JAMMU, Oct 23: The festivities of Diwali have begun and Indian Army soldiers in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, celebrated Diwali at the last Army post near LoC at 10,000 feet altitude. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on October 24.
An army soldier said, “We wish a very Happy Diwali to all Indians on the occasion of Diwali. Don’t worry about anything. Indian Army is present at the last post in LoC Poonch.”
Earlier, Indian Army soldiers posted along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector also celebrated Diwali by lighting oil lamps. The Jawans performed Lakshmi pooja, singing Lakshmi-Ganesh arti and also burst crackers to celebrate the auspicious festival.
“I want to wish the countrymen a very happy Diwali and assure them that our soldiers are alert and are keeping a vigil on the border,” Col Iqbal Singh said. (Agencies)
J&K | Indian Army Soldiers Celebrate Diwali Near LoC At 10,000 Ft Altitude
Mainly dry weather with clear sky likely in J&K: MeT
JAMMU, Oct 23: Weather was mainly dry in Jammu and Kashmir during the last 24 hours as the Meteorological (MeT) office said on Sunday that same conditions are likely to continue.
“Weather is likely to remain mainly dry with clear sky in J&K during the next 24 hours,” an official of the MeT department said.
Jammu had 14.1, Katra 13, Batote 7.2, Banihal 5.6 and Bhaderwah 5.1 as the minimum temperature.
Srinagar had 3.6, Pahalgam minus 0.6 and Gulmarg minus 1.2 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature.
Drass town in Ladakh region had minus 4.7, Kargil minus 1.8 and Leh minus 2.9 as the minimum temperature. (AGENCIES)
Badrinath-Kedarnath temple doors to remain closed on Oct 25
Uttarakhand, Oct 23: Doors of Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple will remain closed on October 25 on the solar eclipse, said the temple committee.
After the eclipse, the pujas will be performed in the evening, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Shri Kedarnath-Badrinath Temple Committee added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Badrinath temple on Friday. Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accompanied Prime Minister at the shrine.
Before arriving in Badrinath, PM Modi visited Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag and offered prayers donning a traditional pahadi outfit, Chola Dora, that was gifted to him by Himachali women during his tour to the state.
PM Modi arrived at Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun earlier in the day and was received by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmeet Singh. He later laid the foundation stone of the Kedarnath ropeway project and after that visited the Adi Guru Shankaracharya Samadhi Sthal.
He reviewed the progress of development works along Mandakini Asthapath and Saraswati Asthapath. PM Modi also interacted with the construction workers engaged in the Kedarnath Dham development project.
According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the ropeway in Kedarnath will be around 9.7 km long and will connect Gaurikund to Kedarnath, reducing the travel time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present to only about 30 mins
The Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib. It will be around 12.4 km long and will reduce the travel time from more than a day to only about 45 mins. This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the gateway to Valley of Flowers National Park, said the PMO statement.
The ropeways, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of around Rs 2,430 crore, are an environmental friendly mode of transport that will provide a safe, secure and stable mode of transport. This major infrastructure development will give a boost to religious tourism, which will give a fillip to the economic development in the region and lead to the creation of multiple employment opportunities as well.
Foundation stone for road widening projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore will also be laid during the visit. The two road widening projects – from Mana to Mana Pass (NH07) and from Joshimath to Malari (NH107B) – shall be another step towards providing last-mile all-weather road connectivity to our border areas. Apart from boosting connectivity, these projects will also prove beneficial from a strategic point of view as well.
Kedarnath and Badrinath are among the most important Hindu shrines. The area is also known for one of the revered Sikh Pilgrim site – Hemkund Sahib. The connectivity projects are aimed to ease access and improve basic infrastructure in places of religious significance. (Agencies)
Home Ministry cancels FCRA licence of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
New Delhi, Oct 23: The Centre has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), a non-government organisation associated with the Gandhi family, for alleged violations of the law, officials said.
The action came after investigations carried out by an inter-ministerial committee formed by the home ministry in 2020.
“Yes, the FCRA licence of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has been cancelled after an investigation against it,” an official said.
Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of RGF while other trustees include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former finance minister P Chidambaram, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Set up in 1991, RGF worked on a number of critical issues including health, science and technology, women and children, disability support, etc., from 1991 till 2009. It also worked in the education sector, according to its website. (Agencies)
COVID-19: India records 1,994 fresh cases
New Delhi, Oct 23: With 1,994 fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 tally has climbed to 4,46,42,742, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 23,432, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.
The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 5,28,961 with four more fatalities, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.
The active cases account for 0.05 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.76 per cent, the ministry said.
A decrease of 611 cases was recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours, it added.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.24 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.99 per cent, according to the health ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 4,40,90,349, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent.
According to the ministry, 219.55 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered to the beneficiaries across the country.
India’s Covid tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 2020, 40 lakh on September 5, 2020 and 50 lakh on September 16, 2020.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 2020, 70 lakh on October 11, 2020, 80 lakh on October 29, 2020, 90 lakh on November 20, 2020 and the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4, 2021, the three-crore mark on June 23, 2021 and four crore cases on January 25 this year.
Of the four fatalities recorded in the 24-hour period, one each was reported from Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Nagaland. (Agencies)
Xi Jinping re-elected as General Secretary of Communist Party of China for record third five-year term
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping was on Sunday re-elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China for a record third five-year term, a privilege only accorded to party founder Mao Zedong.
Xi, 69, was elected to the powerful Central Committee a day earlier by a once-in-a-five-year Congress despite crossing the official retirement age of 68 and completing 10-year tenure.
Several senior leaders including the number two leader Premier Li Keqiang either retired or failed to make it to the Central Committee resulting in a major shakeup of China’s politics and government.
The Central Committee members on Sunday elected a 25-member Political Bureau which picked the Standing Committee members to govern the country.
Soon after his election, Xi appeared before the media here on Sunday along with the newly elected Standing Committee.
Xi, in his brief closing remarks at the 20th Congress on Saturday, said that the revision of the Constitution sets out clear requirements for upholding and strengthening the party’s overall leadership.
“Dare to struggle, dare to win, bury your heads and work hard. Be determined to keep forging ahead,” he said.
“We must be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms,” he said.
“Confronted with drastic changes in the international landscape, especially external attempts to blackmail, contain, (and) blockade… China, we have put our national interests first,” he said, apparently referring to the growing negativity against China in the US and West. (Agencies)
Police seize 21 kg of heroin from truck on Jammu-Srinagar highway, driver detained
JAMMU, Oct 23: Police detained a truck driver on Sunday after heroin weighing more than 21 kg was seized from his vehicle on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur.
”During the checking of vehicles at Zero Point on the highway at Chenani, a truck coming from Kashmir and driven by Kulwinder Singh of Punjab’s Nawanshahr was intercepted,” Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh said.
On a search of the vehicle, 18 packets of heroin, weighing around 21.5 kg, were seized, he added.
The seized contraband is worth crores of rupees in the international market, the officer said.
The truck driver has been detained and is being questioned, he added. (Agencies)
Security Forces Busted Hideout in Ramban, Ammunition, explosive & related material recovered
By King RJ
Pics Khursheed Choupan
Banihal/Ramban: an information was received through reliable sources regarding presence of caché of arms, ammunition and related material in the far flung hilly and forested area of tehsil Khari of District Ramban.
Acting swiftly on the input, a joint search operation of JK Police and 23 RR Army was launched in the forest area and suspected hideout locations were searched which continued till evening during which security forces busted a suspected militant hideout and Arms & ammunition among other things were recovered from the spot.
The details of arms/ammunition recovered are as Ak-47 rounds- 310 (rusted condition), 9mm rounds :- 30 rusted condition), 9mm Magazine:- 01, Ak-47 magazines:- 06 (rusted condition), grenade :- 01, Tape Recorder:- 1 (rusted), Handset with antenna :- 01 (rusted condition), casettes :- 02, Battery terminals :-03, negatives photofilm :- 01 (rusted/damaged), pencil cells :- 05, plastic can :- 01 ( broken/rusted), pocket diary:- 01, Cooper wire :- 01 roll( damaged), blade :- 1 and Bennet :-01 .
In this regard, a case FIR no. 237/2022 u/s 7/25 Arms act and Sec 4 Explosives substnaces act has been registered at P/S Banihal and investigation has been taken up.
The entire joint search operation of JKP and 23 RR was led by police party of Police post Khari headed by PSI Sweet Singh IC PP Khari, Insp. Farooq Ahmed I/C SOG Banihal , Insp. Mohd Afzal Wani SHO P/S Banihal, under the supervision of DySP Nisar Ahmed Khoja SDPO Banihal and Major Mayank of 23 Rashtriya Rifles with the overall supervision of Mohita Sharma, IPS SSP Ramban. MoS Defence reviews security at Northern Command, flags off bike rally
JAMMU, Oct 22: Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt on Saturday visited the Northern Command at Udhampur.
The minister was briefed on the security and operational situation. He interacted with senior officers and deliberated on various defence related issues.
The minister laid a wreath at the Dhruva War Memorial paying homage to the bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The Minister later flagged off the ‘Shaurya Diwas (Infantry Day) Motorcycle Rally’ in presence of Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, GOC-in-C, Northern Command.
The Bike Rally was organised to commemorate 75 years of historic landings of the forces at Srinagar in the 1947-48 War. The rally will culminate at National War Memorial, New Delhi on October 27, 2022.
The Minister also interacted with NCC girl cadets and motivated them. He recognised the efforts of the Indian Army in J&K and Ladakh, appreciated the spirit and motivation of troops deployed in active operations and praised all ranks for their unconditional and selfless service to the Nation.
He commended Northern Command for Always being in Combat while securing the borders and keeping the internal security situation stable in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. (AGENCIES)
J&K Govt Redraws Social Caste List, 15 More Classes Get Reservation Benefits
JAMMU, October 22: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Saturday issued an order to redraw the social caste list expanding it by adding 15 new classes under the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004.
Jats, West Pakistani Refugees, Gorkhas, Wagheys, Pony Walas among the new classes in the list.
In a notification, the JK government said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by the first proviso to clause (o) of Section 2 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, and on the recommendations of the Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir hereby directs that the following amendments shall be made in Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules 2005.”
As per the notification, 15 more classes were included in its social caste category list.
The new classes added in the list are Waghey (Chopan), Ghirath/Bhati/Chang community, Jat community, Saini community, Markabans/PonyWalas, Sochi community, Christian Biradari (converted from Hindu Valmiki), Sunar/Swarankar Teeli (Hindu Teeli along with already existing Muslim Teli), Perna/Kouro(Kaurav), Bojru/Decount/Dubdabay Brahmin Gorkans, Gorkhas, West Pakistani refugees (excluding SCs) and Acharyas.
The Jammu and Kashmir government also modified the existing social castes by subsisting their names.
“In Annexure-D to the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005:- (i) for the words Potters (Kumahars), Shoe repairers (working without the aid of machines) Bangies Khakrobes (Sweepers), Barbers, Washerman, Dooms, the words Kumahars, Mochi, Bangies Khakrobes, HajjamAtrai, Dhobi and Dooms (excluding SCs) shall be respectively substituted,” the notification issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Social Welfare Department Civil Secretariat, Jammu reads.
The other change made in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, is that the words “Pahari Speaking people (PSP)” or “Pahari Speaking People” wherever appearing, the words “Pahari Ethnic people” shall be substituted. (Agencies)