TOP STORY OF THE DAY |
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| Over Rs 6000 cr outlay on mind, FM all set to present budget with tentative figures today | | "Modest hike" in plan size agreed in principal | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Mar 11: The wrap up meeting of high level officials with the Planning Commission having concluded on what is being termed as 'fruitful' note, the J&K state is poised to get a plan size of nearly Rs 6000 cr for the next financial year, though the government had in its figures projected a hike of 10-15 % of previous plan outlay at Rs 5500 cr. With broad hints about the plan size emerged after the final meeting today, the Finance Minister A R Rather is all set to present the annual budget for next year tomorrow in the state Assembly, incorporating the tentative figures on major aspects of the budget.
High placed sources said the Planning Commission while acknowledging and recognizing the 'efforts' of the state government has given a nod for the 'projected requirements' on the basis of which a hike between 10-15 % had been sought in the new plan. Though the plan size has not been finalized yet but the Commission has agreed in principle to accept this projection of hike, sources said indicating the plan size cannot be less than Rs 6000 cr.
"Though pla... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| Cabinet meeting today | | | | Srinagar: The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair a cabinet meeting in Jammu on Friday to discuss the fall-out of employees strike.
Sources said the meeting will be held at Civil Secretariat at 5 pm. "The strike by government employees will top the agenda of the meeting. The striking employees are demanding release of arrears, enhancement of retirement age and conversion of COLA into DA. These demands will be deliberated upon and a decision will be taken," they said.They said the cabinet will also discuss the issue of regularization of adhoc employees, which is one of the demands of striking employees. "The chief minister will also brief the ministers about his recent meeting with Pri... | |
| | | | Enrolment for UID number to start by yr-end: Nilekani | | | | Indore: The enrolment process for allotting Unique Identification (UID) number to all citizens would begin by the end of this year, Unique Identification Authority Chairman Nandan Nilekani said today.
"If everything goes as planned, then the enrolment process for allotting UID number to all citizens of the country would begin by the end of this year," Nilekani said during an interaction with the students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore. The pilot project for the scheme would begin in next few months, he said.... | |
| | | | 2 arrested in abduction cases | | | | Jammu: In unconnected incidents, two persons were arrested by police Wednesday for allegedly abducting two girls from different city areas.
Police sources said Naseer Ahmad, who was alleged to have kidnapped Sheetal (19) from Nanak Nagar last month, was arrested by police from Narwal. The girl was also recovered from his possession and restored to her parents, the sources added. In another incident, one Sirajdin was alleged to have abducted Suraya (17) from Kotha Saine village in Bishnah, the sources added.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house at Kotli Thathi in Udhampur late Wednesday evening and recovered the girl. Sirajdin was arrested. The girl was brought to Jammu and restored ... | |
| | | | Challan produced against Xen rlys | | | | Jammu: A challan was today produced by CBI against an assistant executive engineer (AEE) of Northern Railways in the court of additional special judge, anti-corruption, here.
As per the chargesheet, Rajiv Jasrotia, a railway contractor of Hiranagar, got two contracts worth Rs 1.5 cr for laying pathway between Jammu and Vijaypur in 2006. He completed the work in 2007. When he approached the Northern Railways' AEE BB Mittal to get the security amount of seven lakh rupees released, he allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from him.
When despite repeated visits to him, Mittal did not release the security, Jasrotia approached CBI and lodged a written complaint against him. Acting on the comp... | |
| | | | Pakistan's snub to moderate separatists in Kashmir | | | |
AGENCIES
New Delhi, Mar 11: Apparently trying to dabble in internal rivalry in the Hurriyat, Pakistan has invited hardline leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani as the 'Chairman' of the amalgam along with six other Kashmiri separatist leaders for a meeting in Islamabad later this month.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has sent an invitation to seven Kashmiri separatist leaders including Geelani, a hardline leader; Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, a moderate; President Kashmir Bar Council Mian Abdul Qayyum, Shabir Shah, JKLF Chief Yaseen Malik, firebrand woman separatist leader Aasiya Andrabi and Shia leader Aga Syed Hassan, according to Hurriyat sources today.
Surprisingly, Geelani has bee... | |
| | | | City's vehicle population balloons to 5 lakh | | | | Arteev Sharma
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 11 : The vehicle population in Jammu district is exploding and in the next couple of months would touch the staggering five-lakh mark-nearly fifteen times more than what it was two and half decades ago.
Without commensurate improvement in road conditions, parking lots coupled with a 15 times increase in the number of vehicles since 1982, Jammu region has also entered the 'traffic danger zone'. About 2000 to 2500 new vehicles are hitting the roads in the district every month.
While the Traffic Police are going ahead with introduction of one-ways on a number of roads, traffic continues to be chaotic in the City. "Short-term measures, like int... | |
| | | | BAJ suspends work | | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 11: Work in all courts including High Court in Jammu was affected in view of lawyers' strike who staged protest over the introduction of a Private Member's Bill that seeks to annul permanent resident rights of women of the State who marry outside the state.
Lawyers under the banner of Bar Association Jammu boycotted court work and staged a sit-in and also held a demonstration denouncing the Permanent Residents (Disqualification) Bill. They said the bill was "discriminatory against women of the state, particularly of Jammu region."
"It is anti-Jammu, as most Jammu girls marry outside of the state with persons who are non-state subjects (not permanent residen... | |
| | | | | | | Pawar gives "conditional" consent to allocate more funds | | Soz concerned over horticulture development in JK | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 11: Consenting to PCC chief Saifudin Soz's proposal for allocation of additional funds to J&K for integrated development of horticulture in the state, union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar regretted that "utilisation certificates" in respect of funds provided earlier had not been received for the past seven years.
In a written reply to Prof Soz's letter, Pawar agreed with him on the need of allocation of additional funds to the state, but regretted that the state had not submitted to the Centre "utilisation certificates" in respect of funds provided earlier since 2003-04.
He assured the PCC chief that his ministry would go all out to promote and de... | |
| | | | Moves once again afoot to humiliate Daughters of J&K | | Disqualification BILL - III | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 11: Prof Hari Om of Jammu University approached the High Court to seek justice for the daughters of the state. In the case Hari Om VS State of J&K and others (PIL. No. 1002/2004 & CMP No. 1089/2004), the Double Bench comprising Justice VK Jhanji and Justice YP Nargotra gave the following judgment: "In the meantime, respondents (State of J&K & others) are directed not to make any endorsement of 'valid till marriage' on the State Subject Certificate issued to unmarried daughters of State Subjects". The Double Bench gave the interim judgment on September 24, 2004, which was widely published in the local and national dailies.
Believe it or not, but it is ... | |
| | | | Geelani opposes | | | | ET Report
Jammu, Mar 11: Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani arrived to a warm welcome in Srinagar this afternoon. Geelani was in New Delhi undergoing treatment for different ailments.
Immediately after his arrival, Geelani opposed stone pelting. He called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers tomorrow. "A comprehensive programme shall be given shortly", he said.
Geelani sought immediate release of all political prisoners. He also sought release of the youth arrested for stone pelting.
Soon after, he called on the relatives of Inayat, Wamiq Farooq and Zahid Farooq all of whom got killed in police action during the past three months. He expressed solidarity with the bereaved... | |
| | | | Mufti Azam backtracks on Fatwa against stone pelting | | Jamiatul Mujahideen dares jurist Bashir-ud-din to make his point at a Manazara | | |
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Mar 11: Separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani today avoided to make any fresh comment on stone pelting of the Kashmiri youth on Police and security forces on the streets of Kashmir valley on the occasion of his returning to Srinagar from New Delhi after three months but radical militant outfit Jamiatul Mujahideen alleged that Kashmir's Mufti Azam (chief jurist) Mufti Bashiruddin had issued his latest Fatwa against stone pelting after receiving money from the Indian Home Minister. Characteristic of him in the past, Mufti has immediately backtracked and claimed that he had not made any of the comments attributed to him.
Immediately ... | |
| | | | Situation turns chaotic, strike paralyses work | | Employees' agitation enters third day | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 11: Situation in all government offices, hospitals and educational institutions across the State became chaotic with employees' strike entering its third consecutive day today. The strike badly affected the normal functioning in government offices where employees' presence virtually remained negligible.
Much to the common man's chagrin, ongoing stalemate between government and employees continued to persist for third straight day as the administration made no "sincere" efforts to initiate negotiation with striking employees.
In the meantime, the employees' agitation got new impetus when another faction of Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) started ... | |
| | | | It will be Rather versus resources in LA today | | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 11: It is going to be Rather versus resources in the state Legislature on Friday when the Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather, presents the annual budget proposals for the 2010-2011 in the House. Since the state Government expects the centre to revive the power reforms grant by releasing about Rs. 1300 crores a year and extend the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme A.R. Rather may go in for a dose of mild taxes.
The National Conference led Government has, during the last one year, been able to reduce the overdraft with the Jammu and Kashmir Bank by Rs. 1000 crores indicating the resource mobilisation will be the main focus in the budget proposals. Po... | |
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