Srinagar, July 04:

Unknown gunmen Wednes-day night snatched service revolver from Abdul Gani Bandh brother of MLA Pul-wama, Muhammad Khalil Bandh, at Pinglena village in the south Kashmir dis-trict of Pulwama.According to police sourc-es, Abdul Gani Bandh, an Assistant Sub Inspector in Police department, who has been on duty with his leg-islator brother as personal security officer for last nine years was travelling from Srinagar to Pulwama on Wednesday night when un-known gunmen intercepted his Santro car at Pinglena village. After frisking and checking the car, the

See Gunmen on Pg. 11

Srinagar, July 04:

The Department of Health in Kashmir Valley is a comedy of errors. While a driver in Gousia Hospital in Khanyar Srinagar with the consent and permission of Medical Superintendent is being allowed to conduct different important tests of patients, the conspicuous absence of a lady doctor from Public Health Centre, Brein Nishat force com-pounders to take care of pregnant women.Scores of attendants and patients Thursday alleged that a blue-eyed driver of Medical Superintendent Gousia Hospital has been

assigned the job to conduct different tests. “The ambu-lance driver Hilal Ahmed due to unknown reasons conducts important tests and it is irony that Medical Superintendent allows him to do so despite the fact that the said driver is a layman,” one of the patients Mehraj Ahmed said.“I had gone there for thy-roid test and was puzzled to see that the said driver has been entrusted this im-portant job,” he said add-ing that they have already brought the matter into the notice of Directorate Health Services.When contacted Medical Superintendent Gousia

Hospital, Dr Shaheen said that he has already shifted the said employee. “He is a helper and soon after Direc-tor Health Services shot a letter in this regard, I shift-ed him immediately. He is not conducting any kinds of tests,” Dr Shaheen said.Meanwhile, locals from Brein Nishat are fuming over the continuous ab-sence of Lady Doctor Na-hida Shams from Public Health Centre. Locals have alleged that the said Lady Doctor has been treating the PHC as her fiefdom and she appears at will making pregnant women of the area suffer.

See Driver on Pg. 11

Handwara, July 04:

Sleuths of State Vigi-lance Organization (SVO) Thursday conducted a raid at the office of PHE Divi-sion Handwara following complaints of alleged mis-appropriation of works and seized some records pertaining to the releasing of funds.According to reports SVO sleuths during their raid seized all important re-cords of the PHE office. A Vigilance official on

See SVO on Pg. 11

Pattan, July 04:

After two weeks, po-lice recovered the dead body of two years old girl from a well in North Kashmir’s Pattan town. The girl had gone miss-ing two weeks back while returning to her house from the neigh-bourhood.Police sources said that the dead body of baby girl Zeenat Ashraf daughter of Mohammad Ashraf Rather who had gone missing some two weeks back was found in well in decomposed manner. The well be-

longs to one Abdul Ra-him Shah.The father of the de-ceased told CNS that Zeenat has been mur-dered as blood stained clothes were found near the well. “I appeal the police to bring the killers to justice,” he said.Station House Officer Pattan said that they are seeking the expert opinion and waiting for the post mortem report. “We have reg-istered an FIR vide 156/2013 under section 363 and started the in-vestigation into the matter,” he said.

Srinagar, July 04:

Expressing abject dismay at the Chief Minister’s disowning the case related to the killing of two youth in Markandal near Sonawari, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Thursday said Omar Abdullah couldn’t claim to be the Chief Minister and yet wash his hands off innocent blood spilled in the state.In a statement issued here, PDP chief spokesperson, Naeem Akhtar said the Chief Minister has taken the unusual mix of his arrogance and incompetence to the next level after having ex-

pressed his helplessness, in April this year, on the floor of the house over a similar incident in Baram-ulla.“By arrogantly asking the news-men to inquire from army about the status of investigation into the killing of Sonawari youth, Omar Abdullah has not just conveyed his abdication of responsibility, but has insulted the chair he is oc-cupying,” Akhtar said.Referring to the news report that many government organisations in the state were headless, Akhtar said the state government could in view of CM’s outright abdication of his duties also be declared as

headless. “The CM’s position in J&K can easily be declared as vacant till it is held by Omar Abdullah,” Akhtar observed. He said the Chief Minister should instead of pleading helplessness have set example of probity by taking ac-tion against those involved it cold blooded killings over last 5 years and cannot claim impunity under AFSPA. PDP chief spokesperson said the shifting stands on the revocation of AFSPA have reduced the chief minister’s position to a mockery of the system in which we operate.

See PDP on Pg. 11

SVO raids PHE office Handwara

Beijing, July 04:

An outspoken Chinese general known for his nationalist views warned India on Thursday against stirring up "new trouble" in a long-running border dispute, just as de-fence minister AK Antony was set to visit Beijing."The Indian side should not provoke new problems and increase military de-ployment at the bor-der areas and stir up new trouble," Major General Luo Yuan told reporters.Luo, the deputy-di-rector general of the world military re-search department at a People's Liberation Army academy, de-scribed himself at a briefing as a "reasonable hardliner".He made waves last year with

comments questioning the le-gitimacy of Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands, a chain that includes Okinawa and hosts numerous United States military bases."India is the only country in the world that says that it is develop-

ing its military power because of China's mili-tary threat," said Luo, who was wearing a busi-ness suit."So I believe that India should be very cautious in what it does and what it says."A high-altitude border dispute between the nuclear-armed giants in the Himalayas has sim-

mered for decades but intensified in May over troop movements in the region.New Delhi alleged Chinese troops intruded nearly 20 kilometres (12

miles) into Indian territory.A three-week standoff ensued and was resolved after talks between local military leaders and a with-drawal of troops from both sides.The border situation was now gen-erally "under control" following a visit to India in May by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Luo said.His comments came as A K Ant-ony was due to arrive in China late Thursday for three days of talks, the first such trip in seven years.Antony's visit, on which he is ac-companied by top military com-manders, coincides with a trip to China by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.Pakistan, India's nuclear-armed neighbour and arch-rival, is a longstanding close ally of Bei-jing. Chinese officials describe their relationship with Islam-abad as one between "all weather friends".

Zabarwan News Bureau

Srinagar, July 04: Kashmir val-ley has been facing a unique in-frastructural crisis in the last two tourist seasons. After peace started settling in Kashmir Val-ley post 2010 unrest, the tourist influx is growing. Compared to 10.02 million tourists in 2010, the officials at Tourism Department say that 12.24 million tourists visited J&K in 2011. The major improvement was the number of foreigners which gradually swelled from 46,000 in 2010 to 68,000 in 2011. In 2012, the record was broken again when the num-ber of tourists touched almost 14 lakh, with 12,75000 domestic and the rest foreigners, making it the

most successful year in the tour-ism history of the state.

According to official estimates, four to five thousand tourists ar-

rive every day in Kashmir. Add to it the number of pilgrims vis-iting Kashmir every day. An ag-gressive campaign by the state government in consultation with the union tourism ministry not only assured the return of tour-ists but also of Bollywood.This is too much of a good thing. The tourism infrastructure can-not handle the tourists arriving in scenic valley. There just aren’t enough hotels to accommodate this influx.“The existing occupancy in Sri-nagar is eighty percent, but in hill stations like Gulmarg, Son-marg and Pahalgam, it is almost full,” Talat Parveez, Director of Jammu and Kashmir’s Tourism

See Crisis on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

FriDAY July 05 | 2013 | 25 Shaban 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | iSSUE NO: 161 | rS: 2/- (Air SUrCHArGE FOr JAMMU /DELHi/LEH 50 PAiSA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

China warns India against 'new trouble'

Srinagar, July 04:

The people of Bandip-ore have alleged that the under construc-tion tunnels by Hin-dustan Construction Company and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation(NHPC) produce poisonous and polluted water that has damaged crops worth lakhs while as the envi-ronment and the local population of the area face a serious threat.According to documents available with KNS, the minister of State for PHE, Irrigation, Flood Control,

Agriculture, Floriculture and Horticulture, Nazir Ahmed Gurezi chaired a public Darbar on June 6 this year at Bandipore, where the people of the Bandipora District com-plained against HCC and NHPCC alleging that the Poisonous and polluted water is coming out of the tunnels which are under construction by the companies.They said the tunnels under construction are not only polluting the en-vironment but have also played havoc in the area due to which the water has been rendered unfit

for human consumption as well as for irrigation purpose.“Hindustan Construc-tion Company and Na-tional Hydroelectric Pow-er Corporation(NHPC) turned deaf ear to the problems of the people the problems by the con-struction of this tunnel was required to be solved by the said agencies but the HCC and NHPC has failed to do so”, they said.After Mantrigam people reported that the poison-ous and polluted water comes out of tunnels. The minster then took a very

See NHPC on Pg. 11

NHPC, HCC tunnels produce poisonous water

Driver is a ‘doctor’ in ailing health department

Srinagar, July 04:

Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah who is also Chair-man of the State Hajj Com-mittee on Thursday an-nounced about Rs. 50 lakh grant to the Hajj Committee for providing free influenza vaccination to the Hajjis performing Hajj-2013.Reviewing the arrange-ments for Hajj-2013 at a meeting of the reconstitut-ed Hajj Committee here, the Chief Minister said that all Hajjis performing Hajj this year should be given free influenza vaccination. The State Health Department would make necessary ar-rangements in this regard. It may be mentioned that Government of India had recommended for vaccinat-ing Hajj aspirants against influenza. The cost of each doze of influenza vaccine is over Rs. 600 and it was to be borne by the Hajjis

themselves. Now, by the announcement of the Chief Minister it will be free of cost to Hajjis.Minister for Hajj and Au-qaf, Peerzada Mohammad Sayed who is Vice Chair-

man of the Hajj Commit-tee was also present in the meeting besides Members of the Committee which in-cluded Legislators Khalid Najeeb Suharwordy, Ali Mohammad Dar, Jhangir Mir, Dr. Shehnaz Ganai and Moulana Akhzar Hussain,

Advocate Abdul Gani Dar, Haji Nisar Ali, Ghulam Mo-hi-ud-Din Bhat, Peerzada Ghulam Jeelani, Feroz Ah-mad, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Commissioner Secre-tary Revenue, Vinod Koul and Executive Officer, Hajj Committee, Feroz Ahmad Lone.The Chief Minister while receiving the PowerPoint presentation made by CEO Hajj Committee, Fayaz Ah-mad Lone on various as-pects of arrangements put in place for smooth conduct of Hajj-2013, underscored the need for ensuring all fa-cilities to the Hajj aspirants. He gave directions for befit-ting facilities for transpor-tation, stay, departure and arrival of the Hajjis.It was stated in the meeting that for the Hajj-2013 State Government has been allot-ted 8819 seats and no

See Omar on Pg. 11

Omar grants Rs. 50 lakh for free vaccination of Hajjis

Valley facing infrastructural crisis as tourists flood Kashmir

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Srinagar, July 04:

Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) Thursday denounced the apprehen-sions that the arrival of Amarnath Yatris in large numbers would pose Uthra-khand like threat to Kash-mir.In a hurriedly called press conference at Raj Bhavan Srinagar, Chief Execu-tive Officer, SASB, Navin Choudhri said no Uthra-khand like calamity would occur in Kahsmir Valley as the Amarnath Yatra is be-ing organized on scientific

lines and all the concerns relating to environment is being taken care off.He said that SASB is not even allowing ‘Sadhus’ to arrive in Valley without registration. “We have so far sent back at least 15, 000 Yatris who had arrived here without registration. I appeal all these Yatris enter into Valley only the comple-tion of all the formalities,” Navin Choudhri said add-ing that so far 80,000 Yatris have visited the Amarnath Cave.He asked yatris to follow

See Yatra on Pg. 11

Yatra no threat to environment: SASB

CM can't wash hands off innocent killings: PDP

Gunmen disarm MLA’s brother

Dead body of missing girl found

in well

Antony in Beijing

Direct Hajj flights from Srinagar to begin from September 2013

Bandipora residents petition Minister

Youth arrested for raping minorJammu, July 04: A youth was arrested from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district for allegedly raping a Class X girl student, filming the crime and posting it on the internet."We have arrested Sajjad Khan from Thanamandi area for rape and circulation of pornographic material," Senior Superinten-dent of Police (SSP) Rajouri, Mubassir Latifi said."The victim was raped and the accused had taken her pictures and video clip and spread them through the Internet," he said.

Swiss Ambassador calls on CMSrinagar, July 04: Ambassador of Switzerland in India Dr. Linus Von Castelmur called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here on Thursday evening and discussed various matters of mutual interest with him.Matters pertaining to new Tourism development initia-tives put in place by the State Government to rope in high end tourists from across the globe also came up for discussion in the meeting.The Chief Minister apprised the visiting Diplomat about the huge Tourist potential of Jammu and Kashmir and its diversity in the three different regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.Matters relating to general development of the State and welfare of the people also came up in the meeting.

93 Dy SPs promoted as Addl SPsSrinagar, July 04: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today approved promotion of 93 Deputy Superintendents to J&K Police to the rank of Additional SPs.According to sources the decision was today taken in a high level meeting held at the Civil Secretariat here which was chaired by the Home Secretary Suresh Kumar. The meeting was also attended by senior officers of police and civil administration. Director General of Police Ashok Prasad and Director General Prisons, K Rajendra were also present during the meeting.According to sources, the or-ders were issued after the Chief Minister approved the list of proposed Dy SPs for promotion to the rank of Additional SPs.“The meeting also took stock of overall situation prevailing in the state and took a review of measures in place for mainte-nance of peace and order in the state”, the sources said.

CCC call on CMSrinagar, July 04: Jammu and Kashmir Contractors Central Coordination Committee led by Farooq Ahmad called on Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah here on Thursday and presented him a memorandum of demands.Minister for R&B, Abdul Majid Wani and Legislator Nasir Aslam Wani were also present in the meeting.The Chief Minister gave patient hearing to the deputation and said that their genuine demands would be given due consideration.The deputation raised the is-sue of abolishing of W.D.C bill system and double taxation. They also demanded review in e-tendering pattern and agreements being signed by the Works Department and the contractors. Matters pertain-ing to release of liabilities were also discussed in the meeting besides other issues.

Power shutdown on July 06, 08 & 10Srinagar, July 04: According to Power Controller, Power Devel-opment Department, Kashmir, in order to replace rotten wooden poles and carry out the branch cutting in the corridor, 33 KV line Pampore-BK Pora

See Power on Pg. 11

In continuation to this office notification No:F(DFAST/Adm-PDGIT & PGDCA)KU/13 Dated: 03-06-2013 candidates bearing following form Nos have been provisionally selected for admission to Post Graduate Diploma in computer applications(PGDCA), Session -2013 in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology:a). Open Merit: Form Nos: 51884,51953,52031,52022,51979,51850,51839,51962,51809,51833,51843.b). Reserved Categories: (RBA) 51883,51911.(NCC) 51904. Note:1. The admission of the candidates shall be strictly provisional, subject to the verification of their original documents/certificates by the concerned Head of the Department at the time of their admission;2. The candidates who have obtained qualifying degrees from Universities/Institutions other than the University of Kashmir shall obtain clearance from the Academic Section before grant of their admission to a programme;3. The candidates shall submit an affidavit to the effect that:a) They are not working in any Govt./Semi Govt./Private Institutions. The In-services candidates shall produce relieving order/NOC from their employers.b) They have not migrated from this University and are not enrolled with any other course in this University or any other University/Institution.The candidates selected on provisional basis can obtain their admission form from the official website of University of Kashmir (www.kashmiruniversity.ac.in) and shall complete their admission formalities latest by 10 thJuly,2013(4:00 P.M) failing which their right to admission shall be forfeited and resultant vacancy(ies) shall be filled up from the waiting list.No:F(DFAST/Adm-PGDCA)KU/13 /ET-173 (Prof.M.Y Shah)Dated: 04-07-2013 Dean Faculty of Applied Sciences &Technology

Leh, July 04:

The Committee on Pub-lic Undertakings headed by Chairman Mohammad Sharif Niaz today convened a meet-ing with CEC, LAHDC, Rigzin Spalbar.

The meeting was also at-tended by DC Leh, Simran-deep Singh and other officers of District Administration.

Taking up the major issue concerning the entire district, the CEC brought into the no-tice of the committee the problem of electricity in Leh district, despite surplus gen-eration of power. He further stressed on two important points for the committee to consider for recommenda-tion to urgently address the issue of power in the district; first, to seek immediate ap-proval of Rs.10 crore project submitted to the state and

second, to make the newly constructed two sub trans-mission divisions operational at the earliest to harness the power supply from Alchi hydel power plant effectively. He also expressed great hope that the committee after per-sonally seeing the ground re-ality will seriously take up the matter and find ways for its early redressal.

Likewise, MLC Norbu Gy-altsan highlighted the prob-lem of transmission and distribution of power in the district urged on rec-ommending the possibility of supply of surplus elec-tricity generated by Alchi hydel power plant to army in the district and to have a proper management sys-tem for the execution of power distribution. He also urged them on providing the remaining 30,000 electricity

meter for Leh district, which the people of the district has been demanding for as they are more than willing to pay electric bills based on meter readings.

The councilors of the area also put forth their problems related to power and the councilors of Nubra, Lingshet and Khaltsi and also submit-ted their memorandum high-lighting their demands to the committee.

Considering the grave-ness of the power issue in the district, Chairman on behalf of the committee gave assur-ance to take up the issue for recommendation not only at committee level but also at personal level.

The meeting was also at-tended by EC Health, EC Agri, EC CAPD, EC Tourism, coun-cilors, SP Leh, CMO Leh and district officers.

Tangmarg, July 04:

Equating self-reliance in power production with financial autono-my, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday said that the bright future of Jammu and Kashmir, possessing tremendous hydro energy potential, is in optimum utilization of water re-sources for power generation.

“My target is to make Jammu and Kashmir power surplus State and strengthen its economy to such a level where from it need not to plead for Central assistance time and again for every development work”, he said maintaining that his government has already laid edifice for this stupen-dous goal and various projects with generation capacity of 9,000 MWs are presently under implementation.

Omar Abdullah disclosed that af-ter his persuasion at the Union Gov-ernment level, the Centre has allotted 130 million-ton Coal Block for Jammu and Kashmir which would enable the State to generate 1000 MWs of power for a period of over 25 to 30 years.

“I may not be in a position to sell this achievement during 2014 elec-tions as the work on establishment of Thermal Power Project may take some time but I am satisfied that my

government has made a remarkable dent in the power generation sector to bring welfare and financial autonomy to the State”, he said and asserted that the economic autonomy is as impor-tant as that of political one.

The Chief Minister said that Jam-mu and Kashmir has sustained con-

stant and irrevocable loss due to Indus Water Treaty in which the two neigh-bours (India and Pakistan) distributed rivers. He said that all the three rivers of Jammu and Kashmir were given to Pakistan without having any care for the future of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Production of green energy from

water resources is not only one of the cheapest form of power generation but it is also environment friendly”, he said maintaining that the holistic development of Jammu and Kashmir and the welfare of its people is in the power development, as such, the gov-ernment, he said, has flagged power

sector as one of the most important sectors in the State’s Policy Planning. He said that under a multi-pronged approach development of power sec-tor has been focused taking care of all aspects of production, distribution and transmission.

Inaugurating Drungi Micro Hydro

Power Project of 3x3.33 MW capac-ity on Ferozpur Nallah in Tangmarg launched under IPP mode by a lo-cal company, the Chief Minister said that Hydel Power Projects with 9,000 MW capacity have been targeted for execution during 12th and 13th Five Year Plans under the State, Centre and IPP sectors and this initiative would help the State to generate more power than is needed locally.

Omar Abdullah said that since the day he took over as Chief Minister of the State, he has focused on the indig-enous generation of power utilizing the maximum of 20,000 MWs gen-eration capacity available in the State. He said a New Hydel Policy has been notified in 2011 and a Power Com-pany also constituted to give consid-erable fillip to the power generation in the State.

“My target is to realize the dream of people of the State to relish 24 hour power supply and also export the sur-plus to other States of the Country”, he said and called upon the local en-trepreneurs to come forward like Mr. Nazir and Mr. Mudassir (owners of Drungi Micro Hydel Power Project) and take up the projects reserved for locals under the New Hydel Policy. He said Jammu and Kashmir Bank have

been asked to provide finances to the local entrepreneurs in this regard lib-erally. He said investment in power sector will always be a gainful eco-nomic activity for entrepreneurs and he wants that locals should venture in this sector.

The Chief Minister said that wa-ter resources and natural beauty are the two advantages of Jammu and Kashmir. “While tourism initiative can improve the economy of people and generate various job oriented ac-tivities but it cannot make the good of the financial deficit of the State whose total annual income is just over 7,000 crores and expenditure on salaries of government employees alone is Rs. 13,500 crore. He said the government is not receiving any tax from tourism sector and this sector is also not as vibrant as that of power sector which can revolutionize our economy”, he said and referred to the major hydro electro projects like Retle, Baghlihar-II and various others under execution in the State particularly in Chenab Valley.Referring to the tourism ac-tivities in Gulmarg, the Chief Minis-ter expressed dissatisfaction over the reports of uncalled for pressure tac-tics employed by the pony-wallas on tourists for pony riding.

Your family life will give you a lot of work today. Some of your relatives may express a desire for inde-pendence and some might even try to rebel. If you don’t want to lose your cool, Aries, you should try to step away from all the excitement. It shouldn’t be too diffi-cult for you to succeed.

You shouldn’t try to stay alone today, Gemini. Once in a while you need to spend some time alone to ponder your life, to dream and wish for better things to come. But today you could meet someone who will take you places you aren’t accustomed to going. Try to stay avail-able in order to seize this opportunity.

Today you’ve decided to change things around you, Cancer. You’re about to make radical changes to your life. You feel that you’re almost invulnerable, that nothing can resist you. You’re going to go beyond your boundaries even if it means that you might be forget-ting your friends for a while. Carpe diem.

Leo, you will have the opportunity to set the record straight with some of your relatives. Sometimes some of them take advantage of your kindness, and you serve without even a thought for yourself. The day will may be stressful and you may be irritable. Try to use the day to your advantage and get your life back in order.

Your philanthropic side is fading. You’re used to thinking about others before thinking about yourself, but today, things are about to change. Indeed, you fas-cinate those around you. You’ve found a new freedom. It seems that you’re liberated from your old self and to-tally fulfilled.

Haven’t you wondered how it would feel to be om-niscient, Libra? Well, today you’re about to have this experience. You will have the energy of ten. People will come to you and ask for your guidance. You will easily find the solutions to their problems. Today the world belongs to you.

Today could provide an interesting opportunity to show your assets in a professional setting. People will be impressed by your personality and may even offer you a new job or exciting business proposal. You won’t be able to turn down the proposition and you will feel totally free and satisfied.

Today you may have to commit to some values close to your heart, Sagittarius. As a child, you were aware of the role you had to play in society. You were greatly concerned about others. Today you will probably be asking yourself if you should get involved and make de-cisions in the general interest.

You may feel your life is full of uninteresting people. You think they’re all alike and fit perfectly within a con-servative society. You don’t want to be like them and would prefer to meet unusual individuals, people who differ from the crowd. They aren’t too far away. You just need to make an effort to look for them.

You might think you’re the most intelligent person in the world. You hover over the notions that bind us. You’re transformed into an artist who’s able to have great ideas. Remember that geniuses always think big. Today you’re one of them. Your ideas could help oth-ers.

Everybody knows that you’re very strong willed. You’ve always had a very active disposition. You have the ability to surmount all obstacles and soak up all the energy that comes to your aid. It seems that today your strength could be reinforced by some people you meet or by your group of friends, Pisces.

You aren’t the kind of person who likes to lead an or-dinary life. You aren’t afraid of the unknown. You like to open up to new worlds and cultures. You sometimes feel willing to change your whole life. Taurus, to your great satisfaction, today you will probably experience unusual events that could lead your life in new direc-tions.

130 million-ton Coal Block for J&K: Omar

Sagar asks youth to follow the teachings of Islam

National Summit concludes at SKICC

National seminar on Muslim Response to Modern Education

Niaz Chairs PUC Meeting at Leh

Srinagar, July 04:

The Minister for Rural De-velopment and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar has asked the youth to follow the teachings of Islam for living a

contented and dignified life.The Minister was speak-

ing at a Seerat Conference organised at the Government

Higher Secondary School No-whatta. Several prominent religious Scholars, Academi-cians and people from differ-ent walks of life were pres-ent on the occasion. Students from different schools of the

area participated in the con-ference.

Mr. Sagar said that the teachings of Islam have be-

come more relevant in today’s context and people especially the youth should follow them for living a disciplined and contending life. He said that the religion preaches compas-sion tolerance, which is much

needed in the present times.

The Minister also complemented the organisers for holding such types of semi-nars and maintained that the younger gen-eration comes to know the importance of the religious teachings as well as history, which goes a long way imbib-ing high moral ethical values in them.

The Conference was also addressed by several religious schol-ars who threw lights on the life and the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and asked the people

especially the students to fol-low these.ater prizes were distributed among the win-ning contestants.

Srinagar, July 04:

The Jammu and Kashmir State has begged 3 awards for best indicators in categories of population stabilization, outpatient services and indoor and surgical services in the Country.

The announcement in this regard was made today by Ad-ditional Secretary & Mission Director, NRHM, MoH & FW, GoI, Mrs Anuradha Gupta at the concluding day of National Summit on ‘Best Practices and Innovations in Public Health-care’ held at SKICC.

The National Summit was organized by Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), in which senior officers from MoH &FW, Gov-ernment of India, World Health Organization, UNFPA, Princi-pal/ Commissioner Secretaries Health and Mission Directors from various States.

During the summit States across India presented their best practices and innovations in Public healthcare and there-

by provided an opportunity for sharing and learning from each other and broaden the horizon to take the National Rural Health Mission forward with enhanced enthusiasm.

The event was inaugu-rated on 3rd July, 2013 by J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah which was attended by Minis-ter of State Health, Shabir Ah-mad Khan; J&K Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey; Union Health Secretary, Ka-shev Desi Raju; Additional Secretary & Mission Director, NRHM GoI, Anuradha Gup-ta; Commissioner Secretary Health & Medical Education, Shaleen Kabra.

The inaugural function was followed by technical sessions for two days in which best practices presented by States included topics on Child health, JSSK Implementation, Post-partum IUCD, Maternal death review, Convergence in Urban Planning, Ensuring free drugs and diagnostics in public facili-ties, Improving infrastructure availability and quality, Com-

prehensive E-Health, E- Profes-sional Audit in J&K, Use of local resources for health system, strengthening & improvement in organizing the Nursing cadre in Odisha, Chhattisgarh Rural Medical Corps, Transfers and postings in Karnataka, In-centives for difficult areas in Himachal Pradesh, MCI Com-pulsory Rural Posting: Bridg-ing HR Gaps in primary health care. Best practices in Malaria control, Best practices in RN-TCP, E-Governance in Health, Tele-ophthalmology, Mobile based payments, emergency response and patient transport systems with greater efficien-cy, ASHA programmes, etc.

In the concluding session today the Additional Secretary & Mission Director, NRHM, MoH&FW, GoI declared State awards for best health indica-tors in categories of child sur-vival, infant survival, newborn survival, population stabiliza-tion, safe delivery, indoor & surgical services, out-patient services, malaria control & TB control.

Ganderbal, July 04:

The District Development Board Gan-derbal today approved a plan outlay of Rs. 70.52 crore for the financial year of 2013-14.

The District Development Board meet-ing was chaired by the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar here this afternoon.

The Minister for Forest, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Akbar Lone, MLC, Sheikh Ghulam, Rasool, District Development commissioner Ganderbal, Mr. Sarmad Hafeez and various divisional heads of dif-ferent Departments were also present in DDB.

The meeting was told that during the last fiscal under health sector, out of Rs. 2.22 crore allocation 100% expenditure has been made, similarly in R&B an amount of Rs. 14.70 crore has been released with 100% expenditure and six schemes have been completed at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.69 crore.

It was also given out that under PHE sector Rs. 1.99 crore has been spent during the previous financial year and during the current it proposed to take up the work on Arhama Water supply scheme at an esti-mated cost of Rs. 2.21 crore. Similarly, un-der irrigation sector for the current finan-cial year two schemes with Sheerpatri and lift irrigation scheme of Washkoora has been proposed with an estimated cost of Rs. 5.50crore.

Under MGNREGA an expenditure of Rs.30.46 crore has been registered. An amount of Rs. 3.21 crore has been made under IAY for constructing 644 new houses and upgrading 568 existing once. Under UMEED 2000 women have been mobilized to be brought under the scheme to framing of self-help groups. Similarly, under self-employment sector an expenditure of Rs. 2.44 crore has been made and under social welfare Rs. 1.65 crore has been spent.

It was also given out in the meeting that an expenditure of Rs. 3.43 crore has been made under Education sector, un-

der SSA an amount of Rs. 9.21 crore has been spent and Rs. 43.75 lakh have also been spent under RMSA.

Mr. Sagar directed the officers to ensure the maximum and judicious utilization of funds, so that the people get benefitted from the various welfare programmes be-ing initiated by the government for the welfare of the people. He said that the government is committed for overall sustained development of the State.

The Minister said that the govern-ment has already put in place a com-prehensive development programme for ensuring the overall and sustained development of the district, so that it comes up as model districts of the state. He said that instructions have already been passed down the line to speed up the execution of various developmental schemes.Main Altaf, Mr. Akbar lone and sheikh Ghulam Rasool also projected various demands of public importance and called for speeding up the execution of the developmental initiatives of the Government .

Srinagar, July 04:

Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports, Mr. Taj Mohi ud din today asked scholars to probe the decline of pursuit of knowledge and intellect among Muslim community even as he said Islam does not bar seeking attainment of knowledge, more so in sci-ence and technology.

Addressing the valedic-tory function of a two day national seminar-“Muslim Response to Morden Education: Approaches and Prospects” at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awanti-pora, the Minister said Islam has made it mandatory upon its followers to seek knowl-edge and wisdom, whatever may be the cost. He asked the students to adhere to this principle and contribute

positively in the development of human society.

Mr. Taj said that the modern education does not stop Muslims to practice their religion as well. There is per-fect harmony between Islam and modern education, he remarked. We need to change the approach towards the modern system of education, he added.

He said that J&K State has fully adopted the modern education system and people here have excelled in every field.

Vice Chancellor Central University Kashmir Prof Ab-dul Wahid Qureshi and Vice Chancellor, IUST, Prof A R Trag also spoke at the valedictory function.

The two day seminar was organized by the Islamic Studies Department of the Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar |friday 05 .7 .2013

Ganderbal plan approved at Rs. 70.52 cr

OFFICE OF THE DEAN, FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY

University of Kashmir SrinagarResult Notification No.02

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

FRIDAY | 05 JULY 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

How to keep anxiety in checkControl your anxiety before it gets out of hand with these minor tweaks to your lifeAnxiety is something we all experi-ence from time to time — from ten-sion before an exam or interview to feeling butterflies in our stomachs on a first date. And a little anxiety can actually be useful. Feeling nervous can get the adrenalin pumping and make you more alert. But it's when short-term anxiety becomes a more long-term condition that problems start.Chronic anxiety can be crip-pling and may lead to an inability to concentrate, constant nausea, palpita-tions and insomnia. It can also cause other conditions such as depression and even agoraphobia. The important thing to remember about controlling anxiety is quickly conquering it before it gets out of hand — which means managing your stress well.Choose low GI foodsYour brain needs a steady supply of glucose to enable it to function prop-erly. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect the brain, leading to mood swings, anxiety and even panic attacks. So try to eat foods that have a low GI

(glycaemic index) such as multigrain bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, car-rots and bananas.Increase vitamin B intakeAn adequate intake of this vitamin is essential for a healthy nervous system. All B vitamins are involved in the con-trol of tryptophan, an amino acid used to make the chemical serotonin, that helps regulate mood.A balanced diet containing meat, fish, eggs, dairy and green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds should supply enough Vitamin B. But if you are not getting enough, take Vitamin B supplements.Limit your alcohol intakeIf you are stressed, anxious or depressed, it may be tempting to drown your sorrows with a stiff drink as alcohol can initially make you feel calmer. A recent study sug-gested people suffering from anxiety were likely to drink heavily. But if you suffer from anxietyrelated disorders, including depression, you should consider limiting your alcohol intake as it affects anxiety-reducing neurotransmitters. Also, once the alcohol wears off, you may be left feeling more anxious because alcohol has a depressant effect.Keep a stress diary

Over the next few weeks, note which situations, times, places and people make you stressed. Once you have identified these, think about each one and ask yourself 'Can I avoid it?'.For example, if you find that driving to work is stressful, perhaps you can avoid it by finishing work a bit earlier or later, or by car-sharing with a col-league.Slow down Many of us are living our lives at a fast-er pace, perhaps juggling a fulltime job with a relationship, family commit-ments and a social life. As a result, we feel a constant sense of urgency in our daily lives.This endless feeling of pressure fuels our impatience when we have to wait in a queue or traffic jam, or when the bus or train is late. Instead of stress-ing about delays, see them as op-portunities for welcome thinking or reading.Drink plenty of waterYour brain needs sufficient water to function properly. Even mild dehy-dration can affect mental well-being. Symptoms of dehydration include restlessness and irritability.

Constipation is an uncomfortable condition. Previously, we covered the foods that you must eat on a regular basis to tackle constipation. On the other side of the healthy-un-healthy food spectrum, there are also some popular foods that you should avoid if you want to stay away from constipation. We give you 5 foods to exclude from your diet. Processed food: Whether it is frozen foods or burgers and pizzas, it is go-ing to make your mornings hard to get through, literally. When food is preserved and ready to eat, vital nutrients are drained out, plus the ingredients used are cheap. For ex-ample, all purpose flour or maida is used practically in all pizzas, breads and instant noodles. Bottomline: Processed food has less fiber hence they linger in your sys-tem causing discomfort. Bakery goodies: Nankhatais, kharis and tea biscuits are rich in sugar and

fat. They may go well with tea and coffee, but lack fiber. But there's a solution to these good old treats, in-crease your fiber intake, and balance it out. Bottomline: Sugar may go straight to your thigh, but it can also be the cause of constipation. Red Meat without supplementing meals with vegetables: If you con-sume pork or beef regularly, without veggies on the side, you may have already experienced constipation. Make it a habit to accompany this precious chunk of meat with salad, cooked vegetables, and whole grain cereal; something that is rich in fi-ber. Bottomline: Guess how long it takes to digest meat? No, you're wrong, it takes 90 hours to partially digest meat. Caffeine: So no one can give up cof-fee, black tea and colas. They give you the much needed buzz to start

your day and keep you going through strenuous meetings, commutes, and just about everything else. Un-healthy dependency aside, caffeine dehydrates the human body and de-hydration is one of the main causes of constipation. Bottomline: If you're addicted to caf-feine, it's better to cut down and sup-plement it with food rich in fiber. Oily food: Chips and fast foods are tempting, even for those who are determined to eat healthy. But the more oily and salty your food is, the higher your chances of developing some digestive health issues as you cross over from your 20s to the 30s. Foods that are deep fried and soaked in oil like French fries slows down the digestive process. Bottomline: Fight your cravings and every time you feel tempted to order a round of French fries make sure you drink enough water and eat enough veggies before or after.

Avoid these foods to avoid constipation

Indulge in tomatoes as they have great health value Tomatoes are now hot-favou-rites thanks to the much-talked about Tomato Festival in Spain as shown in the movie Zindagi Milegi Na Dobaara. But take a break from your favorite actors soaking in the ‘tomato fun.’ It’s time to know the health benefits of this rich easily available veg-etable. Anti-oxidant: Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamins A and C, mostly because of beta-carotene, and these vitamins act as an anti-oxi-dant, working to neutralize dan-gerous free radicals in the blood stream. Free radicals in the body can be flushed out with high lev-els of Lycopene, and the tomato is so amply loaded with this vital anti-oxidant that it actually de-rives its rich redness from the nutrient. These dangerous free radicals can cause cell dam-age. Also, remember that cook-ing destroys much of vitamin C, so stick to raw tomatoes for these benefits. So, do remember

to carry a tomato-cucumber sandwich in your tiffin box.Vision: Because of all that vi-tamin A, tomatoes are also an excellent food to help improve your vision. This also means tomatoes can help your eyes be better about night blind-ness. Cancer: Various studies have shown that because of all that lycopene in tomatoes, the red fruit helps to lessen the chanc-es of prostate cancer in men, and also reduces the chance of stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Lycopene is consid-ered somewhat of a natural miracle anti-oxidant that may help to stop the growth of cancer cells. And, interestingly enough, cooked tomatoes pro-duce more lycopene than do raw tomatoes, so enjoy that tomato soup! Heart troubles: Due to potas-sium and vitamin B, tomatoes help to lower blood pressure and to lower high cholesterol levels. This, in turn, could help prevent

strokes, heart attack and oth-er potentially life-threatening heart problems. Skin care: Because of high amounts of lycopene, tomatoes are excellent for skin care. Make sure the inside of the tomato skins are against your skin, and let this be there for at least 10 minutes. Then wash off. You face will be cleaner and give a

shiny look. Hair: Remember all that vita-min A in tomatoes? Well, it’s good for keepi ng your ha i r s t rong and sh iny , and i t s a l so good for your eyes , tee th , sk in and bones . Bones : Tomatoes have a fa i r amount o f v i tamin K and ca lc ium, both o f which he lp to s t rengthen

Smoking may lead to ovarian cancer

Celebrate health with tomatoesScientists have for the first time linked smoking with ovarian cancer - the sec-ond most commonly diagnosed gyn-aecological cancer in Australia with a five-year survival rate of only 40 per cent.Andy Lee and Colin Binns, both pro-fessors from the Curtin University's School of Public Health, took part as members of the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovar-ian Cancer based at Oxford University and funded by UK Cancer research.Their work involved the completion of two studies in China, which were fed into a pool of data totalling 28,114 women with, and 94,942 women without, ovar-ian cancer, the journal Lancet Oncology reported."Previously there was only a weak link be-tween smoking and ovarian cancer, com-ing from a paper in 2009. This new analy-sis firmly establishes that relationship for one particular type of ovarian cancer, mu-cinoid tumours, which account for about 15 percent of the total of all ovarian can-cers," Binns said, according to a univer-sity statement.Outcomes were consistent along 13 socio-

demographic and personal characteristics which were taken into account, including body-mass index, use of alcohol, use of oral contraceptives and menopausal hor-mone therapy.Binns said more research was needed to understand how smoking stimulated the creation of mucinoid tumours, but stressed the first step in prevention was for women to quit cigarettes."While giving up smoking is the best ad-vice, we did find evidence that drinking green tea, breastfeeding, eating fruit and vegetables, getting regular exercise and avoiding obesity were also beneficial," he said.

How diabetes links to leg and feet problems

Diabetes can invite complications if proper personal care, fitness and diet are not followed.Today, we take a look at serious repercussions of diabetes on leg problems. Legs, especially the feet, receive far less blood compared to other parts of the body, and for diabetics this could spell foot trouble. Dr. Sanjeev Bham-bani, Diabetes and Endocrinologist at Mool-chand Medcity gives you a step-by-step run-down on this grave issue.

How is diabetes linked to feet and leg prob-

lems?Dr. Sanjeev says, "Foot problems in diabetics result from poor circulation, nerve damage and decreased resistance to infection. High blood sugar level over a long period may affect blood vessels and nerves. There are various conditions that affect people with diabetes that may result in leg and foot problems."

Diabetic neuropathy"Diabetes causes damage to the nerves in the feet and legs. Generally, injuries remain unno-ticed and cause sharp pain in the feet common-ly known as diabetic foot," says the Doctor.

Peripheral vascular dis-ease

"Elevated blood sugar levels over time affect the circulation and blood flow. This may cause ulcer and gangrene."

How about the link be-tween morbid obesity

and diabetes?This is a question that has several obese people worried; Dr. Sanjeev makes the link between obesity and diabetes: "Obesity is defined as having a BMI greater than 27 (as per Indian

body structure). Approximately two-thirds of adults with Type 2 diabetes are obese. Diabetics are at higher risk for cardiovas-cular disease, and obesity fur-ther increases this risk. Obesity also increases other diabetes complications including end-stage kidney disease. Other complications may include sleep apnea syndrome, arthritis and fatty liver disease."

Some stats on the cases of dia-betes and limb amputations...

The picture is unflattering; here's what the dia-betologist reveals, "All over the world in every 30 seconds, a leg is lost to due to diabetes. 15% of the total diabetic population develops foot ulcers. All over, 85% of all diabetes-related am-putations are preceded by foot ulcers. Thus it is advisable that patients should daily inspect their feet and consult the doctor as soon as they find an ulcer or an infection in the foot."

What are the signs of tissue and skin dam-

age?He says, "In diabetic patients blood glucose is high and body loses fluid. Due to insufficient fluid skin gets dry. Dry skin tends to crack or split more easily and wounds heal more slowly in diabetics. Thus skin conditions should be treated as soon they're noticed, to prevent them."He breaks it down further, "There are various signs of tissue and skin damage, which can be categorized as:Dry skin is one of the most common symptoms among diabetes due to loss of body fluid and

frequent urination.Itchy skin could be another prior symptom which can be triggered by poor blood flow. Itching can be confined to one spot or may occur in many parts of the body especially in lower legs and feet.Digital sclerosis due to excess production of collagen among Type 1 diabetic patient re-sults in waxy, tight skin on toes, fingers and hands. Dryness, burning, numbness and skin ulcers could be due to neuropathy when nerves are damaged. Patient suffers from pain in the lower extremities, burning and numbness. As a result, nerves in the legs and feet may not re-lease sweat which is required to keep skin soft and moist."At what stage must one consult a specialist?"One should immediately consult a specialist if he/she experiences any of the following symp-toms:- Changes in skin color- Swelling in the foot or ankle- Pain in the legs- Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal or are draining- Toenails with fungus infection- Corns or calluses- Dry cracks in the skin

Stretch your way to fitness

Willingly or cribbing, all of us tend to squeeze in some exercise in our daily routine. But we are lazy enough to skip the most important part of it- stretches. According to studies, stretches are vital in our daily workout and equally important if not more, than the actual exercise. Harbouring a capacity to leave one unfit for exer-cise if avoided continually, stretches prove extremely beneficial for our good health. If done properly, stretches are known to reduce muscle soreness to a large extent. They affect the body's flexibility which plays an important role in deciding our strength and stamina. They also affect our swiftness or speed level. While it is necessary to do a whole body stretch, individual muscle stretches loosen up every muscle that has been worked upon. Quadriceps, hamstring, calves, biceps, triceps, all need their share of stretch. Stretching should be a gradual process and should not be done in a hurry. If done too quickly, they can cause the muscle to contract. To avoid this, one can include stretches in-between the training after the exercise of each muscle group instead of keeping it as the final act. When the sweet burning sensation while stretching is a pleasurable experience you know you are on the right track. The tightening of muscles during exercise also affects the mobility of the joints and stretching helps in relieving them. The correct holding time of a stretch is the key to achieve the required effect. An average time of 30 seconds, is what is recommended by doctors. But in case of discom-fort, one has to immediately stop pushing oneself out of limits. Another important benefit is that stretches prolong one's exercise age. As stretches play a major role in saving one from injuries, they reduce the rate of degeneration of muscles and hence keep one fit to exercise for long. So, do your stretches properly and be fitter

NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARFriday, July 05, 2013

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LK Advani vetoes Narendra Modi’s plan to bring Yeddyurappa back to BJP

Just as dust settled over the controversy on Narendra Modi’s elevation as the BJP’s campaign panel chief, fresh differences have emerged between the Gujarat chief minister and party patriarch L.K. Advani.

This time the issue is about the return of former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa into the party.

Sources told Headlines To-day that Modi and his camp have been favour re-induction of Yeddyurappa since they feel his party’s (KJP) 10 per cent vote share in Karnataka can swing the BJP’s fortunes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Sources said BJP’s Karna-taka in-charge Thawar Chand Gehlot is also in favour of Yed-dyurappa’s return to the party.

Moreover, Modi also has the backing of Yeddyurappa’s sup-porters.

However, the Advani camp is opposed to the tainted leader’s re-turn to the BJP.

Party sources said Advani is strongly opposed to Yeddyurap-pa’s return and would prefer a loss in the election to a tainted politics.

According to sources, Advani feels Yeddyurappa’s return would

hurt its plank on corruption and that he wants to rebuild the party’s Karnataka unit with fresh faces.

However, sources indicated that Modi was likely to call for Yeddyurappa’s return despite Ad-vani’s veto.

This is not the first face-off be-tween Modi and Advani. The two locked horns over Sanjay Joshi’s removal, then over the venue for

Advani’s Jan Swabhiman Yatra and the most recent one was the face-off over Modi’s elevation to the top the post of BJP’s poll panel chief.

Yeddyurappa had to resign as Karnataka chief minister in July 2011 after the Lokayukta report on illegal mining indicted him fol-lowing which a spate of corruption and land de-notification cases were

filed against him. Yeddyurappa quit the BJP in December 2012 and floated his Karnataka Janatha Pak-sha (KJP).

The BJP was swept away by the anti-incumbency as the Con-gress secured 121 seats in assembly election earlier this year. Though the KJP secured only six seats, its 10 per cent vote share ensured the decimation of the BJP.

India pitches for conciliatory dialogue in EgyptNEW DELHI: Asking all political

forces to abjure violence and exercise re-straint, India today strongly pitched for a conciliatory dialogue to address the present situation in Egypt, which yes-terday witnessed the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi by that country’s Army.

Spokesperson in the External Af-fairs Ministry also said Indian mis-sion in Cairo was in active and regular contact with all sections of the Indian community with the objective of en-suring their welfare. There are 3000 Indian nationals and about 50 Indian companies in Egypt.

“We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Egypt. As the world’s largest democracy, India was amongst the first countries to welcome the 25th January revolution and the promise of genuine democracy in a

large and important country like Egypt with which we have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly ties,” the spokesperson said here.

Earlier today, Justice Adly Mahmoud Mansour, head of Egypt’s Constitutional Court, was sworn in as interim leader of the troubled nation, hours after the pow-erful army removed Morsi after series of protests.

“India urges all political forces to ab-jure violence, exercise restraint, respect democratic principles and the rule of law and engage in a conciliatory dialogue to address the present situation,” the spokes-person said.

Last night, the army ousted Morsi, who took office a year ago as the country’s first democratically elected president after days of mass rallies across the country demand-ing removal of the Islamist leader belong-ing to the Muslim Brotherhood.

AK Antony rejects commerce minis-ter’s proposal to increase FDI in defence

Defence minster AK Antony has rejected a proposal to increase foreign direct investment in the defence sector. Replying to com-mence and industry minister Anand Sharma’s proposal to raise the FDI limit in the defence sector to 74 per cent from the 26 per cent, Antony maintained that the move would stymie the growth of the domestic industry.

In an official communication to the commerce minister, Antony said, “In the field of defence, we can not afford to be dependent on foreign companies and vulnerable to policies of their countries of the origin.”

The defence minister added that “We are importing weapon systems for our immediately requirements and till we develop our own sys-tems. Allowing foreign companies to set up their manufacturing facil-ity here will be a retrograde step as it will stymie the growth of in-digenous design and development — and our dependence on foreign countries will get perpetuated.” At present, India imports around 70% of its defence equipment.

However, he also has made it clear that wherever FDI beyond 26 per cent is likely to result in access to state-of-the-art technology into

the country, decisions can be made to allow higher FDI on a case-to-case basis with the approval of the cabinet committee on security.

“The deliberated view of the defence ministry, therefore, re-mains that the FDI cap in the de-fence manufacturing sector should remain at 26 per cent,” he wrote.

The commerce ministry wants global majors in the defence sec-tor to join hands with both PSUs as well as private sector units to produce weapons in India. Anand

Sharma has been trying hard for an increase in the FDI limit for the defence sector to 74 per cent from the current 26 per cent, while the four-member committee headed by economic affair secretary Arvind Mayaram has proposed increasing the limit to 49 per cent.

The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) has suggested that the FDI limit be raised to 74% and the proposal is under consideration of the govern-ment.

NEW DELHI — India’s ruling party said Thursday a vast new food scheme for the poor was a “game-changer” to fight endemic malnutrition, but analysts expressed concern about the programme’s implementation and cost.The cabinet issued an executive order late Wednesday introducing the National Food Se-curity Bill, which is expected to be approved by the president later Thursday and be a vote-winning measure ahead of elections next year.

The populist programme -- which the government says will add 230 billion rupees ($3.8 billion) per year to the country’s exist-ing 900-billion-rupee food subsidy bill -- will offer subsidised grains to an estimated 810 million people.It has been pushed strongly by the head of the ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, who has insisted on honouring a 2009 election pledge despite concerns about the im-pact on government finances and food prices.

“It is going to be a game-changer in terms of poverty eradication,” senior Congress lead-

er Tom Vadukkan told AFP. “If basic needs like hunger are not met, you can’t talk about (economic) development.”

Despite two decades of strong eco-nomic growth, India still struggles to feed its population adequately, with a major survey last year showing that 42 percent of children under five were underweight.The food measure, which will offer five kilograms (11 pounds) per person per month for as little as one rupee per kilo, is considered key to the Congress-led coalition’s fortunes in the national elections due in 2014.“If it wins us votes, then that is an after-thought,” Vadukkan, also a party spokesman, claimed. “Naturally anything good that you do gains you popularity.”India’s opposition parties

have rounded on the government for ramming through a controversial programme without a parliamentary debate, but the executive order is only temporary and must be converted into law.

It will be in-troduced later this month or in August in the next session of parliament, which has been stalled for much of the last two years due to repeated protests by the oppo-sition.

“It is just a po-litical gimmick in a hurry,” the leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ra-jnath Singh, told reporters on Thursday.Crit-ics of the food programme say that India can ill-afford such a costly subsidy burden at a time of slowing economic growth and when

credit ratings agencies are eyeing the country’s large deficit.“India’s current macroeconomic position does not provide the space to imple-ment this policy,” Sonal Varma, an economist with Nomura Securities, told AFP.Economic growth is at a decade-low of 5.0 percent, the government is running large fiscal and current account deficits, and the rupee has slumped to a historic low against the dollar.Indians classed as below the poverty line already re-ceive subsidised kerosene, cooking gas, fer-tilisers and wheat through what is the world’s biggest public distribution system.

But the chaotic welfare programmes are notoriously inefficient and riddled with cor-ruption. Many of the 360 million people who currently receive subsidised grains complain about the poor quality.

A study by the national Planning Commis-sion in 2005 showed that an estimated 58 per-cent of grains purchased by the government failed to meet their intended targets.

Congress won’t engineer defection by BJP MLAs in Goa: Digvijay Singh

PANAJI: Amid reports of some Goa BJP MLAs being disgruntled with Chief Min-ister Manohar Parrikar, Con-gress general secretary Digvi-jay Singh has said his party would not back any move to destabilise the BJP-led state government. He, however, said the party was not averse to the Parrikar government fall-ing on its own. “We will not engineer any defection, but if Parrikar government falls on its own, then we are not to be blamed,” Singh was quoted as having told Congress legisla-tors during a closed-door meet-ing, a senior party leader said on condition of anonymity.

There were reports that a

section of BJP MLAs unhappy with Parrikar’s functioning was in touch with their Congress counterparts and independent legislators to explore the pos-sibility of bringing down the Parrikar government.

“Singh told the legislators not to be the part of any (such) political activity. The high command is not supporting any defections in Goa right now,”

the leader told PTI today. The BJP, however, has de-

nied its MLAs were disgrun-tled with Parrikar and were hobnobbing with the Opposi-tion to pull down the govern-ment. “The reports that our legislators are grouping with the Opposition is a rumour...it has no basis,” BJP Goa

unit president Vinay Tendulkar said. Independent legislator Vijay Sardesai, who claims to have attended several such meetings, said a group within the BJP had taken the lead to destabilise the government.

He said the move could not fructify as “Congress is not the best possible alternative to form the government.”

Jharkhand: Soren to meet Sonia, Cong prepares common minimum programme

New Delhi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren will meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday evening as the two parties are likely to form a coalition government in Jharkhand. Soren also met Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Thursday.

Earlier on Wednesday the Con-gress President had held consulta-tions with senior party leaders on Jharkhand’s political situation. Congress sources said that un-like the last time, a strong com-mon minimum programme will be chalked out which will give the government a blueprint to work.

The party wants to ensure that the new government emphasizes on social welfare schemes, which would hopefully earn the party some votes in the coming Lok Sab-ha elections.

The Congress is trying trying to ensure that there is a strong com-mon minimum programme and a strong mechanism to monitor it. The Congress wants to make sure that it does not have to face flak and embarrassment like the last time when it supported the JMM from outside. The party wants that the programme should not be only on paper

Apart from focusing on social welfare schemes, Naxal problem is also being factored in. The party is also deciding on the allocation of different ministries as well.

A formal announce-ment on the Congress-JMM alliance is likely by Thursday evening. The Cabinet will revoke the President’s rule and the alliance will stakes claim to form the government in the state soon. Sources

said a new government would be in place by the July 10.

Congress Legislature Party leader Rajendra Singh said JMM is forming the government in the state and we are supporting it. “We met Lalu Prasad Yadav, he agreed to support JMM and Congress un-conditionally,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the NDA has been im-ploding and BJP is splintering, “The UPA is consolidating and becoming more cohesive and that is playing out in reality for everyone to see,” he said.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police about fraudulent websites and Facebook pages where money is being sought on its behalf in the name of re-lief fund for calamity-hit Uttara-khand.

According to the IAF, which won accolades for doing a com-mendable job during the recently concluded massive rescue opera-tion in Uttarakhand while fight-ing against all odds to bring back thousands stuck in inaccessible hills and relief operation thereaf-ter, criminal elements have been trying to cash in on the goodwill its humane action generated.

The IAF has said in its com-plaint that some websites have used its logo to look authentic and have put up bank account numbers asking people to donate generously for the victims.

A case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Information Technology Act has been registered. Police were also trying to track the IP addresses of the computers used to circulate the message online. They were suspecting involvement of a gang of cyber experts in the crime.

The IAF and the police have also urged people to be wary of such websites.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Ku-mar shares stage with Congress’

Kapil Sibal in PatnaPatna: Much bon-

homie told the story of changed political equa-tions as Bihar Chief Min-ister Nitish Kumar shared stage with Union Informa-tion Technology Minister Kapil Sibal of the Congress last eve-ning.

The two leaders were laying the foundation for a technology institute in rural Patna. Mr Kumar praised Mr Sibal for being a “learned advocate” as he sought his assistance to get special status for Bihar “to help it overcome backwardness.”The Bihar Chief Min-ister’s special status demand is old. But the warm vibes with Congressmen is new. Mr Kumar’s party, the Janata Dal (United) severed its 17-year-old ties with the BJP last month over the elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the party’s election campaign committee chief.But days before they separated, and when it was already apparent that the partner-ship was at breakpoint, Mr Kumar had courted the BJP’s criticism by escort-ing visiting Finance Minister P Chid-

ambaram to the Congress headquarters in Patna.

That gesture had sparked much specula-tion about new political alignments before the 2014 general elections.

Today the BJP’s former ally seemed to side with the Congress in its reaction to the CBI’s politically controversial chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan case. Mr Kumar’s party colleague Shivana-nd Tiwari said, “One thing is very clear that the Ishrat encounter was fake and she had nothing to do with terrorism.”

The CBI has accused seven Gujarat policemen of murdering 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan and three others nine years ago. The blight on the Gujarat adminis-tration comes as Mr Modi is within fin-ishing line of getting his party’s prime ministerial nomination.

It is that possibility that compelled Mr Kumar to break ties with the BJP; Mr Kumar accuses Mr Modi of not having done enough to prevent the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat in which hundreds of Muslims were killed.

Fake websites use IAF logo to seek donations for Uttarakhand

Aircraft carrier Gorshkov to begin final acceptance trials

NEW DELHI: The long-delayed aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov will begin its final acceptance trials in Russia today as the Indian Navy pre-pares to induct the warship, rechris-tened INS Vikramaditya, by the end of this year. The final acceptance tri-als of the Admiral Gorshkov, which are expected to last three months, are scheduled to begin with the officials of Indian Navy on-board the carrier, Navy sources said here.

The warship was slated to be handed over to India in 2008 but after seeing several cost and time overruns, the Russian side last year informed India that it would be able to hand it over to the Indian Navy by the end of 2013.

Along with the warship-oversee-ing team, the Navy has sent special-ised officers to look after the trials,

sources said. There will be parameter checks

during the trials before the force gives its approval for the warship to be ready for induction, they said.

India had signed the contract for the 44,500-tonne Kiev Class Gorsh-kov in 2004 for USD 934 million but the Russian side kept increasing the price of the warship and ultimately, it was finalised at USD 2.33 billion.

India has signed contracts with Russia for procuring 45 MiG-29 naval combat aircraft for being de-ployed on the aircraft carrier and started taking deliveries of the planes much before the due date of the arriv-al of the warship. The aircraft carrier would be based by the Navy off the coast of Karwar in Karnataka and it has already started preparing the base for stationing the ship.