July 27: Fifteen pilgrims died due to flash floods during the Amarnath pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said on Wednesday.
Rai told Rajya Sabha that no person has been reported missing after the deluge on July 8.
”As per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, 15 persons lost their lives due to flash flood,” he said replying to a written question.
Rai said various government agencies like the NDRF, the SDRF, Army, CAPFs, and Union Territory government officials were deployed for search operations, rescue, and relief of the pilgrims.
The pilgrims were immediately evacuated to safer places and camps and provided accommodation and food while the injured pilgrims were moved to the nearest medical facilities, he said. (Agencies)
15 Amarnath pilgrims died due to flash floods: Govt tells Rajya Sabha
‘BJP running govt in coalition with ED and CBI’. Harsh Dev urges Judiciary to take cognizance of scams of BJP Ministers, MLAs
Jammu, 27-07-2022: “While the BJP govt is using the vigilante organizations including ED and CBI to intimidate, harass and persecute the opposition, its own leaders involved in massive corruption and scams of gargantuan proportions had been allowed to go scot free and granted immunity from any kind of civil or criminal action. The complaints against the corrupt leaders owing allegiance to the ruling party are summarily rejected while booking the opposition leaders on frivolous charges in a bid to destroy and eliminate all kinds of opposition”, said Mr. Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister and senior AAP leader while condemning the registration of false cases against Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain and BJP’s mischievous propaganda and false accusations against Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. He regretted that while those fighting the corrupt BJP regime were being penalized and persecuted, the corrupt elements and criminals affiliated with BJP were being sheltered and provided all support by the present regime thereby making a mockery of the rule of law, constitution and democratic jurisprudence. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Making a vociferous appeal to the Apex Court to constitute a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) against the corrupt MLAs and Ministers who have accumulated huge wealth and disproportionate assets in the last eight years, Mr. Harsh Dev lambasted the govt for having grossly failed to take action against the blemished politicians of BJP who had looted public exchequer, encroached State lands, Forest lands, Municipal and JDA lands besides having installed illegal brick-kilns, stone crushers, hot mix plants and raised mammoth movable and immovable properties in various parts of the State and outside by abusing their position and authority. He said that local media and even erstwhile Governor SP Malik had referred to several scams in the J&K State in insurance contracts, power projects, Forest and Health Departments besides large scale illegitimate back door appointments but the bigwigs continued to enjoy immunity in view of their political clout with no action whatsoever initiated against the corrupt politicians. He reminisced that the said Governor was on record having made repeated statements about some politicians having raised palatial bungalows with 40-50 rooms each at several places including Srinagar, Jammu, New Delhi and elsewhere through ill gotten wealth. The said Governor had claimed that even he was offered a bribe of Rs. 300 crores for clearing two files by corporates and agencies affiliated to BJP. Regretfully no action was imitated against such corrupt leaders or their political affiliates by confining the enquiry to a few inconvenient officers, lamented Mr. Singh. And interestingly, the BJP tried to cover up the Roshni scam and also filed a review petition in the High Court after its own MLAs were found involved in the nasty Roshni scandal. He accused the BJP govt of having deliberately abolished the Accountability Commission only to protect its corrupt leaders. He said that with Lok Pal also having been denied, the ED and CBI were being used by the BJP govt as its allies to browbeat and demolish the opposition.
Describing the BJP Govt’s tall slogans of providing transparent, accountable and corruption free governance to the people a hoax, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that all such rants were made to enchant the masses for political gains. He said that several ex-BJP Ministers and MLAs had been reported to have created huge assets, taken loan from J&K Bank amounting to several crores and got it declared NPA besides having defied norms and procedures and violated Defence Acts besides other violations in constructing un-authorized structures and palatial bungalows. He said that even during demonetization a BJP Minister’s vehicle was widely reported to have been apprehended while carrying huge ‘dirty cash’ for conversion into new currency notes. “Similarly another Minister’s spouse was reported to have been video-graphed while converting black money into gold. Another Minister was accused of having taken several crores as bribe from his colleague for granting permission for construction of private apartments in an environmentally fragile area of Jammu”, Harsh divulged.
Revealing further, Mr. Singh said that several BJP Ministers were accused of promoting transfer industry in the State, allotment of works without tenders and illegal appointments made in govt departments on monetary and extraneous considerations. Moreover, several Ministers and MLAs had encroached huge State lands and Forest lands whose adverse reports had been submitted even by the investigating agencies against them, Harsh disclosed. And while the BJP leaders continued to unauthorizedly occupy govt premises including Ministerial bungalows in violation of SOPs, the administration continued to shelter the delinquents providing the most glaring example of patronized corruption. Not only that, the corrupt leaders of BJP were being provided immunity and due protection in view of they being the members of the ruling party at the centre. He said some BJP MLAs rose from rags to riches within no time and had been accused of raising palatial bungalows after elections besides raising huge moveable and immoveable assets in Jammu city and its vicinity which were disproportionate to their known sources of income. He further disclosed that in replies of RTIs, huge State lands were found to be in illegal possession of said MLAs and their families who had further regularized huge state land under the nasty Roshni scheme besides having been involved in swindling subsidies from Agriculture and Horticulture departments which were supposed to be meant for the poor and the BPL families. Several unemployed youth had claimed to be duped and looted by the said MLAs in the name of employment besides extortions from employees in the name of transfers”, lamented Mr. Singh.
Accusing several Ex-Ministers and MLAs of running illegal pollution creating units including stone crushers, brick kilns, hot mix plants etc. in grass violation of the directions of High Court and Supreme Court and NGT, he regretted that authorities concerned had turned a blind eye to the same in view of the pressure of these powerful politicians running the unauthorized units. Further, holding the Ex-Ministers of the erstwhile PDP-BJP coalition and its Ex-MLAs squarely responsible for most of the irregular practices in the departments of R&B, PHE, PDD, H&ME and RDD in particular, Mr. Singh said that unscrupulous leaders often used their influence and exerted undue pressure on officers to confer undue benefits upon their favourites. He said that taking unfair advantage of their position and authority, several BJP MLAs resorted to coercion to get their unjustified and irregular demands fulfilled and works executed without observing codal provisions.
Urging a judicial probe into the involvement of Ex-MLAs and Ex-Ministers of saffron regime and its allied parties in corrupt deeds, large scale bunglings and other acts of omission and commission, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that until noose was tightened around corrupt politicians, good and clean governance would remain a distant dream. Mr. Amit Kapoor (President-Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha), Mr. Abhinav Anand and Mr. Partap Singh (Aam Aadmi Party leaders) were also present in the press conference.
One drug peddler arrested by Jourian Police.
Continuing it’s drive against drug trafficking and substance abuse, Jourian Police under I/c PP PSI Karnail Singh recovered 2.5 grams of heroin like substance from the possession of Mohd Sharief S/o Mohd Mirza R/o village Juda Tehsil Arnas District Reasi A/P Batiara Tehsil Kanachak District Jammu. The accused was arrested from Shunna Naka while he was found in suspicious circumstances and he was rounded up and on his personal search 2.5 grams of heroin like substance was recovered from his possession.
In this regard a case FIR No. 219/2022 U/S 8/21/22 NDPS Act got registered in PS Akhnoor. The arrest and recovery was made on the directions of SHO P/S Akhnoor Insp. Hilal Azhar and under the supervision of SDPO Akhnoor Varun Jandial.
Statehood to J&K to be restored at appropriate time: MoS Home
Jul 27: The Minister of State for Home Affairs on Wednesday said that statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be granted “at an appropriate time”.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, MoS Home, Nityanand Rai said that delimitation Commission has notified orders on 14th March and 5th May on delimitation of Parliamentary and Legislative Assembly Constituencies of J&K and decision to conduct elections is prerogative of ECI, news agency KNO reported.
He said that the J&K government has intimated that there were “no significant protests against the report of the delimitation commission, however, various political parties have expressed different views on the report”.
“Delimitation commission conducted delimitation exercise of Union territory of J&K based on the census data of the year 2011 & criteria prescribed under section 9(1)(a) of Delimitation Act, 2002 read with Section 60(2)(b) of J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019,” the minister said.
He said that the Commission has also considered the representations for geographical areas having inadequate communication and lack of public conveniences due to their excessive remoteness or inhospitable conditions on the international border.
“As against the previous number of 37 and 46 Assembly seats for the Jammu region and Kashmir region respectively, the Delimitation Commission has notified 43 seats for the Jammu region and 47 seats for the Kashmir region,” he said.
Congress MPs held intense protest; Sachin Pilot detained
The Congress workers and members held an intense protest against the questioning of their president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate.
Sonia Gandhi has appeared for the third round of questioning by the probe agency Enforcement Directorate.
Even though there was heavy security deployment outside party headquarters AICC in the national capital, the party workers staged massive protests who were subsequently detained by the police.
Several barricades have been placed to prevent the Congress workers from taking out any kind of march towards the ED office.
The party workers, raising slogans, attempted to cross the barricades and were subsequently detained by police.
Till now several party leaders, including Sachin Pilot, have been detained.
However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have not joined the protest.
Several Congress parliamentarians were detained near Parliament on Wednesday as they tried to carry out a protest march from Parliament house to Rashtrapati Bhawan against the questioning of their president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate.
The parliamentarians had planned to give a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu over the central government’s alleged vendetta politics and no discussion of important issues like price rise in Parliament.
Earlier during the say, Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that there should be a timely Supreme Court decision on the terror of ED in the country.
Addressing a press conference along with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh and Anand Sharma, Gehlot said, “First they summoned Rahul Gandhi. He was interrogated for several hours in five days. Sonia Gandhi has been summoned for the third time today. We have no idea how long it would last. There should be a timely SC decision on the terror of ED in the country.”
Bandipora man writes Quran by hand on a 500-metre scroll
Jul 26: In a laudable achievement, a 26-year-old man from remote Bandipora district here has hand-written the Holy Quran on a 500-metre-long paper scroll – a calligraphic feat he completed in three months.
Mustafa-Ibn-Jameel, a resident of Tulail area of the frontier Gurez, in the north Kashmir district, had embarked on the project last year.
It took me two months to arrange for the special art paper for calligraphy. I got that from a factory in Delhi as it was not available in the open market. Then I also got a special calligraphy ink for it, Jameel said.
He said even though the project was concluded in June this year, the calligraphy part – done in Naskh font — took three more months.
Border designing took about a month. I designed it with about 13 lakh dots. Then the whole roll was laminated, he said.
Jameel said the project was completed in Delhi with a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh.
It was my heartfelt desire to write Quran, Jameel said, adding, initially he took calligraphy to improve his handwriting.
Then, I started writing a few chapters of the Quran and felt so happy in doing so, that it occurred to me that I should use my God-given gift to do something unique, he said.
The Quran has 450 pages and each page is 14.5 inches wide, he said.
Jameel said his family was always appreciative of his passion and kept supporting him throughout the project.
He said he wants to pursue his art further and is working on some other projects which he did not want to share yet.
Jameel’s art has won him recognition from the Chennai-based Lincoln Book of Records — an independent NGO initiated to admire and to promote hidden talents of the people across the globe.
I feel so happy to have taken this task and to have completed it. I have put on paper my love for the Quran and calligraphy. You can gauge my passion from the fact that I used to spend about 18 hours a day on it, he said.
He expressed hope that his feat can inspire youths from Kashmir to take up calligraphy – an art which has over the years been on the wane in the valley. (AGENCIES)
Man arrested for carrying country-made pistol, ammunition in Poonch
, July 27: A man was arrested with a country-made pistol and live ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said on Wednesday.
During routine checking at Aala Peer chowk here on Thursday night, Basat Muneer of Marah-Surankote, to flee away but was apprehended by police, they said.
During his personal search, a country-made pistol and live ammunition was recovered from his procession, they said
Muneer could not produce a valid licence of the pistol during questioning, they said.
A case has been registered against him, officials said, adding police is investigating into all angles of the case. (AGENCIES)
APJ Abdul Kalam: Remembering Missile Man of India on his 7th death anniversary
APJ Abdul Kalam Death Anniversary: He is credited with the development of the Agni and Prithvi missiles has inspired generations with his relentless work for the welfare of the country.
Today marks the seventh death anniversary of the “Missile Man of India” Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam or Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr Kalam is hailed for his contribution to the space and science projects of the country while he also played an instrumental role in conducting the 1998 nuclear weapon test.
He is credited with the development of the Agni and Prithvi missiles and has inspired generations with his relentless work for the welfare of the country. Born in 1932 to a modest family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Dr Kalam joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 1958. He was then inducted into the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969 where he worked as the project director for the SLV-III, India’s first satellite launch vehicle.
He earned the sobriquet of the missile man of India after he returned to DRDO in 1982 and conceived the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). He strived to bring India on par with other countries in terms of missile technology and research.
Besides being a remarkable scientist, Dr Kalam also served as the 11th President of India. From being a driving force behind India’s missile development, Dr Kalam soon came to be known as the “People’s President” for his humility and high thinking.
Dr Kalam was felicitated with the Padma Bhushan in 1990 while he received Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 1997. He authored several books including his famous autobiography ‘Wings of Fire’ and ‘Ignited Minds’.
Dr Kalam died in 2015 when he was delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong. The former president collapsed and died after suffering a cardiac arrest at the event.
5G spectrum auction: Rs 1.45 lakh worth bidding received after 1st-day auction
On Tuesday, the Department of Telecom got total bids worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore from the four private telecom companies on the first day of the much-anticipated 5G spectrum auction, said Union Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Industry estimates put sell-off deals to outperform Rs 80,000 crore to Rs 90,000 crore.
Four rounds under the hammer of the 5G spectrum auction were finished on Tuesday, which saw telecom operators – Reliance Jio, Adani Group, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea bid for the spectrum.
The auction process is likely to finish today, and 5G services are expected to be launch in several cities in the county by the end of the year.
“We have to complete this process by August 14 and 5G services in the country will start by September-October,” Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a press conference after the bidding yesterday.
“Going by the initial responses, it seems all the previous revenue records would be broken during this auction process,” Vaishnaw said.
“Approximately Rs 1.45 lakh crore is an important number. This shows that the entire industry is now moving towards a positive territory in terms of new investments, quality of services, new technology,” the minister said.
The telecom industry is heading towards becoming a sunrise sector, he said.
The four bidders; Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Adani Data network, is bidding for nine bands of three different frequency from low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz), to Mid (3300 MHz) and High (26 GHz) frequency bands.
The whole the spectrum auction is worth approx Rs. 5 lakh crore On June 15, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal from the department of tele-communication providers to assign 5G Spectrum through an auction for aprivate captive network.
India is expected to get full fledge 5G services by March 2023, Vaishnaw had said at an event earlier.
“Telecom is the primary source of digital consumption, and it is very important to bring trusted solutions in telecom. India has its own stack of 4G like radio, equipment, and handset. 4G is ready to deploy in the field and 5G is ready in the lab, and 5G will be ready to deploy in March 2023.”
“The technology, core network behind 5G services should be built up by India, that would be an achievement for the country,” said Vaishnaw.
Speed capacities of 5G services would be about 10 times higher than what is possible through the current 4G services.
It is the first occasion when the Gautam Adani-led Adani group, which as of late forayed into the telecom area, took part in the offering system of the 5G telecom spectrum allocation bidding. However, the Adani group has said it in no way it wants to enter the customer mobility space.
Yasin Malik Hospitalised
27 july: Banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chief Yasin Malik has fallen ill and has been shifted to a hospital from Delhi’s Tihar Jail where he was on a hunger strike for past many days.
As per the news report ,Yasin Malik has been shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi this evening by authorities after he remained on hunger strike since 22 July.
Malik has stopped eating food since 22 July alleging that his case was not being investigated properly.
“Malik have refused to eat on Friday and declared an indefinite hunger strike. Initially, the jail officials met with him and tried to convince him to end his hunger strike, but he categorically refused. From 24 July, he was on intravenous fluid,” reports said.
Malik is in custody since 2019 when NIA arrested him in a terror funding case. On May 25, he was convicted by the court after he accepted the charges levelled against him. After being convicted in one case, he is currently facing trial in the Rubaiya kidnapping case.