Srinagar, Nov 23: For the first time this season, the minimum temperature dropped below the freezing point in Srinagar on Wednesday, as per the Meteorological (MeT) department.

According to the weatherman, the coming days would witness a further drop in minimum temperatures across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

“Minimum temperature dropped below the freezing point in Srinagar for the first time this season on Wednesday.

Dry weather is likely to continue during the next few days, while the night temperatures are expected to drop further across J&K and Ladakh”, an official of the MeT department said.

Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded minus 0.8 degree Celsius, Pahalgam minus 4.8 degree and Gulmarg minus 3.8 degree as the minimum temperature this morning.

Drass town in Ladakh region registered minus 13.5 degree, Kargil minus 8.4 and Leh minus 9.6 as the minimum temperature, while Jammu clocked 9.2 degrees, Katra 9.6, Batote 6.5, Banihal 9 and Bhaderwah 2.2 degrees.

Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated IFFCO’s Farmer’s Convention on liquid Nano Urea on Tuesday at the Convention Centre here.
Addressing the gathering of farmers and agricultural scientists, the Lt Governor said that the biggest challenge before us today is to make fertilizers more sustainable for future and ensure adequate nutrition.
Nano Urea enhances productivity, quality, reduces CO2 emission, and increases farmer’s profitability, he added.
In order to meet the challenges of climate change, high farm input cost, productivity, resilience against socio-economic factors, we are implementing policies that tackle the problems and create synergies between a range of concerns and with the multiple stakeholders, the Lt Governor said.The Lt

Governor further observed that J&K’s economy is now growing quite strongly & Agri reform is the best cure for sustained growth. “Our steps are focused on enhancing productivity, competitiveness, removing disparities, diversification to higher value commodities, expansion of agro-processing and value chains”, he added.
Noting that relationship between administration and society is changing and people & government are devising a new mechanism to work together, the Lt Governor stressed that farmers and officials should work together and strengthen the collaboration in order to put agri-economy on a new trajectory of growth and better implementation of reforms.
Soil conservation is a global priority now. For better management of agricultural production, investing deeply in soil health, prevention of biodiversity loss is necessary for sustainable growth, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor underscored that Individual Farmer incomes have grown solidly over the last two years and the pace of reform has quickened recently followed by recommendations of Apex Committee on holistic development of Agriculture & allied sectors.
Structural and attitudinal changes are reflecting in productivity performance, adaption of new technologies, expansion of public extension services and strengthening of infrastructure and operations, he added.
We have huge potential for processing, comparative advantage in several Agri-commodities and scope for mobilizing farmers through FPOs and SHGs to monetize produce, secure livelihood and standard of living for farmers and workers, said the Lt Governor.
Congratulating Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) for developing Liquid Nano Urea aimed at reducing pollution and increasing crop production, the Lt Governor said Liquid Nano Urea is making a positive impact in J&K’s agriculture sector.
IFFCO’s initiatives like training on the use of Nano Urea, battery-operated sprayers & spray-drones and declaring villages -Akalpur in Jammu and Y.K Pora in Kashmir Valley- as IFFCO Nano Fertilizer Model Villages will surely complement the government’s efforts in protecting and improving fertility of our agricultural fields, he added.
The Lt Governor observed that Dr Mangala Rai-led Apex Committee on Agriculture provides a futuristic roadmap for upliftment of the farming community and making agriculture sustainable and productive for the coming generations, especially for those involved in traditional and high-value crops.

Prof JP Sharma, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu highlighted the steps taken and initiatives initiated for increasing farmers’ income through increased production and reducing input cost.
Dr. U.S. Awasthi, Managing Director & CEO, IFFCO, threw light on the key features and benefits of Nano Urea in increasing farm productivity. He said that IFFCO is committed towards the service and welfare of farming community.
KK Sharma, Director, Agriculture, Jammu; Members of Jammu & Kashmir Advisory Board for Development of Kisans; representatives from IFFCO; farmers from different districts, besides officers and scientists of Agriculture department were present on the occasion.

Leh, Nov 22: A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit Ladakh’s Kargil district on Tuesday, the National Centre for Seismology said. There were no reports of casualties or damage to property.
The epicentre of the tremor, recorded at 10.05 am, was 191 kilometers north of Kargil, the NCS said.
The quake in the earthquake prone Himalayan region was at a latitude of 36.27 degrees north and longitude of 76.26 degrees east at a depth of 10 km, it said. (AGENCIES)

Need to unite against divisive forces targeting secularism: Amit Kapoor

Jammu, 22 November. Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and vice-president of the party’s Jammu region Amit Kapoor has said that secularism, which has been the hallmark of Jammu and Kashmir and its people, is currently under threat from some divisive forces who are out to destroy it for their vested interests.
Amit Kapoor said this in a statement issued here. He said that Jammu and Kashmir has always been a symbol of secularism, but today some divisive forces are making all out efforts to destroy it to fulfill their personal objectives. He called upon party workers to stand united against such forces and work to preserve the secular credentials of the region at all costs. He further said that only then we will be successful in the fight against such disruptive forces. He said that such elements are working round the clock to create rift among the communities but we will leave no stone unturned to defeat these divisive forces.
Lashing out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, he said that it has given nothing but miseries to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the unemployed youth of the Union Territory who have been disappointed as unemployment is at its peak at this time. Is. He said that the BJP had made tall promises to the people, including industrialization on a large scale, but all its promises had turned out to be empty slogans. He demanded that priority should be given to engage local youth as laborers and employees in the ongoing projects.
Senior AAP leader Amit Kapoor said statehood should be restored in Jammu and Kashmir before assembly elections are held. He said that the present regime is a big blot on democracy as it has completely failed to conduct elections for the last 4 years.
He said that no such development has taken place at the ground level about which the government has been making tall claims. He said that in fact people are getting worried for basic amenities apart from being bothered by false and heavy electricity bills. He said that only Aam Aadmi Party can solve the problems of the people for which the party cadre will have to further strengthen the base of the party at the grass root level. He called upon the people to extend their full support to the Aam Aadmi Party.

November 22, Jammu: The Art of living in collaboration with the J&K Samaj Kalyann Kendra Jammu Concluded a 2-day Prajna Yoga program for Hearing and speech impaired students of Higher Secondary School for Hearing and Handicapped near Shahidi Chowk , Jammu About Seventy Differently Abled students participated in two groups from class 1 St to 6 th in Junior group and Class 7 th to 12 th in the Senior Group A special faculty of Art of Living comprising Ms. Shreya Chugh and Rukmani Devi flew from Bangalore Art Of Living International Centre for this first ever Art of Living specially designed program for kids and teenagers for Deaf & Mute students in Jammu
which was assisted by Art of living Jnk Chapter faculty Ritvik, Akshita, Kanika,Sidhant & dedicated team of volunteers Abhishek, kashish, Bhawna along with SSK staff who helped to execute the program perfectly.

The specially conceived program aims at imparting Prajna Yoga to ensure that these Differently Abled students get the ‘right thought at the right time’ through intuitive power. This program makes them learn to perceive beyond their senses. The basis of the program is to blossom the deep and enigmatic faculties which is present in these deaf & mute students in a latent form. The Intuition Process improves the differently Abled children’s intuition and enhances their sensory abilities, briefed the Organizer of the Prajna yoga Program Ajay kapoor State coordinator – Art of Living Bureau of Communications and Projects After Two Days and 4 hours Sessions the blindfolded students were able to correctly identify and explain, through sign language, the picture or the number recorded on a paper sheet by just touching the paper. They could paint the pictures by simply touching
the Printed Cards and correctly choosing the colors including proper outlining. They did it by accessing the intuitive abilities which helped them to connect with the inner self.

After the session, the participating Specially Abled students were found infused with a lot of confidence. On the Concluding Day State Coordinator – Bureau of Communications and Sewa Projects of Art of Living Jnk Chapter Ajay Kapoor, Treasurer of SKK M D Sharma & Principal of the School Roshan Bhan were present. The President Samaj Kalyan Kendra, K B Jandial who attended the Day 1 Proceedings and the Management was very thankful for such out of world Initiative by AOL .
The Art of Living is happy to present a new and revolutionary program for children and teenagers called ‘Prajñā Yoga,’ which enables the participants to tap into their intuitive abilities. Intuition is the ‘gut feeling’, the knowing or understanding something without the need for conscious reasoning or proof. Traditionally, we are taught to follow our rational thinking and pay little attention to our inner voice, our gut feeling, which goes beyond the layers of reasoning. During the two days of the program, participants learn simple and powerful techniques which enable them to access, cultivate, utilise and maintain their inherent intuitive abilities. This ability is demonstrated through various blindfold activities, such as reading, coloring, walking, playing games and so on. Regular practice enables much more powerful abilities in them and impacts all aspects of their life. Communication improves to a great extent and children learn to express themselves better. There is an improvement in observation and perception as well. Behaviour changes can be dealt with
a lot of ease and effectiveness. Kids and teens report better health, sleep patterns and vibrancy.
The participants learn brain activation exercises, designed specifically for their particular age. They are guided through meditation and relaxation techniques designed by the Art of Living, which is the key tool for accessing their intuition. The Main Benefits are Color identification; Students with low or no vision are able to identify colors, Improved mobility; more aware of their surroundings that helps them to move around more easily.
Get the right thought at the right time: being in a dynamic yet relaxed state of mind this alone is the most important ability which helps them cope with any life situation. Improved academic abilities; development of a photographic memory and ease in answering exams, Removal of fears Improvement in life skills; confidence, willingness to learn and readiness to face any challenes are some of the skills the participants reported after attending the programs.

Jammu: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha here on Tuesday said that the economy of Jammu and Kashmir is growing quite strongly and Agriculture reform is the best cure for sustainable growth.
“J&K’s economy is now growing quite strongly & Agri reform is the best cure for sustained growth. Our steps are focused on enhancing productivity, competitiveness, removing disparities, diversification to higher-value commodities, expansion of agro-processing & value chains,” Office of the LG J&K tweeted on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, LG Sinha also inaugurated farmer’s convention on liquid Nano Urea.
“Inaugurated @IFFCO_PR’s farmer’s convention on liquid Nano Urea. Biggest challenge before us today is to make fertilizers more sustainable for future & ensure adequate nutrition. Nano Urea enhances productivity, quality, reduces CO2 emission & increases farmer’s profitability,” Office of the LG J&K wrote on its twitter handle.
LG Sinha further said that relationship between admin & society is changing and people & govt are devising new mechanism to work together. In order to put agriculture economy on a new trajectory of growth & better implementation of reforms, farmers & officials should work together & strengthen the collaboration.

Bandipora, Nov 22: Two suspects were apprehended in a joint operation on Tuesday and a huge cache of arms were recovered in Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir, Army officials said.
Two persons were apprehended in a joint operation by the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, said officials on Tuesday.
“On receipt of specific input, the area was cordoned and searches were conducted. 02 suspects were apprehended. 02xAK Rifles and war-like stores recovered,” said Army officials.
Further details are awaited. (Agencies)