Jammu, November 28:

The governments of Haryana and J&K today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen and deepen the collaboration on knowledge sharing, IT initiatives and best practices in e-governance.

The pact was signed by the UT’s IT Department and the Department of Information Technology Electronics and Communication Haryana (DITECH) during the valedictory session of 25th National Conference on e-Governance being held at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University in Katra. The event also witnessed the launch of J&K’s vision document and cyber security policy.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who paid obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine before attending the conference in Reasi, recalled his three years in J&K (as an RSS pracharak) when there was Article 370 in force and terrorism was at its peak. J&K has come out of the terrorism phase and is heading towards development, he said.

According to Khattar, many vested interests are not happy with the digitalisation of services because it has checked corruption. “We are looking forward to the new J&K-Haryana collaboration and committed to support the UT in meeting the goals. Haryana is ready to provide consultancy, training or any other support which you need from us,” he said.

Highlighting the UT’s achievements, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said, “In 2013, the total number of e-transaction was merely 20 lakh in J&K. This year, till November 25, the number of e-transaction is 38.50 crore. On an average, J&K is recording 550 e-transactions every minute.” He underscored that despite being a late entrant in digital transformation, J&K has achieved several milestones with solid technical architecture at the service of citizens.

“We are also working on the development of IT infrastructure, technology-led market linkages, encouraging emerging concepts like use of artificial intelligence in agriculture for welfare of farmers, layered public grievances and use of metaverse (for global tourism),” Sinha said.

More than 500 services will be made online in the next 3 years for a better digital delivery ecosystem, the L-G said. “We have prepared a road map and action plan for the next one, three and five years,” he added.

The two-day conference was organised by J&K in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

UDHAMPUR: A top Islamic scholar and his son are among four persons killed in a tragic road mishap in the Chenani area of Udhampur district this morning.

An official said that a Maruti vehicle bearing registration number JK19 1449, on its way from Gool Sangaldan towards Udhampur, skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge near Prem Mandir Chenani, resulting in spot death of two persons and injuries to several others.

The injured persons were evacuated from the spot for treatment, however, two more persons succumbed on way to the hospital, they said. Among the deceased include chief cleric Jamia Masjid Sangaldan Abdul Hamid (32) and his father, a top Islamic scholar, Mohammad Jamal Din (65). More details awaited.

Amid the increasing cold and absence of heating arrangements in classrooms, the School Education Department announced winter vacations in a phased manner.

Even as the vacation has been announced, the heating arrangements must be provided both in government and private schools till the schools finally get closed for the winter break.

The mercury level goes down to sub-zero level during nights now. According to reports, Srinagar recorded coldest night of the season so far at minus 2.1 degree Celsius during the intervening night of November 26 and November 27.

The impact of freezing cold in night remains during the morning and day time also. Under these conditions the children go to schools and attend classes without any heating arrangements in the classrooms.

As per the government announcement, winter vacation for students up to 5th standard will begin from December 1 and for 6th to 8th standard students from December 12.

The winter vacation for students from 9th to 12th standard will commence from December 19. The authorities should not just think that they have announced the winter vacations and there is no need for the heating arrangements in classrooms now.

There is a need for the heating arrangements and the students must not suffer amid the cold conditions. Both the government and private schools have been almost taking for-granted the providing of heating arrangements. Most parents also demand such a facility for their school going children as they complain of cold in classrooms.

Availability of the facility is not a favour to the students. It is their right. At a time while so much is being said at official level about welfare measures for children, why this right is being ignored constantly.

While huge funds are being utilised for other purposes, why a small amount to be required for heating arrangements is becoming so problematic for the school education department and private schools.

Heating arrangements must become a permanent feature in schools and authorities must not wait first for the demands to be made for the purpose.

The heating arrangements must be in classrooms not only till the schools close for winter vacation but also for sometime if needed when the schools reopen in March.

Sometimes during the early days of March there is cold due to rains or even snow. So heating arrangements are also needed at that time.

SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday urged the youths to participate in future civic and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it is their ”weapon” to fight for their rights and they should not cede space to the BJP.

“It is not BJP’s India and, note it down, we will not let it become BJP’s India,” Mufti said at a party function here. The former J-K chief minister also warned the Centre not to behave “like those raiders from Pakistan who came to the valley in 1947” and were forced to flee by Kashmiris.

“India is not BJP. The India which we joined is Jawaharlal Nehru’s India, (M K) Gandhi ji’s India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s India, it is the India of Rahul Gandhi who is travelling the country for Hindu-Muslim unity, it is Tushar Gandhi’s India,” Mufti said.

She again lashed out at the BJP for the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019.“We have formed a bond of heart with this country, the constitutional bond, the bond of love, but what did you do? You played with our dignity, our identity. You destroyed the whole state. This will not work,” she added. Mufti asked the youth not to cede space to the BJP.

“If panchayat elections or municipal elections take place, I want to tell the youth especially not to cede space to them,” she said. Mufti said local bodies or assembly was a power in the hands of the youth and they should not leave it to someone else.

“If you want to fight, this is your small as well as big weapon. Panchayats, local bodies or assembly are the weapons in your hands, power in your hands and you should not leave it for someone else,” she said. The PDP chief vowed to continue the struggle for the restoration of J-K’s special status, saying everything taken from the people of J-K will be brought back “along with interest”. (PTI)

SRINAGAR: Most parts of Kashmir and Ladakh continued to reel under sub-zero temperature with Pahalgam remaining the coldest place in the Valley on Monday.

A meteorological department official here said that Srinagar witnessed mist this morning and recorded a low of minus 1.8°C against minus 2.1°C on the previous night. The temperature was 0.9°C below normal during this time of the year for the capital city so far, he said.

Qazigund recorded a low of minus 1.6°C against minus 1.4°C on the previous night. The temperature was 0.6°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.

In Pahalgam, the mercury settled at minus 4.0°C against minus 3.4°C on the previous night and it was 0.6°C below normal for the south Kashmir resort, he said.

Kokernag recorded a low of 0.4°C against minus 0.4°C on the previous night and it was 0.8°C above normal for the place, he said.Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 1.0°C, the same as on the previous night, the official said. It was 2.1°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the official said.

In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at minus 2.1°C against minus 1.4°C as on the previous night, the official said. It was 1.0°C below normal for the north Kashmir place, he said.

Jammu recorded a low of 9.8°C against 9.6°C on the previous night. It was 0.5°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said. Banihal recorded a low of 3.2°C (1.3°C above normal), Batote 4.9°C (0.8°C above normal), Katra 9.0°C (0.1°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 3.0°C (1.7°C above normal).

In Ladakh, Leh recorded minus 8.0°C and mercury in Drass, the world’s second coldest place after Siberia, settled at minus 12.1°C, the official said.

The MeT department has forecast mainly dry weather for next 24 in J&K and said that no large change was expected till December 7.

SRINAGAR, Nov 26: A day after the final electoral roll of Jammu and Kashmir was published, the National Conference on Saturday said it is studying details constituency wise and demanded that the Election Commission announce assembly polls for the union territory.
National Conference (NC) spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said around seven lakh voters have been added and the party will have to see as to how many of them were those voters who have turned 18 from the last revision till now.
”We are studying the details of it, constituency-wise,” he said.
Sadiq, however, said, now that the whole process is over, the party expects the Election Commission (EC) to come out and talk about assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
”How long should the people of Jammu and Kashmir be deprived of a representative, responsive government? So, this is the first and foremost that the EC should come out and state about how soon will they hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
With the release of the final electoral roll, Sadiq expressed hope that now the confusion and resulting apprehensions about addition of 25 lakh new voters, as the then chief electoral officer of Jammu and Kashmir Hridesh Kumar had said in a press conference in August, will be put to rest.
”We also expect the whole confusion and the apprehensions of the people are addressed,” he added. The final electoral roll of Jammu and Kashmir was published on Friday with the highest-ever net addition of more than 7.72 lakh voters, officials said.
The final electoral roll has a total of 83,59,771 electors — 42,91,687 males, 40,67,900 females and 184 third gender — Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir Anil Salgotra had said. (Agencies)