Monday December 14, 20204 DISTRICTS

STATE TIMES NEWSKATHUA: To ensure allround development as prom-ised by the PM NarendraModi during his public meet-ings addressed on variousoccasions, Yudhvir Sethi,Vice President, BJP, J&K,urged the people not to getmisled by the false slogans ofCongress, NC or PDP andvote for the nationalisticpolitical outfit BJP inupcoming DDC polls.

While addressing a series ofpoll campaign rallies heretoday, the senior BJP leadersaid that BJP is the onlyparty which has courage toprotect national interestunlike its opponent partieswhich never miss a chance tomake compromise just forthe sake of handful of votes.BJP's devotion towardsnation has become more evi-dent after the decisions takenby the Central Governmentespecially those concerningJ&K. He maintained thatBJP is the only party thathas provided healing touch to

poor and it is committed tocarry on this legacy forward.He also counted the accom-plishments of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi Governmentin the J&K UT and country.

Sethi highlighted achieve-ment of BJP in J&K UTcomprised of establishmentof AIIMS, IIT, IIM, Bridges,hydroelectric projects, expan-sion of Jammu Airport andmany more. He said that thesort of development J&K haswitnessed in these five years;it had never witnessedbefore. He also applaudedthe bold step taken by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi tocombat COVID-19 pandem-ic.

Sethi has complemented DrJitendra Singh MemberParliament for carried outmassive development inKathua district.

Elaborating on the sixyears' achievements of thesitting Member ParliamentDr Jitendra Singh, Sethisaid that Shahpur KandiProject was taken into handafter long delay of 40 years,North India's first Bio-TechPark was established inKathua, Keediyan Gandyal

Inter-State Bridge con-structed on war footing anddedicated to public, estab-lishment of GovernmentMedical College Kathua,passport offices, SeedProcessing Plant, KathuaRailway Platform upgradedwith more facilities for com-muters and development ofDreamland Park for publicrecreation. He asserted thatthe Kathua district wit-nessed massive developmentunder BJP regime.

The senior BJP leaderasserted that successive gov-ernments has been failed toinitiate any step for thedevelopment of J&K and thepeople were deprived of basicamenities like drinkingwater, regular power supplyand good road network.

BJP was fighting againstall communal forces whichwere misleading the people ofthe Union Territory and try-ing to incite anti-nationalsentiments. He said that allsuch forces would be decisive-ly defeated in DDC elections.

Don't get misled by false slogans ofCongress, NC: Sethi

Vice President, BJP, J&K Yudhvir Sethi addressing a gathering.

STATE TIMES NEWSSAMBA: Jugal KishoreSharma, Member ofParliament BJP Lok SabhaJammu Poonch said that whilethe process of conductingDistrict Development Councilselections on underway, the "hol-lowness" of NC, Congress andPDP get exposed as theyformed Gupkar Alliance tofight DDC Elections collective-ly to kill the democracy of com-mon people of JammuKashmir by opposingAbrogation of Article 370.Their anti nationalist, selfvested, dynastic and self inter-ested politics has came in frontof public and people are in nomood to entertain their freakyand false promises.

Member of Parliament visitedvillage Kathlai and Pandourborder areas of DistrictSamba,while addressing gath-erings said that NC, Congressand PDP are now dancing andjumping here and there to col-lect votes of people, they are theParties who have killed the

rights of common people ofJammu and Kashmir for manydecades. They have done noth-ing for development andempowerment of people ofJammu & Kashmir. Theyalways opposed the implemen-tation of three tier system ofPanchayati Raj to stop theempowerment of people ofJammu & Kashmir living ingrass roots from Blocks,Panchayats and wards to gettheir share in their own devel-opment. These self interesteddynastic Gupkaris always

acted as dictators and lambast-ed people of Jammu andKashmir.

Jugal said that after the for-mation of Bharatiya JanataParty Government in the cen-ter in 2014 it was the first com-mitment of Narendra Modiand Amit Shah to empowerdemocracy to grass root leveland to implement three tiersystem of Panchayati Raj andnow fulfilling their commit-ment today DDC elections areunderway. Sharma said that itis only Bharatiya Janata Party

who boldly took decision to con-duct BDC and DDC Electionsto pour in democracy to grassroot level so that every peoplecan get his right to develop hisown area. He said that theseDDC Elections are as suchimportant as it will build up arigid pillar of three tier systemand it is the time to vote forBJP DDC Candidates tostrengthen the hands of Sh.Narendra Modi Ji'sGovernment. Many Youthsdropped NC and Congress par-ties and joined BharatiyaJanata Party namely ParladKumar, Arun Kumar, DilipKumar, Moti Kumar, Shamlal,Anku Kumar, Akhsya andteam in presence of Member ofParliament.

DDC Candidate SubashBhagat, Mandal PresidentMohinder Bikka, Senior BJPLeaders Narinder Parmar(Punjab), Madan Choudhary,Col Som Dutt, Satya Kour,Girdhari Lal, Kamal Jyoti,Sarpanchs and Panchs werealso present at the occasion.

Gupkaris always acted as dictators,betrayed people of J&K: Jugal

BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma addressing a public gathering at Samba on Sunday.

STATE TIMES NEWSKATHUA: ThePsychological CounselingCommittee, (Manodarpan) ofGovt. Degree CollegeMahanpur organized one dayawareness workshop for thebenefit of school and undergraduate students in collegecampus, following all SOP'sof COVID 19.

Dr. P.K. Rao, PrincipalGDC Basholi was chiefguest, Col DharmendraPandey, CO, 4 J&K BattalionNCC, Jammu was the guestof honour and other eminentspeakers were Dr. ShivMangal Singh and SaviaSharma. The workshop wasjointly inaugurated by light-ing the lamp by Dr. RakeshKumar Koul, Principal of thecollege and guests. Dr. RKKoul in his welcome addressemphasized on the need offeeling of togetherness whilehaving social distancing. Heraised the concern of stress

among the students and thenecessity to identify andtackle it at initial stage. Heexpressed his gratitude to allparticipants, invited guestsand students for being partof the programme and con-tributing their bit for overalldevelopment of students. Ahigh school student SaviaSharma of class 10th wasinvited as resource person topresent her views on stressand methods of tackling it.Dr. Hilal Ahmed Bhat spoke

on Stress management fol-lowed by Prof. Shiv MangalSingh who also conductedstress measurement test onthe participants. A blend ofpatriotic songs was sung byRajat Kashyap, student ofGDC Mahanpur, whichcharged the audience withnational feelings.

Col DharmendraPandey addressed the stu-dents on NCC and militaryaffairs. He highlighted thatNCC is a Tri-Services

Organization, comprising ofthe Army, Navy and AirForce, engaged in groomingthe youth of the country intodisciplined and patriotic citi-zens. NCC is a voluntaryorganization which recruitscadets from schools, collegesand universities. The cadetsare given basic militarytraining in small arms andparades. The officers andcadets have no liability foractive military service oncethey complete their coursebut are given preference overnormal candidates duringselections based on theachievements.

National Integrationis a everyday process inNCC. The interaction amongcadets from different regionsincreases the level of bondingtowards one another and pro-motes communal harmony.The values and moraleimbibed in NCC over theperiod of three years is trans-

formational, empoweringnation-building from grass-root level. Drill is thebedrock of discipline. A senseof responsibility is alsoinstilled in the Cadets byassigning ranks and respon-sibilities.

NCC helps thecadets by achieving theiraspirations by joining theArmed Forces and otherState and CentralGovernment jobs, over andabove it shapes the cadetsinto good citizens of thecountry.

The Chief Guest, Dr.P.K. Rao mentioned aboutthe stress in academic sphereaffecting academic perform-ance of students. He insistedthat management of stresscan develop the efficiencyand productivity of students.A vote of thanks was present-ed by Dr. Wasim Iqbal Naqvifollowed by NationalAnthem.

Workshop on stress management organised at GDC Mahanpur

Participants during the workshop at Mahanpur.

STATE TIMES NEWSUDHAMPUR: YashpalSharma, Sarpanch DabrahPanchayat and DistrictPresident Congress Seva Dalheld a protest along withhundreds supporters atBlock Kirmchi against CMOUdhampur.

He said that in PrimaryHealth Centre Kirmchiwhich is having ten beds,

there are no doctors postedup to till and not a ambu-lance facilities available. Headded the people are suffer-ing due to failure of depart-ment. He warned if genuinedemands are not met early aspossible then they willprotest in a big way atDistrict HeadquarterUdhampur against districtadministration.

PHC Kirmchi sans doctors,people hold protest

Locals staging protest at Udhampur.

Bhushan qualifies PhDSTATE TIMES NEWS

KATRA: Bhushan Sharma,Research Student, School ofLanguages and Literature,Shri Mata Vaishno DeviUnivers i ty(SMVDU),Katra, hasbeen declaredqualified forthe award ofthe degree ofDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D).

She has carried out herresearch work in the field ofDalit feminism on the topictitled "Locating DalitFeminist Standpoint: SelectDalit Women's LifeNarratives as Testimonies."

Sharma has worked underthe supervision of Dr. AnuragKumar, Faculty, School ofLanguages and Literature,SMVDU. She has publishedseveral quality papers in theSCI, Scopus and UGCJournals, and has also partic-ipated in many national andinternational conferences.

STATE TIMES NEWSAKHNOOR: IkkjuttJammu, Yuva Akhnoor teamon Sunday demandedrestoration of 4G in Jammuprovince.

Addressing the press con-ference, Ajay Singh SainiYouth Activist of IkkjuttJammu said that 4G ban isaffecting the studies of stu-dents as online content ofschool and college does notwork in 2G. He said thatbusiness community andtourists are also suffering alot due to the 4G ban. Hesaid that it's almost 15months that students andyouth of Jammu are suffer-ing due to internet ban. Hesaid "when we are paying for4G Internet then why not weshould be provided 4G".

He further lambasted thegovernment for giving excus-es of security threat for notproviding 4G. He said thathow can the government jus-tify Ganderbal District of

Kashmir as more safer thanJammu. IKKJUTT Jammuappealed to the LG govern-ment to lift the ban on 4G .He warned the governmentthat if soon 4G is notrestored in Jammu a massprotest will be held in jammuin coming days and govern-ment will be responsible forthe consequences.

IKKJUTT Jammu furthercondemned the administra-tion for not allowing IkkjuttJammu chairman AnkurSharma to travel to Kishtwar

for his 2 days 'DDC Electioncampaign. He said that thegovernment has given securi-ty reasons for not allowingAnkur Sharma to visitKishtwar but what aboutBJP Leaders and others. Isevery threat posed is forIKJUTT Jammu Ajay Saini,Said.

Others who were presentduring the press conferenceare Ajay Sharma, VirenderAbrol, Ajay Singh, SahilSharma Ikkjutt Jammuyouth wing members.

Govt should immediatelyrestore 4G: Ikkjutt Jammu

Ajay Singh Saini, Youth Activist of Ikkjutt Jammu addressing a press conference at Akhnoor.

SMVDU faculty deliverskeynote address at

international conferenceSTATE TIMES NEWS

KATRA: Dr. Amitabh V.Dwivedi, Faculty, School ofLanguages & Literature,Shri Mata Vaishno DeviUniversity, Katra delivers akeynote address at interna-tional conference on"Challenge,Obstacle, andEducationalStrategy inNew NormalEra".

The inter-national conference wasorganized by the Faculty ofTeacher Training &Education, UniversitasKristen Indonesia Toraja,where participants from 19countries participated.

Dr. Dwivedi delivered akeynote address on "TeachingOnline Semantics: FewInsights on how Meaning isconstructed?" which washighly appreciated by theparticipants. The organizersthanked Dr. Dwivedi forsharing his knowledge.

STATE TIMES NEWSSAMBA: Lashing out atNational Panthers Party forits continuous hobnob withthe statements that suit thedialogue of Gupkar Gang,Smriti Zubin Irani, UnionCabinet Minister for Textilesand Women and ChildDevelopment, said thatPanthers Party is provingitself to be a B-team ofGupkar Gang.

J&K BJP GeneralSecretary & former MinisterDr. Devinder KumarManyal, J&K BJP Vice-President Anuradha Charak,National Vice-President BJPMinority Morcha IrfanAhmed, BJP Mahila MorchaPresident Sanjita Dogra,senior leader Rajeev Charakand other BJP leaders were

also present in the rally atSamba.

Smriti Irani said thatPanthers Party is playing fullrole of Gupkar Gang inJammu. She accused them ofhaving adopted the full agen-da of Gupkar in Jammu tosevery damage the identityand the ethics of the region

here. She said that the seniorleaders of Panther Party arehaving cup of tea with theleaders of Gupkar Gang.

Smriti said thatGupkar is spitting venomagainst the "Tiranga" and isbatting for the return ofArticle 370. She asked "Theleaders of Panthers have to

explain that whether they arealso supporting the Pro-Pakistan and Pro-Chinastand of Gupkar Gang?"

Smriti also questionedPanthers Party for theirderogatory remarks againstthe women. She said thatwomen form the 50% of thepopulation of the world andin our culture we treat thewomen with reverence, butalas it seems that Panthersparty has already accepteddefeat and making theseremarks out of frustration.

She said that BJP meansonly to work forDevelopment and to protectthe Nation both internallyand externally and asked allthe people present in the rallyto support the BJP candi-date in the DDC election.

Panthers Party ‘B-team’ of Gupkar Gang: Smriti Irani

Union Cabinet Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani speaking during a public rally at Samba.

STATE TIMES NEWSNEW DELHI: India's rise willevoke its own reactions andresponses, and there will beattempts to dilute the country'sinfluence and limit its interests,External Affairs Minister SJaishankar said on Sunday.

Delivering the secondManohar Parrikar memoriallecture, Jaishankar also saidthat as India expands its globalinterests and reach, there is aneven more compelling case tofocus on its hard power.

The external affairs ministersaid the national security chal-lenges being faced by the "ris-ing India" are obviously goingto be different and emphasisedon having greater integrationand convergence between theforeign and military policies.

In a veiled reference toPakistan, Jaishankar said along-standing political rivalryis today expressed as sustainedcross border terrorism by aneighbour even as he enumer-ated security challenges ema-nating from long borders aswell as large maritime spaces.

"The world is a competitiveplace and India's rise will evokeits own reactions and respons-es. There will be attempts todilute our influence and limitour interests. Some of these

contestations can be directly inthe security domain, otherscould be reflected in economics,connectivity even in societalcontext," he said.

The external affairs minister,delving into the broad spec-trum of security challenges fac-ing India, said it cannot disre-gard attempts to underminethe national integrity andunity.

"There are really very fewmajor states that still haveunsettled borders to the extentthat we do. Of equal relevanceis the very very unique chal-lenge that we face of years ofintense terrorism inflicted onus by a neighbour. We also can-not disregard attempts toundermine our nationalintegrity and unity," he said.

"And over and above theseexceptional factors, there arethe daily security challenges oflong borders and large seaspaces. The thinking and plan-ning of a polity that operates insuch an uncertain environmentnaturally should give primacyto hard security," he said.

Jaishankar further said theera of "unconstrained militaryconflicts" may be behind us butthe reality of limited wars andcoercive diplomacy is still verymuch a fact of life.

Talking about India's grow-ing global stature, Jaishankarsaid the country's "relationshipwith the world" cannot be thesame as when its ranking wasmuch lower. "Our stakes in theworld have certainly becomehigher and correspondingly sohave the expectations of us.Simply put India matters moreand our world view mustprocess that in all its aspects,"he said. He added: "On the bigglobal issues of our times,whether we speak of climatechange or trade flows or healthconcerns or data security,India's positioning has moreinfluence on the eventual out-come."

Jaishankar also elaboratedon "conceptual changes" wit-nessed in Indian foreign policysince 2014 and said much ofthat was influenced by thegrowing understanding of thedifferent world.

In terms of the neighbour-hood first policy, he said thenew approach envisaged a gen-erous and non-reciprocalengagement of neighbours thatwas centred around connectivi-ty, contacts and cooperation.

He said the "enhanced impor-tance" of India to the daily lifeof its neighbourhood will clear-ly build stronger regionalism

but added that it was also onethat is clearly predicated onmutual sensitivity and mutualrespect for each other's inter-ests.

The external affairs ministeralso talked about evolving geo-political developments aroundthe world including the salienceof China, repositioning of theUS, Brexit, intra-EuropeanUnion politics, the Abrahamaccords signed by Israel, thechallenges faced by Africa andthe evolution of the Indo-Pacific. "We have actually seensharp shifts in the basic stanceand behaviour of nations andtheir interplay with each other.Some of these have unfoldedmore visibly in the last year, butits contours were evident evenbefore. "The salience of Chinaand repositioning of the US areperhaps two sharpest exam-ples. But there are many oth-ers of great consequences,whether we speak of Brexit orintra EU politics, the Abrahamaccords and the dynamics ofthe Gulf, the challenges facedby Africa, the ideologicaldebates we have seen in LatinAmerica, or the evolution of theIndo-Pacific, each of these arein their own way reflection oflarger rebalancing and emer-gence of multipolarity," he said.

India's rise will evoke its own reactions,responses: S Jaishankar

STATE TIMES NEWSNEW DELHI: Parts of thenorthern India witnessed snow-fall leading to subzero tempera-tures in several locations inJammu and Kashmir, andHimachal Pradesh Sunday,while a dense cover of fogengulfed some regions of thecountry, including the nationalcapital and Madhya Pradesh,

reducing visibility and affectingtraffic movement.

The IMD said the minimumtemperatures is set to fall byover two to three degreesCelsius over Northwest Indiaduring the next three days.

It said while there is no signif-icant change expected in mini-mum temperatures overCentral and West India duringthe next two days, it will fall bytwo to four degrees Celsiusthereafter.

A blanket of "dense" fog cov-ered parts of Delhi on Sundaymorning, lowering visibility andaffecting traffic movement.

The rains on Saturdayincreased moisture content inthe air that led to the "dense"fog cover, said KuldeepSrivastava, the head of theIMD's regional forecasting cen-tre.

The Safdarjung Observatory,which provides representativedata for Delhi, recorded fogthat reduced visibility to 200metres in the morning hours.

"Dense fog at the Palamweather station lowered visibili-ty to just 100 metres,"Srivastava said, and added that"moderate to very dense fog ispredicted for the next twodays".

Light rains in parts of Delhiunder the influence of aWestern Disturbance broughtthe mercury down by a fewnotches. On Sunday, the mini-mum temperature settled at11.5 degrees Celsius. The mer-cury is likely to dip below 10degrees Celsius on Mondaywith the wind direction chang-ing to northwesterly.

Meanwhile, half of the weath-er stations in Kashmir valleyrecorded subzero night temper-atures with the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg being thecoldest place in Jammu andKashmir registering a low ofminus 7.6 degrees Celsius.

Pahalgam tourist resort insouth Kashmir recorded a lowof minus 3.2 degrees Celsius,while the night temperature in

Kokernag settled at minus 2.3degrees Celsius.

Officials said the mercury inSrinagar settled at a low of 0.1degree Celsius.

The meteorological office hassaid the weather is likely toremain mainly dry tillDecember 20 with the possibili-ty of a decrease in night tem-perature.

Authorities have also issued amedium danger avalanchewarning for the higher reachesof Kupwara and Bandipora dis-tricts.

Meanwhile, Keylong, Kalpaand Manali in HimachalPradesh recorded subzero tem-peratures after the higherreaches of the state receivedfresh snowfall in the last 24hours. Keylong, the administra-tive centre of the tribal districtof Lahaul-Spiti, continued to bethe coldest place in the state atminus 10.7 degrees Celsius onSaturday, Shimla MeT centreDirector Manmohan Singhsaid.

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Snowfall in parts of North; mercury set tofall by 2-3 notches over next two days