Kishtwar district sans MDM scheme funds for last over 1 year

Teachers forced to bear expenses form pocket

Kishtwar: It may sound strange, but it is a fact that the implementation of Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme in this mountainous district is burning holes in the pockets of the teachers, including those working as ReT as in absence of release of funds from the government, they are forced to bear the expenses of material for feeding the school children from their own pockets. The district, where a total of 37317 children, including 28582 studying in 490 primary and 9235 studying in 242 Middle schools are covered under the flagship scheme, have not received any funds for last one year to bear the expenses on material, other than rice, to run the scheme, highly placed sources said. While there are stringent directions from authorities not to miss a single day without providing meals to the children, they have failed to provide funds to the teachers for purchasing the requisite material forcing them to make the two ends meet on their own. “The condition of the teachers is so pathetic that they are unable to come in market to avoid the shopkeepers from whom they have been lifting the material on credit” said a teacher on the condition of anonymity. He said not only the regular teachers, but ReTs who are working a small honorarium have also got entangled in huge debts after taking the material on credit from the shopkeepers. The government has provided them (schools) the stocks of rice at the scale of 100 gram per head to primary and 150 grams per head to Middle schools, while it has failed to provide the funds for other materials Rs 2.69 per head for PM Schools and Rs 4.03 per head for MSs for the last over a year. As per the sources, the Middle schools have not received any funds on this account from March 2010 to till date, while during 2009 the funds for period September 2009 to march 2010 are also pending. Similarly, the Primary schools have also not received any funds during the last year till date.

Develop all tourist potential areas in Kishtwar: Sheikh Nasir

Kishtwar: Youth Congress Leader Sheikh Nasir Hussain Advocate has appealed the government to explore possibilities to tap all tourist places in Kishtwar. In a press statement issued here Mr. Sheikh Nasir has said that besides having picturesque landscape the area has many famous shrines and ancient sites having historical background, which need to be developed as pilgrim tourism.
Youth Congress leader has alleged that despite having immense tourism potential as well as historical, religious and ecological significance, the mountainous district Kishtwar has been ignored in all spheres especially in tourism sector. He has said that endowed with natural scenic beauty, Kishtwar can provide the visitors a unique opportunity to explore their inherent sporting skills as the area has a wide range of sporting activities.
He has said that Trekking is one of the most favorite sporting activities of the area. One can trek along the snow covered lanes of Kishtwar to the beautiful place of Zanskar. As per Sheikh Nasir for those tourists who do not want to explore their sportsman spirit, they can enjoy the beautiful gift of nature.
Besides developing the tourist places to attract tourists, the YC leader has also demanded that more facilities for the tourists be created, which include construction of buildings of Tourist Reception Centre, guest houses as well as road links. Sheikh Nasir has appealed the government to brought the places like Machail, Kalamsatar, Mughalmaidan, Chingam etc on the tourist map and develop all these sites for tourist attraction. He said thousands of devotees visit every year during Machail Yatra and Urs Shah Farid ud Din and Shah Asrar uddin and Government should create all necessary facilities for the pilgrims.
Sheikh Nasir has also appealed the Honb’le minister for Tourism that regular trekking events and water sports activities on Chenab River be organized to give boost to sports activities in the area.

Sheikh Nasir welcomes opening of Degree College at Marwah,

Kishtwar: Youth Congress Leader Sheikh Nasir Hussain Advocate has welcomed the decision of government for opening a degree college at far flung area Marwah in district Kishtwar. In a statement issued to press Youth Congress leader has said that by setting up a degree college at Marwah the government has fulfilled the long pending demand of the people of the vast and far flung area and now the need of the hour is to sanction a college for women at Kishtwar and a degree college at Padder and Dachhan also. He said that the people of these areas were demanding opening of colleges in their areas and Youth congress has number of occasions raised the issue. He has said that it is very unfortunate that for a vast and educationally backward district with population of more than 2.5 lacs there is no college for women. Sheikh Nasir has said that in the only degree college at headquarter the roll of students is very huge and as a result a large number of girl students cannot pursue their higher studies. Youth congress leader has said that Congress has always remained serious for solving the problems of the people of this poverty stricken area and he has expressed hope that more colleges will be set up in the district in future. Besides opening of Women College at Kishtwar Sheikh Nasir has demanded that adequate staff be engaged at Govt. Degree College Chatroo and more streams should be sanctioned for the college. Youth Congress Leader has further appealed the government especially to the Higher Education Minister to sanction degree colleges at Padder and Dachhan also.

Govt floats global tender for mining of Kashmir sapphires

Kishtwar: Famous the world-over for their unique peacock blue colour, Kashmir sapphires will soon make a comeback in international markets with the state government floating a global tender for extraction of the gemstones from Paddar Valley, in Kishtwar district.
“The government has gone for global tendering to ensure systematic extraction of sapphire at Paddar Valley in Kishtwar district. The step has been initiated to ensure competitive bidding at a large scale with utmost transparency," State Minister for Industries and Commerce Surjeet Singh Salthia said.

He said, "We have already received one tender from a global company till now. It is yet to be opened. We are expecting some more in this regard," Salathia said. The minister hoped that Paddar sapphires would now make a comeback in the market.
State-run J&K Minerals Limited had invited an Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested parties with expertise in exploration, mine planning and mining of gemstones for undertaking exploration and exploitation of sapphires in Paddar through a joint venture (JV), the Minister said.
J&K Minerals Limited holds the mining lease for a 6.65-square kilometre area on GT Sheet 52/C at Paddar, situated at a height of 4,327 metres between a latitude of 33° 20' 10" and 33° 30' 10" and a longitude of 76° 15' 00" to 76° 25' 15". Based on the EoIs received, qualified parties will be short-listed for submission of technical and financial bids, he said.
According to a notice of J&K Minerals Limited, the precious mineral is world famous because of its unique peacock blue colour, which is rarely available in other parts of the world. The sapphires are renowned for their clarity and transparency and are mainly used for jewellery, with a high ornamental value. Till now, extreme geographical conditions and lack of resources have hampered the commercial exploitation of this valuable natural reserve, officials of J&K Minerals Limited said.
“We expect to see change on this front soon, as the government has entered into the final stage of awarding the tender of extraction to a major company,” they said. The companies will be assessed for their financial and technical capability, as well as past experience, to ensure that the Paddar sapphires are mined in the most scientific manner, they added. The project would be implemented on a joint venture basis with state-owned Jammu and Kashmir Minerals Ltd (JKML), which currently holds the lease for the sapphire mines.
Extraction of these sapphires from mines in Paddar began in 1885 and they achieved legendary status in the jewellery world. The gems mined during this period are valued highly and usually fetch enormous prices around the world, officials said.
"Their colour holds up in all kinds of light, which experts describe as a magical property, as compared to other fine sapphires such as Burmese stones, which lose their rich colour in the evening light," they said, adding that the stone has a magical 'velvety' effect, creating a soft, yet strong colour.
The price of these pure sapphires easily crosses USD 100,000 a carat, making them the most expensive in their category. The state industries department plans to undertake a satellite survey as part of a multi-pronged study to determine the sapphire deposits. Toward this end, the Indian Remote Sensing Centre at Hyderabad was contacted to lend its expertise last year, they said, adding that the survey is expected take place this year.

Free fruit plants distributed in awareness camp

KISHTWAR: The Horticulture Department set up 1st Horticulture unit in the heart of Kishtwar city that too in commercial area , this all happens with the motivation provided to the land holders of Zewar, Salamkani, Nagdera, Panditgam in a awareness camp. The horticulture awareness camp was organized at Zewar Kishtwar in which Chief Horticulture Officer, Kishtwar P.S Manhas , interacted with the people and motivated them to opt the horticulture in these days to raise their living standard and earn their livelihood with dignity and honour. On this occasion free fruit plants were distributed among the people , who soon after receiving the plants were seen planting it in their agriculture land.
Appreciating the role of Manhas and his team , the land holders including Sudershan Sharma, Jamloo Butt, and others said that no horticulture scheme was known to them uptill but now the dedicated and sakeless services of Manhas they were become familer about the horticulture schemes being provided by the department. The assured full co-operation to the department to develop this horticulture unit as model unit of District Kishtwar.

Expedite work on Thathri-Kishtwar road: Sheikh Nasir

KISHTWAR: While showing concern over the deplorable condition of Thathri Kishtwar road Youth Congress Leader Sheikh Nasir Hussain Advocate has appealed the authorities to expedite the on going work on the road so that the people of this vast region may not suffer any more. In a press statement issued here Youth Congress leader has said that the work of improvement and widening on Batote-Kishtwar Highway was started few years back and upto Thathri the work stands completed but the work on 30 kilometer patch from Thathri to Kishtwar is going on at snail pace resulting in the people are suffering badly. Sheikh Nasir has said that in recent years major accidents have occurred on this road because of its bad condition and despite that the authorities seem to be in deep slumber. He has alleged that while executing the agreement it was agreed by the executing agency that the existing surface of the road will not be disturbed, but contrary to same the work was carried negligently which has turned the road in a very bad condition. He has said that it is because of the bad condition of the road even after little rains it gets blocked at various places. Sheikh Nasir has urged upon the Government to issue directions upon the BEACON authorities to execute the quality work and a dead line be framed for its completion. Sheikh Nasir has also demanded that alternate road at Pul Doda be completed at an earliest as there is every apprehension that the old existing road at Pul may get submerged into the river Chenab and twin districts Kishtwar and Doda will get disconnected from the rest of the world by surface link.

DC Kishtwar criticized, enquiry into affairs demanded

Kishtwar: While alleging large level irregularities committed in the last two years in district Kishtwar, President District Congress Committee Kishtwar Pardeep Singh Parihar has appealed the government to initiate enquiry into all affairs. In a statement issued to press Congress dist. President has said that during the last two years hundreds of back door appointments have been made and corruption has reached at its peak in the mountainous district Kishtwar. Mr. Parihar has said that the out doing deputy commissioner was always seen dancing on the tunes of few persons including few registered criminals and has committed gross level irregularities which need to be enquired. He has alleged that besides back door appointments irregularities have been committed while issuing gun licences and more than 500 gun licences have been issued and most of them without verification. Mr. Parihar has also said that in gross violation of norms the selection of Youth volunteers and Gram Rozgar Sewak was made. Against limited quota of below hundred vacancies near about 500 persons have been engaged. While criticizing Deputy Commissioner Mr. Parihar has said that out going deputy commissioner has proved to be incompetent and weak. Congress leader has appealed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to initiate high level inquiry into all affairs and orders issued during last two years in the tenure of out going DC so that the confidence among the peoples is restored.

YC PROTESTS AGAINT IMPROPER IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGA

Kalakote: One day token protest was organised by Pradesh Youth Congress under the leadership of Mr. R. S. Pathania, senior Vice-President, at Kalakote with a view to reviewing implementation of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act. During protest people of the area charged that institution of Gram Sabha has been put into a limbo over here with political masters ruling the roost. Neither the MGNREGA plans nor BPL, IAY and SGRY enlistments are being carried out in Gram Sabhas. Even the job cards and labour payments against the works done are affected on political considerations. Individual cases were pin-pointed by people where payments had not been made good even after the expiry of one year since the execution of respective works by labourers. Senior Congress leader of the area and former M.L.A., Ashok Sharma also addressed the protesting Youth Congress activists and called for a peoples’ movement against the worst-ever reign of corruption and lawlessness in the area. While concluding the protest late in the evening, Mr. R. S. Pathania charged that implementation of MGNREGA in the area has been totally half-hearted, slip-shod and fraught with irregularities, corruption and monitored by political masters. He dwelled, in detail, and educated the people about the various statutory provisions of MGREGA, its poor operationalisation in J & K and the hardships faced by rural people. He added that compulsory statutory provisions of 100 days of job to card-holders, poor response to the card-holders' job demands, payment of unemployment allowance and full wages to card-holders denied work, payment within fifteen days, etc have more or less become hollow slogans. He lamented that the job-guarantee scheme which is brainchild of visionary national youth icon, Rahul Gandhi, has failed to achieve the desired results in the trouble-torn state where unemployed youth have taken to guns and stones. While asserting that early and planned implementation of the flagship programme is a socio-economic and democratic imperative, he first of all proposed that in order to make the scheme a success, the wage rate should be enhanced to Rs, 200.00 from Rs. 110.00 per day. A parallel set of functionaries with separate B.D.O. and separate VLWs should be recruited, trained and tested in a state-of-art way with a view to exclusively plan, run and monitor MGREGA projects. He also called for payment of labour wages through Post office accounts as Post Offices are more readily available in villages than banks.

How can Omar root out corruption

A couple of years ago, Transparency International, a Berlin-based international corruption watchdog and a non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to curbing corruption in various countries, rated violence-hit Jammu and Kashmir as the second most corrupt state in India after Bihar.
In a society where corruption is deep-rooted, no body even think of tackling this menace. Successive governments have announced war on corruption in J&K and assured to root out the menace, but nothing has been seen on ground.
only organizations entrusted with the job to curb the menace know what kind of fish they have caught other than poor clerks and patwaris. It seems that our state is corruption free. It is our government's way to fight corruption.
Rivers of corruption flow down from highest peaks of power & it is just droplets at the lowest ranks. While a clerk will be greased Rs 500, it is the Minister or Secretary who hoards by the millions or the party fund of his private one. But, when it comes to prosecution or sentence, only Patwaris, clerks or Sub inspector get the boot.
If we think over the causes & solutions to eradicate corruption from public life, concrete solutions can be arrived at if the conscience of the executive and policy making bodies is clear.
The foremost cause of corruption is that there is no fear of law in the mind. Every corrupt individual is aware that Indian memory is short term. With new scams hogging the limelight every 3 months, who remembers what, happened a year ago? Till then, the clear favorite of every corrupt individual (especially ministers) is to simply stage a drama of moral high ground and resign; if you have guts and clout you will come back with a bang.
What has made Jammu and Kashmir notorious after militancy? There could be many reasons for that, including the unaccounted funds the centre has been pumping into the state. While it must be suiting the bureaucrats, the common man definitely wants to see an end to all this corruption business. But he cannot, as he has no right to know (what is happening) in absence of proper Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The state government, during the chief ministership of Mufti Mohd Sayeed established an accountability commission in a bid to show to the people that some commission is there to check the corruption. When the commission had tried to pin down some politicians and bureaucrats, a situation was created that the chairman of the commission, justice RP Sethi (a retired Supreme Court judge) had no option but to resign. Justice Sethi is now no more. The commission, however, till date continues to be there without a chairman.
Several ministers have resigned or sacked after serious corruption charges. But it is no punishment. The crores of public money they have looted will never be recovered. They have not been even questioned.
They will come back as they have their political base and political patronage. So who will make investigation against them so that they can be punished? Government agencies like vigilance organization and CBI are reduced to toothless tigers, which only follow the instructions of their masters, who ever the masters may be.
Political interests override moral responsibilities and official obligations. The Government goes about announcing it’s determination to eradicate corruption from public life but acts just opposite and shields corrupts & corruption.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is raising tall claims to eradicate this menace but how can he root-out the corruption from a state where there is no authority of accountability commission or no acts of RTI are in vogue?

4830 schools without buildings

Jammu: Notwithstanding the claims of the government about massive infrastructure development in education sector by pumping crores of rupees, 4830 educational institutions across the state are without buildings. The startling figures have come to fore in the latest Economic Survey tabled by the government in the Legislative Assembly.
The survey says that 4119 primary schools, 628 middle schools, 76 high schools and 7 higher secondary schools are without buildings and are being run from rented buildings or by internal arrangement. Apart from this, 984 upgraded institutions are deficient in accommodation, which include 611 high schools and 373 higher secondary schools.
Figures further reveal that 474 primary school buildings are in dilapidated condition with 28 upper middle schools without any building at all, while 52 primary institutions lack drinking water and toilet facility.
Likewise, 541 middle schools, 125 high schools and 101 higher secondary institutions lack drinking water and toilet facility, while 68 high schools and 7 government higher secondary institutions are being run in rented buildings.
It further reveals that only 75 per cent teachers at primary level in the state are trained as against national average of 89 per cent.
The report also reveals that as per the NCERT Report (2003) on assessment of Class-V student achievements, the learning achievement in Mathematics and Language at primary level in J&K is 36.3 per cent and 49.6 per cent respectively as against the national average of 46.5 per cent in Maths and 58.57 per cent in Language.
About 51 Model Cluster Schools have been made functional while out of 79 sanctioned Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhlyas (KGBV), 78 have been made operational till date.
The survey says that though with the expansion in educational facilities the number of literates has increased but the rate has not been able to keep pace with the increasing population. “In absolute terms, the number of literates has increased from 3.93 lakh in 1961 to 45.16 lakh in 2001 and further to 61.65 lakh in 2008,” survey says.
Analysis of the progression of the Literacy Rate during 2001 census and 2008 survey results reveals that Urban Males have highest literacy rate (83.15 per cent) while rural females are least literate (52.70 per cent). “The analysis also shows that during these years the literacy among females is at a disadvantageous position than their counterparts. It is also prevalent that urban areas have much literacy concentration than rural areas.”