september 13, 2020 as covid-19 cases surge in j&k, cong

Sunday September 13, 2020 3

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: Jammu andKashmir Congress presidentG A Mir on Saturdayexpressed concern over thegrowing number of COVID-19 cases in the union territo-ry and demanded a factsheet on the facilities avail-able in the hospitals to meetthe challenge.

He also demanded immedi-ate restoration of 4G mobileinternet services and said thelack of facility is causing alot of hardships to the stu-dent community who wereforced to stay home andattend virtual classes due tothe pandemic.

The COVID-19 cases areincreasing with each passingday and there are reports oflack of adequate facilitiesincluding shortage of oxygenin Jammu hospitals which isa cause of concern and

reflects mismanagement andmishandling of the situation,Mir told reporters here.

He said there is a need forimmediate necessary stepson war footing to augmentthe facilities to meet the"worsening situation".

Government should comeout with a detailed statementof facts to assure the peopleabout the facilities to dealwith the emerging scenario,Mir said.

Expressing his displeasureover the continued suspen-

sion of 4G mobile internetservices in most parts ofJammu and Kashmir, hesaid the students are theworst-hit as they are notable to attend their onlineclasses due to connectivityproblems in view of the lowspeed.

The government should notplay with the career of thechildren, he said and ques-tioned the arbitrary chargingof tuition fee by privateschools.

On introduction of domicile

certificates, he said it seemsthat the government is notworried about the safety ofthe people and is adamant toline them up by rejecting thegenuine request to treatPermanent ResidentCertificate (PRC) the sameas domicile document.

Mir also took a dig at thecentral government over thesetting up of a delimitationcommission for J-K andclaimed that only the rulingparty is involved in the exer-cise with ground officials "tocreate a road map for theexercise".

He said his party is keep-ing a track on the situationand will do whateverrequired to deal with theissue in accordance with thelaw.

Referring to the upcomingthird phase of back to villageprogramme of the adminis-

tration to address the prob-lems being faced by the peo-ple in the nook and corner ofthe UT, he claimed that theearlier such exercises provedfutile as not a single workwas carried out.

He demanded a CBIinquiry into the recentattempt of temple land grad-ing in the heart of Jammuand said his party would con-tinue highlighting the doublestandards of the BJP on theissue.

Vice President PCCRaman Bhalla, ChiefSpokesperson RavinderSharma, General SecretariesTh. Balwan Singh, Th.Manmohan Singh, EX-MLAs Ashok Sharma,Chairman OBC DepttSuresh Dogra and SecretaryPCC Neeraj Gupta werealso present in the press con-ference.

As COVID-19 cases surge in J&K, Cong calls for factsheet on available facilities in hospitals

JKPCC Chief G.A Mir talking to reporters.

STATE TIMES NEWSLEH: Lieutenant Governorof Ladakh, R K Mathur wascalled upon by various dele-gations including ExecutiveCouncilor (Educ.), LAHDC,Leh Konchok Stanzin.

The Executive Councilorraised certain border arearelated issues in Changthangregion and through a memo-randum requested the Lt.Governor for special quota inall institutions to the Borderstudents, special quota forborder aspirants in paramili-tary and army recruitments,exemption of Inmarsat satel-lite phone charges at the bor-der area and allotment ofland for border people in Leh.

Jigmet Geldan Sarpanch,Khemi through a memoran-dum requested the Lt.Governor for issuance of theactual line of control certifi-cate to the people of thisplace, installation of commu-nication tower includingAirtel, up-gradation ofMiddle School to high Schooland up-gradation of MedicalAid Centre to Public HealthCentre with an ambulanceservice.

Gen. Shatup Chamba,President, All Ladakh GonpaAssociation presented a writ-ten request to the Lt.Governor to take up with theGovernment of India to con-fer India's highest civilianaward, Bharat Ratna to HisHoliness the Dalai Lama

considering his unconditionaland compassionate service tohumanity.

Councilor Tangtse, TashiNamgyal and CouncilorNyoma Thupstan Wangchukrequested the Lt. Governorfor installing VSATs inPanchayat Ghars inChangthang region to enablethe students in the region tocontinue with their onlineclasses which has beenrecently hampered.

Tsewang Chostar,President, LBA Zanskaralong with its members in afollow-up meeting reiteratedtheir request to grant districtstatus to Zanskar, to speedup the work on Nimoo-Padum-Darcha road, to giverecognition to Bhoti lan-guage and to improve med-ical facilities with minoroperation theatre (MOT) andavailability of specialized doc-tors.

Arjun Khanna, Director,Biosash Company met withthe Lt. Governor andapprised him of the great

potential of sea-buckthornand its high commercialvalue. He requested for assis-tance in collection of sea-buckthorn berries andexpressed desire to set up aunit in Ladakh.

A delegation of All LadakhHotels and Guest HouseAssociation (ALHGHA)called upon the Lt. Governorto express gratitude for therelease of pending instal-ments for the 11hotels/guesthouses that hadbeen pending since 2013from the erstwhile J&KGovernment and also for ini-tiating the process of subsidydisbursal for several pendingcases that were approvedunder the J&K Tourism,J&K Government. ThePresident (ALHGHA) madea request to the Lt. Governorto release the subsidyamount in a lump sum ratherthan installments consider-ing the serious loss to thetourism industry dueto Covid-19 and bordertensions.

Several delegations call on LG Mathur

LG R.K Mathur interacting with a delegation.STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: Expressing graveconcern over alarming spikein COVID-19 cases inJammu and Kashmir particu-larly in the past few days,National ConferenceProvincial PresidentDevender Singh Rana onSaturday urged the adminis-tration to take proactive stepsand detail senior officers asempowered exclusive authori-ties to monitor, superintendand coordinate the function-ing and management ofhealthcare infrastructure andfacilities therein to ensurebest possible treatment toCOVOD-19 patients.

"While frontline workers aredoing exemplary job in fight-ing the virus at the peril oftheir own and families' lives,there are certain gaps whichneed to be bridged", Mr Ranasaid.

Rana said the shortage ofoxygen and dysfunctional ven-tilators in the hospitals, creat-ing bottlenecks in the treat-ment, are a matter of graveconcern. He also referred tocomplaints of unhygienic con-ditions prevailing in the quar-antine centres and urged thegovernment to take immedi-ate corrective steps.

The Provincial President

said that shortage of suppliesat this critical juncture isunacceptable and the healthadministration should wakeup to the medical exigencyand work out action planskeeping in view the require-ments on day to day and evenhour to hour basis. For thisempowered authorities arealso needed at divisional anddistrict levels, which should becharged exclusively with theresponsibility of coordinatingevery nitty gritty of theCOVID-19 management.

He said the obtaining situa-tion calls for emergent andextraordinary measures interms of strengthening diag-nostic facilities, pharmaceuti-cal supplies and manpower toaddress the trend. Of course,much is needed to be done bythe people by observing pre-ventive protocols like main-taining social distance andwearing masks to meet thechallenge, he added.

Rana said the private hospi-tals and nursing homesshould also be roped in to sup-plement the efforts in contain-ing the infection. In fact,these health care facilities

should volunteer services forthe service of mankind, hesaid, adding that if it is notnow when they shall shouldertheir social and corporateresponsibility.

The Provincial Presidentexpressed solidarity withthose who have lost their dearones due to the pandemic andurged the people to cooperatewith the administration at allthe levels in successful imple-mentation of guidelines andStanding OperatingProcedures devised by variousagencies.

There has to be completesynergy between the adminis-tration, the frontline workersand the supervisory officers toachieve the objectives, he said.

Rana complimented allthose doctors, para-medics,lab technicians, sanitaryworkers, police and linedepartments for putting intheir best at this crucial junc-ture to meet the unexpectedmedical exigency. Theirefforts in defeating the viruswill not go waste given theirsense of commitment anddedication, the ProvincialPresident observed.

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: A Sikh organisa-tion on Saturday launcheda signature campaign hereto press for the inclusion ofPunjabi in the list of offi-cial languages in Jammuand Kashmir.

The campaign by SikhYouth Sewa Trust startedoutside a Gurdwara inGandhi Nagar as part ofits efforts to mobilize sup-port for fulfillment of theirdemand.

"We have started thiscampaign to mobilize sup-port and press the govern-ment to include Punjabi inthe list of official lan-guages in J-K," chairmanof the trust Tajinder PalSingh said.

He said it is unfortunatethat the Centre has notresponded to their demanddespite support from allsections of society.

"It is a democracy and itis our right to raise ourvoice against any kind ofdiscrimination," he said,adding that the Sikhs willcontinue their peacefulprotest in support of theirdemands.

"Till 1981, Punjabi lan-guage was a compulsorysubject like Urdu in J-K. It

was a part andparcel of the (erstwhile)constitution of Jammu andKashmir before the abro-gation of its special status.Punjabi is popular amonga large population ofJammu and Kashmir," Palsaid.

By excluding the Punjabilanguage, he said the cen-tral government has takenan "extreme step" whichhas caused resentmentamong minorities not onlyin Jammu and Kashmir,but among all Punjabi-speaking people across thecountry.

Seeking intervention ofLt Governor ManojSinha, Singh said the sig-nature campaign has beeninitiated with an aim tobring the Punjabi-speak-ing people under the ban-ner for inclusion ofPunjabi language in the J-K Official Language Bill2020.

The trust members alsoappealed to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and UnionHome Minister Amit Shahto review the "discrimina-tory move" and ensureinclusion of Punjabi as oneof the official languages ofthe Union Territory.

Sikhs start signature campaign for inclusionof Punjabi in official languages list in J-K

Rana for proactive initiative to combatalarming COVID-19 spike

STATE TIMES NEWSJAMMU: Prof Manoj K Dhar,Vice-Chancellor, University ofJammu expressed gratitude tothe Chancellor for his vision-ary guidance and leadershipwhich will go a long way in giv-ing impetus to the research,teaching and innovations inthe University.

He also thanked K. K.Sharma, Advisor for his con-stant encouragement in imbib-ing innovative methods andideas in the sphere of educa-tion.

In his address to the media,Prof Dhar talked about sever-al landmark decisions taken inthe 86th University CouncilMeeting which was held underthe Chairmanship of ManojSinha, Lieutenant Governor,J&K & Chancellor, Universityof Jammu on September 11,2020 at Raj Bhawan.

Prof Dhar informed thatChancellor emphasised forenhanced focus on the steps tobe taken by the University ofJammu for the promotion ofDogri language and transla-tions of the existing works in

other languages of the countryto promote culture, traditions,and respect to feelings andaspirations of locals.

Prof. Dhar said that anAdvisory Committee of emi-nent persons, who have con-tributed to the growth anddevelopment of Dogri shall beconstituted and a proposal ofestablishing a "Centre ofExcellence in Dogri" will bedeveloped within the shortestpossible time.

The Council favourably con-sidered the long pendingdemand of research studentsand approved increase in theresearch fellowship of researchscholars from Rs 5000 to Rs10000 per month and also

gave nod to no fee hike for twoyears considering the difficultconditions created by Covid19,said Prof Dhar.

The Council approved inprinciple the setting up of aResearch Cluster in theUniversity of Jammu forstrengthening Research andits dissemination for the uplift-ment of society.

In this regard, the Universityis planning to establish 7 cen-tres of excellence in variousresearch areas which willimmensely benefit the facultyof JU, College teachers,researchers and students ofthe region as well as UT.

The cluster is expected tobecome functional in a State of

art building and will be devel-oped with the help of thegrants sanctioned to theUniversity under RUSA.

The Chancellor directed thatthe output from ResearchCentres in the said Clustermust develop an interface andidentify the outcomes whichcan be relevant to the society.He emphasized upon assess-ment of impact of researchundertaken in the Universitiesof J & K.

The Council also approvedthe establishment of theDepartment of Journalism &Media Studies, two yearExecutive MBA Programmeand Diploma in Museology &Archaeology, Prof Dhar saidadding that establishment ofthe Department of Philosophywas also approved in view ofthe unique position andresources of the University inthis region.

Besides, approving 10 per-cent Supernumerary seats forCollege teachers, to enablethem to undertake researchwork leading to award ofPh.D, Council also approved

College teachers to act assupervisors/Co-Supervisors asper the UGC norms andUniversity Statutes for guid-ing students, initially in thesubjects of arts and humani-ties.

Prof Dhar said that theHon'ble Chancellor was cate-gorical that the best methodsof teaching should be adoptedalong with the regular capacitybuilding of teaching facultiesof the university campuses.

Chancellor & Lt Governor,J&K laid stress on developinga curriculum based on thefeedback of students as con-tinual feedback is a globallyaccepted practice and it helpsto understand and develop dif-ferent perspectives to the exist-ing pedagogy.

He insisted that Universityof Jammu should take lead inimplementation of NationalEducation Policy 2020. Thepress briefing was attended byProf Neetu Andotra,Registrar, University ofJammu and Dr Vinay Thusoo,Official Spokesperson,University of Jammu.

JU to establish Centre of Excellence in DogriCouncil gives nod to increase research fellowship from Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 per month, no fee hike for 2 years

VC JU Prof Manoj K Dhar addressing a press conference.

STATE TIMES NEWSBARAMULLA: Continuingits endeavours in respect ofslogan 'Reach out to everyChild', the J&K TeachersForum (JKTF) organised aday-long TeachersConference in auditorium ofGovt Degree CollegeBaramulla.

District DevelopmentCommissioner Baramulla,Dr G N Itoo was ChiefGuest on the occasion whileADC Sopore, Principal GovtDegree College Baramulla,Chief Education OfficerBaramulla and PrincipalDIET were the Guests ofHonour.

The conference, presidedby Mohd Rafique RatherChairman JKTF, wasattended by a number of

intellectuals, academicians,administrators, religiousscholars, civil society mem-bers besides a large numberof teachers.

On the occasion, 18 teach-ers from 18 zones were con-ferred with (Best TeacherAward 2019-20) for theirbest performance duringCOVID-19 in reaching outto students through variousnon-conventional methods.

The conference began withthe welcome speech ofIshfaq Ahmad Shah,District President JKTFBaramulla.

Speaking on the occasion,DDC Baramulla Dr G NItoo, while acknowledgingthe role played by theTeachers Forum for better-ment of the education sys-

tem, said that the organisa-tion has been helping theadministration, even duringdifficult & complex situa-tions.

"Teachers are really torchbearers but the way ourteachers have put in theirbest in extremely adverse

conditions is really appre-ciable. Services of teacherswere used by the Districtadministration duringCOVID-19 crisis and theywere the frontline warriorsbesides performing othercrucial assignments," heasserted, adding that he was

delighted to attend the pro-gramme of JKTF, whichalways acts as a back-boneof education system of J&K.

Recalling his period asDSEK, he said, that he hasa close liaison with leadersof JKTF and applaudedtheir role in assistingadministration from time totime.

He further appreciatedthe leadership of JKTF forawarding teachers for theirbest performance and hopedthat the organisation willcontinue to encourageteachers by conferring suchawards in future.

Prof Dr Irshad AhmadWani, former DirectorKashmir University Northcampus, while speaking onthe occasion, highlighted

role of teachers in new sys-tem.

Chairman JKTF,Mohammad Rafique Ratherlauded the teachers whoworked hard to reach out tochildren during the pan-demic. He expressed satis-faction that the teachershave adopted non-conven-tional ways and worked tire-lessly for welfare of poorstudents despite all ordealsand challenges.

Others who spoke on theoccasion included Pir NisarAhmad General SecretaryJKTF, Mohammed AshrafMir, Mohammed AminKhan, Mohammad Ismail,Abdul Qayoom, ParvaizSajad ADC Sopore and G MLone Chief EducationOfficer Baramulla.

STATE TIMES NEWSSRINAGAR: police per-sonnel along with otherCOVID warriors havebeen on forefront offight against theCoronavirus Pandemic.Many police officers,personnel have con-tracted this disease.

To provide assistance to suchpersonnel, Director General ofPolice (DGP), J&K DilbagSingh on Saturday sanctionedRs 6.95 lakh relief in favour of136 police personnel ofJammu and Kashmir Police asa welfare measure vide threedifferent orders issued byPolice Headquarters.

Under these orders, Rs 5000each has been sanctioned infavour of 136 COVID-19affected police personnel.

Among them 31 are fromIRP 5th Bn Doda, 30from SSP CrimeKashmir, 20 fromDPO Anantnag, nineeach from JKAP 12thBn., Traffic Hqrs.J&K, JKAP 7th Bn.,eight from DPO

Shopian, five each from JKAP11th Bn., DPO Budgam, threefrom SSP Traffic CitySrinagar, two from DPOBaramulla, one each fromAPHQ J&K, IRP 6th Bn.,PHQ J&K, IGP AP/IRKashmir and PTS Manigam.

Pertinent to mention herethat from June this year Rs.20.15 lakh financial assistancehas been sanctioned in favourof 403 officers/police personnelwho contracted the coron-avirus infection.

DGP sanctions financial relief ofRs 6.80 lakh to COVID-19 affected cops

J&K Teachers Forum holds 'Teachers Conference'Confers best teacher awards to 18 teachers

DDC Baramulla Dr G.N Itoo along with others during a programme.

STATE TIMES NEWSSRINAGAR: Kulgam police solved a theftcase on Saturday by arresting thieves andrecovered stolen property worth lakhs fromtheir possession.

As per details, Police Station Yariporareceived a written complaint on August 29,that some unknown burglars entered resi-dential house of one Maroofa Akhtar, resi-

dent of Kanjikulla Yaripora and decampedwith cash and gold ornaments. Accordingly, acase vide FIR No. 119/2020 under relevantsections of law was registered at PoliceStation Yaripora and investigation was initi-ated.

During the course of investigation, a Policeteam led by SHO Yaripora was constitutedand with strenuous efforts, credible informa-tion regarding burglars was generated. Theteam apprehended two suspects identified asAquib Ahmad Mir, son of Abdul Rashid Mir,resident of Kanjikulla Yaripora Kulgam andUmer Yaqoob Naik, son of Mohd YaqoobNaik, resident of Khaloora Kulgam. Duringinvestigation, it was learnt that they wereinvolved in the crime.

Later, officers investigating the case, iden-tified one more accused namely NafeezAhmad Dar, son of Mohd Ramzan Dar, resi-dent of Brazloo Jageer, who bought stolenproperty from aforesaid burglars. Stolenproperty including gold ornaments worthlakhs and cash amounting to Rs 17,000 werealso recovered from their possession. All theaccused were arrested and shifted to PoliceStation where they remained under custody.Further investigation of the case is underprogress and more recoveries are expected.

Theft case solved; accused arrested,stolen property recovered

Arrested thieves along with stolen property.