SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has proposed the central government to cover over nine Lakh students for free meals under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman on an average basis during 2022-23.

The Department of School Education and Literacy, PM -POSHAN division said, “UT has proposed to cover 5,30,379 children in Primary classes, 2,86,341 children in Upper Primary classes and 1,14,606 children in Bal Vatika on an average basis during 2022-23.”

In the meeting PAB said that after detailed discussions, “PAB approved to cover 5,30,379 children in Primary classes, 2,86,U1 children in Upper Primary classes and 1,14,606 children in Bal Vatika on an average basis during 2022-23.”

About the social audit, authorities from Jammu and Kashmir informed the ministry that a social audit has been conducted in 16 districts covering 20 schools from each district. “A total of 320 schools were covered during 2021-22. The detailed compilation reports of the social audit are under process.”

Commenting on the social audit matter, the PAB had appreciated the effort made by UT. The UT was informed that under the provisions of Section 28 of the National Food Security Act, 2013 Social Audit of the scheme is mandatory.

The PAB advised to take appropriate measures for display of entitlements of children under PM POSHAN at prominent places easily visible to the public in all schools.

“UT was also advised to take appropriate measures for awareness generation about the scheme,” reads the minutes of the meeting.

The union minister also said that during the year, if it is noticed by the UT administration that more funds are needed to implement the scheme, due to increase in the attendance of children, increase in school working days or for any other reason, they may approach Government of India at any time during the year with justification seeking additional central Assistance and food grains.

“Similarly, if the central Government observes less coverage than the approvals, the actual releases may be restricted to actual coverage,” it reads.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir Government has set the ball rolling for the outsourcing of its lone apple juice plant in Kashmir Valley, which was set up nearly four decades ago.

The J&K Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (JKHPMC), which owns the plant, has floated a tender for its operation, maintenance and commercialization.

The plant was made operational in 1985 with a capacity of producing 10,000 metric tonnes concentrates per year.

The decision to outsource the plant was taken by the JKHPMC’s board of directors in its meeting held on July 26, 2021, saying operation of the plant by the Corporation was not a good option.

It authorized the managing director, JKHPMC to outsource the apple joint plant by signing a concessional agreement with a registered company/firm/agency associated with the food processing sector. According to the minutes of the meeting of HPMC’s BoD, outsourcing could earn reasonable royalty and would contribute to sustainability of the Corporation.

Meanwhile, locals told that the successive regimes have turned a blind eye towards the plant and it has been lying dysfunctional from the last four years. “If the plant would have remained functional, it would have generated crores of rupees annually,” they said.

Mohammad Saleem, a local associated with the fruit business, said they used to supply the leftover apples to the unit and were earning good profits.“But since the unit is not running, the leftovers are thrown away,” he claimed.

SRINAGAR: Rains lashed plains and snowfall was recorded over higher reaches of Kashmir Valley while as the meteorological department on Tuesday forecast more wet weather in days to come.

“Today weather will be generally cloudy. There is possibility of light to moderate rain/snowfall(1-2 inches over middle and higher reaches). No snow in the plains,” a MeT official here said.

On November 2-4, he said, partly to generally cloudy weather is expected. “Light rain/snow may occur at isolated places, although chances are less.”

From November 5-8, he said weather is expected to be cloudy with scattered light to moderate rain/snowfall over middle and higher reaches. “There is no forecast of heavy snowfall. (forecast confidence upto75%),” he said.

He said snowfall and low temperature during the day may lead to temporary disruption of surface transportation, mainly over Zojila, Sinthantop, Mugal road etc. during November 5-7.

While light snowfall was reported on higher reaches, Srinagar received 1.8mm of rainfall overnight till 0830 hours today. Qazigund had traces of it while Pahalgam received 0.5mm, Kupwara 0.2mm and Gulmarg 0.8mm , the MeT official said. He said rains eluded Jammu region as well as Kokernag.

Meanwhile, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 7.6°C against 3.9°C on the previous night. The temperature was 4.8°C above normal for the summer capital during this time of the year, he said.

Qazigund recorded a low of 8.0°C against 2.2°C on the previous night. The temperature was 5.4°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he told GNS.

In Pahalgam, the mercury settled at 6.0°C against minus 1.1°C on the previous night and it was 6.3°C above normal for the south Kashmir resort, he said.

Kokernag recorded a low of 7.6°C against 5.1°C on the previous night and it was 3.3°C above normal for the place, he said.

Gulmarg recorded a low of 0.0°C against 2.5°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

In Kupwara town, the mercury settled at 6.4°C against 3.8°C on the previous night, the official said. It was 4.0°C above normal for the north Kashmir place, he said.

Jammu recorded a low of 18.3°C against 16.8°C on the previous night. It was 2.4°C above normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said. Banihal recorded a low of 7.6°C (above normal by 2.7°C), Batote 11.2°C (3.3°C above normal), Katra 16.0°C (above normal by 2.9°C) and Bhadarwah 8.9°C (above normal by 4.3°C).

Jammu, November 1:

Thirteen Kashmiri Pandit families, who migrated from a village in South Kashmir amid targeted killings of members of their community, on Monday urged the administration to register them as migrants.

Of the 13 families comprising 43 members, 10 had left Choudharygund village in Shopian district and reached Jammu on October 26. The remaining three had reached the city earlier.

A few days ago, the Shopian administration had rubbished reports that stated some Hindu families had already reached Jammu.

“We have submitted a joint application to the office of the relief and rehabilitation commissioner in Jammu for registration of the 13 families as migrants in the wake of migration from the Valley to Jammu,” said VJ Kaul, a representative of the families.

Puran Krishan Bhat was gunned down by terrorists outside his ancestral house in Choudharygund village on October 15. Monish Kumar and Ram Sagar were killed in a grenade attack by terrorists while they were asleep in their rented accommodation in Shopian on October 18.

In the application, the families said they had migrated to Jammu following Bhat’s killing in broad daylight. “The incident of brutal killing compelled us to leave our native village to save our lives,” they said.

They said prior to Bhat’s killing, a government primary school was attacked but fortunately three teachers belonging to the minority community had a narrow escape. Even Hindu employees, posted in Kashmir, have been protesting in Jammu for months, demanding their transfer from the Valley in the wake of killings.

Jammu: The members of SC, ST, and OBC communities Monday held a protest demonstration in Jammu against “diluting reservation norms by extending the benefit to the non-deserving sections”.

Seeking rollback of the decision, the members of SC, ST, and OBC organised the protest to express their anger over the decision to extend reservation benefits to more and more categories and termed it unconstitutional.

They said that the reservation was being granted to the people from the general category for vote bank politics and it hurt the basic motive of the reservation.