JAMMU, Sept 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee is set to pass a resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to lead the party as President.
The meeting is in progress in Jammu where the All India Congress Committee in-charge Rajni Patil and Pradesh Returning Officer (PRO), J-K, Ranjit Ranjan are also present.
After Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Tamil Nadu and Bihar units of the Congress have now passed resolutions that Rahul Gandhi should again become the President of the party. The resolution was passed in a TNCC General Council Meeting held earlier today. The notification for the Congress president’s election will be out on September 22.
Nominations for the post of Congress president can be filed from September 24 to September 30. The last day of filing the nomination is September 30, 2022, and the last date of withdrawal of nominations is October 8.
Congress Working Committee (CWC) had decided that the election for the Congress president post will be held on October 17, sources said earlier. The counting of votes will be done on October 19.
Earlier on Saturday, the Rajasthan Congress passed a resolution to make Rahul Gandhi the party’s president. A day after, on Sunday, the Chhattisgarh unit of the party too followed suit.
“The following 2 resolutions have been unanimously passed in the meeting of state Congress representatives today: 1) AICC President authorized to constitute AICC Delegate, PCC President, Treasurer and State Executive 2) Shri Rahul Gandhi to take over as the National President again,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tweeted after passing the resolution.
Later, talking to the media, CM Baghel said: “Chhattisgarh Congress Committee and Rajasthan Cong Committee have made this proposal. It has been done in 2 states but if this proposal comes from other states too, then Rahul ji should rethink this matter.” (Agencies)

KISHTWAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh Monday said that militancy in J&K was on crutches and Kishtwar district it was almost zero as one or two militants are active in the area who will be eliminated soon.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, the DGP said that militancy in J&K was on crutches and those remaining will soon be either arrested or killed. “In Kishtwar, there are just one or two militants active who will be arrested of killed very soon,” the J&K police chief said.

He said that in J&K means of entertainment are being revived again. “Yesterday, LG Manoj Sinhaji visited two districts of South Kashmir—Pulwama and Shopian. He revived theater facilities for youth as a means of entertainment,” DGP Singh said, adding that “Srinagar will soon see multiplex functional which will be a great means of entertainment of its youth.”

He said that there is a long list of movies which famous directors want to shoot in J&K for which this place was once popular. “I am sure that time is not far when J&K youth will themselves direct movies of different nature,” Singh said.

To a query about Hurriyat Conference, he said Hurriyat was nowhere in J&K at present. “But a new chapter of Hurriyat has been opened in Pakistan to provoke people of J&K. Once such example was its band call on August 5 this year which was totally ignored by the people of J&K,” he said, adding that there was no bandh anywhere in J&K and instead there were huge celebrations everywhere.

Replying to a query about Madrasas in J&K, he said majority of such institutions are doing great work by honing the talent of youth. “Some may be used for misguiding youth and such institutions are under watch,” he said, adding that “watchdogs of peace in J&K were active and doing their best to ensure peace becomes a permanent feature. Police, and other security forces, besides civil administration are working day and night to cement peace in the UT.”

The DGP said that social media propaganda to foment trouble and to lure youth towards violence and drugs are being countered effectively by the security forces and administration.

New Delhi, Sept 19: Union Minister Jitendra Singh will lead the Joint Indian Ministerial official delegation of the Ministry of Power, New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Science and Technology on a five-day visit to USA to participate in the Global Clean Energy Action Forum. The delegation is scheduled to leave India today.
During the visit, the Union minister will interact with eminent academicians as well as the Indian diaspora.
Talking about this visit, minister Singh said: “I think it’s a matter of right for all of us that this is possibly the first conference of its kind in the global clean energy Action Forum where at least 30 countries will be presented by their respective ministers plus official delegations, the CEOs.”
“And this also is a reiteration of the fact that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now assumed a leading role as far as this climate movement is concerned. You will recall that soon after he took over as Prime Minister 2014 In his early months itself, in many of the international forums he was expressing concern about the climate issues and also trying to clear India’s stand and also trying to urge all the countries of the world to come together and put up a united crusade in the interest of mankind at large.”
Further, speaking about India’s announcement at COP26 summit, he underlined Prime Minister Modi India’s commitment to get to the Net Zero target by 2070.
In order to achieve this, minister Singh believes the country need to have the participation of all stakeholders.
“That is why this conference is going to be held in Pittsburgh, the CEOs from different parts of the world are going to become participants, the business community leaders, the scientists, the R&D representatives, and after the government officials.”
In addition, minister Singh-led delegation will also hold interaction with academicians, eminent scientists, business leaders, both in Washington also in Pittsburgh. (Agencies)

Srinagar, Sept 19: The government on Monday relieved Abdul Jabbar (IPS), Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir Range to allow him to join the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on deputation for five years.

“Consequent upon the approval of the Competent Authority for induction of Abdul Jabbar, IPS (AGMUT:2008), Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir Range, in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at DIG Level, on deputation basis, for a period of 05 years from the date of the assumption of the charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier, he is hereby relieved to enable him to take up the new assignment,” reads a government order, a copy of which lies with GNS.

Sujit Kumar (IPS), Deputy Inspector General of Police, Central Kashmir Range, has been given the charge of DIG, South Kashmir Range, in addition to his own duties, till further orders, reported news agency GNS.

As per a separate order, the government accorded sanction to repatriate P K Modi, Superintendent of Police, from the prisons department to his parent police department with immediate effect.

CHANDIGARH, Sept 19: Students of Chandigarh University in Punjab’s Mohali ended their protest in the early hours on September 19, 2022 after the district administration and police assured them of a fair and transparent investigation into allegations that objectionable videos of several women students had been recorded.
The university on September 19, 2022 suspended two wardens for negligence and also declared “non-teaching days” till September 24.
Further, it formed a joint committee comprising students and senior functionaries to address certain issues pertaining to hostel timings and other demands of the students, sources in the varsity said.
“They (students) ended their protest at around 1:30 am,” Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Sheel Soni said.
He told reporters that a special investigation team headed by a senior police officer will be formed to probe the case.
The university in a tweet said, “We are always with our students, be it their academic aspirations or their safety and well-being. We will leave no stone unturned to live it upto this commitment towards our students.” Protest had rocked the campus on Saturday night over allegations that objectionable videos of several women students were recorded by a hosteller. Some students claimed that the videos were even leaked.
Police, however, had said the woman student appeared to have shared a video of only herself with a 23-year-old man, stated to be her boyfriend, and no objectionable video of any other student was found.
She was arrested from Punjab itself while the man was held in Himachal Pradesh and handed over to the Punjab Police. Officials said the woman’s mobile phone has been seized for forensic analysis and added that there was no suicide attempt by any student.
The university authorities had also rejected as “false and baseless” reports that claimed videos of several women students in the hostel were made and leaked on social media and that distraught students had attempted suicide.
The students, however, had accused the university authorities of “suppressing facts” and held a fresh protest on Sunday evening, which continued till late night.
An FIR under Section 354-C (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act has been registered in the matter and further probe is on, police said. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI, Sept 19: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and killings in Jammu and Kashmir.
The plea was filed by Ashutosh Taploo, whose father Tika Lal Taploo was killed by Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) terrorists at the time.
Tika Lal Taploo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit and BJP’s former vice president, was gunned down by terrorists in Srinagar 33 years ago.
The killing of Taploo in 1989 triggered the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley. His killing also was also followed by a series of target killings of Kashmiri Pandit leaders and activists in Kashmir.
The apex court allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea and seek an appropriate remedy.
An NGO ‘We the Citizens’ has also filed a plea seeking an SIT probe into the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir between 1990 and 2003, which forced their exodus from the Valley.The NGO also sought rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the top court said that the issues relating to rehabilitation is “purely in the domain of the executive” and asked the petitioner to first approach the Centre and the Union territory administration. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Sep 18: Gross direct tax collections till 2022-23 as on September 17 stood at Rs 8.36 lakh crore, witnessing a growth of 30 per cent over collections of the corresponding period of last year.

Net direct tax collections stood at Rs 7.01 lakh crore for the current fiscal till September 17, showing a 23 per cent rise over the corresponding period of last year.

Cumulative advance tax collections were at Rs 2.95 lakh crore till September 17 in 2022-23, a growth of 17 per cent over the corresponding period of last year, according to the data released by the Finance Ministry.