CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

WEDNESDAY August 21 | 2013 | 13 Shawal 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 205 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&Khttp://www.zabarwantimes.com

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(WED.)SUNRISE ON (THURSDAY)

07:15 pm05:58 am

19.3 0C25.9 0C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

Light to moderate Rain/Thundershower would occur at isolated places over Kashmir region.

Partly cloudy sky. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 28°C & 18°C respectively.

CJI concerned over de-cline in reputation of

judiciary

Ensure double shift on restoration of Dastigeer

Sahib Shrine7 9 10

Indian Women’s Odyssey intothe Medical World

Guv, CM, Farooq greets people on Raksha BandhanSrinagar, Aug 20 : Srinagar, Aug 20: Governor N N Vohra has felicitated the people on Raksha Bandhan and expressed the sincere hope that this auspicious occasion would usher a new era of peace, amity, harmony, progress and prosperity in the State.In his message of greetings, the Governor observed that Raksha Bandhan is a unique feature of India’s cultural ethos, symbolizing the special bonds between broth-ers and sisters. He said that this festival has a special significance for Jammu and Kashmir as the annual Shri Amarnathji Yatra con-cludes on this day and devotees pay obeisance at the Holy Cave Shrine on Shravan Purnima.The Governor prayed for the well-being of the people of the State. Meanwhile Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has felicitated people on Raksha Bandhan wishing them happiness and welfare.In his greetings message, the Chief Minister said that Jammu and Kashmir has great tradition of observing festivals and holy days in unity and togetherness. He called for further strengthening this trait and said that amity and brotherhood adds colours to the celebration of festivals. He prayed for peace and development of the State and the country. Meanwhile Dr. Farooq Abdullah has extended greetings to people on Raksha Bhandan wishing them well-being and prosperity.In his greetings message, Dr. Farooq Abdullah highlighted the high tradition of celebrating festivals in Jammu and Kashmir in amity and brotherhood. He stressed on nurturing this tradi-tion and strengthening the har-mony and brotherhood between various sections of the society.The Union Minister wished Raksha Bhandan to be harbinger of peace, prosperity and progress in the Country and the State.

No guarantee of peace until VDCs are dissolved: GeelaniSrinagar, Aug 20: Hurriyat Con-ference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Tuesday said that until Village Defence Committees are disarmed and dissolved, threat will haunt and prevail in Chenab Valley and Muslim Community will feel insecure. Lashing out at Omar Abdullah led administration for its ‘mismanage-ment’ and rejecting demand for dissolution of VDCs, Geelani in a statement said, “Occurrences of such incidents in future cannot be ruled out. Expenditure incurred on VDCs is an unnecessary burden over state exchequer and huge amount is being spent over op-pression and excesses perpetrated by these committees. For all this, the communal elements as well as state government are respon-sible.”He claimed that dissolution of armed wings of Sangh Prewar is inevitable for maintenance of communal harmony and brother-hood in the area. “It will put an end to present turmoil and thereof the differences between the two communities.”While commenting over continu-ous curfew in Kishtiwar, Geelani said, “A grave yard silence can be created, however, neither it can be called as peace nor can be claimed that a sense of security has devel-oped among the people living in

See Geelani on pg 11...

Shahana

Blunder after blunder, fiasco after fiasco, is the trade mark of Board of Profes-sional Entrance Examination known as BoPEE. The board is again in the news not for any exceptional performance but for spoiling the career of dozens of would be professionals. This time the board has earned distinction in bleak and destroying the future of 50 pro-spective engineers as, its delay due to cancellation of Common Entrance Test (CET) papers and rescheduling of the same has caused enormous cost to the state as fifty seats in National Institute of Technology, Srinagar will not be filled at least for next four years. It was all due to the indecision and delay tactics ad-opted by BoPEE that the seats could not be filled till NIT had closed its admission dates as fifty students from waiting list could have easily made it to NIT against

the fifty seats vacated under state’s re-served quota after being selected in CET. It was all due to the prevailing mess in BoPEE which has beaten all records of incapability to handle the professional examinations smoothly. One may recall the confusion and chaos created by this agency when it cancelled some papers on June 22, 2013 due to the leakage of the examination question papers. Then the re-examination and finalization of the papers took quite some time which caused enormous hardships for those who were left out as the professional colleges outside the state had mostly closed their admission process. Under the tremendous public pressure for re-ported leakage of the question papers, the govt. appointed an enquiry commit-tee to look into the affairs of mis-man-aged body. However, it remains to be seen what will this enquiry committee conclude and what will be the response

of govt. to the BoPEE blunders. The loss of 50 seats is not a very ordinary loss. It means the loss of fifty professionals in the makings who could have been ready to offer their capabilities to the state within five years. The aspirants are frustrated, so are the parents who have spent their hard earned money on their wards. Seeing the future of his son being dashed to earth, a farther, Mr. Javid Alam said that the BoPEE should immediately be disbanded and Public Service Commission should be handed over the job of conducting professional entrance examination also. He said,” what can be expected of a Board like BoPEE whose pattern of examination is obsolete and is continu-ing with this system because it has lot of loop-holes which are being used by the politicians to rule the roost. Why should not the govt. of J&K take reformative steps and overhaul the whole organiza-

tion which has not been delivering to the expectation of the people and the candidates. The Board has lost the cred-ibility and nobody is now ready to be-lieve that the examinations conducted by this organization are fair enough. When people loose faith in any set-up, it has no right to continue and play with the future of young generation. Earlier PDP giving vent to the public out very has demanded through enquiry in the BoPEE affairs but it seems that govt. is not keen to improve its working and no remedial steps have been initiated so far except the announcement of an enquiry. If the present situation is allowed to continue, the time is not far when BoPEE will loose its total sheen. Every organi-zation is initiating steps to improve its working with every passing day and adopts the modern ways of conducting its work. But unfortunately, BoPEE does not understand the call of the time and

it is because of this, it continues with the old methods resulting into failures after failures.Another side of the story is that techni-cal education has been given to a very junior minister, who naturally is un-able to do justice with it. This impor-tant portfolio should have been with a senior cabinet minister, with a lot of experience in the administration so that the things would have been dealt with utmost care. As the BoPEE is headed by a chairman who alone takes the deci-sions and runs the affairs, it becomes a one man show which is bound to flop. In fact, the BoPEE should be run at the pat-tern of other autonomous bodies where three or four members take the decision who are equal amongst the equals. If the govt. does not take immediate cor-rective initiatives BoPEE bus will break down with the weight of its own blun-ders.

BoPEE- A blunder bus-Needs immediate overhauling BOTTOM LINE

Pattan, (Baramulla), Aug 20 :

Beseeching people to continue lend him their hand in maintaining peace in the State, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Wednesday promised them speedy march towards prosperity and plenty. He underlined tranquillity sig-nificantly necessary to carry forward equitable development and holistic progress in all areas and of all sections of the society.“Peace is pre-requisite to prosperity, and public support to maintain peace is fundamental necessary”, he said and thanked people of Jammu and Kash-mir for showing wisdom and maturity in helping the Government to contain the peace inimical and disruptive forc-es and foiling their ill designs of divid-ing people.The Chief Minister told the people to be vigilant against anti-peace ele-ments and contribute positively in maintaining tranquillity and harmony in the State. “I do not ask you for vote

or anything else at present, I only want you to continue your support to me in maintaining peace and tranquillity in the State as the peace and harmony

are important above everything and pre-requisite for development, em-ployment and welfare of the people”, he maintained.Addressing a huge public gathering at Gund Khawaja Qasim in Pattan area of Baramulla District, the Chief Minister said that certain politicians wearing black spectacles refuse to see the sea-change brought about by the present dispensation on peace and develop-ment fronts in the State. “They feel unhappy to witness the success of the coalition Government when they compare it to the failures in their ten-ure”, he said while referring to PDP leadership.Without naming Mufti Mohammad Sayed, the Chief Minister said that a political leader who remained Home Minister of the Country and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir is now demanding 40 Assembly seats to address Kashmir issue which he all to-gether forgot when he was in

See Omar on pg 11...

Omar seeks public support for a prosperous state

Lend me hand in peace efforts I promise prosperityDefeat divisive forces ‘Mufti’s demand for 40 seats yet another gimmick’

A secular leader who

always fought against com-

munalism New Delhi Aug 20:

The nation fondly remembers former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 69th birth an-niversary today. President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Mohammed Ha-mid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice President Ra-hul Gandhi paid floral trib-utes at his memorial at Veer Bhoomi in the national capi-tal this morning.Lok Sabha Speaker

See Rajiv on pg 11...

Nation pays homage to Late PM Rajiv Gandhi

Tributes to Late leader by local Cong also

Srinagar, Aug 20 : J&K Pradesh Congress Committee held a meeting of prominent leaders and workers on the 69th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Party Headquarters here on Tuesday. The meeting was pre-sided over by Bashir Ahmad Magrey MLC, Vice President J&K Pradesh Congress Committee. Those who addressed the meeting in-cluded Mohammad Muzaffar Parray MLC, Senior Vice President, Gulam Nabi Monga MLC, Vice President, Gulam Nabi Mir Lasjan, Amreen Bader General Secretaries, Farooq Andrabi senior leader, Moham-mad Sultan Mundoo, Gulam Mo-hammad Shiekh, Khursheed Ah-mad Zargar,, Abdul Gani Khan, Peer Nazir Ahmad, Zahid Hussain Jan, Hilal Shah, Nissar Ahmad Khan, Jan Mohammad Reshi, Shameema Sopori , Shameeema Khan, Shameema Iqbal, Syeda Ji, Ir-fan Matoo, block presidents and senior party workers.

See Cong on pg 11...

Scheme to benefit 80cr. populations

New Delhi 20 Aug:

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who rolled out the United Progressive Alliance’s ambitious Food Security Scheme here on Tuesday, said the Central Government will ensure that the right people get the benefits and that there are no flaws in the distri-bution process.Gandhi, who launched this scheme in Delhi on the occasion of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 69th birth anniversary, said the nation still has people who don't get food to eat, and add-ed that children suffer from malnutrition.“We have to be responsible for lives of the poor and that is why the Food Security Bill

was introduced. So, now we have legally ensured food for the poor of the country,” she added.Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister K.V. Thomas had in-troduced the National Food Security Bill in Lok Sabha earlier this month to replace the National Food Security Ordinance, 2013 which was promulgated on July 5.

The National Food Security Bill is a historic initiative for ensuring food and nutritional security to the people. It gives a right to the peo-ple to receive adequate quantity of foodgrains at affordable prices.The Bill has a special focus on nutri-tional support to the poorest of the poor, women and children. In case of non-supply of foodgrains, the de-

prived will get a food security allowance.The Bill also provides for grievance re-dressal mechanism and penalty for

See Sonia on pg 11...

Sonia Gandhi launches Food Security Scheme

Srinagar, Aug 19:

To avert the employees proposed state wide strike call which has been given by Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on August 23 in support of their de-mands, state government Tuesday ap-pealed the employees to reconsider their call as their demands are under examination.“As for as the demands of govern-ment employees are concerned no breakthrough is possible yet but their demands are under examination. The employees should think that by giving these strike calls they are making peo-ple to suffer,” Chief Secretary Muham-mad Iqbal Khanday told KNS.Pertinently Jammu and Kashmir gov-ernment employees had announced to

hold a state-wide strike on August 23 in support of their demands. The em-ployees are demanding enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularization of daily and need-based workers who have been engaged af-ter 1994, removal of pay anomalies of clerical cadre and budgetary support to sick public sector corporations for pay-ment of wages to workers.The confrontation between the govern-ment and employees has been going on for past several years now. Though in 2012 the JCC leaders signed a pact with government over its demands but later they claimed that the government backtracked from its promise.Meanwhile, Minster for Rural Develop-ment, Ali Muhammad Sagar told

See Sagar on pg 11...

Don’t politicize employees issue: Sagar to JCC leaders

Demands under examination: CS

All Party Delegation visits Kishtwar

Appeals people to maintain peace

Kishtwar, Aug 20: All Party Delegation that reached here yesterday has appealed the people to maintain harmony and brotherhood. The delegation, headed by Minister for Medical Educa-tion, Youth and Sports Services, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, also assessed the ground situation by holding talks with the deputations representing two communities, political parties, besides local administration.The delegation members urged community leaders, politicians and civil society members to contribute their bit in reviving and fostering the age old communal harmony and brotherhood in the area.The members of delegation included Devinder Rana and Surjit Singh Salathia of NC, G M Saroori, Janak Raj Gupta and Thakur Hari Singh of INC, Ashok

See Delegations on pg 11...

‘Hundreds of NC workers from

Sonawari join PDP’Srinagar, Aug 20 :

President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said that idea of change is getting strengthened in the State be-cause large number of people especially youth are joining the party to ‘become part of the movement for the change.’Addressing a function here today to welcome hundreds of National Conference (NC) work-ers from Sonawari areas, who joined PDP un-der the leadership of Abdul Gani, Mohammad

Aslam, Ghulam Nabi, Abdul Rashid Mir and Abdul Rehman, Mehbooba observed that work-ers from ruling party were joining PDP which was a clear indication that that there was a strong resentment against the present dispensation which has miserably failed to address

grievances of the people. She said that it was result of the people’s disillusionment with the present regime that youth coming forward to join PDP to become part of the movement for change. On the occasion Mehbooba nominated Riyaz Ahmad Bhat party’s new vice district president Bandipora. She exhorted the party works to channelize power of the common masses to bring

See Mehbooba on pg 11...

Idea of change getting strengthened in J&K: Mehbooba

Srinagar, Aug 20:

Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdul-lah discussed the arrange-ments to be put in place for the 101st Session of the Indian Science Congress be-ing held at the University of Jammu from 3rd - 7th Febru-ary 2014, and the Regional Science Congress to be orga-nized at the Kashmir Univer-sity on29th September-1st October this year, at a high level meeting held at the Raj Bhavan here today.The Governor, who is Chan-cellor of the Universities of

Jammu and Kashmir, chair-ing the meeting, emphasized the need for accessing all possible sources of funding for organizing the Indian Sci-ence Congress in a most be-fitting and memorable man-ner. He observed that micro attention needs to be paid to all the arrangements for the Indian Science Congress and the Regional Science Con-gress so that all logistics and other facilities are timely po-sitioned. The Governor observed that, last month, he has already held a meeting with the

See Guv on pg 11...

Guv, CM discuss arrangements for Indian science congress session

Pandits inalienable part of the

Kashmiri society: Hurriyat (M)

Srinagar, Aug20:

Terming Pandits as an inalienable part of the Kashmiri society, Hurriyat Conference (M) Tuesday said the onus of providing protection to their life and property falls on majority community.In a statement a spokesman of Hurriyat (M) strongly condemned the incident in-volving bullying of Pandits at Pulwama. He said that such acts were the doings of mis-creants with communal bent of mind. Like in the case of Kishtwar, the spokesman said the same elements were trying hard to torn apart the communal bonhomie of Kashmiris and push the society into chaos and violence.Hurriyat (M) asked people to remain vigi-lant of such divisive forces. The party

See Hurriyat on pg 11...

ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS WEDNESDAY 21 AUGUST 2013 11

power. “This is yet another manipulation, deception and gim-mick on the part of this political leader (Mufti Mohammad Sayed) who never talked of Kashmir issue when in chair as Chief Minister of the State and Home Minister of the Country.“They (PDP leadership) possess a set mind of willy-nilly obtain-ing power to relish it, otherwise they will not do anything even if given 80 Assembly seats”, he asserted and criticised PDP lead-ership without naming them. He said the leadership of PDP is responsible for imposing AFSPA in the State for the revocation of which, he (Omar Abdullah) is striving hard and working at all levels. He asked PDP leadership as to why it didn’t talk about Kashmir issue when in power even as they blew their own trum-pet and gave false impression of being instrumental in the open-ing of Uri-Muzaffarabad road.Omar said that despite having only 28 MLAs, National Confer-ence with the help of its coalition partner Indian National Con-gress implemented historic Rehabilitation Policy for return of Jammu and Kashmiri youth from across the border who had not resorted to gun and wanted to live a peaceful life.Omar referred to recent events in Gool, Budgam and Kishtwar and cautioned the people against the designs of the vested inter-ests who want to create conflict between Kashmir and Jammu, Hindu and Muslim and Shia and Suni to polarize the society. He said these elements become active when elections draw near so that they create hatred between various sections of the society for vote bank politics. He asked the people to defeat these ele-ments firmly and not to fall prey in their trap.Omar referred to various initiatives taken by his Government for public empowerment and made special reference to the Public Services Guarantee Act. He said some 69 services of important public utility have been brought under the Act for time bound delivery. He asked the people to take benefit of the Act and get these services in a time bound manner. “If you feel any delay or failure on the part of officials in delivering the services within the fixed time frame, initiate complaints against the erring officials, they would be handed over punishment and imposed fine upto Rs. 5000”, he said elaborating that the affected consumer would be paid compensation out of the fine imposed upon the erring official.The Chief Minister said that services like issuance of State Sub-ject, revenue papers, license, ration cards, water and electricity connections, registration of vehicles, issuance of FIR copy, CID verification, CID verification for passports and grant of house building permissions like 69 services have been brought under PSGA for public benefit.The public meeting was addressed by Minister for Higher Educa-tion, Mohammad Akbar Loan, Legislator and Provincial President Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani, Legislator Javid Ahmad Dar and local leader Mohammad Ibrahim.On reaching Gund Khawaja Qasim, the Chief Minister was re-ceived by a large gathering of people warmly, shouting slogans in his favour and showering petals and garlands over his proces-sion.The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the people of the area for their enthusiastic welcome and exhibition of love.The Chief Minister earlier inaugurated Rs. 2.18 crore 1x24 me-tres span, 5.5 metres wide Carriageway Bridge with 0.75 metre footpaths on either side at Gund Khawaja Qasim on Singhpora-Kanihama road constructed by ERA under ADB funding. It will act as a major link between Srinagar-Baramulla road and Narbal-Tangmarg-Gulmarg road via Gund Khawaja Qasim. The bridge will benefit a population of over 30,000 in the area. Its construc-tion has provided 8,000 job days directly and 5,500 indirectly to the people.Omar also laid foundation of Gund Khawaja Qasim Water Supply Scheme to augment and improve water supply facilities in the villages of Gund Khawaja Qasim, Habak Tangoo, Kantherbagh and Amargarh-Shaliboon in Pattan Tehsil. The foundation laying of this scheme is in sequel to the Chief Minister’s announcement for a new water supply scheme to Gund Khawaja Qasim at a pub-lic meeting at Trikulbal, Pattan in the month of May.

FROM THE FRONT PAGEOmar........

Guv........

Mehbooba........

Geelani........

Rajiv........

Cong........

Sonia........

Sagar........

Hurriyat........

Delegations........

Meira Kumar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, Fi-nance Minister P Chidambaram, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Road Transport Minister Oscar Fernandes and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among the other leaders who paid tributes to the departed leader.Devotional music was played throughout the programme. Scores of National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of Congress, members were also present on the occasion.Several functions and symposia have been organised all over the country to mark the occasion.The day is also celebrated as Sadbhavna Diwas. On this day, per-sons are honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for their outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, national integration and peace.

The speakers paid floral tributes to Rajiv and remembered his contributions towards nation building, such as upliftment of poor and down-trodden, implementation of three tyre Panchay-at Raj, computer education, empowerment to Panchayats, right to vote from 21 years of 18 years.Which paying rich tributes to Rajiv Gandhi, the speakers said he was a peace loving and visionary leader and always wanted to have friendly and cordial relations with neighbouring countries. “During his tenure as Prime Minister, the nation touched new heights in the field of Science and Technology, computer, devel-opment of rural and far flung areas,” they added.

non -compliance by a public servant or authority.Under the plan, the government will sell subsidised wheat and rice to 67 percent of its 1.2 billion population.

KNS that JCC leaders should avoid the path of confrontation and enter into talks with the government as the government is ex-amining their demands.“Common people are getting affected due to employee’s strikes. Government is open for talks to sort out the issues with the em-ployees. They should come forward. The employees draw sala-ries even in hartal days. It is the common people who suffered. Such a mindset is legally and morally wrong. The JCC leaders must not politicize the issue of employees,” he said.Sagar added it is unfortunate that employees are giving such call when government is busy to restore normalcy in Jammu region. “Rather than giving support to the government they are making problems. They should call off their call as government is on job to fulfil their demands,” he added.

appealed both Muslims and Pandits communities to defeat the communal thinking behind such dastardly acts, adding, and maintain century’s old tradition of communal bonhomie.Meanwhile, on the instructions of Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mir-waiz Umar Farooq,a high level delegation including Javiad Ahmad Mir and Hakim Abdul Rashid were on their way to Pulwama to express solidar-ity with the Pandit community, and later have to visit Shopian, when they were intercepted by police at Arihal and stopped from travelling further.The Hurriyat delegation strongly protested the police action. The delegates alleged that the pro-Indian political parties were hell bent to sabotage communal bonhomie of Kashmiris for petty vote bank politics.

Khajuria and Dr Nirmal Singh of BJP, Balwant Singh Mankotia of NPP, Sheikh Abdul Rehman of SP, Sham Prasad Kesar of CPI (M), SHS Raina of Shiromani Akali Dal, R S Baloria of NCP, Tulsi Dass Langeh and Rattan Kumar Bhagat of BSP and Tej Ram Dogra of PDF.The delegation held wide consultation with the representatives of the two communities, members of social and political organ-isations and sought their help in restoring normalcy.

The members listened to the demands and concerns of both the communities and assured that all their genuine grievances will be addressed. The district administration apprised the members regarding the prevailing situation in Kishtwar and various mea-sures taken to restore normalcy in the district. The district administration was instructed to ensure adequate supply of food, medicines and other essential commodities to the people.They exhorted upon the people to work for the peace and prog-ress of the region and frustrate the designs aimed at vitiating the peaceful atmosphere. The members assured that the concerns raised by the community representatives would be conveyed to the government for early redressal.

Vice Chancellors and the heads of the various medical, science and technology institutions of higher learning in the State and secured their happy willingness to join hands for organizing this mega scientific event in the most befitting manner, keeping in mind that this Science Congress shall provide a historical oppor-tunity for the students, teachers and scientists to demonstrate their talent and scientific temper. He stressed that our Universi-ties and other institutions in the State must have considerable representation at the upcoming Science Congress and the Re-gional Science Congress both in the academic arena and all other aspects. The Chief Minister, who is Pro-Chancellor of both Jammu and Kashmir Universities, said that the Indian Science Congress and the Regional Science Congress are required to be organized in a most befitting manner and for this purpose all the requirements and arrangements must be ensured well in time.Mohammad Akbar Lone, Minister for Higher Education, put forth several suggestions in regard to the hosting of Indian Sci-ence Congress and the Regional Science Congress by the Univer-sity of Jammu and the Kashmir University, respectively. Prof. R. C. Sobti, Vice Chancellor, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Universi-ty, Lucknow and the General President, Indian Science Congress Association, in his presentation, gave details of the establish-ment, evolution, history and aims and objects of organizing the Indian Science Congress. He said that more than ten thousand scientists, including a large number of top scientists from within and outside the country, are likely to participate at the 5-day 101st Science Congress. He said that the main activities of this event will comprise Inaugural Ceremony, 14 Parallel Sessions on identified themes, Science Communicators Meet, Women’s Science Congress, Children Science Congress, Science Exhibi-tion, Book Exhibition and Valedictory Function. He thanked the Governor and the Chief Minister for taking keen interest in orga-nizing the upcoming Indian Science Congress and the Regional Science Congress.Referring to the Regional Science Congress being hosted by the Kashmir University, Prof. Sobti said that over one hundred scien-tists will participate in this event. Among those who participated in the meeting included Mo-hammad Iqbal Khandey, Chief Secretary; Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, Kashmir University; Prof. M. P. S. Ishar, Vice Chancel-lor, Jammu University; B R Sharma, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development; P L Gupta, Additional Director General of Po-lice, Coordination, PHQ; B B Vyas, Principal Secretary, Finance; Atal Dulloo, Commissioner/Secretary, Tourism and Culture; Shantmanu, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; Bipul Pathak, Commissioner/Secretary, Science and Technology; Navin K. Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Tanveer Jehan, Commissioner/Secretary, R&B; Rajesh Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone; Dr B Srinivas, IGP CID; Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad, Secretary, Higher Education; V M Trehan, Chairman, In-dian Science Congress Association, Delhi Chapter; K L Khajuria, Municipal Commissioner, Jammu; and other senior officers.

change in the coming Parliament and Assembly elections. “There is a need to elect credible and tested representatives in the com-ing Parliament and Assembly elections,” she said. The PDP president claimed it was result of the good governance of the previous PDP led coalition that there was realization among all sections of the society only PDP has the vision and commitment to address their aspirations. “Within short span of its formation, the PDP has earned faith and credibility of the peo-ple of Jammu and Kashmir”, she said and reminded the gather-ing that PDP during its tenure had proved its capability of chang-ing life of the common masses by treating all individual equally and providing equal opportunities to all sections of the society. “The PDP led regime during its tenure had generated governance consciousness among the people who had a taste of good gover-nance and pro-people administration,” she said. “Having tasted the good governance during our tenure, the people had hope that the present regime headed by National Conference would also follow the path of its predecessor but this regime has failed to provide even basic amenities to the common masses,” she ob-served and regretted that the process of peace, which was start-ed during PDP-Congress regime was derailed after formation of the present regime. She especially mentioned towards unpleasant events on the LoC recently. She recalled that the ceasefire, which was announced on the border by the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the year 2003 during PDP led regime, had brought positives changes lives of the common people in Jammu and Kashmir. “The ceasefire all along the border from Kathua to Kargil had proved to be an very important event not only for the two countries but also for the people in all the regions of Jammu & Kashmir,” she said, adding “For the people of Jammu & Kashmir the ceasefire has brought peace in their lives but now some unpleasant inci-dents took place recently,” she said and regretted that State Gov-ernment headed by Omar Abdullah has failed to play its role in facilitating peace on borders. Former minister and general secretary of the PDP Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Naeem Akthar, MLC, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, MLA, Yasir Rishi, advocate Abdul Majid Mir, Abdul Rashid Singh and other prominent leaders address the gathering.

the area.”He said that until culprits responsible for August 9 incidents are arrested, innocents released and VDCs dissolved, no guarantee for return of peace can be given. While terming Omar a weak politician, the Hurriyat (G) chairman said that because of the ‘mismanagement’ his five-year tenure has proved to be most dark period in the history of Kashmir“People have seen nothing else than tyranny and repression. Nothing is right with Omar Abdullah administration. It runs its writ through military and police barrel and this administration provided shield to killers of Asiya and Neelofar in Shopian, the killers of 125 youths in 2010 including Zahid Farooq, Wamiq Farooq, Inayatullah and Tufail Matoo and hundreds of youth were sentenced under draconian Public Safety Act, execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru and episodes like Markundal and Gool, continuous detention of political leaders in jails and in their houses have proved that it is most incompetent administration,” he claimed. “People have seen nothing else than tyranny and re-pression. Nothing is right with Omar Abdullah administration. It runs its writ through military and police barrel and this ad-ministration provided shield to killers of Asiya and Neelofar in Shopian, the killers of 125 youths in 2010 including Zahid Fa-rooq, Wamiq Farooq, Inayatullah and Tufail Matoo and hundreds of youth were sentenced under draconian Public Safety Act, ex-ecution of Mohammad Afzal Guru and episodes like Markundal and Gool, continuous detention of political leaders in jails and in their houses have proved that it is most incompetent adminis-tration,” he claimed. “Though Omar announced tall claims about the action taken against communal forces and Sangh Parivar, but no practical steps were taken till now,” he added. While criticizing the statement of Omar Abdullah wherein he had said that he has no powers to dissolve these committees he said, “It is very shameful and surprising. It has proved that status of Omar Abdullah is not more than a show boy and Delhi do not take any of his steps as serious.”“While in power has agreed for this humiliation and does not care even for his self respect. While reiterating his demand and stressing for immediate dissolution of these committees, Gee-lani said that Hurriyat is closely monitoring the situation and added that they stand by Muslims of Jammu province and won’t leave them at the mercy of communal elements.“We will raise our voice against the excesses and would try to seek the help and moral support of non Muslim brothers on the basis of mutual human relations,” he said.

Pampore, Aug 20:

At least 90 aspiring entrepreneurs Tues-day completed entrepreneurial skills training at the Kashmir campus of Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Develop-ment Institute (JKEDI).Director JKEDI Dr. M.I Parray felicitated the potential entrepreneurs and urged them to widen their horizons and work for the overallprosperity of the state.“If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to widen your horizon,” the director said. “To be a successful entrepreneur, it is necessary to enjoy the work you are do-ing, and feel confident.”The director distributed certificates

among the trainees to mark the end of the 15-day Entrepreneurship Develop-ment Programme (EDP) of the govern-ment flagship Seed Capital Fund Scheme (SCFS).Dr. Parray urged the trainees to remain committed and focussed towards the business activities they want to venture in and stressed on good communication skills. “In order to prosper in any business it is important to communicate effectively, good communication skill is important.”He also advised the entrepreneurs to be visionary thinkers so as foresee the future.“You are the ambassadors of JKEDI and spread the message of entrepreneur-ship across the length and breadth of the state,” the

director said, stressing on the need to promote entrepreneurship for the overall economic prosperity of the state.Zamir Ahmed Qadri, the chief operating officer, reiterated the institute’s commit-ment of business support and services for theentrepreneurs in the state. “An entrepreneur’s role is important for the economic prosperity of the state and JKEDI is always ready to help and support all theoutgoing trainees in their business ven-tures,” said Qadri.During the interaction, the participants hailing from different districts of the Kashmir Valley shared their experiences and appreciated the entrepreneurship development training programme.

90 aspiring entrepreneurs pass out from JKEDI

Faculty of LawUniversity of Kashmir

Email: law@kashmiruniversity.ac.inAdmission Notification

The Department of Law has some seats vacant for admission to BA.,LL.B Five Year Integrated course in open Merit and reserved categories for which counselling will be held on 23rd August, 2013 in the office of the undersigned. The candidates bearing following entrance test Roll No’s are directed to remain present at 10:00 am. on 23rd August 2013. The vacant seats shall be filled up on the basis of merit of the candidates present and called for counseling.

Open Merit430017 430114 430046 430091 430016 430287430264 430071 430183 430206 430294 430655430029 430172 430427 430153 430024 430363430068 430163 430636 430004 430507 430665430109 430628 430494 430148 430421 430617Reserved CategoriesRBA WUP Sports SN SC/ST430049 430603 430525 430668 430395430320 430009 OSJ 430228 430232430384 430268 430340 430553 430564430570 430204 430423 430277430077 430192 430399430469 430403

No.F(Adm-Notificaton-2)Law/13/ET-199Dated: 20-08-2013

Sd/- Head, Department of Law

University of KashmirOffice of the Dean Academic Affairs

Admission Notification No. 20For Self Financed Seats (BA-LL.B, B.Pharm & B.Tech) Session 2013 On-line applications are invited from the candidates who have appeared for the En-trance Examination/applied for admission to BA-LL.B, B.Pharm & B.Tech. Courses (ses-sion 2013) and are interested to seek admission under "Self Financed Seats" quota. The candidates shall; i) Download their Application Forms online by accessing University web-site at www.kashmiruniversity.net. The details for admission under Self financed seats quota are reflected in the Prospectus-2013, available on University website; ii) Deposit payment of Rs. 500/- (non-refundable) reflected on Pay-in-Slip in any of the FINNACLE branches of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank;iii) Submit the hard Copy of the application form (Downloaded On-Line) along with the fee receipt of Rs. 500/- in the office of the concerned Dean of the Faculty by or before 27.08.2013.iv) Specify the Campus/College preferences (if any).

Sd/-Assistant Registrar(Academic Affairs)

No.F (Admission 2013) DAA/KU/13/ET-197Dated:-20.08.2013

Srinagar, Aug 20:

The executive members of Jammu Kashmir Press As-sociation held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to take stock of the situation prevail-ing in Chenab Valley, particu-larly in Kishtwar after the re-cent disturbances.In a statement a spokesperson of the JKPA said the members dwelt at length over the con-dition of the media fraternity and others living in Kishtwar, where continuous curfew since the eruption of distur-

bance has brought people in general and journalists in par-ticular face to face with severe hardships. “The latter have not report-edly been able to discharge their professional obligations as communication and trans-mission facilities stand dis-rupted. Moreover, they have been facing acute shortage of essentials and medicinal and food items of children, espe-cially the infants,” the state-ment said.The JKPA appealed to all sec-tions of society to uphold their

traditional spirit of communal harmony and brotherhood which has been the trade mark of the people of J&K State. The people belonging to different religions have been living in harmony since ages and the same characteristics have brought name and fame to the people of the State, es-pecially after the partition of the country. The government is urged to provide all relief to the victims of the turmoil to enable them to sustain and maintain themselves without hardships.

JKPA expresses concern over Kishtwar situation

CM administers oath to Basharat as

Chairperson SERC Srinagar, Aug 20: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah this afternoon administered oath to Basharat Ahmad Dhar as Chairperson State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC). The Chief Minister wished success to Basharat Ahmad Dhar in his new assignment and hoped that Mr. Dhar would shoulder the responsibility with the best of his capacity and calibre.Minister of State for Power, Viqar Rasool, Chief Secretary, Mo-hammad Iqbal Khandey, Economic Advisor to Government, Jalil Ahmad Khan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Principal Secretary Home, Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary PDD, A K Mehta, Director Pollution Board, Vinod Ranjan, various Chief Engineers and senior officers of PDD were present on the occasion.

CPI (M) Central Committee meets in

New DelhiNew Delhi, Aug 19:

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marx-ist) met in New Delhi on August 17 and 18. It has issued the fol-lowing statement:Increasing Communal ViolenceThe Central Committee expressed its deep concern at the inci-dents of communal violence which have erupted in the recent period, in Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir and some places in Bi-har. In Kishtwar, two people died and many shops were burnt. In Nawadah too two people were killed and arson indulged in. There were a number of communal incidents in UP and earlier in Rajasthan too. The rise in communal incidents is linked to the ag-gressive activities of the BJP-RSS combine. In Bihar, in Nawadah and Bettiah provocative slogans and symbols associated with the BJP-RSS combine were on display.The Central Committee decided that a political campaign against the communal forces and exposing the designs of the BJP-RSS should be conducted. There is a need for an anti-communal plat-form consisting of the democratic and secular forces.Tensions on the LoCThe Central Committee condemned the incident which caused the death of five soldiers of the Indian army at the Line of Control in the Poonch sector recently. This has come in the background of the rising number of ceasefire violations this year. The govern-ment should take a firm stand about ending ceasefire violations and counter infiltration by extremists from across the border. At the same time the strategy of engaging with Pakistan and holding talks with the Pakistan government should not be abandoned.Economic situationThe economic situation has been deteriorating with the overall slowdown in growth, contraction in industrial production, con-tinuing high inflation and the widening current account deficit on the balance of payments which has resulted in the steady depreciation of the value of the rupees. These conditions have led to the relentless price rise with the prices of food items like vegetables shooting up. Petrol prices were hiked five times in the last seven months amounting to over Rs. 7.30 per litre. This has contributed to the high inflation. The falling industrial produc-tion is leading to more joblessness.The crisis manifested by the steep fall in the value of the rupee which breached the Rs. 62 mark vis a vis the dollar is an outcome of the UPA government’s economic mismanagement and the neo-liberal policies pursued.The UPA government is seeking to overcome this crisis by at-tracting more foreign capital and giving more concessions to the MNCs and Indian big business. The growing dependence on foreign flows and FDI will only worsen the problem. The Central Committee strongly opposed the easing of caps on FDI in vari-ous sectors and the dilution of norms for FDI in retail. Instead of handing out tax concessions, tax revenue should be collected and the resources mobilized should be utilised to increase the levels of public investment, to build much needed infrastructure and this would generate significant growth of employment and enlarge domestic demand.The Central Committee decided to campaign for the alterna-tive platform of policies which was decided by the Left parties convention. These policies stress the need for curbing price rise, increasing employment and ensuring the social and economic rights of the dalits, adivasis, women and minorities.Food Security BillThe Central Committee reiterated the stand that the Food Se-curity Bill is flawed and insufficient to meet the requirements of ensuring food security for all citizens. The CPI(M) MPs have moved amendments to the Bill. There are a number of common amendments moved by MPs of various parties and the govern-ment should accept these amendments to the Bill.

90 delegations, scores of individuals visit CM’s

Private office Srinagar, Aug 20: Political Secretary to Chief Minister Tanvir Sadiq on Tuesday said that empowerment of general public is imperative for good governance and bringing transparency in administrative functioning.“Omar Sahib has put this aspect in full focus to shift the author-ity from apex to the grass root level,” Tanvir said adding that empowerment of Panchayats, enactment of Public Service Guar-antee Act (PSGA) and constitution of State Right to Information Commission under RTI Act are historic initiatives taken in this regard by the government.Talking to various delegations at the Chief Minister’s Private of-fice in Srinagar including Sarpanches and Panches of Shangus constituency, Tanvir said that powerful Panchayat Raj is an effec-tive tool to involve grass root public representatives in decision making and funds spending from Halqa Panchayat to district levelsMore than 90 deputations and scores of individuals from Sri-nagar, Anantnag, Kupwara, Baramulla, Ganderbal, Pampore, Kul-gam met the political secretary to the Chief Minister at the office and brought to his notice various issues pertaining to the wel-fare and development. The individuals explained their problems and sought the intervention of the Chief Minister for redressal.

Document LostI have lost sale letter 21-22 temp. registration of my vehicle EON (MAL 151410M093990-E) Engine No-G3HAG-G3(EN-G80144 dated 14.07.2012) purchased from Mile stone 5th NH 1A bypass road Jammu

Khursheed Ahmad WaniGh Ahmad Wani

Padgampora Teh: Awantipora Pulwama

Soz thanks Jatinder Singh

for extend-ing NYC pro-

gramme Srinagar, Aug 20: State Con-gress President Prof Saifuddin Soz Tuesday thanked Union Minister of Sports and Youth Services Jatinder Singh for his strenuous efforts with Gov-ernment of India to extend the engagement of candi-dates from J&K State who had been selected for two-year programme under National Youth Corps (NYC) for one year.

MoU signed between PGCIL, Tech Edu

SRINAGAR AUGUST 20:

Minister of State for Technical Education, Power and Rural Development Vikar Rasool has urged upon the officers to speed up the im-plementation of Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) scheme to ensure sustained develop-ment of the backward areas of the State.

The Minister was speaking at a review meet-ing convened to discuss the implementation of BRGF in the State.The Commissioner Secretary Rural Development, Farooq Ahmad Peer, Di-rector Rural Development Kashmir, Mir Altaf Ahmad, Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Itrat Hussain Rafiqui, ACDs of Kishtwar, Doda, Kup-wara, Poonch and Ramban were also present in the meeting. Vikar asked the officers to ensure that the funds earmarked under the scheme are utilized to the maximum so that the develop-ment of the backward areas is ensured. He said, the scheme has been envisaged by the Centre to bridge the critical gaps in the infrastructural development of the far-flung areas of the State.

The Minister also directed the officers to conduct regular field visits to the areas in which the scheme is being implemented to get first-hand information about the implementation on

ground so that lacuna if any can be filled.It was also given out in the meeting that an

amount of Rs 84 crore has been fixed as en-titlement of funds for the year 2013-14 under

backward regions BRGF as against an amount of Rs 30.40 crore which were released under the scheme during 2011-12. The Minister also chaired the meeting in which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between

the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and Technical Education Department. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary Technical Education Parvez Malik, represen-

tatives of PGCIL and other senior officers.It is pertinent to mentioned here that PGCIL under Corporate Social responsibility had offered the State Government to set up an ITI at Ganderbal and provide the requisite training besides creat-

ing job recruitment drive in the campus for the youth of the State, which has been accepted by the State Government.

It was also agreed in the meeting that PG-

CIL will construct Academic and Administrative blocks besides providing machinery, equipment and arranging guest faculties for imparting spe-cialized training to the youth whereas the gov-ernment would provide land to them.

DLCC meeting held at Shopian

Calls for conserva-tion of water bodies

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 20:

Minister for Haj, Auqaf and Flori-culture, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed flagged-off Annual Dal Cross and re-cross event here at Nehru Park Tuesday.

The annual event was organized by Tindale Biscoe and Mallinson schools. As many as 160 boys and girls students from both junior and senior wings of Tindale Biscoe, Mallinson and Kashmir Valley School Humhama participated in the event. The participants covered 10 kilo-metres cross and 15 re-cross distance by swimming across the Dal Lake. The event is organized every year after imparting proper training to the participants in three phases. It was the 55th event in the history of the School.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister hailed the management for or-ganizing the event, adding that conduct of such extra-curricular activities is help-ful in exploiting the talent, besides creat-

ing awareness about the significance of our natural resources. He said that the youth of the State possess ample poten-

tial to succeed in diverse fields, adding that need is to chisel their talent in right direction to ensure they contribute in na-tion building.

Peerzada called for concerted efforts to

preserve water bodies in the State which, he said, was important for maintaining bio-diversity and ecology. He urged for

involving all the stake holders in this mis-sion. The Minister said that each stakeholder has to understand the importance of Dal Lake adding that all are duty bound to conserve this valuable heritage which is the source of attraction for both domestic as well as foreign tourists.

Giving brief ac-count about the event, Principal, Parvez Sam-uel Koul said that the aim of organizing such event was to create awareness among the younger generation

about the importance of water bodies particularly Dal, besides physical fitness. He said in Olympic Games, the swim-mers cross only 10 kms, but here in this event, the students covered 15 kms.

SHOPIAN, AUGUST 20

District Level Lead Bank Consultative Committee meeting was held to review the progress and performance of different banks and line departments during the first quarter of current fiscal under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner, Shopian here Tuesday.Among others dis-trict officers of various de-partments, representatives of all banks including NABARD and RBI participated in the meeting.Against the financial target of Rs. 352.68 crore and physical targets of 21830 ben-eficiaries under priority sec-tor, the banks have disbursed Rs. 151.52 crore to 5284 bene-ficiaries during the first quar-ter of current fiscal achieving thereby the financial targets by 43 percent and physical targets by 24 percent.

In Agriculture sector, the banks have disbursed

Rs.143.89 crore to 4736 ben-eficiaries against the annual targets of Rs. 274.90 crore to 18960 beneficiaries. The achievement is 53 percent in financial terms and 25 per-cent in physical terms.

It was also given out that banks have disbursed Rs.5.65 Crores to 261 beneficiaries of Small Enterprises against an annual target of Rs.38.68 Crores to 2005 beneficiaries while microcredit sector re-ceived credit disbursements of Rs. 70 lakh to 192 beneficia-ries against an annual target of Rs. 2.08 Crores to 485 ben-eficiaries.The credit disbursed to Education sector during the period is Rs. O.29 Crores to 42 beneficiaries against the target of 3.50 crore to 100 beneficiaries while the credit disbursed to housing sector during the period under re-view has been Rs. l.03 crore against the annual target of Rs. 6.50 crore.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar | wedneSday 21 .8 .2013

Peerzada flags off Annual Dal cross, re-cross event at Nehru Park

Remember that it takes energy to repress and bottle up your feelings, Libra. Without realizing it you may be stuff-ing a great deal of emotion inside while trying to ignore it. The truth is that expressing these feelings - anger, happiness, fear, self-doubt - will energize and free you. The atmosphere around you will lighten up and you’ll be able to interact more openly with others.

Deep inside you know the right thing to do, Scorpio. Per-haps you just saw someone drop money on the ground and you picked it up. Do you return it or pocket it for yourself? You’re likely to feel like you have the devil on one shoulder arguing with the angel on the other. It’s important that you listen to the angel. Do what you know is right.

Your mastery of your mind and ability to stay disciplined about your goals is impressive, Sagittarius. Others recognize and appreciate your efforts much more than usual. You may be called upon to assist in some other project or someone else’s emotional drama because you have the stability re-quired to remedy the situation. Don’t downplay your talent in this area.

You may feel as if someone or something has just refor-matted your hard drive, Capricorn. Suddenly things are run-ning much more smoothly. The key now is to find the disci-pline and organization to understand this new system fully. Streamline your thoughts and be more efficient about how you use your energy. You’ll be more effective overall if you can keep from scattering your resources.

You may be forced to put your thoughts into neat little boxes that can be easily understood and processed, Aquar-ius. Your ideas are abstract and don’t always make reason-able sense. It’s OK to have a bit of mystery about things that rational minds can’t explain. Although you may feel like the goal is to arrange things in an orderly way, don’t feel like you have to do it.

This may be a difficult day in which you feel pressured to get things done, Pisces, yet there’s indecisiveness and hesita-tion lingering in your mind. Between a rock and hard place is no easy spot, but you’ll find your way out. Perhaps the thing you should do is make a move - any move. Once you get the energy flowing, the direction you need to take will be clear.

You could feel blocked, Virgo, like you’re in a trap. Per-haps your friends are influencing you into believing one thing, while your family has you trained to believe another. You wear different masks in different situations so you may have forgotten the real person underneath. Things are in conflict, and you may be forced to make important decisions. The truth is the only way to escape the trap.

There’s tremendous discipline in your way of thinking,

Aries, which is helping you advance toward your goals. Don’t expect that you will solve every problem right away. Keep in mind that you will be able to sort through issues more ef-ficiently. Once you have things sufficiently fleshed out, it will be easier to put the pieces back together.

Your thoughts may be strained, Taurus, and you could find it difficult to process things that are normally no prob-lem. Try not to force answers that don’t seem to want to come. If the information flows easily and smoothly, you will know that it’s meant for you. If you have to pull teeth in or-der to get at the truth, you may need to back off.

Your thinking may have emotional overtones that pre-vent you from seeing the truth clearly, Gemini. Do your best to tame your feelings in order to let more rational thoughts rise to the surface. There’s a stability that comes when you honor your emotions from a detached perspective instead of immediately taking action in response to how you feel. Think about this as you engage with others.

The thing you dread the most could be the very thing you need the most in your life, Cancer. You’re at a point right now when the lessons that come might be hard to swallow, but they’re necessary. Don’t try to resist what you know you must face. Approach things with courage instead of fear and you can conquer anything. Once you climb the mountain, the rest is downhill.

You may look at your orderly closet, well-organized desk, and clean bathroom and be proud, Leo. Other people may fret about suddenly having to get their lives in order, but you’re already there. Perhaps you don’t realize it because you’re such a perfectionist. Perhaps you don’t give yourself enough credit for all the work you do. Give yourself a pat on the back today.

SRINAGAR AUGUST 20:

The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sa-gar has directed the officers to speed up the work on the lower craft centre be-ing constructed on the site of Maqdoom

Sahib Ropeway Project so that it can be developed as a heritage centre depicting history and culture of the old city Srina-gar.The Minister was addressing officers during a meeting convened to discuss the status of implementation of vari-ous beautification and developmental projects being undertaken by the gov-ernment.

Vice Chairman Waqaf Board M. Y.

Qadri, District Development Commis-sioner Srinagar Farooq Shah, Manag-ing Director, JKPCC, T. R. Bhagat, Chief Engineer, R&B Mushtaq Lone and other senior officers were present.

Referring to the Maqdoom Sahib Ropeway Project, the Minister said that

it would come up as a major tourist spot in the old city in near future and we have to ensure that it gets completed in all re-spects within the shortest possible time. He also directed the officers to acquire the structures coming in and around the project as early as possible.

Sagar asked the officers to speed up the restoration work on Dastigeer Sahib Shrine and ensure that the same is done

on double shift pattern so that it can be completed within the shortest pos-sible time and it gets completed before the Annual Urs. He said that the people of the state are emotionally as well as spiritually associated with the shrine and government is committed to en-sure its early completion.The Minister also directed the officers to fast pace the work on the beautification projects of the historic Jamia Masjid and its catch-ment areas in the old city Srinagar. He said that the area has pivotal impor-tance in the history of the state and the Tourism Department should also ensure its sustained development on heritage pattern. Sagar also asked the officers to speed up the work on the renovation of Khankah-i-Moulla project and involve technical experts from agencies like IN-TACH to ensure its heritage value gets preserved. He also directed the officers to ensure acquisition of various struc-tures around it so that proper beautifi-cation and landscaping of its catchment areas can be done.Asking the officers to ensure timely completion of the pres-tigious Mirakh Shah Road Project, the Minister directed for acquisition of the structures and providing the compen-sation to the persons whose properties will be acquired in the process.

Vikar for speedy implementation of BRGF

KISHTWAR, AUGUST 20- All Party Delegation that reached here yesterday has appealed the people to maintain harmony and brotherhood.

The delegation, headed by Minister for Medical Education, Youth and Sports Services, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, also assessed the ground situation by holding talks with the deputations represent-ing two communities, political parties, besides local administra-tion.

The delegation members urged community leaders, politi-cians and civil society members to contribute their bit in reviving and fostering the age old communal harmony and brotherhood in the area.

The members of delegation included Mr Devinder Rana and Surjit Singh Salathia of NC, Mr G M Saroori, Mr Janak Raj Gupta and Thakur Hari Singh of INC, Mr Ashok Khajuria and Dr Nirmal Singh of BJP, Mr Balwant Singh Mankotia of NPP, Sheikh Abdul Rehman of SP, Mr Sham Prasad Kesar of CPI (M), SHS Raina of Shi-romani Akali Dal, Mr R S Baloria of NCP, Mr Tulsi Dass Langeh and Mr Rattan Kumar Bhagat of BSP and Mr Tej Ram Dogra of PDF.

The delegation held wide consultation with the representa-tives of the two communities, members of social and political or-ganisations and sought their help in restoring normalcy.

The members listened to the demands and concerns of both the communities and assured that all their genuine grievances will be addressed. The district administration apprised the mem-bers regarding the prevailing situation in Kishtwar and various measures taken to restore normalcy in the district.

The district administration was instructed to ensure adequate supply of food, medicines and other essential commodities to the people.

They exhorted upon the people to work for the peace and progress of the region and frustrate the designs aimed at vitiating the peaceful atmosphere.

Ensure double shift on restoration of Dastigeer Sahib Shrine: Sagar

All Party Delegation Visits Kishtwar; appeals people to

maintain peace, brotherhood

KULGAM, AUGUST 20

Minister for Social Wel-fare and Public Grievances, Ms. Sakina Itoo Tuesday stressed upon the women of J&K to come on forefront for all round development of society, as the sustainable development is not possible

without their full participa-tion and co-operation.The Minister was speaking on the inauguration ceremony of two day training programme for women empowerment at Kulgam organised by J&K

Women Empowerment Soci-ety and sponsored by Nation-al Mission for Empowerment of Women. The participants included the female workers/employees of Social Welfare Department, Rural Develop-ment and Health Depart-ments besides Anganwari Workers / Helpers, ASHA

workers, women from NGOs of District Kulgam.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the training pro-gramme is aimed at familiar-ization of women especially workers/Employees about

the different programmes and policies of the present Government being adopted for women empowerment so that their benefits can reach the roots of the society through these workers.The Minister stressed upon the participants that the goal of women empowerment can be achieved by participat-ing in the programmes run by the Government besides acquiring formal and ethical education. She informed the participants that Government has established two informa-tion cells one each at Jammu and Srinagar for women where from they can seek any kind of information or book their complaints.Speaking on the occasion DDC Kulgam Mir Jehangir Ahmed apprised the participants about the steps taken by the District Admin-istration for women empow-erment.

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 20:

Speaker, J&K Legislative Assembly, Muba-rak Gul Tuesday conducted an extensive tour of Iddgah constituency and took stock of the pace of ongoing developmental works being executed in the area.

District Development Commissioner Sri-nagar, Farooq Ahmed Shah, Additional Deputy Commissioner and concerned Engineers of various departments accompanied the Speak-er.

During the tour, Gul visited Noorbagh and inspected the damaged site of Cement Bridge due to leakage of water pipes. He directed the concerned PHE Engineers for its immediate repairs and to restore the water supply within 24 hours.

Gul visited Palpora and directed the PWD Engineers for macadamization of the road at Rakh colony and construction of lanes and drains and repairs of footpath at Gujjarbal and construction of protection boundary wall of Government High School at Shine Mohallah Gujjarbal. He also visited Pomposh Colony and

directed to complete the drainage system and completion of lanes and drainage and tile work in the locality. He directed the Executive Engi-neers PDD for installation of high mast Lamp in the locality.

Gul also visited Government Primary School Pomposh Colony Palpora and checked the Mid-day meals being served to the chil-dren. He directed Joint Director School Educa-tion to install water Hand Pump in the school premises. He also directed the concerned en-gineer of Youth Service and Sports for carrying out leveling of the Play Ground. He also direct-ed UEED for construction of protection wall on Nallah at Palpora. He also visited slum areas of the locality and asked the concerned officers to carry out development works under the Slum Development Programme for the welfare of the slum dwellers.

Gul also inspected the flood affected area of Palpora and directed for preparation of list of effected people. He also visited Government Primary Health Centre Palpora and directed Srinagar Development Authority for early completion of 100 bed hospital in the area.

Sakina inaugurates 2 day training programme for women

Gul conducts extensive tour of Idgah constituency

9Wednesday, 21 August 2013

ZABARWAN TIMESDaily

The Daily

Zabarwan TimesWednesday, 21 August 2013

EDItOrIAL/OpInIOn

‘ The Solar City

programme aims to

consolidate all the

efforts of the Ministry

of New and Renewable

Energy and address the

energy problem of the

urban areas in a

holistic manner

How secure women are in vulture-society?

Soaring Prices

MakingLife Hell

Disclaimer : The contents and comments appearing in any article published in this paper are purely the personal opinion of the writer.

The story of Indian women’s struggle to enter the medical profession reflects their courage,

determination and dedication to a noble cause. Unlike the women in western countries Indian women did not have to fight the laws or discrimination by the state to enter this profession. Opposition came mainly from the society of that time; a society steeped in ancient traditions with no scope for women to act or think independently. The environment was hostile to a woman to step out of the home, let alone take up a career.Missionaries pave the wayWhen the British rulers opened their hospitals in India, the attendance of women was almost negligible because of the purdah (veil) observed by women in many parts of India. Since there was no woman on the hospital staff, women resented being treated by men and stayed from hospitals. The plight of women during confinement owing to lack of medical attendance and the large-scale infant mortality disturbed many ‘zenana’(women) missionaries, who decided to do something to mitigate the sufferings of these women.The task of women missionaries was not easy. They had to face the ignorance and prejudices of Indian women, work without proper instruments and insufficient supportive help and above all their own inadequate medical knowledge. The first qualified medical woman to arrive in India was Miss Clara Swain of U.S.A. who reached Rae Bareily on 2nd January 1870. Soon a stream of missionaries, started pouring into India. Their main concern was training of nurses and mid-wives and hospital administration. They introduced hospital nurses into Indian homes, persuaded Indian women to go to hospitals for delivery and took part in other social service activities. Two outstanding medical missionaries, Edith Mary Brown(1864-1956) and Ida Sophia Scudder(1870-1960) will ever remain in the collective consciousness of the nation for the legacy they have left behind to humanity. The Christian Medical College

and Brown Memorial hospital at Ludhiana and the Christian Medical College at Vellore stand testimony to their work.In the meantime two contemporary Indian women created history by breaking the social barriers to become doctors. Both were Maharashtrians and were victims of child marriage. Anandibai Joshi was married at the age of ten to a widower almost twenty years senior to her. She became a mother at the age of fourteen but unfortunately the child lived only for ten days. A grief stricken Anandi resolved to become a doctor and help other women.

Rakhmabai’s tale is some what different. She was not fortunate enough to have a supportive husband like Anandibai. Married at the age of ten without her consent she rebelled against the tradition. She matured into a highly esteemed doctor and rendered invaluable service during the plague in the Bombay Presidency. She was a pioneer of red cross activity in India and it was mainly through her that medical aid reached the interior parts of that Presidency.Men support women’s causeHigher education and training for women came through as a result of the efforts of a few enlightened men. In 1872, Edward Balfour, the Surgeon General in Madras started an agitation with the education department for admission of women to the medical course, but he was successful only

partially as the Director of Public Instruction considered this move as entirely premature and did not recommend admission of women to medical college. Three years later Balfour could get them admitted to the Certificate course. Six years later the first woman to be admitted was Mary Scharlieb, wife of a Barrister. She took up the mid-wife’s training at the Government Maternity Hospital in Madras but found the training very inadequate. The Kasturba hospital owes its inception to her. In the Calcutta Presidency, the Calcutta Medical College threw its doors open to

women in 1880 and one Kadambini Ganguly became its first graduate. In the Bombay Presidency, George T. Kittredge, an American business resident fought for medical education for women. He was not happy with the inferior training provided to women and observed “I am convinced that for success in India, woman must be recognized as the equals of men in medical care.”Medical Funds come to AidGeorge T. Kittredge along with one Sorabjee Shapurji Bengalee organized a fund called the Medical Women for India Fund. Also, the Lady Dufferin fund created in 1885 gave tremendous impetus to entry of women into the profession. Both the funds were set up with the major objective of bringing medical women from England,

arranging for medical education of women in India and opening hospitals to be staffed by women. March towards professionalismThe founding of the Association of Medical Women in India in 1907 under the Presidentship of Dr. A.M. Benson, the Medical Officer at Cama Hospital at Bombay was an initial step in the professionalisation of women medicos. It was this association which agitated for the creation of Women’s Medical Service (WMS) in 1914 on the lines of Indian Medical Service (IMS). Regrettably the WMS was abolished along with IMS soon after Independence. Hilda Mary Lazarus was the first Indian woman to be appointed to WMS. She became Chief Medical Officer in 1943 and held the post till her retirement in 1947.Undoubtedly the woman doctor of early 20th century was Muthulakshmi Reddy. She entered into the medical world like a storm and initiated many reforms through legislation like medical inspection of girls in schools and colleges, suppression of immoral trafficking in women & children etc,. She made history when she sought to liberate devadasis from the tyranny of tradition. The Avvai Rural Medical Service and Cancer Research Institute at Chennai are her gifts to humanity. She balanced her role as a mother, wife and a doctor so perfectly that she is still held as a role model by many. Though late entrants by world standards women are now entering the medical profession on equal footing with men. No longer are the super speciality areas,the preserve of men. Everyday a new male bastion is broken and women try to prove that they are in no way inferior to men. However the contributions of the women pioneers in medicine in India cannot be evaluated in terms of the present day parameters. As Joshua Jhirad the first Woman Superintendent of Cama Hospital observed “It was the idea and urge to serve needy women who could otherwise have gone without treatment and suffered silently that attracted most of us to take up medicine.”

Indian Women’s Odyssey into the Medical World

Unlike the women in western countries

Indian women did not have to fight the

laws or discrimination by the state to enter

this profession. Opposition came mainly

from the society of that time; a society

steeped in ancient traditions with no scope

for women to act or think independently.

Rarely has the discussion on the nature and extent of quality and excellence been as intense as in our

times. ‘Assessment for quality assurance’ is widely known across the world since late 20th century. The movement may be called as the promotion of the ‘Assessment Culture’. In India, it has taken a concrete shape only in the last decade of the last century, with the establishment of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) (in 1994) and a few other quality assessment organizations in the public domain, for the assessment of higher education institutions and programmes.The NAAC, with a vision ‘to make quality the defining element of higher education in India through a combination of self and external quality evaluation, promotion and sustenance initiatives’, has assessed and accredited Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and has also undertaken a number of quality promotion activities. There is a mixed response from the HEIs and the academia, to the external quality assessment. Many institutions have voluntarily opted for NAAC assessment and proudly exhibit their accreditation status. Few others have apprehensions about the NAAC assessment process. For a deeper understanding of the complex process of external quality assessment, it may be useful to critically examine the motivational factors for readily seeking NAAC assessment on one hand and the inhibiting factors for hesitations to go for assessment on the other.Positive Responses· Some of the reasons for institutions opting for NAAC assessment are:·Self-improvement, by understanding their strengths and limitations.·Building the institutional image and attract students from far and wide.·International recognition of the institution and assurance of admission of their students in foreign universities.·Incentives from the Government and other funding agencies.

·Insistence of some of the State Governments.·P re -cond i t i on fo r ge t t i ng the autonomous/deemed university status and such other recognitions by the University Grants Commission (UGC) or permanent affiliation by concerned universities.Some ApprehensionsSome of the apprehensions and fears of institutions about the NAAC assessment are: · Fear of the unknown.· Fear of getting a lower grade and/or not getting the desired accreditation status.· Lack of enthusiasm on the part of management and staff to take up the preparation work (institutional data presentation in the Self-Study Report).· Assumption that it is a costly activity.· Belief that it does not lead to any

consequential benefits.· Reservations about the external assessment of Quality.· Reservations about the reliability and credibility of NAAC methodology and processes.NAAC relation with the HEIsMost of the apprehensions listed above are quite unfounded. Similar are the experiences of most of the external quality assurance agencies across the world. The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) guidelines of good practices for External Quality Assurance Agencies (EQAA) include the basic premise of a congenial relationship between EQAA and

HEIs. NAAC relations with the HEIs are based on the following guidelines: · Recognition that institutional and/or programme quality assurance is primarily the responsibility of the higher education institutions themselves;· Application of standards or criteria that have been subject to reasonable consultation with stakeholders; and· Aiming to contribute to both, quality improvement of and accountability by the institution.Miles to go ………During the last thirteen years, NAAC has covered a long way, from initial resistance through subsequent acceptance to appreciation. We at NAAC are aware that we still have a long way, to fully realize our mission. Towards this, we may have to

address three major concerns: Firstly, we are yet to assess a large number of institutions. Appropriate mechanisms have to be developed to complete the first cycle assessment of all HEIs. We may have to evolve multiple strategies for this purpose. Establishment of regional/state level assessment agencies, encouragement of NAAC-validated private professional agencies/sectoral assessment agencies for programme assessment are some of the measures that deserve careful consideration. Secondly, the instrument of assessment requires continuous fine-tuning. Some limitations of the instrument we use to assess the performance of a complex system arises from an inability to combine quantitatively-

measurable and qualitatively-perceptible factors into a single model. Appropriate measurement is necessary for improvement. It is rightly said: “if you can’t measure it, you can’t understand it; if you can’t understand it you can’t control it; if you can’t control it you can’t improve it”. In quality measurement, we must constantly ask two questions: Are we measuring the right things and are we accurately measuring them? NAAC is continuously engaged in improving its instrument. We hope that the fine-tuning of the criteria, key aspects and assessment indicators and adoption of the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) with effect from 1st April 2007, would result in a more rigorous and reliable measurement of the institutional performance. Thirdly, the Peer Team, consisting of assessors, plays a critical role in the assessment exercise. The Peer Team is the public face of NAAC. The judgement by the Peer Team members is the basis for assessment and accreditation. Selection of right Peers as assessors and equipping them with necessary professional skills to undertake the job are challenging tasks. NAAC is aware of the human limitations and is continuously trying to provide professional inputs to the assessors, to complete the task without any bias and arrive at reasonable and acceptable judgement. The ApproachThere are many other concerns and new concerns may arise in the context of newer situations. More than these concerns our approach is very significant to our activities. NAAC believes that quality has to be nurtured and not controlled. The agricultural model of seeding, nurturing and climate building is more suitable to the quality assurance model. Probably, in future, instead of completely focusing on time-bound assessment activity, NAAC may have to focus on nurturing and continuously-assessing the internal quality assurance systems of the HEIs. It is equally important to recognize that the EQA is an indicative exercise not a prescriptive or

Assessment of quality in higher education is the sign of times!

Many institutions have voluntarily

opted for NAAC assessment and proudly

exhibit their accreditation status. Few

others have apprehensions about the

NAAC assessment process.

festival of love, affection, Aprotection-Raksha Bandhan is being celebrated all over India

including Jammu & Kashmir with great fervor and spirit. With this day, the holy Amarnath Yatra also culminates on Shravan Purnima. The history of this festival goes back to Indus Valley Civilization, but normally it is related with the gesture of Rani Karnawati of Chittore, sending a thread to Emperor Hemanyu for help finding herself unable to protect her state from the invasion of Sultan of Gujrat. Emperor Hemanyu taking it as a spiritual binding and duty to protect the sister, immediately started off with his troops to help her in crisis. Since then this festival is not only a symbol of love affection and promise to protect the sister by a brother in thick and thin, but has also become icon of Hindu Muslim unity. Gone are the days when in valley, Kashmiri Pandith women would tie Rakhi on the wrists of Muslim brothers and in return majority hood ensure safety and protection to their minority brethren and sisters. The older generation must be feeling pinched today, would love to feel the same nostalgic era and share those blissful moments with their near and dear ones. However, in this rat-racing where is the time for anybody to safeguard the old memories of brotherhood and bonds of love. We are going through the worst time where relations are hostage to material prosperity. We are unaware of the sanctity of the festivals but as a ritual celebrate in order to show off our wealth and material gain. Today Rakhi is not symbol of bond between two siblings-brother and sister but an occasion to exhibit the Rakhi embellished with pearls, diamond and other expensive stones in innumerable designs, shapes and sizes. Accordingly the brothers choose to respond to Rakhi in way of return gift to sisters with no essence of that spirit, sense of protection or love and affection which used to be erstwhile. This day provides an occasion to married sisters to visit their parental house at least once in a year. Now that tradition too is over. We are witnessing sea changes in all spheres of life. Today, everybody in search of green pastures, is scattered. The old family bonds are invisible due to distances. Earlier sisters would go from market to market to choose Rakhis and post them to their brothers at distant places. Now there is no need to take so much of pains, it can be sent ON-LINE through credit cards or e-banking and same way brothers can reciprocate by sending gifts ON-LINE. One is really shocked and astonished to see the materialistic world-full of people with artificial smiles, sycophancy, lip sympa-thy and endeavor to squeeze as much as possible from the other person. Here one encounters a pertinent question- were we not happy when there was less of prosperity. After all what is the fun of accumulating wealth when we cannot sit together with family members.

Whatever it may be–here is a time for

introspection.

Threads that bind

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

WEDNESDAY | 21 AUG 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

Veganism, ahead of vegetarianismImagine surviving on a diet that excludes chicken, cheese, milk and all your favourite food. Most of us would yell out 'no-way'. But going vegan is the new fad among the ordinary as well as the admired.Let's find out more...For some, it's the lat-est key to staying fit and toned and for the rest it's the new eco-friendly and animal-protection mantra. With vegan diet receiving a lot of response, vegan-ism has moved on to being something more than just a diet. It is a lifestyle that you choose to live. The old idea that only long-haired hippies nibble carrots and lettuce in their mountain homes no longer applies.Veganism — a step ahead of vegetarianismVegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Veg-ans, in addition, do not consume any products that are derived from animals — eggs, dairy products, honey etc. Moreover, many vegans do not use leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.Be a healthy veganThe key to a nutrition-

ally sound vegan diet is variety. For a healthy and varied vegan diet, opt for fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes. High-fat foods such as oils, margarine, nuts, nut butters, seed but-ters,avocado, and coconut should be eaten sparingly.Pros and consFruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts have protective char-

acteristics against major chronic diseases. At the same time, lower intake of calcium and vitamin D can lead to a higher risk of bone fractures in vegans. Eliminating dairy from the diet removes a good source of calcium. Hence, consume calcium-fortified foods. Also, iron and vita-min B12 deficiencies are a major concern among vegans. While a plant-based diet lowers the risk of age-related problems,

unwise selection of food can lead to adverse health outcomes.When eating out...Go for pizza without cheese, Chinese moo shu vegetables, Indian cur-ries and dal, eggplant dishes without cheese, bean tacos without lard and cheese, Middle East-ern hummus and tabou-li, Ethiopian injera (flat bread) and lentil stew and Thai vegetable cur-ries.

Five steps to stronger bones1. Eat properlyGetting 1,000mg of calcium a day is the first step — and you're much better off doing this through diet if you can.The best food sources are low-fat dairy such as semi-skimmed milk and yoghurt, as well as bony fish, such as tinned salmon and sar-dines.Leafy green veg such as kale, broccoli and spinach are also rich in calcium.Dried fruits such as figs and currants and breakfast cere-als fortified with calcium are also good sources. 2. Get more vitamin dVitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Although some is found in oily fish, our main source comes from the effect of sunlight on your skin.It's estimated that half of us have a deficiency because we don't get outside enough or because we always use sunblock. As part of its Sunlight Campaign, the Na-tional Osteoporosis Society is advising people to catch some rays between May and September to keep their vi-tamin D levels topped up.Just 10 minutes of sunlight a day on bare arms and your

face can cut your risk of bone fractures by a third. 3. The right movesAnother vital way to boost your bones is weight-bear-ing exercise —basically anything that has you up-right and stretching your muscles.Good choices include aero-bics, dancing or brisk walk-ing."Research shows that if you don't exercise you end up weeing out all the calcium you take in instead of stor-

ing it in your bones," warns Prof Skelton. "Ideally we should aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week."Put simply, the more hours we spend on our feet, the fewer bone breakages we should have in later life." 4. Quit the cigs and boozePeople who smoke have significantly lower bone density, while drinking more than seven alco-

holic drinks a week can prevent your bones from absorbing the maximum nutrients from your food. 5. Watch your stress levels"High levels of stress make the body produce the hormone cortisol, which causes bone loss," says Prof Skelton."Over a long period this can increase your risk of osteoporosis. Yoga, walking the dog or lis-tening to music can all help bust stress.

Snoring ups BP risk in pregnant womenWomen who begin snoring during pregnancy are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure and preeclampsia, a new re-search from the University of Michigan has revealed. The research showed preg-nancy-onset snoring was strongly linked to gesta-tional hypertension and preeclampsia, said lead author Louise O'Brien, Ph.D., associate professor in U-M's Sleep Disorders Center. "We found that frequent snoring was playing a role in high blood pressure problems, even after we had accounted for other known risk factors. And we already know that high blood pressure in preg-nancy, particularly preec-lampsia, is associated with smaller babies, higher risks of pre-term birth or babies ending up in the ICU," said O'Brien. The study is believed to be the largest of its kind, with more than 1,700 partici-pants. It is the first study to demonstrate that pregnan-

cy-onset snoring confers significant risk to maternal cardiovascular health. Habitual snoring, the hall-mark symptom of sleep-disordered breathing, was defined as snoring three to four nights a week. About 25 per cent of women started snoring frequently during pregnancy and this doubled the risk for high

blood pressure compared to non-snoring women. O'Brien writes that these results suggest that up to 19 per cent of hyperten-sive disorders during preg-nancy might be mitigated through treatment of any underlying sleep-disor-dered breathing. Pregnant women can be treated for sleep-disordered

breathing using CPAP (con-tinuous positive airway pressure). It involves a ma-chine, worn during sleep, which uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open. It is possible that use of CPAP may decrease high blood pressure in pregnant wom-en, and O'Brien has such a study currently underway to test this hypothesis.

Even 5 year olds suffer heart damage

The study found that blood pressure of obese kids is 40 per cent higher than that of healthy youngsters and they have up to nine times more cholesterol in their blood, the Daily Mail reported.Oxford academics warned that even in children as young as five, their arter-ies have become lined with fatty deposits so their hearts have to work harder to pump blood.The study that involved nearly 50,000 five to 15-year-olds found the hearts of obese children were enlarged compared with those of youngsters who were a healthy weight.And the blood pressure and cholesterol of some was al-ready so high that unless they change their lifestyles, they could be 40 per cent more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke in adulthood."It's almost like a ticking time bomb of damage going on in their hearts and blood

vessels," the paper quoted Dr Matthew Thompson, one of the study's authors, as saying.Although researchers have long known that obese chil-dren tend to have slightly higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, they were shocked at the differ-ences compared with those of normal weight -particu-larly in obese girls, who had far higher blood pres-sure than healthy young-sters.The researchers also found cholesterol levels, measur-ing fatty deposits in the arteries, were between 7.5 and nine times higher than normal."The relationship between obesity in children and cardiovascular risk fac-tors such as blood pres-sure was much greater than we anticipated," said Researcher Dr Carl Heneghan, reader in evidence-based medi-cine at the University of Oxford.

Don't discount doctor's gut feeling'

Don't discount a doctor's gut feeling when it comes to serious illness, especially those affecting children, a new study suggests. A clinician's intuitive feeling that something is wrong, even after examination that suggests otherwise, seems to have even greater diagnostic value than most symp-toms and signs. Serious infection can easily be missed in young children and making a diagnosis has been described as "like find-ing a needle in a haystack." Studies have suggested it should be seen as highly important in its own right but there is lack of under-standing about whether it can be seen as useful, British Medical Journal reported. The gut feeling hinges on a doctors 'sense of reassurance or alarm,' bearing on their degree of certainty about the prognosis (future outcome) of the disease. Alarm implies that he perceives an uneasy feeling about a pos-sible adverse outcome, according to an Antwerp state-ment. The team of researchers which also included Paul Van Royen, University of Antwerp, Belgium, therefore carried out an observational study on 3,890 children aged between 0 and 16 years who reported for primary care in Flanders, Belgium in 2004. Out of the 3,369 children assessed as having a non-severe illness at the time of consultation, six were later hospitalised with a serious infection. Results show that acting on gut feeling had the potential to prevent two of the six cases being missed at the cost of 44 false alarms, but that these were not "unmanage-able." In fact, 21 out of the 3,890 children were eventu-ally admitted to hospital with a serious infection and nine were not referred at first contact. However, in four of the nine children, the doctor had a gut feeling that something serious was wrong. The feature most strongly associated with gut feeling was a history of convulsions and the child's overall ap-pearance and breathing. The authors also found that gut feeling is strongly influ-enced by parental concern that the illness is different. Finally, less experienced clinicians reported it more frequently than their more senior counterparts. How-ever, the diagnostic power of gut feeling was no better in experienced than non-experienced clinicians.

With a success rate of nearly 40 per cent, in- vitro fer-tilisation (IVF) has been steadily gain- ing pop-ularity among r u r a l couples suffer- ing from infertility, an expert said here Wednesday. "On an average, one out of every 14 couples suf fers f r o m infertil-ity in the country. With a success rate of nearly 40 percent, IVF has been a boon for in-fertile couples and the treatment has been steadily gaining popularity among the ru-ral population," said gynecologist and IVF expert Gautam Khastgir. Khastgir associated withthe city-based Bengal Infertility and Reproductive Ther-

apy Hospital (BIRTH) said that of all his patients nearly 60 percent came from ru-ral areas of the state. "With drastic life style changes, pollution and lack of hygiene, infertility has been on the rise in rural areas. However, the good thing is people are now

becoming m o r e

aware a n d

conscious and are opting for IVF to get rid of infertility. Rural population across the country suffering from infertility is now opting for IVF," said Khastgir. On the urban front also infertility has also been on the rise with obesity, strenuous life and drinking and smoking being the chief reasons for the malady.

Improve posture for a flat tummyAll of us wish for a washboard tummy but the very thought of all those sit-ups and stomach crunches put us off, right? Well, there are other means of reducing your paunch, or rather, of stopping it from getting bigger, without even stepping into the gym. Check them out:

Improve your posture If you spend long hours sitting at a desk, in front of a screen, chances are that you slouch, thus leaving the stomach loose and bulging. The first step towards a taut tummy is to nev-er slouch, whether sitting, standing or walk-ing. Says Merin, physiotherapist, Biorhythm fitness centre,"Weak back muscles affect the abs as well. Something you can do while at your desk is to maintain a straight back, yet comfortable position. A chin up, shoulders back, stomach in posture while walking not only makes you look fitter but makes your tummy look flatter."

Do stretch exercises at work While at your workseat, stretch your back and pull in the stomach. Hold your breath and re-lease. Sway from side to side a few times. Rest your arms on the armrest of the chair and lift

your feet, one at a time. Hold for a few seconds and release. Repeat every half hour or as of-ten as you can. There are also forced breath-ing techniques for the stomach which you can learn from a professional.

Walk to work "A common misconception is that stomach crunches are the only way to a flat stomach. Stomach fat is just one part of general body fat; only it shows more," points out Merin. She recommends walking or cycling instead of driving if your workplace is near, and tak-ing the stairs instead of the elevator wher-ever possible.

Low calorie cranberry juice may help cut BPDrinking low-calorie cranberry juice regularly may help get your blood pressure under con-trol , suggest new f indings. In a study that measured the effects of drink-ing low-calorie cranberry juice, participants drank either low-calorie juice or a placebo drink every day for eight weeks as part of a controlled diet . Blood pressure was measured at the begin-ning, mid-point and end of the study. After eight weeks, blood pressure values had sig-nif icantly dropped from an average of 121/73 mmHg to 118/70 mmHg for those drinking the low-calorie cranberry juice. The placebo group showed no change. Researchers noted that cranberry juice is r ich in anti-oxidants — naturally occurring molecules in fruit , tea, wine and other foods — which have been associated with lower blood pressure in other studies. The study was presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Re-search 2012 Scientif ic Sessions.

Why eat three bananas a dayBritish and Italian researchers have found that eating three ba-nanas cuts the risk of a stroke. They said that having one banana for breakfast, one for lunch and one in the evening would provide enough potassium to reduce the chances of suffering a blood clot on the brain by around 21 per cent. The findings suggest that

thousands of strokes could be prevented by the consumption of other potassium-rich foods such as spinach, nuts, milk, fish and lentils, reports the Daily Mail. Although some previous studies have suggested bananas could be important for controlling blood pressure and preventing strokes, results have not always been on-

sistent. In the latest research, sci-entists analysed data from eleven different studies - dating back to the mid-Sixties - and pooled the results to get an overall outcome. They found a daily potassium intake of around 1,600 mg, less than half the UK recommended daily amount for an adult of 3,500mg, were enough to lower

stroke risk by more than a fifth. The average banana contains around 500 milligrams of potas-sium, which helps to lower blood pressure and controls the bal-ance of fluids in the body. Too little potassium can lead to an irregular heartbeat, irritabil-ity, nausea and diarrhoea. Researchers from the University

of Warwick and the University of Naples said, "Potassium intake in most countries is well below the recommended daily amount." But if consumers ate more potas-sium-rich foods and also reduced their salt intake, the annual glob-al death toll from strokes could be cut by more than a million a year.

NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARWednesday, 21August,2013

India flexes its muscles, sends Super Hercules aircraft to Ladakh

NEW DELHI: Flexing its muscles in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian and Chinese armies have had face-offs in recent months, IAF on Tuesday morning landed a C-130J Super Hercu-les aircraft at the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip close to the Line of Actual Control.

“The commanding officer Group Captain Tejbir Singh and the crew of the “Veiled Vi-pers” squadron, along with senior officers of Air Headquarters, touched down on the DBO air-strip, located at 16614 feet (5065 meters), in the Aksai Chin area after taking off from their home base at Hindon,” said an officer.

DBO is an important Army forward area post which links the ancient silk route to China. This base was built during the India-China conflict in 1962 and came into prominence when Packet aircraft of the IAF operated from DBO between 1962 and 1965.

“Once again this strategic base in the Northern

Himalayas gained importance when it was resur-rected and reactivated by the IAF along with the Indian Army and made operational when a twin en-gine AN-32 aircraft from Chandigarh landed there

after a gap of 43 years,” he said.Considering the very limited load carrying

capability of AN-32 and helicopters, a decision was taken by the IAF to land the C-130J, which is capable of lifting up to 20 tonnes of load. “With this enhanced airlift capability, the IAF will now be in a better position to meet the requirements of our land forces who are heavily dependent on the air bridge for sustanence in these higher and inhospitable areas,” said the officer.

IAF said Tuesday’s achieve-ment will enable the forces to exploit the in-herent advanced capabilities of the aircraft by increased capability to induct troops, improve communication network and also serve as a great morale booster for maintenance of troops positioned there. “It is also a projection of the

fact that the IAF is capable of operating in such in-hospitable terrain in support of the Indian Army,” he said.

Lashkar bomb-maker Tunda slapped by man in court

NEW DELHI: Lash-kar-e-Taiba (LeT) bomb-maker and terrorist Abdul Karim Tunda was on Tues-day slapped by a man who claimed to be a member of a group called Hindu Sena while he was entering the Patiala House district courts here, police said.

The attacker and his ac-complice were detained.

Tunda was arrested by Delhi Police last week from the India-Nepal bor-der.

Shiv Kumar Raghav, 40, slapped Tunda at around 3.50pm when the terrorist was being taken to a court after three days of police custody.

Along with Raghav, another member of Hindu Sena, Vishnu Gupta, was also detained

by police just after the attack."Tunda is a traitor, he should be hanged,"

Raghav was shouting after he slapped Tunda and was detained by police.

Police personnel have been reinforced out-side Patiala House court after the incident.

Narendra Modi to address youth conference in TN next month

CHENNAI: Gujarat Chief Minister NarendraModi will address a "massive" youth conference in Tamil Nadu next month, the party said today.

"Modi will address a massive youth conference in Tamil Nadu on September 26. The place and other arrangements will be decided soon," party's National General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao told reporters here.

Modi, recently appointed BJP's Cam-paign Committee Chief for next year's Lok Sabha polls, had chosen to address youth since 60 per cent of the voters were from the age group of below 35 years and who were "idealistic, energetic and take a position" on issues, Rao said.

Modi will be a "factor" in the 2014 elections besides the issue of corruption charges against UPA, he added.

BJP will launch a series of pro-grammes ahead of general elections fo-cusing on states like Tamil Nadu, which among Andhra Pradesh where the saf-fron leader recently addressed a gather-ing, are "seen as not strong for BJP," he said.

Slamming the UPA government on the ru-pee depreciation issue, Rao also charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidam-baram with having "no new ideas" to stem the increasing current ac-count deficit.

He also criticised the Congress-led UPA on foreign policy issues, saying New Delhi was "not firm" with Paki-stan, China and Sri Lan-ka, referring to military skirmishes involving the former two and the ethnic Tamils issue with Colombo.

While his party was ready to support the government if it took "firm" steps with these neighbours, Centre was only attacking BJP, he said.

Asked if BJP supported Tamil Nadu political parties' demand that India should boycott the Commonwealth

Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in November, he said the Central leadership will take a stand on the matter but added India cannot "ignore the prob-lems and afflictions" of the ethnic Tamils in the island republic.

BJP was the only "alternative" to the Congress and can deliver a "strong and reliable government with decisive lead-ership," he claimed.

SC agrees to hear contempt plea on Nagpal’s suspension

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a contempt plea filed against Uttar Pradesh government for sus-pending IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal for implementing its order on removing unauthorised religious structures on public land.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam posted the plea for hearing on Monday.

The petition has been filed by advocate M.L. Sharma whose PIL the apex court had earlier refused to entertain while allowing him to file a contempt plea.

Mr. Sharma had in his plea contended that action against 28-year-old Ms. Nagpal was in contempt of the Supreme Court order on preventing unauthorised construction of reli-gious buildings on public land.

Mr. Sharma had moved the contempt petition after his PIL seeking reinstatement of Ms. Nagpal, a 2010 batch IAS offi-cer, and quashing of all proceedings against her was dismissed by the apex court on August 16, on the ground that he had no locus to move court in that regard.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate was suspended on July 27, ostensibly for ordering the demolition of the wall of an under-construction mosque in a village in Noida without following the due process.

The petition had sought judicial review of the suspension order and said, “Nagpal’s victimisation is a new low in a long process of the subversion of bureaucracy”.

The U.P. government had on August 4, served a charge sheet on the officer, asking her to submit an explanation for her conduct.

CBI is seeking 257 files re-lated to coal scam

NEW DELHI: CBI is seeking from the coal ministry 257 files relat-ed to coal blocks allo-cation which have gone missing thus hampering agency's probe into al-leged irregularities.

Out of 257 files, nearly 150 are related to the period between 1993 and 2004 in which 45 coal blocks were allocated, agency sources said.

They said some of the missing files are related to 13 FIRs reg-istered by CBI in con-nection with allocations done during 2006-09.

"We have written to coal ministry in May seeking files related to coal allocation scam. We have not received any response from them," CBI director Ranjit Sinha told report-ers.

The sources said their efforts to conclude the probe into 13 FIRs have come to a halt as several records sought by the agency about beneficiary companies are in these files which are not traceable.

They said the probe is getting affected as the allegations of misrepresentation of facts against the beneficiaries and favours given to

them cannot be substantiated without the files related to allocations made.

These files carry crucial documents like application forms, supporting documents, minutes of the screening committee meetings, objections raised by officials and other records which are crucial for the CBI for proving its case.

The sources said the files are not only re-lated to the beneficiaries' records but also the companies which were rejected thus giving al-leged wrongful edge to the companies which were finally allocated the mines.

The present figure of 257 missing files may go up, they said.

CJI concerned over decline in reputation of judiciary

Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam on Tuesday expressed concern over the steady decline in the reputation of the ju-diciary and legal profession.

He was addressing judges, advocates, bureaucrats and others after inaugurat-ing the Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre and laying the foundation stone for the construction of an administrative block at the Madras High Court in the presence of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Chennai.

Justice Sathasivam said the judiciary was perhaps the country’s most respect-ed institution. The public esteem and credibility it enjoyed deserved to be cher-ished and preserved. However, there was unfortunately a growing crisis within it.

“The manifestation of this crisis lies not only in the ever increasing arrears of cases in courts and the consequent delays in our justice delivery system, but also in the steady decline in the reputation of the judiciary as also of legal profession. This institution unlike other institutions in the democratic setup thrives only on the trust

and confidence re-posed by the peo-ple,” he said.

The CJI said, though the people do not elect the members of judi-ciary, judges and advocates were ultimately account-able to the people. The justice system was the princi-pal instrumental-ity in satisfying the undertakings in the Constitution. “Therefore we, the sentinels of the ju-diciary, must strive to ensure to the liti-gants easy access to the court.”

Justice Sathasivam said the judiciary was viewed as a shield for the common man against abuse of power and arbi-trariness. Observing that the working of the judiciary had a profound effect on the administration of the country as a whole,

both lawyers and judges should be more mindful of their acts.

He said the Supreme Court had intro-duced a new system where litigants and advocates would get an email or SMS on the listing of cases. Soon after taking charge as the CJI, he had written to Chief Justices of High Courts advising them to give priority to women, SC, ST, BC and minorities in judicial appointments.

Four Italian marines refuse to come to India for deposition

NEW DELHI, AUG 20: Four Italian marines, who were witness to

the killing of fishermen off Kerala coast alleg-edly by two of their colleagues, have refused to come to India for deposing as witness, which will further delay the case.

The four marines, who were summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), were onboard Italian vessel ‘Enrica Lexie’ and were present at the spot when their colleagues Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone al-legedly shot dead two fishermen on February 15, 2012.

The four witnesses conveyed that they were not ready to come to India for deposition as witness following summons from the NIA, which is probing the case, official sources said.

The witnesses said that they were ready for appearance either through video confer-encing, or a team of NIA should visit Italy

for questioning them or the investigators can send them written questions which they would reply.However, none of the proposals was ac-ceptable to the NIA investigators as Italy was bound to cooperate with India as per an agree-ment between Rome and New Delhi.

Faced with the four witnesses’ refusal to come to India, the Home Ministry has sought opinion of the Law Ministry on the future course of action, the sources said.

The refusal of the Italian witnesses to come to India is bound to delay the trial against the two Italian marines, who have been at the Ital-ian Embassy here since their arrival following a diplomatic dustup.Italy had initially gone back on its promise to return the marines so that they can stand trial in India but later re-lented.The two have been slapped with mur-der charges for gunning down two fishermen Ajesh Binki and Jelestine.

Suspension order of mining leases to be withdrawn: Manohar Parikkar

Goa government has decided to lift the suspension order on mining leases and also formed a special investigation team (SIT) of state police to investigate into illegal mining in the state.

State Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters on Tuesday that the suspension order issued in September 2012 against all the then working mining leases would be withdrawn in a phased manner, on case-to-case basis. However, Parrikar clarified that although the state government has decided to withdraw the suspension order, the mines would be able to start only after Supreme Court lifts the ban and Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) gives the environmental clearance for the min-ing leases.

After the government's order suspending the mining leases in 2012, the apex court had imposed temporary ban on extraction and ex-port of the ore from the state asking Central

Empowered Committee to probe the charges of illegality. State mines and geology depart-ment has decided to issue withdrawal of sus-pension order on about 24 to 30 mines, whose documents are clear, the chief minister said.

Suspension order of mining leases to be withdrawn: Manohar Parikkar

Suspension order of mining leases to be withdrawn: Manohar Parikkar

"Prima facie they are not under cloud, but if there are any irregularities found in these mining leases later on, we can still act," he said. The state has 90 working mining leases of which 12 leases may face direct suspen-sion because they were allowed to be legalised without following a proper legal procedure by the former Congress-led government, he said.

Out of remaining total 80 mining leases, several may not get environment clearance due to various issues like their proximity to wildlife sanctuaries or national park, he said.

Submarine blasts due to ‘pos-sible ignition of armament’

Preliminary in-vestigation indicates that blasts on subma-rine INS Sindhurak-shak in Mumbai last week were caused by ‘possible igni-tion’ of armament, Defence Minister A.K. Antony told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Mr. Antony pointed out that the “rapidity and inten-sity of the explo-sions and the resul-tant damage to the submarine indicate that the 18 personnel on board would not have survived.”

“The cause of ignition is, however, yet to be established. Forensic examination would throw more light into it.” This would be pos-sible only after the “partially submerged” submarine is afloat and dewatered. “A Board of Inquiry with all relevant specialists has been constituted to investigate the causes of the accident at the earliest.’’

After the accident, the Navy has ordered an audit of Standard operating Procedures (SOPs) on all operational submarines and extensive checks on the weapon-related safety systems, the Defence Minister said

in a suo motu statement on the accident.Mr. Antony said globally-renowned salvage agencies had been approached and they were undertaking a survey for salvage operations. “There is also an offer of help from Russia, where the refit and upgrade of the submarine was undertaken.”

The submarine was resting on its bottom and “partially submerged” next to the jetty where the incident took place. “Diving op-erations by the Navy are in progress round-the-clock to attempt search for the personnel, assess the damage and also attempt to arrest leakages and ensure dewatering,” he said.

Disruptions spoiling image of Parliament: Shashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Human Resource Development ShashiTharoor today expressed regret at the way political parties are not allowing Parliament to conduct business.

The minister said all the parties are responsible for this and such acts were "spoiling the image of Parliament".

"I feel sad at the uproar in Parliament. Rules need to be fol-lowed. All the political parties are responsible for this and such issues are spoiling the image of Parliament," Tharoor, who is a Member of Parliament ( Lok Sabha) from Kerala, told report-ers on the sidelines of an event here.

There are pertinent issues that need to be discussed, like the Food Bill and others, he said adding the it is important for parties to come together and work towards the development of the country. On Food Bill, he said: "We have introduced the Food Bill, but the minister concerned (Food Minister K V Thomas) is not allowed to speak. This is an important legisla-tion, which will ensure nutritional support for the poor."

On social media, Tharoor, who has been in news for his comments on the networking site Twitter, said it has great potential.