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SATURDAY 22 February | 2014 | 21 Rabi-Al-Thani 1435 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 4 | ISSUE NO: 53 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 Paisa)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&Khttp://www.zabarwantimes.com

Azad lays Foundation Stone of Super-Specialty, Emergency

Blocks of Safdarjang Describes it as part of its Redevelopment project

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONER, SHOPIANGOVT. OF JAMMU & KASHMIR

Subject: “National Drinking Water and Sanitation Week” (Feb 20- Feb 25) being celebrated with great

enthusiasm in District Shopian

Recognizing the impact of safe drinking wa-ter and sanitation on health, the environment, poverty reduction & economic and social de-velopment, the “National Drinking Water and Sanitation Week” (Feb 20-Feb 25) is being cel-ebrated with great enthusiasm in District Sho-pian. Under the overall guidance of DDC Mr Bashir Ahmad Bhat (KAS), Chairman of District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM), a de-tailed programme has been worked out which include holding of seminars, publication of pamphlets, installation of banners & hoardings, Road shows, Folk Music awareness’s, Messag-es through Print and Electronic Media etc.The week was started by a glamorous inaugu-ration function on 20-2-2014 where in Vehicles bearing banners were fagged off by the Dis-trict Development Commissioner at the off take point of historical Mughal Road which passed through the town announcing musical messag-es on water and sanitation through loud speak-ers. This was indeed a momentous occasion for the Shopian town. Subsequently a seminar was held at Fruit Mandi Shopian in which Aas-ha Workers, ANM workers, Panch/Sarpanchs, NGOs, and PHE & Municipality Volunteers par-ticipated in large numbers. Experts from Health department sensitized the interactive audience regarding diseases caused by poor hygiene and preventive sanitation measures. A water testing demonstration was also done by Field Test Kits by the water testing laboratory staff of PHE Div shopian. The seminar culminated by a kashmiri song “yi chi Qomi Dihi Aab ti safai Mission, yi chi wan-nn District Administration Shopian “composed and sung by local famous singer which was en-joyed a lot by the audience with a cup of Khewa and Shirmal(local bread) The other days pro-gramme/ events were also chalked out at the colourful event. Student rally is also being con-ducted on 22-2-2014.

DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONER SHOPIAN

New Delhi, February 21: The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad laid the foundation stone of Super-Specialty and Emergency blocks of Safdarjang Hospital, here today. The infrastructure upgradation of Safdarjang Hos-pital is planned with addition of 807 bedded Su-per-Specialty and 500-bed Emergency block with ICU beds to contribute towards augmentation of the medical, teaching and research services pro-vided by Safdarjang hospital and allied medical college. The Emergency block will have a proposed area for construction of 41450 sq m. with ground coverage of 3904 sq m. The construction cost proposed is Rs. 196.73 crores. Whereas the Super specialty block will have proposed area for construction of 111905 sq m. with ground coverage of 9104 sq m. The proposed cost is Rs. 444.70 crore. Both the projects are expected to be completed within the time period of one year. The Super specialty block will have various departments like neuro surgery, nephrology, urology, radiology, renal transplant vascular surgery, cardiothoracic, etc. Speaking at the occasion Azad said that this re-development project aims to provide high quality state-of-the-art tertiary medical services to pa-tients coming from all over the country. He said that Government has created a huge infrastructure in the country in a decade. Six new AIIMS and 19 Super Specialty Medical Colleges have been es-tablished in the country. 71 new Cancer Institutes including 50 tertiary Cancer institutes have been approved by the Cabinet last year. In Delhi itself, huge capacity expansion is going on with new Sur-gery, Mother & Child, OPD, Teaching and Hostel Blocks at the main campus at AIIMS; 300 bed state

of art emergency centre at RML Hospital; and 1,100 beds and new OPD, IPD, Emergency and Hostel Blocks at Lady Hardinge Hospital, added the Health Minister. The Health Minister emphasised that India creates human resource for the whole country. There are around 80,000 Indian doctors in USA and 75,000 in UK. But there is acute shortage of doctors and nurses in India. He stated that the Government has changed the MCI and Nursing Council rules to

increase the human resource within the country. MBBS seats were increased by 55% and PG seats by 75%. In fact, doctors from USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand have been allowed by Indian Government to come and be faculty mem-bers in the country, Sh Azad said. He added that to enhance the human resources, the faculty mem-bers’ age limit has been increased from 58 to 70 years; the land

See Azad On Page 11..

Jammu, Feb 21: Chief Minister, Omar Ab-dullah Friday said that major projects under implementation in the sectors of tourism, communication and beautification of cities of Srinagar and Jammu have been flagged as pri-ority works and focused attention is on their timeline completion.Speaking to a deputation of Chambers of Com-merce and Industries (CCI), Jammu led by its President Y. V. Sharma, the Chief Minister said that projects like artificial lake, multi-tier car parking, Mubarak Mandi Ropeway and other tourism and communication related projects are being pushed forward on accelerated pace.The Chief Minister said trade and tourism ac-tivities are receiving equal attention to rope in tourists in a large numbers and catapult econ-omy. He said development of industries is also a priority concern and various measures have been put in place in this direction.

The deputation extended gratitude to the Chief Minister for introduction of the Government Bill in the Legislative Assembly today titled J&K Civil Laws (Special Provision) Bill-2014, the LA Bill No.5 of 2014 aimed at formulating policy to deal with the unauthorised construc-tion at Jammu, Srinagar and Katra.The deputation also discussed matters pertain-ing to the growth and development of indus-tries in the State. It also raised the issues per-taining to the creation of tourist infrastructure including hotels in various areas.The Chief Minister said that the government is studying a proposal under which common sewerage treatment facility would be provided to the hotels as a cluster approach in the con-gested and high populated areas like Srinagar, Jammu, Katra, etc. so that waste disposal man-agement is properly addressed to protect the environment. (KNS)

Big ticket projects in twin cities on priority list: Omar

‘Cluster sewerage facilities for hotels in offing’

Srinagar, Feb 21: The speaker of the legislative assembly on Friday constituted a House Commit-tee (HC) to probe into the allotment of primary health centres after a ruckus created by opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) over the alleged discrimination in establishment of these centres in valley.According to the KNS correspondent, the opposi-tion law makers accused that under NRHM, there has been discrimination in the establishment of health centers in valley and that Jammu has been given a lion’s share again.The reports informed further that at on the 11th day of the ongoing budget session, legislator Mo-hammad Khalil Badh while

See HC On Page 11..

HC to probe ‘discrimination’ in establishment of

health centers

Srinagar, Feb 21: Curfew like restrictions continued for the second straight day Friday in south Kashmir’s Pulwama town which has been on boil after a Jaish-e-Mu-hammad militant was killed in an alleged encounter in Budgam district of central Kashmir.Reports reaching GNS said that undeclared curfew remained imposed in the town and its peripheries for the second straight day to prevent people from staging demonstrations against the killing of JeM militant Tausef Ahmad Dar on Wednesday afternoon in army firing.Hundreds of police and paramil-itary troopers were deployed in Main Town Pulwama who restrict-ed the movement of civilians.In Murran Chowk,

See Pulwama On Page 11..

Restrictions, shutdown continues

in Pulwama

11 Srinagar, Saturday 22 February 2014 Zabarwan Times

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Azad

HC

Pulwama

Owner , Printer & Publisher: Suhail Malik Editor -in-Chief: Shahana Malik RNI NO. JKBII/2011/39764, Email: zabarwantimes@gmail.com Publised at Govt. Quarters , M-13 Magarmal Bagh Srinagar-190001 J&K, Printed at:- Sangarmal Offset Press Humhama Sheikhpora Tele/Fax: 2478370 Cell No. 09999964750, 9796 787844

requirement in setting up a medical college has been decreased so that human resource could be increased in the country. Subsequently teacher student ratio has increased in the coun-try, the Minister noted. Azad said that the Government has made new interventions in maternal and child health so that IMR and MMR targets according to MDGs for 2015 can be achieved. In the coming years the country is fully prepared to meet the challenges. Ajay Maken, the MP representing Delhi in Lok Sabha said that all the four premiere health institutes i.e. AIIMS, RML, Lady Hardinge and Safdarjung have shown tremendous de-velopment. During the time of Commonwealth Games in the country one of the best Sports Injury Centre was set up at the Safdarjung Hospital, he noted. Lov Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that Safdarjung Hospital provides standard services free of cost to the people. It serves 23 lakh patients in the OPD an-nually, and caters to 25 lakh laboratory procedures and to av-erage daily emergency traffic of 800 patients. There are around average daily 74 deliveries in the hospital. He said that new Emergency and Super specialty blocks will be people centric with an improved coordination to provide the best medical facilities to the people. Present at the occasion were Dr. Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, Dr. B D Athani, Special DG and Medical Superintendent, senior officers from the ministry, faculty members, doctors, staff and students of Safdarjung Hospital.

expressing concern over the imposition of curfew in Pulwama cornered the government over the forceful tactics of police in the district. Peerzada Mansoor and other PDP legislators also raised concern over the issue. PDP legislators also demanded that regularization of ITI trainees while as the speaker assured the law makers that answer over this issue will be sought from the concerned minister.BJP legislator Ashok Khajuria while demanding that cable car must be established at Mubarak Mandi, Jammu accused that the government is adopting double standard with the Jammu region. Other BJP legislators while joining the chorus staged walk out from the house. Panther’s party while following the BJP suits also staged walk out later over the same issue.Opposition PDP leader while castigating the government over the ‘false’ promises made to the people about the construction of roads and highways accused that nothing concrete has been implemented on ground. The other PDP leaders while supporting Mehbooba started raising slogans against the present dispensation. The house once against witnessed uproar when PDP legis-lator Nizam-ud-din Bhat raised the issue of discrimination during the creation of primary health centres in the state. The law maker accused that the lion’s share has once again been given to Jammu. Sham Lal Sharma while trying to pacify the opposition over the issue- stated that no discrimination has been adopted during the establishment of health centres.Independent legislator and MLA Langate while waving some documents started proceeding towards the well of the house. He stated that under NRHM scheme, 676 primary health centres had to be established in the state. Rashid added that for 35 assembly constituencies of Jammu- 430 heath centres have been approved while as for valley’s 50 assembly constitu-encies, mere 246 centres have been established. The PDP legislators while supporting the protest of Engineer Rashid started raising slogans against the discrimination. As the PDP legislators including Abdul Haq Khan, Basharat Bukhari, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Javiad Mustafa Mir con-tinued to protest in the well of the house against the discrimi-nation in the allotment of health centres in the state marshals surrounded engineer Rashid and stopped him from joining the chorus with the agitating PDP members. Hakeem Mo-hammad Yasin also stood from his chair and raised slogans over the issue. The BJP MLAs also created uproar and alleged that discrimination has always been shown with Jammu and that the government must be made accountable for the works done during the past 65 years. Amid uproar, the speaker adjourned the proceedings if the house for 10 minutes. Talking to KNS outside the assembly, PDP President Meh-booba Mufti stated that the present coalition government has in all the issues related to the development of the state, created chaos and have remained hell bent upon dividing the state on several grounds. “Whether it is the issue of heath centres or the new administrative units- the government has devised the strategy to divide the state at large.”She added further that the present coalition government is al-ways with the idea to divide every corner of the state. “Those ministries that are with the Congress- gives benefit to their won areas and same happens to the ministries that are with the National Conference.”Engineer Rashid stated that the discrimination is at large in the state and that valley has been ignored on all grounds. “I will continue to strive so that the discrimination could end.”As the house resumed its proceedings later, the opposition members against stated raising concerns over the issue of Pri-mary heat centres. Meanwhile senior NC leader Nasir Aslam Wani also raised concern over the issue and stated that it is the serious issue that needs a thorough debate. Mir Saif-ullah echoed Wani’s statement. PDP members started demanding that the issue must be in-vestigated and that a house committee must be established for the same. Amid uproar, the speaker Mubarak Gul stated that a house committee will be constituted to investigate into the discrimination over the allotment of primary health centres between Jammu and Valley. (KNS)

unprecedented security arrangements were made, a day after violent clashes rocked the area causing injuries to at least nine people. However, In Dalipora area, groups defied restrictions and clashed with the government forces. However, no one was injured in the clashes, reports said.Reports of clashes have also been received from Pakerpora area, where youth fought pitched battles with forces.Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in Prichoo, Kangan, Rajpora, Rahmoo, Kakpora, Rajpora, Neva, Paker-pora and other neighbourhood areas to mourn the death of the local militant.A police official told GNS that the situation remained by and large peaceful in the town barring few stray incidents of stone pelting. (GNS)

Youth shot dead in SoporeSrinagar, Feb 21: (GNS) A youth was shot dead on Friday by unknown gunmen in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baram-ulla district lateFriday evening.Officials told GNS that Wasim Mehraj Malla, 26, son of Mehraj ud-din Malla of Naseem Bagh locality of Krankshivan, Sopore was shot dead by un-identified gunmen from point blank range near Masjid Baghi Islam around 6:40 pm Friday. Wasim, they said, collapsed on the road in a pool of blood. “He was rushed to the sub-district hospital, Sopore where doctors declared him brought dead,” the official said.Meanwhile, Army, Special Operation Group of Police and CRPF cordoned off the area and launched the hunt to nab the unknown gunmen.(GNS)

Srinagar, Feb 21: The Inspector General of Po-lice (IGP) Kashmir A G Mir on Friday said the security situation is better than the last year and there has been no militancy related vio-lence for the last few months.The IGP Kashmir was talking to KNS corre-spondent on the sidelines of valedictory func-tion of Soft Skill Programme--a Jammu and Kashmir police initiative to impart communi-cation training to its personnel that was held at College of Education, M A Road, Srinagar.Mr Mir said that the security situation in Kashmir is better and majority of the incidents of encounters with militants are actually the security forces initiated actions. “Essentially there is no anger against police but it is the first government department which is supposed to face the people in any untoward situation. Police is a part of the society. There was an encounter in Pulwama and these are actually security forces initiated incidents. These inci-dents are in a way providing a sense of security to the common public,” the IGP said.On soft skills programme initiative taken by Police, Mr Mir said that police department had felt a need for a soft skills training pro-gramme for its personnel. “So we launched this programme and it was going on for the last five days in every district headquarter in Kashmir valley. The programme was started by experts from the University of Delhi. The training programme was sponsored by the

Jammu and Kashmir Bank. I am thankful to the bank for sponsoring such an important training programme. Over 10,000 police per-sonnel were imparted training and now we will compile a report and accordingly formu-late a roadmap for the future,” he said.Meanwhile, when asked about post encounter situation in Pulwama, the IGP Kashmir said the stone pelting incident in the district was an unjustified incident as people resorted to stone pelting after a militant was killed an en-counter. “People realize that a militant has to face such consequences so resorting to stone pelting is unjustified. In such places, curfew and other restrictions are imposed just pre-vent law and order and essentially to safeguard lives and property of the people.” Earlier during the event, Mir in his address said: “Kashmir police needs to reaffirm their commitment towards the legacy of humane-ness that they have inherited to deliver better services to the people and, the development of soft skill programme was just an attempt to re-iterate this trait in them”.He informed that the idea was conceived after accessing the perception of the public during my public interactions on my various visits to different districts in the last year. “It was felt that during the last 25 years of turmoil the people of our state have faced immense hardships, the expectations of people towards J&K police also increased in these times. He

said that Police work often requires the exer-cise of independent judgment within limited time frames; and this exercise of independent judgment must also follow proscribed proce-dures and protocols of law. Human life as it is; is probably a set of experiences which can be so varied that to formulate a set of rules and protocols to deal with all of them is actually impossible.”Mir said the only way to facilitate the inde-pendent judgment of police man when a com-plainant comes with a problem is to enhance the humane traits of the policeman. To me that is what I call soft skills. He said that we all know that an average Kashmiri retains strong traits of humaneness which is the hallmark of the Sufi culture we have been brought up in through ages. “We just need to see our wom-en feeding pigeons at the nes of the sufis daily, we just need to see that overarching rule in almost all families of this place that no visitor can go back from our house without having had something to drink or eat even if it is the postman.”The IGP further added that during the con-ception and conduction of the training I was having a doubt in the back of my mind that will this 5 days of training sufficient enough for bringing in the change that I envision but my resolve reaffirmed when it came to my mind that the legacy of humanism was already the stuff we Kashmiri’s including the police are

made of the training can polish these traits in ourselves.He thanked JK Bank and particularly its Chairman Mustaq Ahmed for sponsoring the programme. Earlier, Farooq Ahmad Staff Of-ficer to IGP Kashmir in his inaugural address said that about 11000 police personnel were trained in developing Soft Skills by a team ex-perts from University of Delhi headed by Dr. Pamela Singla. The training was imparted in all the districts headquarters of the Kashmir valley.Speaking on the occasion Dr. Pamela Singla said that the purpose of the training was to introduce soft skills such as negotiation and communication, listening skills, ethics and professional conduct based on a public service mindset. The training also covered ethics in policing and applying soft skills in the context of community-based policing.S P Police control Room Srinagar Sohail Mu-nawar Mir presented the vote of thanks. On these occasion some participants and Trainers from dehli University presented their feed-back regarding the programme. DIG North J P Singh, DIG Central S A Mujtaba ,DIG South Vijay Kumar , SSP Srinagar Amit Kumar, SP Ganderbal Shahid Mehraj, SP Budgam Mo-hammad Irshad, all Zonal SP’s of Srinagar, officers of CRPF , Principal College of Educa-tion Parveen Pandith and officers of J&K Bank were also present on this occasion. (KNS)

5 day long Soft Skill Programme concludes

“Programme was an attempt to reiterate trait of humaneness’

Security situation better than last year: IGP Kashmir

Jammu, Feb 21: Secretary AICC Incharge J&K Affairs Mainul Haque (MLA) who is on tour of Rajouri and Poonch district held series of meetings and reviewed the organizational affairs of the party. Haque was accorded rousing reception at Sunderbani, Rajouri and Poonch on his ar-rival where senior leaders of the party and Sarpanch, Panchs and workers attended the meetings and held interactions. He is accom-panied by PCC leaders Thakur Hari Singh-Vice President; Ravinder Sharma-MLC; Farooq Andrabi & Dr. Rashid Choudhary (General Secretaries).He was received at Rajouri by PCC General Secretary Sain Abdul Rasheed, Organizing Secretary Malik Iqbal, Secretaries Lovely Gupta, Shakeel Mir and Shafi Dar besides representatives of DCC ,BCC and frontal or-ganizations like Youth Congress, Mahila Con-gress and INTUC. At Poonch he was received by Vice Chairman Gujjar & Bakkerwal Board Ch. Bashir Ahmed Naaz and DCC leaders of Poonch district.Addressing party meetings Haque asked them to gear up for the coming Lok Sabha Elections and organize the units at grass root level to propagate the policies and programmes of the Congress party.He asked party workers to counter the propa-ganda of communal and divisive forces who

are bent upon to harm the social and secular fabric of this nation for their vested interests. The Congress party has a history of sacrifices to protect the secular ideals, unity and integri-ty of the nation.He said that UPA Ist and IInd has done commendable job on all fronts and country witnessed large scale development in every sphere of life. The Right to Information (RTI) is the biggest tool in the hand of every com-mon citizen to know about everything and expose the misdeeds and corruption. It is Congress party which offered this opportu-nity to the countrymen to expose and fight corruption. The opposition parties are trying to mislead the people about the achievements of Congress party during all these years under prime Minstership of Dr. Manmohan Singh and leadership of Smt. Sonia Gandhi & Ra-hul Gandhi.He said that a project for Jammu-Poonch rail-way line is under consideration of the Govern-ment of India and as per survey it is proposed to be of rupees over 13,612 crores. He said that achievement of 73rd Amendment in the State Panchayat Raj Act and creation of Adminis-trative Units need to be explained the people to counter false propaganda of other parties. He appreciated efforts of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee for strengthening the party in all three regions of the state. (KNS)

AICC Secretary tours Rajouri-Poonch;

Asks party workers to gear up for Lok Sabha Polls. Jammu, Feb 21: As many as 24517 persons have been provided employment which include 517 posts having been filled through State Public Service Commission, and 6642 through State Sub-ordinate Services Selection Board during 2012-13 and under Centrally Sponsored Schemes 9725 persons have been appointed and District level recruiting agencies have selected 7633 candidates.The information was given by Minister for Labour and Employment, Ajay Sadhotra while replying to a question by Mohammad Ashraf Mir. Replying to the supplementary of Dr. Shehnaz Ganai, Naeem Akhtar, Syed Rafiq Shah, Syed Asgar Ali, Jehangir Mir, Yashpal Sharma and Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, the Minister assured them that the process of recruitment by different agencies would be further speeded up for the benefit of the persons applying for differ-ent posts. Sadhotra said the government is serious about addressing the problem of unemployment in

the State and has launched a comprehensive holistic pro-gramme called SKEWPY to address the problem in which a target of providing employ-ment to 5 lakh unemployed youth has been set for five years in government as well as private sector, besides this, the government is also provid-ing hand holding support to unemployed youth in the form of Voluntary Service Allowance (VSA).Replying to another question by Ravinder Kumar Sharma, the Minister informed the House that as many as 3358 cases in respect of J&K Housing Board, SDA, SMC, JDA and JMC are pending for adjudication in High Court and different Subor-dinate courts of the State.Giving agency-wise details of court cases, the Minister in-formed that there are 136 cases of J&K Housing Board, 217 cases of SDA and 1815 cases of SMC pending in the High Court and Subordinate Courts under adjudication for final settlement. Similarly, 547 cases of JDA and 643 cases of JMC are also pending for final set-

tlement.The Minister further informed that as many as 115 encroach-ments have been removed from SMC land during the last three years, adding that no case of encroachment has been no-ticed on the JMC land during the corresponding period. He said that two encroachments one each at Housing Colony Ompora, Budgam and Bagh-e-Mehtab had taken place and the matter is subjudice. The concerned authorities take timely action to remove the encroachments, if any illegal encroachment takes place on the SMC, JDA and SDA land, he maintained.Replying to the supplementary by Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Dr. Shahnaz Ganai, B R Kundal and Mo-hammad Ashraf Mir, the Minister informed that the department is regularly pur-suing the cases for their early settlement. The Government is working for formulating new Master Plan for the twin capital cities of the State, he added. (KNS)

24517 persons appointed during 2012-13: SadhtoraNew Master Plan for Jammu,

Srinagar in offing

Central jail inmate dies at SMHS hospitalSrinagar, Feb 21: An inmate, who was lodged in Central jail Srinagar for more than four months, died in SMHS Hos-pital here on Friday afternoon.Official sources told GNS that the inmate, Mukhtar Bhat son of Ghulam Mohiuddin Bhat of Dalipora Pulwama was admitted in SMHSHospital late last evening after he complained severe respiratory problem.The deceased was arrested on 19 Sep-tember last year in case FIR (259/2013) under section 8/20 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in police station Pulwama. Later, he was shifted to Central Jail Srinagar.When contacted, Director General of Prisons, K Rajendra, told GNS that the inmate was lodged on judicial remand.“Yesterday he complained of severe pain and was immediately referred to JLNM hospital Rainawari from where he was removed to SMHS Srinagar where he was given two blood pints. He had problems in Pancreas,” he said, adding, “Unfortunately, he expired today. Currently the body of inmate is in Police Control Room Srinagar for postmortem and the body will be handed over to his family for last rites.”A senior doctor at SMHS, who op-erated upon the inmate, said he was brought here yesterday at around 5:00 pm.“He complained of acute abdominal pain and finally he expired due to acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis,” the doctor told Global News Service. (GNS)

Kulgam February 21: In con-nection with celebration of National Rural Drinking Wa-ter & Sanitation Week, sever-al functions were held by the department of Public Health Engineering, Kulgam.The Deputy Commission-er, Kulgam, Jehangir Ahmad Mir inaugurated the National Rural Drinking & Sanitation Week organized jointly by Communication & Capacity Building Unit (CCDU), Water & Sanitation Support Organi-zation (WSSO) & Public Health Engineering Department.While flagging off the aware-ness van to move throughout the district, the Deputy Com-missioner stressed on conserv-ing water resources to ensure

dependable safe drinking water to the posterity. For the purpose every citizen needs to be sensi-tized on the issue, he added. He said water resourc-es are dwindling fast due to climatic changes, adding that it is our prime responsibility to safeguard existing water resources and tap them in a systematic manner to aug-ment water supply.He called upon the audience to take pledge for saving wa-ter & reviving traditional wa-ter resources so that goal of providing safe drinking wa-ter is achieved in near future. He disclosed that in coming days series of awareness pro-gramme shall be conducted at District involving PRI’s, Angan-

wadi workers, ASHA workers and general public in the cam-paign. He stressed upon the concerned to formulate village water sanitation committees to educate consumers about the water borne diseases & their impact on health. He emphasized on protection of water supply sources and judicious use of treated wa-ter to ensure hygienic water supply & sanitation facilities to masses. Deputy Commis-sioner directed the depart-ment of PHE to also conduct water tests on portable water to make it safe for drinking purpose being a gift of nature and we should not take its free availability as for granted.

DC Kulgam inaugurates National Rural Drinking & Sanitation Week

• Sanitation is vital for human health: Poor sanitation and hygiene causes death and disease.• Sanitation generates economic benefits: Improved sanitation has positive impacts on economic growth and poverty reduction.• Sanitation contributes to dignity and social development: Sanitation enhances dignity, privacy and safety, especially for women and girls.• Sanitation helps the environment: Improved disposal of human waste protects the quality of drinking water sources and improves community environments.• Improving sanitation is achievable: Working together, households, communities, governments, support agencies, civil society and the private sector have the resources, technologies and know-how to achieve the sanitation target.• Save water, save future.• Next to air important for human life is water.• Make judicious use of water as every drop counts.• Keep all water sources clean and don’t throw contaminations/wastes into rivers and streams.• Get your drinking water samples tested in nearby PHE department labs.

I would like to give following messages to the residents of District Kulgam on this occasion.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar | friday 22. 02 .2014

Consider making some plans for a vacation or short getaway, Libra. Looking forward to something fun can make even the tough-est of days far easier to handle. You’ll be amazed how much you can manage when there’s an end in plain sight. Your entire attitude can lighten. So take the bull by the horns and create an incentive for yourself. Do something special to reward the hard work you do day after day.

Don’t judge someone if he or she has a different lifestyle than what you consider to be OK, Scorpio. You probably lean toward the traditional, yet not everyone feels this way about re-lationships, working, or lifestyle. While it may seem impossible to understand and even frighten you, try not to be too harsh on those you deem odd. You’d be better off using that energy to keep your own life on track.

Friends seeking advice or a shoulder to cry on could be plentiful today, Sagittarius. You’re one of best people to give them the support and care they need. Just be sure that you don’t give so much to others that you don’t have anything left for yourself. True friendship is about sharing and the exchange of problems and help. Running yourself down will leave you in a place where you aren’t going to be much help to anyone.

Getting through today shouldn’t pose too big a problem for you, Capricorn. You may feel a huge second wind that can give you the drive and determination to see your chores and projects through. Make some plans for this evening, such as getting to-gether with friends or taking in an event that really intrigues you. Until then, go about your tasks bit by bit. You’ll get things finished before you know it.

Working within boundaries and restrictions could really get to you today, Aquarius. Yours is an independent spirit and your best achievements are often born of doing things your own way. Yet like it or not, we all have to follow guidelines and rules. Do your best to follow suit and finish what needs to be done. Afterward, you may find more freedom to act independently without consequences. Exercise patience and diligence as needed today.

Chances are that you’ll feel upbeat and positive today, Pisces. Consider sharing this energy with those around you who are feel-ing less than content. Your attitude can have a profound effect on friends, partners, spouses, and children. Even neighbors and ex-tended family can pick up on your spirit without you even real-izing it. Share your optimism with everyone you can today. If you see someone hurt or angry.

Feeling the effects of today’s energies, Virgo? Take heart if this is the case, because the end of the tunnel isn’t as far away as it seems. Do your best to take things one step at a time and see about making some plans for a little fun this evening. Get together with friends or take in a movie. Help yourself feel better by staying busy and focused and follow up with some recreation. Before you know it, the aspect will pass and you’ll be back to normal.

Don’t discount your ability to be extremely resourceful if you need to be, Aries. If you don’t have everything you need or all of the required information, take time to think. Who can you ask? What places can you access? Who might know where you can find what you need? Rather than panic because the pieces aren’t all there, instead make a list of contacts and go for it. Trust in yourself.

Try not to let today’s blues get you down, Taurus. While it’s true that some days can seem to drag on, the busier you are the faster time will pass. Get down to finishing any work still before you and then make plans for tonight. If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, not only will things seem to speed up but you’ll feel better knowing it’s coming.

Dare to be different, Gemini. It can be so easy to fall into a drill. Sleeping at the same time, eating at the same time, wearing the same style, and going about work the same way day after day. Be-fore you know it, you feel like you’re in a rut. The only way to get away from this is to make a decision to break free by doing some-thing unique. Try a new haircut. Wear colors that are unusual for you. If the need is there, consider a new career. Pursue expansion.

If your lifestyle is considerably different than that of others, re-sist feeling self-conscience about it today, Cancer. Try to remember that you chose the life you have for specific reasons. Even if you’ve come to a point where you’re considering a change, there’s no need to feel badly, ashamed, or embarrassed about where you are now. Everyone has to make his or her own way. If this conforms to the norm, that’s fine. If it doesn’t, that’s fine, too.

An enhanced feeling of determination could motivate you today, Leo. Finish the things that aren’t complete and make some plans for this evening. Don’t hesitate to take on something that feels compli-cated or big. Chances are you’ll be able to handle most anything and it will feel great when it’s finished. Enjoy your day by making the most of opportunity.

Centre ap-proves 66.80 Cr for restora-tion of heri-

tage buildingsJAMMU, FEBRUARY 21: Re-plying on behalf of Tourism Minister, on Discussion raised by Naresh Kumar Gupta, Min-ister for Higher Education Mr. Mohammad Akbar Lone in-formed the House that repairs and restoration work of erst-while Army Headquarters/Foreign Office was entrusted to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2008 and completed in 2012 at a cost of Rs. 3.58 crore. He said, un-der 13th Finance Commission Award, a project of Rs. 53.95

crore was sent to Union Min-istry of Tourism for repairs and maintenance of heritage buildings which included Raja Amar Singh Palace, Dogra Art Museum, Badi Deodi, Royal Court and Gadvai Khana and Mahal of Raja Ram Singh’s Queen while the Centre Government has released Rs. 8.51 crore as first instalment for the purpose against sanc-tioned amount of Rs. 50 crore. Mr Akbar Lone said that Rs 1 crore has been advanced to ASI for carrying our resto-ration works of Royal Courts, Godvai Khana and Badi Deodi. He said a project of Rs. 24.92 crore was sent to Centre Government for renovation and restoration of 3 heri-tage buildings viz Raja Ram Singh Palace, Durbar Hall and Central Courtyard ( Dewane-Aam). He said Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Rs. 16.80 crore against which the

State has received Rs. 3.38 crore as first instalment. The Minister said that work on prestigious Cable Car Project between Peerkho-Ba-hu Fort-Mahamaya Temple, costing Rs. 40 crore, will be started shortly and the proj-ect has also been cleared by the Cabinet. Regarding conservation and restoration of Bahu Fort, he said Rs. 69.70 lakh is being spent on the project while 90 per cent work stands com-pleted by Jammu Develop-ment Authority (JDA). He said restoration of damaged wall is in progress and is expected to be completed shortly sub-ject to availability of funds. The Members who took part in the discussion include Bashir Ahmad Magray, Ajat Shatru Singh, Syed Moham-mad Rafiq Shah, Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri, Vijay Bakaya and Yeshpaul Sharma.

JAMMU, February 21:

Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor of J&K, who is also the Chan-cellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Jammu, has ap-pointed Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sharma, presently Assistant Director General (Education Planning and Development) Education Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, as Vice Chancellor of SKUAST, Jammu, for a period of five years or un-til he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier, w.e.f. the date he takes over charge. Dr. Pradeep Kumar

Sharma is a well known Soil and Water Management expert and has served in the National Farm Universi-ties at senior positions such as Chief Scientist (Water Management), Dean (Post Graduate Studies), Dean (Home Sciences), Dean (College of Agriculture) and as Vice Chancellor of Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur. Currently, he is serving as Assistant Director General (Education Planning and Development) Education Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. He has a Mas-ters Degree in Agriculture from Himachal Pradesh

University and Ph.D. in Agri-culture Physics from Indian Institute of Soil Sciences, New Delhi. Dr. Sharma has rich research experience of three decades and many of his papers have been pub-lished in reputed national and international journals. While appointing Dr. Sharma as Vice Chancellor, SKUAST, Jammu, the Gov-ernor has expressed hope that with his taking over as the VC a strong push will be given to the research and academic activities in the University. The Governor has also thanked Prof. D.K. Arora, the outgoing Vice Chancel-lor, for his valued contribu-tion and services to the Uni-versity.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sharma appointed as Vice Chancellor,

SKUAST, Jammu

restoration of Bahu fort in progress: akbar Lone

Question Hour in LA

Work to start soon on Mubarak Mandi ropeway project: Jora

Govt contemplates constructing ropeways at other potentials spots: MirJAMMU, FEBRUARY 21: Min-ister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora on behalf of Minister for Tourism today informed the House that all formalities like environmental wildlife and forest clearances have been completed for tak-ing up construction of Mubarak Mandi Ropeway project adding that foundation of the ropeway project is expected to be laid by last week of this month.

Replying to a question by Mr. Ashok Khajuria in the House, the Minister informed the House that the work was tendered through M/s RITES who have been engaged as con-sultants for the project. He said the work was awarded to M/s Damodhar Ropeway and Infra-structure Ltd Kolkata in col-laboration with ST Teleferik, Turkey.

The Minister said that funds to the tune of Rs. 2.63 crore stand transferred to Rev-enue and PDD Departments for private land compensation and laying of underground transmis-sion lines besides installation of transformers for the project. In reply to the supplementaries, the Tourism Minister Mr. G. A. Mir while clarifying the notion of the concerned members said that a provision of Rs. 40 crore

has been already kept for the construction of Mubarak Mandi Ropeway assuring that the proj-ect would be completed well in time to add another attraction for the tourists after Sidhra Golf Course.

Mr. Mir said that rope-way projects for Aishmuqam and Patnitop have already been tendered out under PPP mode and Government is also endeav-ouring to take up these projects well in time. He said Government in future is also considering to de-velop ropeways at another potential spots in the state adding that the de-velopment authorities have already instructed to survey such potential spots adding that the survey for Kongwatan to Kounsarnag ropeway has been initiated. He said the devel-opment and infrastructure upgrada-tion at tourism spots is being carried out through tourism development authorities of the area.

17 hectares of forest land allot-ted for Kupwara

Campus, Rs. 19.5 cr released: Lone

Minister for Higher Education, Mr. Mohammad Akbar Lone today informed the House that academic session in University campus Kup-wara would commenced from July-August this year.

Replying to a question by Advocate Abdul Haq Khan, the Minister informed that 17 hectares of forest land at Wuyan, Kupwara has been allotted to Kashmir Uni-versity for establishment of req-uisite infrastructure for Kupwara Campus.

Rs. 3.41 cr expended on Samba-Mansar road upto

last fiscal: Kichloo“Works on Munard-Sugan road allotted”Minister of State for R&B, Mr. Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo today informed the House that

work on 28 kms long Samba-Mansar road has been taken up under state plan projectization at an estimated cost of Rs. 3.90 crore against which Rs.3.41 crore have been incurred upto last financial year adding that Rs. 17 lakh have been expended for improvement of this road during current fiscal.

Replying to a question by Mrs. Bimla Luthra, the Minister informed the House that Rs. 11.17 lakh have been spent for laying of premix in patches on Samba-Goran-Dabbi road whileas Rs. 6 lakh have been incurred on mainte-nance and repairs of Samba-Sarna road under State Plan.

In reply to a clubbed question by Ms Mehbooba Mufti, the Minis-ter informed that upgradation work of Munard-Sugan road has been allotted and would be taken up after improvement of weather conditions adding that upgradation of Imam Sahib-Kenigam road is in progress but temporarily sus-pended due to unfavorable weather.

4 new sub-health centres to be opened in Bandipora constituency: ShamMinister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Mr. Sham Lal Sharma today informed the House that four new Sub-Health Centres would be

opened in un-covered areas of Bandipora constituency. Replying to a question by Mr. Nizam-ud-Din Bhat in the House today, the Minister said that at present 32 Sub-Health Centres and four Pri-

mary and New Type Health Centres are catering to health care facilities in the constituency. The Minister said that at present against the 196 sanctioned posts of medicos and para medicos in the constituency, 189 such posts are in

position and all the vacant posts have been referred to the Selection Agencies for selection of the suitable candidates. He said 54 medicos and para medicos have been engaged under NRHM.

The Minister said that all the health institutions would be provided requisite health infrastructure in a phased manner. Er. Abdul Rashid raised supplementary on the question.

Question Hour 24517 persons appointed during 2012-13: Sadhtora

New Master Plan for Jammu, Srinagar in offingJAMMU, FEBRUARY 21:

As many as 24517 persons have been provided employment which include 517 posts having been filled through State Pub-lic Service Commission, and 6642 through State Subordinate Services Selection Board dur-ing 2012-13 and under Centrally Sponsored Schemes 9725 per-sons have been appointed and District level recruiting agen-cies have selected 7633 candi-dates.

The information was given by Minister for Labour and Employment, Mr. Ajay Sad-hotra while replying to a ques-tion by Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Mir.

Replying to the supple-mentary of Dr. Shehnaz Ganai, Mr. Naeem Akhtar, Syed Rafiq Shah, Syed Asgar Ali, Jehangir Mir, Mr. Yashpal Sharma and Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, the Minister assured them that the process of recruitment by differ-ent agencies would be further speeded up for the benefit of the persons applying for different posts.

Mr. Sadhotra said the government is serious about ad-dressing the problem of unem-ployment in the State and has launched a comprehensive ho-listic programme called SKEW-PY to address the problem in which a target of providing em-ployment to 5 lakh unemployed youth has been set for five years in government as well as private sector, besides this, the govern-ment is also providing hand holding support to unemployed youth in the form of Voluntary Service Allowance (VSA).

Replying to another question by Mr. Ravinder Ku-

mar Sharma, the Minister in-formed the House that as many as 3358 cases in respect of J&K Housing Board, SDA, SMC, JDA and JMC are pending for adjudication in High Court and different Subordinate courts of the State.

Giving agency-wise details of court cases, the Min-ister informed that there are 136 cases of J&K Housing Board, 217 cases of SDA and 1815 cases of SMC pending in the High Court and Subordinate Courts under adjudication for final settle-ment.

Similarly, 547 cases of JDA and 643 cases of JMC are also pending for final settlement.The Minister further informed that as many as 115 encroach-ments have been removed from SMC land during the last three years, adding that no case of encroachment has been noticed on the JMC land during the cor-responding period. He said that two encroachments one each at Housing Colony Ompora, Bud-gam and Bagh-e- Mehtab had taken place and the matter is subjudice. The concerned au-thorities take timely action to remove the encroachments, if any illegal encroachment takes place on the SMC, JDA and SDA land, he maintained.Replying to the supplementaries by Mr. Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Dr. Shahnaz Ganai, B R Kundal and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, the Minister informed that the department is regularly pur-suing the cases for their early settlement. The Government is working for formulating new Master Plan for the twin capital cities of the State, he added.

34 Haryaali projects sanctioned in State: VikarAs many as 34 projects were sanctioned under Haryaali, a centrally Sponsored Scheme, through Agriculture,

DRDA, Rural Development, Forest, Irrigation and Flood Control Department in the State under which 7190 hectares of land has been covered by expending an amount of Rs. 44. 75 crore against sanctioned cost Rs. 96.42 crore.

This information was given by Minister of State for Power and Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Mr. Vikar Rasool while replying to a question by Naresh Kumar Gupta in the Legislative Council today.

The Minister informed that the Haryaali scheme was in operation some three years back but now it has been closed by the Department of Land Resources, Union Ministry of Rural Development.

Mr. Vikar further informed that the protection Bunds on both sides of Neeru Nallah from Dradu to Bhalla in Bhaderwah for a length of 2320 mtrs stands completed by incurring an amount of Rs. 100.87 lakh, adding that Crate walls constructed at Panchayat Bhejja in Neru Nallah have been constructed by Irrigation Department for which the funds have been provided by DRDA, Doda under IWDP Scheme.

The Minister further informed that Thanalla and Katyarra streams fall under Integrated Watershed Manage-ment Programme Batch-III for which Detailed Project Reports has already been prepared and submitted to the Union Government for approval. He informed that as per State perspective and Strategic Plan Shiva Project will also be taken up in future.

Replying to another question by Mr. Narboo Gialchan, Mr. Vikar Rasool informed that the CA& PD depart-ment presently is getting ration quota from Government of India on the basis of projected population of year 2000. He said the department is providing food-grains to the BPL families at a fixed scale of 35 kgs per month on the basis of projected families of Census 2001. He said the uncovered families of BPL category would be covered as and when the Union Government increases the quota of food-grains by adopting figures of Census 2011.

The Minister further said that since the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA, 2013) has come into force from July, 2013; the Government has circulated a proforma for identification of eligible households, for inclusion and exclusion of households to be covered under NFSA, 2013.

rs. 4.33 crore incurred on repairs of govt vehicles: dr. Manohar

An amount of Rs. 4.33 crore has been incurred as expenditure on re-pairs of vehicles of its own fleets, those attached with government de-partments, BP Vehicles provided to the Council of Ministers, protected government functionaries and SSG from 2010 to 2013.The information was given by the Minister for Cooper-atives, Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma while replying to a question by Mr. Yashpal Sharma.The Minister said that State

Motor Garages Department being the Nodal Agency purchase vehicles for State Motor Garage (SMG) and other Government Departments excluding Police, Fire and Emergency Service, Mechanical Engineering Department. However, some Government depart-ments also purchase vehicles of their own other than through SMG department. He further added that vehicles are directly purchased from the vehicle manufactures on DGS&D Rate Contract, Special Gov-ernment Prices and from the autho-rized dealers of the manufactures on lowest rates after ascertaining the reasonability of rates.The State Mo-tor Garages Department is providing vehicles to the Council of Ministers, State Government functionaries and other district level Officers in terms of Government orders conveyed from time to time.

3479 flats allotted to deserving migrant

families: ajazAs many as 3479 flats have already been

allotted to the deserving migrant families and 745 vacant flats are shortly being allotted.The information was given by the Minister of State for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr. Ajaz Ahmed Khan while replying to a question by Mr. Vijay Bakaya.The Minister further informed that as per procedure followed for identification of eligible migrants, applications were called for al-lotment of the vacant flats and 8 teams were con-stituted by the Relief Organization for area-wise verification of these more than 5000 applications and the verification teams were instructed to sat-isfy themselves that the families have been living continuously in the rented accommodation since migration, seeking documentary evidence like copy of pass book, gas connection, ration card.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Saturday 22 February 2014

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

Education-Magic wand to progress

and prosperity Expenditure Monitoring Mechanism

The Election Commission conducts the elections to the office of the President, Vice President, Parliament and the State Assemblies. As per Article 324 of the Constitution, the Commission is vested

with the power of Superintendence, direction and control of elections. It is a well-known fact that without money, multi-party democracy cannot function, however ‘Money Power’ involves certain risks like: Uneven Playing field and lack of fair competition,Political Exclusion ie: Certain sectors face disadvan-tage,Co-Opted politicians under campaign debts,Tainted Governance and Rule of Law undermined. The Commission is seriously engaged in curbing the influence of money power in elections, during General elections to Assembly / Parliamentary con-stituencies. The Election Commission has formu-lated a robust mechanism for monitoring election expenditure, which was first implemented during General Election to Legislative Assembly of Bihar in 2010. This monitoring mechanism was subse-quently implemented effectively and systematically from 2010 to 2013 in the Assembly/ Bye- Elections in the States of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttara-khand, Manipur, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Rajasthan, NCT of Delhi, Mad-hya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. These measures have resulted in huge cash interception / seizures during the Assembly elections totaling to approximately 215 crore rupees. The following are the main features of the Election Expenditure Monitoring: · Opening of a separate bank account by each contesting candidate for incurring all major election expenses through cheque / demand draft drawn on this bank account only.· A complaint-monitoring cell in each district with 24X7 toll free number to receive complaint from the public.· Flying Squads, Quick Response Teams, Static Surveillance Teams headed by Executive Magistrates are formed in each constituency to track illegal cash

transaction or any distribution liquor or any items for bribing/ inducement of the voters and to attend to all complains of election expenditure. · All airports in the State, major railway stations, hotels, farm houses, ‘hawala’ agents, financial bro-kers, cash couriers, pawn brokers and other suspi-cious agencies/persons engaged in movement of cash are to be kept under close surveillance by the Income Tax Department and necessary action to be taken as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act.· Monitoring of suspicious cash withdrawal from any bank account during election process.· Expenditure Observers are appointed for each district with senior officers from Income Tax De-partment, Customs & Central Excise Department and other finance & accounts services from outside the State to oversee the election expenditure by the candidates during election.· Assistant Expenditure Observers are appointed for each constituency, to assist the Expenditure Ob-servers.· Shadow Observation Register is maintained in each constituency for each candidate to record major expenses observed during the election.· Video Surveillance Team is constituted with camera persons and Government officials in each team to videograph major election campaign ex-penses.· Accounting Team is constituted in each constit-uency to maintain Shadow Observation Register and the folder of evidence.· Media Certification and Media Expenditure Monitoring Committee (MCMC) constituted to monitor both print and electronic media including cable network, social media etc. for election adver-tisement and suspected Paid News.· Campaign for Ethical Voting and to create awareness among voters not to accept any induce-ment in exchange of votes. Election Expenditure monitoring mechanism has been adopted to curb the misuse of money power during elections to ensure free and fair elections. The following strategies are adopted: · Interpersonal communication is taken up through the State/ Government of India units- In-come Tax Dept. to track illegal cash, Directorate of

Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to track drugs, Enforcement Direc-torate to track foreign Exchange, Police Department and Excise Department of the respective States to check other crimes related to bribery, terror, theft, narcotics, illegal liquor etc. and the abuse of money power in elections involving the candidate, his agent or any political party.· A strict vigil is maintained over the movement of cash etc. through airports/ airstrips/ Helipads and a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been devel-oped and implemented by the Bureau of Civil Avia-tion in consultation with the Commission. While the CISF is involved to keeps strict vigil at the airports of the poll going States to stop illegal movement of cash / bullion involving the candidate, his agent or any political party.· The Ministry of Civil Aviation has been direct-ed to operate Air Intelligence Units (AIU’s) in all the airports of the respective poll going states till the date of completion of elections so as to keep track of and report of any illegal movement of cash involving the candidate, his agent or any political party.· The Government of India unit like the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has been requested to pro-vide real time information on suspicious cash trans-actions in banks and to keep close watch on with-drawal of cash exceeding the specified limits from the Bank Accounts in poll going States.· BSF and SSB has been requested to keep strict vigil over movement of illegal items, cash etc. through international borders of poll going States meant to influence voters.· The cases of candidates, who have not filed cor-rect election Expenditure statements, have been pro-cessed for disqualification under section 10A of the R.P. Act, 1951. The above measures have gone a long way in curbing pernicious effect of money power during the general elections held in the last four years. There is still a lot of distance to be covered in this regard to eliminate the deep seated malady and the intelligentsia, me-dia, civil society organizations should all join hands with Election Commission of India to create general awareness against the use of Money Power during elections.

Transforming the Department of Posts into a Technology Driven Department

A massive transformation of the Department of Posts is being un-dertaken by the Ministry of Com-munications & Information Tech-nology which will metamorphose

the Department - now better known to the nation as India Post - into a technology driven Depart-ment. For this the Government has approved an IT Modernization Project with a total outlay of Rs 4,909 crore. The unique Project involves network-ing of all the 1,55,000 post offices spread across the country rolling out Core Banking Solution for Post Office Saving Bank, McCamish Insur-ance Solution for Postal Life Insurance and will enable track and trace of all accountable mails in the country. The IT Modernization Project com-menced in 2012 and is expected to be operational by 2015. It covers eight segments which are under various stages of implementation and operation-alization. A dedicated Data Centre is already in place. This Project is unparalleled in terms of its scale and underlines the commitment of the Depart-ment of Posts to provide better services to the cus-tomers, and ensure higher employee satisfaction. The project is intended to build a wider reach to Indian populace through more customer interac-tion channels.The Core Banking Solutions (CBS) in All Depart-mental Post Offices The Department of Posts is also implementing the Core Banking Solutions (CBS) in all De-partmental Post Offices during the current Five Year Plan. The Project introduces the facilities of ATM banking, mobile banking, phone banking, National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) to the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) customers. It will enable the Post Office Saving Bank customers to undertake anytime anywhere banking through a network of ATMs. CBS has been rolled out in 38 pilot Post Offices and is expected to be rolled out in all departmental Post Offices by 2015. The Project will IT enable the Branch Post Offices with

a bio-metric hand held device, which is Aadhaar enabled, printer and solar power to charge battery.Initiatives to Improve the Quality of Mail Related Services Across The Country The Department of Posts has also taken initiatives to improve the quality of mail related services across the country. As part of the Mail Network Optimization Project (MNOP), the operational network for the delivery of mails has been re-structured and the processes redesigned. An on-line monitoring system has been developed for a more effective monitoring of Speed Post Reg-istered Post. An online track and trace system is also in place for registered articles on a pattern similar to the tracking of Speed Post articles. Automated Mail Processing Centers (AMPCs) have been set up at Delhi and Kolkata to further expedite the mail sorting activities. A Global Posi-tioning System (GPS) system has been installed in mail vehicles in the North East Region for a better monitoring of the movement of mail carriages. Providing Computers and Peripherals to All De-partmental Post Offices The Department of Posts has also provided com-puters and peripherals to all 25,145 departmental Post Offices in the country to enhance their effi-ciency. Remotely Managed Franking Machines (RMFMs) are also being supplied to the post of-fices in a phased manner. These machines have a number of security features, like generation of 2D barcodes to assist traceable evidence of postage. These machines will improve the efficiency of the post offices by faster franking of articles and also help in having a ready data base of customers in an electronic form. ‘Project Arrow’ Department of Posts has also launched a Qual-ity Improvement Project called ‘Project Arrow’ in April 2008, which entails a comprehensive im-provement of the Core Operations of Post Offices as well as the ambience (Look and Feel) in which postal transaction are undertaken. The Department of Posts has evolved a Sevottam complaint Citizen’s Charter laying down the ser-

vice delivery norms of various postal products and services. A monitoring mechanism to ensure the quality of services and prompt redressal of public grievances is in place at all levels. It is also operating the Central Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) to handle complaints. New services like e-IPO, e-Post, Express Parcel Post, Business Parcel Post have been introduced which not only open new revenue streams but also lead to widen the reach of the post offic-es and provide the customer with value added services. Market Share on the Rise The market share of the value added services of the Department of Post vis-à-vis private cou-riers has increased in last two year which are:The efficacy of the steps taken by the Gov-ernment is also reflected in the fact that the Revenue generation of Postal Services is in-creasing every year, and the targets for each coming year are raised by the Government. The revenue generated and expenditure incurred by the Postal Department, during the last three years and the current year year-wise, are: To further increase the revenue the Depart-ment has taken following steps: · Beside the IT Modernization project, a series of initiatives have been taken under Mail Network Optimization Project in order to im-prove the quality of mail services. · Launching special drives for covering more persons under the small saving network, especially in rural areas. Similar drives are also launched to popularize Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) so that life cover / savings is encouraged among the rural population. · Financial Performance of each postal circle related to revenue and expenditure are reviewed on regular basis. · Rationalization of postal products to im-prove service delivery in the light of market de-mand.

The progress and prosperity of any nation can be measured only on one yard-stick, as to how many citizens have excess to quality educational facilities.

The off rule, Might is Right, Aristocrats rule the Nations, are now obsolete. The devel-oped countries paid heed to education in the initial stage and now they are harvesting the fruits of those initiatives by way of dic-tating their terms on developing and under developed countries. The citizens are lead-ing comfortable life with all the basic neces-sities fulfilled. They don’t have to live under open sky or stand in que for hours together to fetch one bucket of water or ration at con-cessional rates. Their children don’t have to lose eye sight while studying in dim lights. Talk of any comfort; they are bestowed with in comparison to the people of the third world who have to live from hand to mouth, where poverty is their destiny. It is all be-cause of least priority given to education sector that these countries could not har-ness their resources and compete with the developed nations. They miss the condition in India. We too woke late to the need of the hour in giving emphasis on education. The words of Former President of India Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam keep on echoing when he one said “coming generation will not remem-ber you as to how many temples, mosques or churches you built, but will remember you as to how many school you built”. His golden words speak of his vast experience and practical approach. But despite various schemes and initiatives launched by Central Government, country still lags behind in the field of education. Due to poverty most of our children go to government run school to seek education. Except Kerala almost in tall the states the literacy rate is below ex-pectations. There could be various reasons for this. The way politics has plagued this sector is beyond one’s imagination and al-most killing the future of the country. The state of Jammu & Kashmir is no excep-tion. Here the people are being duped with the slogans of freedom, justice, progress and what not for the last so many years. But it was education sector which was made sacrificial lamb at the first instance. Schools, colleges, libraries were set ablaze. Day today calls of strike, civil curfew, and curfew made the life out of gear. The future of the students was darkened. With the establishment of pop-ular government some initiative with the financial assistance by central government were taken to build or repair school college buildings but the situation still is pitiable. Even now nearly 5000 government schools are without their own buildings. School buildings are in delipated condition. May schools are without roof top, without doors and with broken window panes. There is no proper sitting arrangement what to talk of other civic amenities like heating system during chilly days of harsh winter, drinking water or toilet facilities. Even teacher are not properly trained. There are certain schools were students are without teaching staff but some schools with more teachers but less students due to ineffective transfer policy and rampant corruption. The concept of Rehbar-e-Taleem may be ideal on paper but practically it has failed to deliver goods as it is a means for back door entries. What kind of quality education can be expected from a teacher with nominal honorarium? More-over when such teachers are regularised they get themselves transferred to towns or cities with political pressure or money pow-er leaving students to their fate.Now time has come when Government and the people have to take education sector se-riously. Government should take bold steps by adopting public private partnership for spreading education to every nook and cor-ner of the state to channelize the talent and intelligence of t he children of the state and also in calculate a sense of accountability in teaching community which is possible only when there is good governance.