0, Reviews Performance Of PSBs:

SC provides temporary relief to Airtel over Videocon’s AGR dues

NEW DEHLI: The Supreme Court Tuesday directed DoT not to invoke the bank guarantees (BGs) of Bharti Airtel for three weeks for recovering Rs 1,376 crore in AGR-related dues of Videocon Telecom Ltd (VTL) which had sold its spectrum to the Bharti group.The top court, which refused to entertain Airtel’s plea that VTL dues are not payable by it, permitted the telecom major to approach the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) with the grievances.The DoT shall not invoke the bank guarantee of Respondent…(Bharti Airtel) for the period of three weeks from today, a bench compris-ing justices L Nageswara Rao, S Ab-dul Nazeer and M R Shah said in its order.At the outset, the bench made clear to senior advocate Shyam Di-van, appearing for Airtel, that it will not interfere with the earlier judge-ment.We are making it very clear

that we will not interfere with the judgement and we will give you the liberty to withdraw to approach the appropriate forum, the bench said.It also noted the submissions of So-licitor General Tushar Mehta, ap-pearing for the Department of Tele-com, that DoT will be permitted to raise all the grounds including the objection to the jurisdiction, if any, before the forum to be chosen Airtel.Airtel said a DoT communication of August 17 has directed it to pay AGR related dues of VTL within a week, failing which the BGs.Divan referred to various documents including the spectrum trading guidelines and said that the dues — arising from the Adjusted Gross Rev-enue or AGR of VTL, the seller of the spectrum — were known at the time of the sale and hence the seller and not the buyer can be fastened with the liability to pay. —PTI

Wipro Bags Multi-Year Contract From German Company; Stock Trades Flat

ISLAMABAD: The GSMA, which represents the interests of 750 mo-bile operators worldwide, has pro-jected that Pakistan will be at the lowest end in terms of smartphone users as well the 5G coverage among the selected countries of Asia Pacific region by 2025.However, Minister for Information Technology and Tele-communication Syed Amin Ul Haque said key initiatives have been taken which will help the country surpass the projections made by the GSMA.The GSMA report titled “The Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2021’ has high-lighted the 5G status in the region.The report highlighted that South Korea was the first country to roll out 5G in 2018, followed by Australia, Maldives and New Zealand in 2019.Key initiatives will help surpass the projections, says IT ministerThe 5G rollout in 2020 was by Guam, Japan,

Laos, Northern Mariana Islands, Philippines, Singapore and Thai-land, whereas Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia achieved it in 2021.In

the second wave Brunei Darussalam, India and Cambodia are set for 5G roll-outs in 2022, whereas Pakistan, Bangladesh and Samoa are set to launch 5G in 2023.The report added over 80 per cent of connections in Asia Pacific will be smartphones by 2025 up from 68pc in 2020.But among the list of selected 12 key countries, Pakistan was close to the tail end, just above Bangladesh and it has been projected that these two countries will not reach the 80pc benchmark.The report added that up to 74pc of Pakistanis will use smartphones in the next four years up from 51pc, while smartphone us-ers in Bangladesh are likely to be 62pc against 41pc in 2020.At the same time by the end of 2025, around 42pc of population in Pakistan will be broadband user compared to 27pc in 2020, whereas 10pc will be under tele-

com coverage.The GSMA has said that Pakistan’s mobile market has significant poten-tial, but current levels of mobile in-ternet adoption, smartphone take-up and usage of digital services lag be-hind those of other countries in the region.Certain policy decisions may have hindered Pakistan’s digital de-velopment and hampered growth of the online economy.Responding to the query over low growth projec-tions, the IT minister said the esti-mates in the GSMA report have been made on the basis of ground realities in 2020.“However, the results will be different in coming 18 months main-ly because of three factors which in-cludes IT and telecom infrastructure development under the Universal Service Fund (USF) projects and the outcome of upcoming spectrum auc-tion which will expand IT.

Pakistan to remain behind in smartphone usage, 5G coverage: GSMA

Wipro has bagged a mullti-year con-tract from E.ON, a German-head-quartered energy company, to pro-vide application maintenance and support services (AMS) in their digital transformation journey. Wipro will manage E.ON’s new IT system to support over 16,000 users across eight European countries.“Wipro will provide E. ON, Appli-cation & technology services for business-critical application port-folios leveraging its experience and capability in providing flexible and efficient cost saving solutions, Wipro said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges.Michael Seiger, Country Head - Germany, Wipro said, “We are de-lighted to be selected as E.ON’s strategic partner for this import-ant milestone in our existing re-lationship. E.ON is driving the green energy transition in Europe and we look forward to supporting

them with innovative technologies to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing prosumer world.” Mean-while, Wipro will be opening a new delivery center at Arkansas. Wipro will invest about US$ three million to transform a 70,000 square-foot fa-cility at Landers Road in Arkansas into a customer service center and will be hiring up to 400 employees in the next two years.At 2:30 pm, Wipro shares were trading flat at 634 in line with the benchmark indices.

Centre Hikes Sugar FRP Price To ₹ 290 Per Quintal, No Change In Selling Price

New Delhi: The centre on Wednesday hiked the min-imum price that mills have to pay to sugarcane grow-ers by 5 per quintal to 290 a quintal for 2021-22 mar-keting year, but ruled out any immediate increase in the selling price of sugar. The decision to increase the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for the 2021-22 marketing year (October-September) was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).The government had fixed sugarcane FRP at 285 per quintal for the current 2020-21 marketing year.Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said the FRP has been increased to 290 per quintal for a basic re-

covery rate of 10 per cent. He said a premium of 2.90/quintal will be provided for each 0.1 per cent increase in recovery over and above 10 per cent.There will be a reduction in FRP by 2.90/quintal for ev-ery 0.1 per cent decrease in recovery.To protect interest of farm-ers, Mr Goyal said the gov-ernment has decided that there would be no deduction where recovery is below 9.5 per cent.“Such farmers will get 275.50 per quintal for sugarcane in ensuing sugar season 2021-22 in place of 270.75 per quintal in current sugar season 2020-21,” the minister said.The cost of production of sugarcane for the sugar season 2021-22 is 155 per quintal. The FRP of 290 per quintal at a recovery rate of 10 per cent is higher

by 87 per cent over produc-tion cost, he said, adding that sugar cane farming is

more remunerative than other crops.The decision will benefit

around 5 crore sugarcane farmers and their depen-dents, as well as about 5

lakh workers employed in sugar mills and related an-cillary activities.

When asked if the govern-ment will increase the min-imum selling price (MSP) of sugar as FRP has been raised, Mr Goyal said, “Not necessarily”.He said the government is giving a lot of support to increase sugar exports and ethanol production.“Considering all of these factors, we do not see any reason at the present mo-ment for increasing the (sugar) selling price,” he said, add added the sugar prices have remained stable in the domestic market.He also said the government has ensured a “delicate bal-ance” between the interest of farmers and consumers as well as of the industry.The centre fixes sugar MSP, which is the floor price be-low which mills cannot sell the sweetener in the market.

Finance Minister Nir-mala Sitharaman launched the EASE 4.0 - Enhanced Access and Service Excellence - a common reform agenda for Public Sector Banks (PSBs) aimed at insti-tutionalizing clean and smart banking.Finance Secretary De-bashish Panda announced that the contribution of employer (public sector banks) in the National Pen-sion Scheme (NPS) for employee pensions is hiked to 14 per cent from the earlier 10 per cent. He added that the family members of those PSB bankers who lost their lives, will now get a pension of 30 per cent of the last drawn salary as against the earlier 9,284.Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj announced that overseas direct listing is under consideration and that the government may announce rules allowing companies to list overseas in the next budget in February 2022.Through legislative amendment, the government is trying to ensure smooth trading of securities outside India, added Mr Bajaj. (Also Read: Gov-ernment May Announce Overseas Listing Rules In Next Budget: Official )EASE 3.0 was launched in February 2020, which was aimed at enhancing the ease of banking in all customer experiences, using technology,

Sensex, Nifty End On Flat Note; Reliance

Industries, TCS Top Gainers

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Shaheen Shah Afridi com-pleted a ten-wicket match haul to bowl Pakistan to a series-level-ling 109-run victory over the West Indies in the final session of the second and final Test at Sabina Park on Tuesday.

Frustrated by the loss of an entire day’s play and another ses-sion to rain and a sodden outfield over the weekend, Shaheen kept Pakistan’s hopes alive with a dev-astating first innings effort of six for 51 on day four — his best Test innings performance — and re-turned on the final day to strike critical blows.

Then, when it seemed the weather would ruin their des-perate push for victory, he came back for a final spell with the second new ball to take the last two wickets and give his team a tremendous triumph with one hour to spare.Starting the day

at 49 for one and facing the un-likely target of 329, the West In-

dies were again let down by their top-order batting, sliding to 113 for six in mid-afternoon despite a battling 39 from captain Kraigg Brathwaite.Former skipper Ja-son Holder eventually top scored

with 47 but it was his demise to Nauman Ali, the left-arm spin-ner’s third wicket, which eased a rising sense of panic in the Pakistan camp.Then Afridi, new ball in hand and with eight wick-ets down, trapped Kemar Roach leg-before.Afridi then induced a mistimed drive from Joshua da Silva for Faheem Ashraf to take the catch at mid-on and dismiss the West Indies for 219 and seal yet another come-from-behind ef-fort for Pakistan in the Caribbe-an.As in 2005 and 2011, Pakistan, this time led by Babar Azam, lost the first Test but rebounded to take the second and share the honours with the hosts.“This was a very important win for us, espe-cially given the way we lost that first Test,” said Babar, reflecting on the heart-breaking one-wick-et defeat at the same venue nine days earlier.

OWNER:SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Printer: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Publisher: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Editor: SYED JAHANGIR BUKHARI, Published From: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS BUILDING, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSI BHAT, LAWAYPORA, SRINAGAR. Printed at: LUBAAB PUBLICATIONS, RADIO COLONY GUND HASSIBHAT LAWAIPORA SRINAGAR 190017.. RNI NO: JKENG/2011/39231. CELL NO: 9419008414.

9999038812. Email Id: dailyheadlinestoday@gmail.com. Website: headlinestodaydaily.com

HEADLINES TODAY 12HT SPORTS AUGUST,26

2021,THURSDAY

Shaheen Shah Afridi leads Pakistan to

109-run win over West Indies in second Test

World Test Championship Table: India Take Top Spot, Pakistan And West Indies Tied At Second

Indian men’s cricket team took the top spot in the World Test Champi-onship (2021-2023) points table, with West Indies and Pakistan tied at sec-ond place. India have accumulated 14 points in the two matches that they have played against England. The percent-age of points (PCT) of the Indian team is 58.33 after winning one match and drawing an-other. England are on the fourth spot with two points, which they have gathered in the drawn Trent Bridge Test. Paki-stan on Tuesday levelled the two-match series and claimed 12 World Test Championship points after defeating the West Indies by 109 runs in

Jamaica.Earlier, West Indies had triumphed against Pakistan at the

same venue in the first Test, claiming their share of 12 WTC points.

In the ongoing En-gland vs India series, the first Test ended in

a draw but India staged an incredible comeback to win the second game

by 151 runs at the Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Both sides will now face off in the third Test, beginning Wednesday at Headingley, Leeds.

Riding on the confi-dence gained from the second Test, the visitors will look to seal the third Test which will ensure that India don’t lose the five-match series.

Batsmen Zak Craw-ley and Dom Sibley were omitted from the En-gland squad last week and pacer Mark Wood was ruled out of the third Test with an inju-ry on Monday.

Some new faces are expected to be included in the English playing XI but for India the ques-tion remains whether they will change the winning combination or go with the same set of players in the third Test.Ramiz and that was the reason the PM called.

Tokyo Paralympics open after year’s virus delayTOKYO: The Tokyo Paralympics

opened with howling guitars and ne-on-streaked performers on Tuesday, with athletes ready to defy stereotypes and shat-ter records despite a year-long pandemic delay.Japan’s Emperor Naruhito declared the Games open surrounded by banks of vacant seats at the 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium, with virus rules banning specta-tors from almost all events.

International Paralympic Committee (IOC) president Andrew Parsons hailed the athletes as “beacons of hope” who had put “blood, sweat and tears” into prepar-ing for the event.

“Many doubted this day would happen, many thought it impossible, but thanks to the efforts of many, the most transforma-tive sports event on Earth is about to be-gin,” he said.The pared-down ceremony took place in front of around 800 VIPs and officials, but there was a celebratory mood as 162 teams enjoyed their long-awaited moment in the global spotlight.

The ceremony took “We Have Wings” as its concept, creating a mini “airport” on the stadium field.

The segment told the story of a one-winged plane that takes to the skies, end-ing in a wild crescendo featuring musi-cians and dancers with disabilities.

Three Japanese para-athletes — wheel-chair tennis player Yui Kamiji, boccia player Shunsuke Uchida, and powerlifter Karin Morisaki — then combined to light the flame.

A reduced parade of roughly 3,400 Paralympians and team officials entered the stadium, wearing masks but waving and dancing after the disappointment of the postponement and worries about a po-tential cancellation.

A volunteer carried Afghanistan’s flag into the stadium as a “sign of solidarity” with athletes from the country, one of 21 nations unable to compete at the Games.

The 13-day Paralympics, with 539 gold medals up for grabs across 22 sports, arrive two weeks after the close of an Olympics that also took place almost entirely behind closed doors over virus fears.

“Change starts with sport. And from to-morrow on, Paralympic athletes start once again to change to world,” Parsons said.

Paralympic athletes will be subject to the same rules as their Olympic counter-parts — including daily testing and limits on their movement.

The run-up to the Games has been fraught, with polling for months show-ing the Japanese were opposed to hosting them this summer.

The mood seemed to shift once the Olympics got under way, with a majority saying they were glad it had gone ahead, but the virus situation in Japan has wors-ened dramatically in recent weeks.

The country has recorded more than 25,000 daily infections in the past week, and while the death toll remains compar-atively small at around 15,500, just 40 per-cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

The opening ceremony came with To-kyo and 12 other regions under a virus state of emergency that largely limits the opening hours of bars and restaurants and bans them from selling alcohol.

But several hundred people gathered outside the stadium before the ceremony started, hoping to taste the atmosphere de-spite being locked out.