CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

FRIDAY 22 August | 2014 | 25 Shawal, 1435 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 4 | ISSUE NO: 231 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 Paisa)Pen For Justice Largely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&Khttp://www.zabarwantimes.com

CMYK

Strategy meant to thwart any militant

sabotage Jammu, August 21(KIP): With their chin up following their meeting with Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi Kashmiri separatists plan to work unitedly for the purpose of forcing India to opt fortripartite talks for settling the Kashmir issue. Along-with this plan separatists may seek help from militants inenforcing the call to people to boycott of the ensuing Assembly-election. Latest inputs from intelligence agencies indi-cate thatmilitants were trying to regroup and carve out hideouts in differentareas of the state, especially in the Kashmir valley, for raising thelevel of violence soon after the schedule for the Assem-bly electionwas announced by the Election Commis-sion.Reports said that the union Home Ministry offi-cials areengaged in preparing a contingency plan for meeting new challengesthat may be posed by militants

operating in the state of Jammu andKashmir. As part of the contingency plan more than 50 additionalcompa-nies of paramilitary forces were being sent to Jammu and Kashmirfor providing security cover to political leaders, con-testing theelection, and to polling booths. According to these reports, the polling may be completed inseven phases as had been the case in 2008 election. Official sourcessaid that the seven-phase pro-gramme was to be introduced forfacilitating security forces to move from the areas, where polling wascompleted, to the areas where polling was to be held. This would notover strain security forces and may not force the Union Home Ministryto increase the number of companies that were to be deployed in thestate. Sources said that after the Indo-Pak relations had touched anew low in the recent days agencies, including the Army across the LOCand the IB may provide added help to militants in sneaking into Jammuand Kashmir for the purpose of raising the level of vi-olence whichcould create added scare among people motivating them to stay indoorson the days of polling.

RDD employees threaten to go

on strikeSrinagar, Aug 18 : In a bizarre develop-ment authorities in Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayat Raj have approached Agriculture Depart-ment for utilizing the services of Agricul-tural Extension Officers as Block Devel-opment Officers for functioning of new 177 CD blocks in the state ignoring the highly experienced and qualified employ-ees of their own employees.This move has evoked criticism from the officials within RDD who allege that higher ups in the new secretariat are trying to adjust their blue eyed Agri offi-cers as BDOs. Dismayed employees of the RDD have threatened to go for indefinite

strike and protests if it was implement-ed on ground. A letter written by special secretary, Department of Rural develop-ment and Panchayat Raj to commissioner secretary Agriculture Production depart-ment vide No PS/SS/RDD/CDB/276-78/14 has requested to keep the services of at least 10 Agriculture Extension Officers at the disposal of RDD ‘so that deficiency of BDOs could be made good to some extent’.Special secretary in his letter mentions that “As per decisions of the cabinet dat-ed 07-02-2014 it has been decided to create 177 additional community development blocks in the state. The proposal of cre-ation of staff for making these units fully functional is being finalized by the high power committee under the chairman-ship of chief secretary. “It is apparent that creation of staff for these CD blocks and their consequent recruitment may take substantial time. As there are several posts of BDO’s un-der promotion quota are also vacant, but

at the time no official under feeding cat-egory is eligible for promotion as BDO” “However the department contemplates to make these new units functional as early as possible through getting some officers /staff on deputation basis from other department like Agriculture pro-duction department, R&B, and Planning and development departments” reads the letter.The move however has evoked sharp crit-icism from the officials within RDD who have threatened to go for strike if the proposal is implemented and bottlenecks are created to stop the employees of the department from promotions. Besides this RDD officials alleged that high power committee has made several discrepan-cies in the creation of staff for additional 177 CD blocks.“Higher ups of rural development depart-ment are creating problems in promo-tions of RDD employees

see RDD on pg 11...

Creation of additional 177 CD-blocks:

Government mulling to hire staff from Agri planning departments

“Touts, dubious colleges duping

students”Srinagar, Aug 21 : Coaching Centres Association (CCA) of Kashmir has warned of another scam emerging out of the ill-flawed Prime Min-isters Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) as union Ministry of Human Resourc-es Development (MHRD) has failed to streamline the ad-mission process and some self styled consultants have started duping the gullible students.According to a statement is-sued to KNS, the association criticized both Union and State government for failing to address the grave issue. “This year’s admission pro-cess in almost closed for all the good institutions and still

All India Council for Techni-cal Education (AICTE) has not started the counseling process,” said G N Var chair-man CCA. “Now only some third rate colleges are left and it is where Kashmiri stu-dents are being forced to go.”The association came down heavily on the state gov-ernment for its failure to curb the activities of some self-styled consultants and certain Non Government or-ganizations (NGO) who are in the process of duping stu-dents. “This year again these consultants and NGO heads, in the name of students, ap-plied for the scholarship and retained their username and password,” said Var. “Now these touts are approach-ing the students and forcing them to take admission

See Students on pg11...

Srinagar, Aug 21 : With gener-al assembly election around the corner, each political par-ty has a different approach and planning to woo the elec-torate.Though ruling NC is seeming-ly on a sticky wicket with its morale not so high, the over-confident PDP has commit-ted many blunders so for in selection of candidates which is likely to prove counterpro-ductive for the party. And many political commentators believe that PDP has com-mitted the same mistakes in ticket distribution which an arrogant and overconfident NC leadership resorted to in 2002. They said that in 2002 elections NC lost 12 seats only

because of the selection of wrong candidates.Observers believe that though the principal opposition PDP has still an edge over ruling NC in the state particularly in Kashmir valley, however, wrong distribution of man-date in some constituencies is going to backfire for the party.PDP insiders insist that peo-ple in Jammu and Kashmir have full faith in the lead-ership of Mufti Muhammad Sayed, so there is hardly any scope for failure on account of wrong candidature. “This election is fought on leader-ship basis not on candidature. It does not matter who is the candidate and who is not, peo-

ple will vote for Mufti Sahib,” said a senior PDP leader.However, observers have a different take on this. They say that much water has flown in Jehlum since the times when late Sheikh Mu-hammad Abdullah would ask the people to vote for the NC candidate even if it was an electric pole.“Visionary leadership is fine, but for translating vision into action, you need a better hu-man resource and here PDP is ignorant,” a senior journalist said.Highly educated and distin-guished persons have joined PDP during last the few months, among

see PDP ON PG 11...

Srinagar, Aug 21, CNS: At least left out daily rated work-ers sustained injuries when police foiled their march and stop them proceeding towards Civil Secretariat Srinagar. Eyewitnesses told CNS that police charged the agitated workers with canes and used water-canons to disperse them when they gathered at Jehan-gir Chowk and were on way towards Civil Secretariat. The protestors belonging to different departments were demanding regularization as they alleged they have been left out by the government and no measures are being taken to regularize them. Jammu and Kashmir Left Out Daily Rated Workers

see March on pg 11...

PM’s Special Scholarship Scheme

mess haunts Kashmiri students;

Wrong poll decisions may backfire for PDP

Police foils daily rated workers march

NC has always heralded empowerment of back-ward classes: MattuSrinagar Aug 21 : Na-tional Conference has termed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s an-nouncement of grant-ing 5% reservation for Pahari Speaking people and granting an increase of further 2% reservation for OBCs as a landmark Affirmative Action move that is in line with principles and goals of Social Justice and empowerment en-shrined in the history of National Conference. With this decision, while the reservation for Paharis

see Move on pg 11...

Reservations for Paharis,

OBCs a land-mark move:

NC

Srinagar, Aug 21 : Lt Gen DS Hooda, North-ern Army Commander, during a visit to the Tosha Maidan Field Firing Ranges, lauded the exemplary work being done by the Sol-diers of Chinar Corps in clearing Tosha Maidan of dangerous material and bringing succor to the nearby lo-cal population through ‘Mission Falah’. The Chinar Corps Com-mander, Lt Gen Sub-rata Saha apprised the Army Commander about the numerous humanitarian initia-tives being undertaken under ‘Mission Falah’. Since its

see Lauds on pg 11...

Northern Army commander lauds Army’s

efforts at Tosamaidan

Srinagar, Aug 21: Senior Congress lead-er and Minister for Health and Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din on Thursday blamed the dismal Public Relations (PR) of the coalition government for the lack of popularity of the coalition government on the ground.Talking to KNS Taj claimed that the Coali-tion government in last over five and half years have accomplished certain major infra structural projects but poor publici-ty could not ensure their public acknowl-edgement.He said that several multi-crore projects were taken by the coalition government and were taken to logical conclusion within a short span of time but people are still unaware about such projects.

Taj said that Congress and National Con-ference are the two equal partners of the coalition government and they share the success and the burden of failure equally. The Minister for health and medical ed-ucation when asked to comment on his party colleague and minister Sham Lal Sharma’s statement wishing a Hindu to be the next chief minister, Taj said that he doesn’t want to comment on this issue.Ridiculing his arch rival and National Conference member parliament Moham-mad Shafi’s Uri’s recent meeting in Uri constituency, Taj said that Shafi doesn’t enjoy the pub-lic support and that is why he was com-pelled to address a readily available au-dience in the market.

Poor Publicity marred coalition Govt.’s success

Election Commission devises phase-wise

polls in JKSRINAGAR : Northern Army Com-mander, Lt Gen D S Hooda today visited the forward posts on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir Valley and expressed satisfaction over the robust counter-infiltration grid which led to the killing of ten militants this month.The Army Commander, who ar-rived here on a two-day tour yes-terday, visited a number of posts on the LoC and in the hinterland along with Srinagar-based Chinar Corps

Commander Lt Gen Subrata Saha, a Defence spokesman said.He said Lt Gen Hooda expressed satisfaction over the robust count-er-infiltration grid along the LoC which led to the “neutralisation of ten terrorists this month”.He also appreciated the relentless efforts of the troops on the count-er-terrorist grid in the hinterland which had resulted in the killing of one more militant and recovery of a large quantity of arms and ammu-

nition, the spokesman said.Lt Gen Hooda also visited the Field Firing Range in Tosamaidan in central Kashmir and lauded the exemplary work being done by the soldiers in clearing the meadow of dangerous material and bringing succour to the nearby population through ‘Mission Falah’.Lt Gen Saha apprised the Army Commander about the numerous humanitarian

see Loc on pg 11

Northern Army Commander visits forward posts on LoC in Kashmir

NC likely to take control of LAHDC-KargilCoalition Govt on brink of another bickering

Srinagar, Aug 21 : Despite the court orders and government ban, the stone crushers continue to operate on the banks of nallah mawar with the state authorities in slumber.According to the KNS correspondent, stone crushers and other plants operating on the banks is perturbing the locals of the area who said that the government is taking no action on ground to stop the environment pollution that continues unabated in the area.The locals said that the operation of stone crushers is affecting the nearby paddy fields and orchards and that de-spite the government has ordered that the crushers be sealed, it seems that there is a nexus between the plant own-ers and the local administration.Nallah Mawar Save Forum president Mohammad Maqbool Lone (Tulwari) told KNS that they earlier moved to the

court of law that after hearing the case declared the operation of stone crushers dangerous for the environment.He said that JK assembly environment committee headed by M.Y. Tarigami also visited the place and complied a report wherein it was mentioned that it is dangerous for the environment if the stone crushers continue to operate.Locals maintained that despite all the orders and strict ban, the stone crushers continue to work with the local adminis-tration in slumber.DC Kupwara when contacted by KNS confirmed that ban has been imposed over the operation of stone crushers and macadam plants on the banks of nallah mawar and that owners were informed to wind up their activities till December 31 2013. He assured that action will be taken if the crushers continue to oper-ate.

Despite ban, crushers continue to operate on Nallah Mawar banks

Srinagar, Aug 21 : Pall of gloom was seen in north Kashmir’s Kupwara area when a mother and her son lost their lives due to electrocution with another person suffered cardiac arrest after the PDD line was resting on the road side.Reports informed KNS that Reshma Begum Age 50 of Kralpora was in the market to buy essen-tials; the electric line was on the road side due which she got electrocuted. After witnessing the scene, her son namely Bilal Ahmad rushed towards the spot to save her mother’s life but he too got electrocuted and killed.Reports maintained that the elder son while witnessing the scene suffered the cardiac arrest after which he was shifted to the hospital where-in his condition continues to

See Mother on pg 11...

Mother, Son electrocuted,

Case against PDD filed in Kupwara

19 protestors injured

Srinagar, Aug 21:The wedge between the two coali-tion partners NC and Congress is going to get wid-ened further with National Conference all set to take control over Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil.Reports informed KNS that keeping in view the upcoming state elections in Jammu and Kashmir; the ruling National Conference is strongly advocating that Asgar Karbalai must be dislodged from his post as the chief executive of LAHDC-Kar-gil.The NC leadership has informed the party high com-mand that serious efforts are needed if the Kargil re-gion is intended to be regained during the assembly

elections of 2014.The NC leadership based in Kargil has maintained that Karbalai has no majority as the Chief executive of the council and he couldn’t even pass the budget for the hill council. NC leadership has maintained that session of the hill council must be convened so that majority could be proven at an earliest.NC has also reportedly taken strong note of the re-cent comments of Karbalai wherein he has accused NC leaders of not allowing the unfurling of the tri-color at various tehsil offices in Kargil on August 15.Meanwhile, when contacted Asgar

See Nc on pg 11...

11 Srinagar, Friday 22 August 2014 Zabarwan Times

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

LOC.....

NC.....

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

initiatives being undertaken under ‘Mission Falah’.The spokesman said since the launch of the mission, the Army has conducted three mega medical and three veterinary camps in the area benefiting over 1,100 people, besides following up the treatment of Master Fayaz Parrey, a victim of an accidental blast.Lt Gen Hooda asked the officers of the Chinar Corps to continue to work with the highest dedication and commitment towards national security.

Karbalai told KNS over phone that National Confer-ence exists nowhere in Kargil and feeling that the ground is lost, NC raises hue and cry. He said that Congress has the majority and that is the reason that he is heading the council. “On what basis are they demanding that I should be dislodged? They have 11 members and we have 15. NC exists nowhere in Kar-gil and as the election are nearing, the party is trying to create issues out of nothing,” Karbalai maintained. He added that on August 27, he will pass the budget plan for the council. “All the NC leaders of the Kar-gil region are nowadays frustrated as they stand no-where relevant.”

Mother..... remain critical.The locals while accusing the PPD of being respon-sible for the killing of two persons held protest demonstrations on the road. Later Police registered the case and initiated investigations in to the matter. SHO Kralpora told KNS that police has registered FIR against PDD and has started investigations into the case.

RDD..... citing different excuses just to hire their blue eyed officers from other departments like agriculture and planning to open the doors of corruption “said Bashir Ahmad Mir, President All JK VLW’s/RDD employees association. “it is unfortunate and sheer discrimi-nation with the departmental employees that high power committee has not even made any creation for Panchayat Inspector and junior assistants to close all the doors of promotion for the employees of the rural dev. Department, on the contrary to this committee according to their own will and wishes have created posts like AAO, SO (Planning) to adjust their blue eyed officers from other departments”.“Besides this officers on the helm of affairs are not ready to consider the expertise and qualification of the departmental personnel just to bring the officers from agriculture departments from back door” Bashir Mir castigated the move saying that authorities in de-partment should utilize their own manpower for the posts of BDOs. “There are highly qualified, highly experienced and dedicated employees in the depart-ment. They can be taken Panchayat Inspectors and BDOs. They are well aware about the functioning of the department,” he said. He said that there is no qualification bar for post of Under Secretary in Civil Secretariat Gazette Recruitment rules while service experience of the employees is considered for the post. “It is open anomaly with rural development depart-ment. Our department should also give some consid-eration to service experience of its employees; besides this our graduate and post graduate employees should be considered for promotions.He however threatened to go for valley wide strike against the move initiated by the government. “Em-ployees of RDD never resort to strikes and halt the functioning of the department but such attempts by authorities provoke us to put to streets,” said Mir, adding manpower in RDD has served since decades. “They are their own assets and can be used in any rel-evant field of RDD.”

Students.... in low grade colleges taking advantage of the fact that AICTE has not started counseling process.”The association said that if some steps are not taken urgently, thousands of careers would be jeopardized again this year. “We have around 1000 students from previous years whose scholarship is yet to be released as these touts admitted them in some third grade colleges. They had to sell their lands to cover the fee and same thing is being repeated this year,” said Var. “The state crime branch had registered a case against these consultants and even CM had promised action against them but till date nobody has been brought to book.”The association asked the state government to lobby with MHRD to streamline the process. “First make them transfer scholarship money to students account and not in the account of college who have no account-ability,” said Var. “Secondly state government should open a full-fledged PMSSS office in Srinagar to facili-tate the students as today students don’t know whom to approach and thus easily befooled by the touts.”The association also warned students not to under-take admission through consultants for PMSSS as there is no role of consultants in this scheme.

Move....will be 5%, the reservation for OBCs will go up to 4% - indicating NC’s unfaltering commitment to backward classes and economically challenged sections of our State.National Conference spokesperson Junaid Azim Mat-tu has said that this was yet another instance of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s personal struggle for the rights of Pahari Speaking people and those belonging to Other Backward Classes. “The NC Working Presi-dent and Chief Minister of J&K has been striving for the rights of our brothers and sister from the Paha-ri community and Other Backward Classes and the Chief Minister has pledged that he would continue to pursue the declaration of Schedule Tribe status for Pahari speaking people at the Central level – a strug-gle that he has put his weight behind ever since this government took over the reins of power in the State. These are historic developments that open new oppor-tunities of advancement and prosperity for people be-longing to these communities”, the NC Spokesperson said.

“While there are those who seek to pit one commu-nity against the other, National Conference has time and again demonstrated statesmanship and an egal-itarian vision by delivering on its promises to be custodian of the interests of these communities. This decision is being hailed by leaders and activists of the Pahari and OBC communities in every nook and cor-ner of J&K as historic and just. National Conference congratulates the Chief Minister for this bold initia-tive and lauds his personal support to the ideals of so-cial justice”, the NC Spokesperson said. The NC Spokesman said that National Conference would continue to bat for the rights and interests of the people of this State above and beyond the realm of politics – in line with its glorious history of striving for the progress, prosperity and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

PDP....whom many have secured mandate also. However, political pundits point out that many well meaning, learned people of integrity too had joined NC and Con-gress in the past. “Take, for example, Vijay Bakaya, Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, B R Kundal, so on and so forth. They could not make any difference because they were and are not connected to their people”, said a leading political analyst of the state.Big names alone, say political observers, don’t sell. It is the product and its ingredients, that people buy. Yet another political commentator known for his acquaintances with PDP leadership said he was shocked to note that PDP went with the sitting MLA in a South Kashmir constituency where change was essential. On the other hand, the party replaced the sitting MLA in another constituency where it should not have been done, because people of that constituen-cy had confidence in him.Likewise, he said, In Kishtewar, Doda, Mendhar and Poonch, PDP preferred less known faces over the po-tential ones which is going to backfire. He said that the most bizarre nomination of all was in Watchi were party preferred the son child of a former NC MLA over other choices available for the constituen-cy.“A large number of responses have indicated that preferences would change based on candidate selec-tion” said the political commentator. “No doubt “gov-ernance deficit” and “miss-governance” or anti-in-cumbency is haunting the ruling NC, but it stands to benefit from the errors of PDP, just as PDP will bene-fit from the errors of NC.

March....Association president Tariq Ahmed Pampori told CNS that they will continue to register their protest till their demands are not fulfilled. He said that at least 19 workers were injured during police action while one of them namely Reyaz Ahmed Reshi from Awantipora received 15 stitches on his forehead. Pampori further said around 1500 daily rated work-ers were left-out in 2000 when the state government regularized the services of those daily wagers who had worked in different departments for seven years. (CNS)

Lauds....launch, the Army has conducted three Mega Med-ical & three veterinary camps at Drang, Sutharan and Sunglipura benefitting over 1100 people, besides following up the treatment of Master Fayaz Parrey, a victim of an accidental blast, through the special-ists of Base Hospital, Srinagar. On a two day visit to the Chinar Corps which terminated today, the Army Commander visited a number of posts on the line of Control and in the hinterland alongwith the Chinar Corps Commander.The Army Commander expressed his deep satisfac-tion on the robust counter infiltration grid along the LC which had led to the nuteralisation of ten terror-ists in this month. He also appreciated the relentless efforts of the troops on the counter-terrorist grid in the hinterland which had resulted in the nuteralisa-tion of one terrorist and the recovery of a large quan-tity of arms and ammunition during the same period.The Army Commander took the opportunity of this visit to speak to all Officers of Chinar Corps and ex-horted them to continue to work with the highest ded-ication and commitment towards national security & the good of the people.

Corruption:Enforcement Officer

in police netSrinagar, Aug 21, CNS: Srinagar Municipal Corpora-tion (SMC) which along with other agencies is already being accused of allowing wanton illegal construc-tions in Srinagar city, received a jolt when police ar-rested one of its Enforcement Officer while accepting bribe from a person for allowing him to continue his construction work at Bagiyas Chattabal area of Sri-nagar city. Commissioner SMC says that the wrong-doings of the said official had already come into his notice and he had directed him to appear before Joint Commissioner Planning. SSP Srinagar Amit Kumar told CNS that the official was arrested in presence of Tehsildar Khanyar Imran Ahmad. He identified the tainted official as Ghulam Rasool Dar son of Ghulam Muhammad Dar resident of Hariwaten hamlet of North Kashmir’s Tangmarg town. “SP city North along with Tehsildar Khanyar laid a trap after Chattabal resident complained that Enforce-ment Officer SMC has been continuously calling him and is threatening him to stop the construction work in case he did not pay more bribe,” SSP Srinagar said adding that tainted official was arrested red handed and the money that he had accepted as bribe was also recovered from him. SP city North Tahir Saleem told CNC that the ac-cused has been put behind the bars and a case vide FIR number 146/2014 under section 5(2) Prevention of Cor-ruption Act and 161 RPC has been registered against him in police station Safa Kadal.

CA&PD scam:Employees accuse

department of shield-ing the accused

Srinagar, Aug 21, CNS: The official secret documents of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) reveals that officials of the department involved in

various scandals are not being taken to task and in-stead are awarded prize postings while Commission-er Secretary CA&PD Baseer Ahmed Khan made it clear that every penny will be extracted from them . In a letter vide number CA&PDD/Pul/2014/4087 to the Director CA&PD Kashmir, Assistant Director Pulwama reveals that 7228 quintals of rice was issued to Khrew circle by the then Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO) namely, Riyaz Ahmed Malik while the same quantity of food grains has been misappropriated by the said TSO. Assistant Director CA&PD Pulwama in his letter to the Director further reveals that Vigilance Organiza-tion Kashmir has asked for the grain bag statement of Kakapora and Pulwama circles in which the said TSO is also involved in issuing over and above quan-tity of food grains in BPL and AAY category and the records pertaining to this is missing in district Pul-wama, which according to the AD Pulwama needs to be verified at grass root level. AD Pulwama further writes that the said TSO has been indulged in this practice for a long time and the same has been un-noticed by the concerned officers of the department. The official letter according to CNS, further reveals that in the month of February 2014, the said TSO Ri-yaz Ahmed Malik again issued excess quantity of rice and flour to Newa and Kakapora circles respectively for which the undersigned has been called for expla-nation vide number CA&PDD/STS/3504 dated March 5, 2014 and the reply is still awaited. “Again the said official did not stop here but in the next month, he again issued over and above quantity of rice, sugar and flour to Kakapora, Pulwama and Awantipora cir-cles,” the official letter reads. Surprisingly, instead of taking action against the said TSO, he has been given prize posting. The official documents further reveal that anoth-er TSO namely Abdul Gani Malik allegedly involved in multi-crore Madwa Wadwan rice scam have also got prize posting. The said TSO as per official records is also involved in Mid-day meal scam in Anantnag where he allegedly misappropriated all but 30,000 quintals of rice that was meant for school children. “It is a known fact that the accused soon after the sur-facing of this scam, visited Accounts Sections office in Srinagar and allegedly tempered with the official records. All involved in scams get prize postings and it is done by the higher authorities,” a CA&PD official told CNS on condition of anonymity. In order to ascertain the factual position regard-ing these allegations Directorate of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department Kashmir con-stituted a three member committee vide order num-ber 82-DCA&PDK of 2014. The three member com-mittee comprised of Deputy Director Supplies Sajid Yeha Naqash, Assistant Director Pulwama Mushtaq Ahmed Wani and Assistant Accounts Officer Muneer Ahmed. Sources told CNS that in a bid to save the tainted official, these three members were removed from investigating committee while the job was en-trusted to Assistant Director Administration Dr Gul-zar Ahmed.

Hindu CM remarks of Sharma draws flak:NC accuses Congress of stoop low for vote bank

Srinagar, Aug 21, CNS: In a scathing attack on incum-bent Cabinet Minister from Congress Party Sham Lal Sharma for his advocacy to have a Hindu Chief Min-ister in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference Thursday said that Congress party has stooped so low that it has now started to play divisive, negative and destructive politics. National Conference senior leader and former Member Parliament Dr Mehboob Beigh termed the remarks of Sham Lal Sharma ‘utter nonsense’ and said that the sitting Cabinet Minister doesn’t know the basic concept of democracy. “What you can ex-pect from an ordinary citizen when your sitting Cab-inet Minister is trying to damage the secular fabric of the State. It is unfortunate that Sharma and his company have started playing religious card for vote bank,” Beigh told CNS adding that Congress party is desperate to consolidate vote bank in Jammu after it was decimated in recently concluded Parliament elections. Dr Mehboob Beigh further said that if Sharma is thinking that by playing religious card his party will make inroads then he is living in a fool’s paradise. “This is simply a cheap gimmick on party of Congress party which shows how desperate this party is to gain some votes in Jammu division. Another National Conference leader and Higher Ed-ucation Minister Muhammad Akbar Lone told CNS that Sham Lal Sharma is trying to revive Congress by playing religious card in Jammu which is very dan-gerous. He said that Sham Lal Sharma is day-dream-ing like an owl but he should know that it is the single largest party in the legislator that elects a candidate for Chief Ministership. “His remarks has exposed Congress party’s so-called secular character. Sharma forgot that he is the Minister of a party which claims to be secular and ac-cuses BJP of playing Hindu card,” Lone said. Meanwhile, CPI(M) State Secretary Muhammad Yousf Tarigami said that the remarks of Sham Lal Sharma are irrelevant and biased. “A Chief Minister is elected by single largest party and he should be one who should work for the welfare of the people irre-spective of caste, color, creed, sex and religion,” Tari-gami said. (CNS)

SOG party thrashes family during raidPeople staged protest, Police assures action

Pulwama, Aug 21, CNS: Family members of a Power Development Department employee Thursday al-leged that a counter-insurgency party after raiding their house thrashed them mercilessly during the dead of the night. The incident sparked a massive protest in Batapora, Wanpora area of South Kash-mir’s Pulwama district. An elderly woman Raja Begum wife of PDD em-ployee Muhammad Ramzan Teli told CNS that a Spe-cial Operation Group party from Budgam headed by DySp Operations barged into their house during day time and started enquiring about her husband (Mu-hammad Ramzan) and son Parvez Ahmed. “They left the place without harassing us after I informed them Ramzan and Parvez are not present in the house,” she said adding that neither her husband nor her son has any connection with militants as his husband is a government employee and son Parvez is undergoing training in Nursing course at Noorani Paramedical College in Pulwama. Raja Begum added that as the day passed, the same SOG party raided their house during the dead of the

night. “As I told them that her husband has night duty, they pounced upon my son Javid Ahmed. When I tried to save my son from their ‘wrath’ they started beating us all with gun-buts. Blood oozed out from my 27 year old daughter Fehmada Banoo and they also beat my another daughter Arbee Jan to pulp who is expecting a baby next month,” Raja Begum told CNS. She said that it was a nightmare for her family as she fail to understand why SOG men let loose a reign of terror during late hours. “We are feeling insecure and will never forget what these SOG men did to us,” she said. Raja Begum elaborated that one of their relative Bilal Molvi, a resident of Lelhar Pulwama was a mili-tant who lost his life during an encounter few months back. “When Bilal was alive, security men used to raid our house to seek his whereabouts but they never ha-rassed us. This is the first time when we were treated like cattle and even my daughters were interrogated,” Raja Begum said. The protestors amid anti-SOG slogans demanded stern action against the men who were part of the raid. “We approached to SSP Pulwama Tajinder Singh who assured us action into the matter,” one of the protestor said. When contacted, a top police official from the district told CNS that he doesn’t know how and why this hap-pened. SSP Pulwama Tajinder Singh while confirming the incident told CNS that he has taken up the issue with higher authorities and investigation is going on. “I as-sure the victims that nobody is above law and anybody found guilty will face the music,” Singh said. (CNS)

Authorities in slumberOil extraction factory threat to fragile envi-

rons of BadharwahBadharwah, Aug 21, CNS: Pollution in air and water has been acknowledged as most disastrous and harm-ful for human life because human beings directly consume air and water. The Government from time to time has passed several laws to protect the envi-ronment. But when it comes to the implementation of these laws, these rules and regulations are openly flaunted. A wood Oil extraction factory on the banks of pe-rennial Neeru stream here has become a threat to the fragile environs of this picturesque Valley with the lo-cal Environmental organizations blaming thegovernment of being totally insensitive towards the grave issue. In Bhaderwah, known as 'Chota Kashmir', a tourist destination an industry Cedar Oil on the fringes of Jai road and Guptganga River is such one example - 50 me-ters from the main market. The factory hasmade the life of people residing in and around this area is miserable.The factory releases both water and air pollutants. Be-sides, the chemical and solid wastes outflow directly into nearby river. The factory violates The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981, Enviornment Pro-tection Act 1986, The Environment (Protection) Rules1986 and many more Acts and Laws. The factory is located within municipal limits and around residentialarea. The residents in near future are definitely going to suffer with fatal consequences. They have submitted a plea to concerned officialsbut no action has been yet taken. The Board thus shall take immediate action in this regard.The locals demand immediate closure of the factory and action against the officials who issued the NCO for opening the unit in brazen violation of the rules. (CNS)

Poor 3G service:Subscribers accuse Reliance people of insolent behaviourSrinagar, Aug 21, CNS: Reliance customers mostly journalists and traders in city centre Lal Chowk and adjoining areas are having a harrowing experience in their bid to remain connected with the world. These users have alleged that the connectivity has turned for the worse over the past three months and this has been a recurring problem since May. “The signal strength in my phone has been very low and this seems to be the case with Reliance only,” a trader Muhammad Yousuf told CNS. They said the facility was hardly helping them to access internet as it remains out-of-order most of the times. Another trader alleged that Reliance people misbe-haved with him and advised him to switch to other service. (CNS) Water scarcity hits South Kashmir‘Problem to persist till new filtration plant is made op-erational’Anantnag, Aug 21, CNS: Thousands of people living in south Kashmir’s Anantnag areas like Kadipora, S.K.Colony and Sarnal are facing acute water scarcity for the past one month as the taps are running dry. Locals told CNS that Bumzoo Mattan filtration plant, which feeds millions of Gallons per Day (MGD) to the town hasn’t been able to maintain the supplies. “We are facing a tough time and gasping for water supply. There is no water and our women folk have to cover long distance to fetch water from other areas,” Jameela Bano told CNS adding that the scene is same in every neighborhood home. People said it was “highly irresponsible on the part of the concerned to have slept over water scarcity.” “How can the water supply be kept off for two days?” asked a Kadipora resident. They threatened to launch an agitation against the PHE department if the water supply was not immedi-ately restored.AEE PHE, Anantnag when contacted told CNS that the town will continue to face water shortage till the new water supply plant at Bumzo, Mattan is made opera-tional. (CNS)

National Book Trust to organize Book Fair

at SrinagarSrinagar, Aug 21, CNS: The National Book Trust (NBT) is going to organize the NBT Srinagar Book Fair at Exhibition Ground, Kashmir Haat, Srinagar from Au-gust 23 to 31, 2014. The Fair will be organized in col-laboration with Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Federation of Publishers and Booksellers Associations in India, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language and District Admin-istration, Srinagar. Apart from exhibition-cum-sale of books by publishers/booksellers from various parts of the country, the Book Fair will showcase a range of literary events for promotion of reading habit which includes panel discussions,

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS SRINAGAR | FRIDAY 22. 08 .2014

PULWAMA, AUGUST 21: The District Development Board (DDB) meeting today approved Annual Plan outlay of over Rs. 80.30 crore for Dis-trict Pulwama for the current finan-cial year. This includes Rs 29.35 crore as revenue and Rs 50.95 crore as capi-tal component.

The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Minister for So-cial Welfare, ARI Trainings and Pub-lic Grievances Ms. Sakina Itoo.

The meeting reviewed the action taken on the decisions of the board meeting held last year and discussed in detail the fiscal and fi-nancial targets proposed for current financial year.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister asked the district adminis-tration to put in every effort in real-izing the expenditure envisaged in annual plans to ensure maximum benefits to the people, saying that expenditure in proper and trans-

parent manner and completion of works in stipulated time frame should be hallmark of the develop-ing policy.

Ms Sakina called upon the of-ficers that the Board decision should be implemented in letter and spirit. She directed the concerned officers for developing the Pulwama town as a model town and necessary steps should be taken for beautification of Pulwama town.

Under R&B sector, Rs 11.80 crore have been proposed for expan-sion and construction of new roads, the schemes would be completed dur-ing the current financial year and 18 kms proposed for black-topping.

Under MGNREGA schemes 3599 works proposed to be taken to generate 7.51 lakh man-days while under IAY scheme 1278 new houses would be constructed during current fiscal.

Under Pardhan Mantri Gram

Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), 9 road proj-ects have been targeted at an estimat-ed cost of Rs. 94.78 lakh and under PHE sector, 5 water supply schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 8.30 crore are proposed to be completed during current fiscal. Under NRDWP sector 27 schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 60.61 crore are proposed in which 120 villages would be provided with clean drinking water facility. Under irrigation sector, Rs 14.80 crore were earmarked for providing irrigation facility to 1400 hectors of agriculture land.

It was given out that Rs 5.97 crore has been incurred on comple-tion of 6 health buildings including 2 sub-centres. The meeting was told that an Rs 5.00 crore would be re-leased for land acquisition of circular road Pulwama phase-II for providing better road facilities to the masses of district Pulwama during current fi-nancial year.

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 21: The Speaker, Jammu and Kashmir Leg-islative Assembly, Mr. Mubarak Gul has asked the officers of different de-partments to work with dedication and unison and speed up the pace of work on vari-ous developmental projects under ex-ecution in Eidgah Constituency.

Besides Sec-retary Housing, officers of Rev-enue, Srinagar Development Au-thority and other concerned were present in the meeting.

Mr. Gul asked the concerned agencies to expedite the Rs. 5.26 crore project of develop-ment of EWS (Economically weaker section) Housing Colony at Noor-bagh. He also stressed for speeding up the pace of works on the con-struction of community hall, Ration

Ghat, Health Centre besides mac-adamization of main approaching roads for which Rs. 1.97 crore has been earmarked.

The Speaker also took stock of pace of work being executed on Rs 1.20 crore Shoping project in Noor-bagh and was informed that the project would be completed within one month.

Mr. Gul also asked the concerned

officers to take care of maintenance of various housing colonies in the area and directed for face-lifting and repairing of drains, lanes and street-

lights of these colonies.The speaker asked the officers of

revenue department to expedite the process of construction of orphan-age and drug de-addiction counsel-ling centers coming in Saidpora areas.

ANANTNAG, August 21: The Handicrafts department Anantnag a daylong awareness camp for the Artisans of district Anantnag was held at Anzwallah. The camp was attended by a large number of Artisans connected with different trades like handicrafts, Tilla work, Chain Stitch, Embroidery, Paper Mashie, Gabba and Narnda work etc.The Artisans were made aware about various welfare and job oriented schemes of the department dur-ing the camp.

The department of Handicrafts is providing training to the trainees besides provides them loan facilities at the low rate of interest for establishment of their own income generating units so that they can earn their live-lihood at their doorsteps and can also provide employ-ment to the other needy people. The department also provides marketing facilities for the products also by organising programmes expose in state and outside the state for which the producers are provided stall facilities for selling their goods.

The Handicrafts department Anantnag has regis-tered 675 artisans during current fiscal and 199 cases were sanctioned and disbursements were made among 173 artisans. A loan of Rs. 17263000 was also provided to the beneficiaries till date out of the 2072 sponsored cases 1224 cases were sanctioned and a loan of Rs.77422000 was also provided during the previous fiscal among 972 ben-eficiaries. Also a subsidy of Rs. 37.91 lakh was provided during the year 2013-14 while a subsidy component of 36 lakh was also provided among the beneficiaries during the current financial year upto to ending July 2014.

Speaker reviews pace of developmental projects under execution in Eidgah Constituency

Handicrafts awareness camp held at Anzuwallah, Anantnag

SRINAGAR, AUGUST21: Minister of state for Industries and Commerce, Home, R&B and Tourism, Mr. Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo, during his 3-day tour to constitu-ency visited various villages including Pochal, Huller, Pohi, Danderna, Mandal and Town Kishtwar and took stock of var-ious ongoing development works and wel-fare schemes, besides, peoples’ problems.The Minister was accompanied by District Development Commissioner and other se-nior officers of district administration.Mr. Kichloo urged upon the officers to ensure timely completion of all developmental projects being executed in the district with-out any compromise in the quality of work. He also directed them to disseminate prop-er information about newly introduced and ongoing schemes and welfare programs ini-tiated by the government from time to time in the hilly and far-off villages of Kishtwar district so that people living in these areas can get timely benefit from these Govern-ment Initiatives. Addressing public gath-erings at these places, the Minister reit-

erated Governments resolve to improve the socio economic status of the people living in Kishtwar like hilly area of the state, adding that corers of rupees have been incurred on the development of in-frastructure building in the area during last over five years. “Various new plans have been formulated to further beautify the Kishtwar town”, maintained Kichloo adding that augmentation of various water supply schemes and improvement in power supply has shown better results in the area.Enumerating hall mark achievements of the present Government, the Minister said that all most all sectors have been cov-ered under the ambit of development and significant results are percolating at the gross root levelThe Minister also referred to the decentralization of powers and said the Kishtwar constituency has been ad-equately benefitted in terms of administra-tive units, adding that the creation of new administrative units was imperative for giving a fillip to various projects and miti-gating the problems of the people.

Restore faith of system, build

confidence among people: Taj tells ISM

facultySRINAGAR, AUGUST 21: Terming

Unani and Indian System of Medicine (ISM) as age old systems of medicine which have worked through ages, Minister for Health & Medical Educa-tion, Mr. Taj Mohi ud Din today asked the members of the system to regain its faith among people which has sev-ered due to quackery over the years and asked them to build confidence of people by working with dedication and effective patient care.

Inaugurating a daylong seminar on Medical Pluralism & Role of AYUSH

doctors in primary healthcare deliv-ery here today, the Minister asked the Unani and Ayurvedic doctors to work with dedication among masses and get the system of medicine regain its faith and credibility.

He said continued quackery of past decades have led to a situation where patients don’t have that much of trust with their system of medicine. He said with the availability of latest diagnos-tic tools coupled with renewed dedica-tion among the doctors, the system can have a turnaround given its strong his-torical base.

Mr. Taj suggested devising a fool-proof system of testing Unani drugs for which he advised setting up of proper laboratories. He said once the Unani drugs are tested and verified properly like the Allopathic system it would automatically restore the faith among patients.

The Minister said people all around globe are now turning to traditional systems of medicine for their safe and side effect free treatments.

Kichloo visits Kishtwar to take stock of dev. works, peoples’ problems

Seminar on Medical Pluralism held

SHOPIAN, August 21: The Hajj pilgrims of Tehsil Shopian, Imam Sahib and Keegam shall be vaccinated at District Hospital Shopian on August 23 and 24, 2014 while as the vaccination of Hajj pilgrims of Tehsil Keller shall be conducted on August 23 & 24, 2014 at Sub-Dis-trict Hospital, Keller. Similarly, the vaccination of the Hajj pilgrims of Tehsil Zainapora, Chitragam and Her-man shall be conducted on August 23 & 24, 2014 at CHC Zainapora.The concerned selected Hajj pilgrims are ac-cordingly informed to get immunized at the respective venues on the scheduled dates which shall commence at 10 a.m on all the notified dates.

19 cases settled in Bandipora lok adalat

BANDIPORA, August 21: A lok Adalat was held un-der the chairmanship of Chairman Tehsil Legal Servic-es Committee Bandipora at court complex Bandipora today.

As many as 32 cases of various natures were taken up out of which 19 cases were settled amicably during the lok Adalat.An amount of Rs. 2100 was also realised as fine during the lok Adalat.

Vaccination programme for Hajj pilgrims of district

Shopian notified

Holistic, need based develop-ment of Rural Areas done:

SagarSRINAGAR, AUGUST 21:

Maintaining that holistic and need based development of Ru-ral and far flung areas has been ensured by implementing vari-ous welfare programmes and schemes, the minister for Rural Development & Panchayats, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar to-day said that certain forces are trying to negate the achieve-ments registered by the present government by spreading false propaganda.

The Minister was address-ing a mammoth gathering after laying foundation stone of Mod-al Village at Wadwan, Block

Narbal in Budgam district. The village would be having all the modern facilities including CFCs, Mini Stadium, Shopping Complexes etc.

MLA, Budgam Aga Syed

Ruhullah, Deputy Commis-sioner Budgam, Mr. Manzoor Ahmad Lone , Director Rural Development Kashmir, Mir Altaf Ahmad and other senior officers of RDD and district

administration were present on the occasion.

R e f e r r i n g to the various initiatives un-dertaken by the government for d e v e l o p m e n t of the state, the minister said that 177 CD Blocks have been created which would further acceler-ate the pace of development. He said that the new administra-tive units would start function-ing from the 1st week of Septem-ber and in this regard the nec-

essary exercises have already been completed. “This would be a befitting reply to those forces that were criticizing the government’s move of creating

the administrative units”, he maintained.

“The pace of various schemes of Rural Develop-ment like MGNREGA, IAY, NBA has been accelerated and these have been instrumental in changing the socio economic profile of rural areas besides providing the job opportuni-ties and asset creation”, said the minister adding that the people at the grass root level have also been involved in day to day governance by putting in place a vibrant and empowered Panchayati raj system wherein the masses have been made the major stake holders in policy formulation and implementa-tion as well.

MLA, Budgam also spoke on the occasion and enumerated the various initiatives under-taken by the government for the sustained development of the area. He said that schemes in the sectors of PHE, PDD, R&B, RDD have contributed immensely in ensuring the de-velopment of the Budgam area.

Foundation stone of Modal Village Wadwan laid

DDB approves Rs 80.30 cr annual plan for Pulwama

Sakina asks for implementing Board decisions in letter and sprit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Microbiology is the vast and interesting field in the biologicalsciences. It’s known as Mother of all bio-

logicalsciences as it possesses high capacity to revolutionize all sectors ofbiology throughout the world. Mi-crobiologyis the study of living organisms that are invisible to the naked eye,such as bacteria, fungi, viruses etc. Its factthat without a single instru-ment called as - Microscope, the wholeworld of microbes would have been unknownto us. People have long wondered about the microscopic world ofbacteria and viruses. While some societiesmade a connection long ago between microbes and dis-eases. Microbiologyis not a mere study of the structuraldiversity and classification of mi-crobes but encompasses the wholegamut of microbial life. There are somany types of microbes living on the planet, so this field ofmicrobiology offers many possible areas of study.Microbes are found everywhere like air, water, soil, plants, rocks andin the bodies of other living or-ganisms.That’s the reason microbiologists study not only microorganismsthemselves but also their interac-tion with thesesurroundings.There are different branches of mi-crobiology as few are mentionedhere, medical microbiology, envi-

ronmentmicrobiology, food and dairy microbiology, pharmaceuti-calmicrobiology, agricultural mi-crobiology, veterinarymicrobiology etc. All branches of microbiology deals with themicroorganisms that affect the ani-mals,environment, food, health and other areas.How microbiology is related with different fields of sci-ence:Medical microbiology - This branch of microbiology deals withpathogenic microbes. Their life cy-cle,physiology, genetics, reproduc-tion etc. Many of these microbes provideremedies for microbial dis-eases.Food and dairy microbiolo-gy – It deals in various aspects like foodprocessing, food preservation, canning,pasteurization of milk,

study of food born microbial diseas-es andtheir control. The water used for the foodprocessing is being studied for its microbial limits.Environmental microbiology – In this branch we study about the role ofmicrobes in maintaining the qualityof environment. Other than this, in-fluence of microbes in degradationand decay of natural wastes. Waste watertreatment and microbiological analysis of water from different resources.Pharmaceutical micro-biology – The maximum benefit of

microbiology andmicrobes has been utilized bypharmaceutical sciences. Microbes are being used for the production oflarge number of antibiotics, vac-cinesand other drugs from decades. Microbiology is used in drug test-ing andenvironmental monitoring.Agricultural microbiology - The role of microbiology in agriculture isof great importance and is mak-ingnew ground in agriculture. Here we study about useful as well asharmful ness of microbes in ag-riculture. Themicrobes used in agriculture act as bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides,as well as nitrogen fixers and in several otherareas.Industrial microbiology – To study the role of microorganisms in

industries, like fermentation and fermentedproducts, enzyme pro-duction and rest metabolites, single cell proteinsand other processes for the produc-tion ofdifferent microbial products. Other than this isolation of mostpotential microbial isolate for the production ofspecific product to reduce energy utilization and eco-nomic cost.Microorganisms are being used in industries for the production ofdifferent microbial products. Untilmicrobiology and its scope is not understood by the students it’s notpossible to look for a bright future

inbiological science. Industries like detergent, food and dairy,pharma-ceutical, beverage, leather, and juiceindustries use microbiology as a key to maintain good quality of their products.Microbiology and its methods are used in diverse areas of research.The role of microbiology on the ad-vancesin the health care industry, espe-cially in pharmaceutical and med-icalindustry has led to great discover-ies, fromvaccines to devices. The microbes are known as base in differentarears of molecular biology and biotechnologyand are being used as a valuable tool by scientists in research. Wholetogether microbiology is applicable in very corner of biologicalsciences and owns much more po-tential and scope. Microorganisms foundin differentenvironments possess high applica-tion right from domestic up tocommercial level. Microbiology keeps mainshare in all the fields like food, wa-ter, environment, beverage,health, pharma, agriculture, lather etc.In all other states of India microbi-ology is compulsory subject atinter as well as at UG and PG level but here inJ&K this subjects has not been in-troduced yet at Inter level. Eventhough students of J&K possess world classbrain, it’s very much meaningful if these minds are uti-lized for thedevelopment of biological sciences with thebase of microbiology. The soil of J&K owns such class of mi-crobialpopulation (fungi, bacteria, yeasts etc.)that can be used for the produc-tion of important and valuablemicrobial products (antibiotics, en-zymes etc.). Soit’s important for the new generations to take a chance and learn moreabout microbiology as it leads us to newworld with immune applica-tions.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Friday 22 August 2014

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

Congress should shut stinking mouths

Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.”

Quote of the day

― Nicholas Sparks,

Perhaps congress party which has suffered a humili-ating defeat in the recently held Lok

Sabha Elections and appre-hending worse than that in J&K assembly elections is not learning a lesson and is continuing with its policy of divide and rule on which it thrived since independence and continuously ruled the country baring some inter-vals. This Party always ex-ploited the sentiments of Muslims and gained their support but in fact did noth-ing for their welfare and de-velopment. Not only this, it is during congress regime that the country witnessed worst kind of communal ri-ots and the sufferings of mi-nority community. Howev-er, it always shed crocodile tears on the pathetic condi-tion of Muslims who are still living mostly below poverty line. This community has deliberately been deprived of even the basic educa-tion and its share in central govt. services is negligible. Now as the party has lost power at centre and various states, its frustration has in-creased and now it is trying to use different tricks to re-gain pride. The statement of state P.H.E. minister Sham Lal Sharma is indicative of this frustration. Has Con-gress Party ever advocated that the country which has about 20 crore Muslim pop-ulation should also have a Muslim Prime Minister? If that is not the case then deranged ideas like that of P.H.E. minister saying that the next Chief Minister should be a Hindu, is noth-ing but a dirty trick to gain political mileage in Jammu province and save the par-ty from being totally wiped out in the coming assembly elections. Congress party should shut the mouth of leaders like him and should not try to communalize this state which has always stood for communal harmo-ny and brotherhood.

Daily Zabarwan TimesEDITORIAL/ OPINIONEDITORIAL/ OPINIONDaily Zabarwan TimesSrinagar, Sunday 09 March 2014

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

Election preparedness at

full swing

As the elections to the Lok Sabha have been announced, the Return-

ing Officers in different parts of the country have gone all out for the election preparedness so that free and fair elections are made possible, the code of conduct is implemented in real perspective and more and more voters are enrolled in the voter lists. The training programmes for Booth Level Officers have already started so have started the meetings of the concerned officers with the political parties to create awareness about the whole electoral process. Today special camps are being held all over the country so that young voters are given a final chance to enroll themselves and caste their valuable vote for elect-ing their representatives. This election is called the mother of all elections because the elec-tion situation is totally different from the previous elections. As there is no political group or alliance which seems to be in total command throughout the country, hence the Election Commission has more respon-sibilities to hold free and fair elections as India has the rep-utation of being not only the largest democracy of the world but also because of the institu-tion of Election Commission which has always stood the test of the time and remained un-biased in whatever the condi-tions. The elections to the Lok Sabha will be held in 9 phases and elaborate security arrange-ments are being made to make the situation conducive for the voters who are expected to cast their vote without any coercion or threat perception. There are some areas which are over sen-sitive like North East and Jam-mu & Kashmir and as usual the Election Commission is mak-ing proper security arrange-ments in these areas. If we take example of Panchayat elections in J&K, the large scale partici-pation may be surely an indica-tor that this time also the voters will turn in bulk to cast their vote. It is imperative that the people particularly the young generation votes so that only those representatives are elect-ed who have good image and spotless carrier and will serve the people in a better way and mitigate their problems.

Building not just Roads but Nation

Transport system is consid-ered as the life line of any nation. Road Infrastruc-ture, because of its easy accessibility, flexibility in

operation, door to door service and re-liability occupies a dominant position in the transportation system. It is vital for unleashing economic growth and is a critical component of all inclusive growth. In the last few decades, Road transport in India has registered tre-mendous growth and has become the most preferred mode of transport. The share of road transport in carrying the passengers and goods is more than 80% and 60% of the total passenger and freight movement respectively.

Road Network India has huge network of roads to-talling about 46.90 lakh km. The road density in India at present is nearly 1.43 km per sq. km of area which com-pares favourably with many coun-tries. Responsibility of development of this network rests with the Central Government, State Governments and local Government. National High-ways (NH), having total length of 82,803 km, constitutes less than 2% of the total road network. However, these are the main arteries carrying more than 40% of the total road traf-fic. Development of NHs is the respon-sibility of the Central Government.Good and efficient transport infra-structure is an essential pre-requisite for the economic growth of a nation. It has been the endeavor of the Gov-ernment to provide speedy, safe and efficient road transport network. It is recognized that modernisation of infrastructure is the key to attain higher GDP. India’s Transport sec-tor as a whole contributes about 5.5% to the GDP, with road transport con-tributing the lion’s share. India has emerged as one of the fastest growing economy in the world. According to experts, India could unleash its full potential, provided, it improves the infrastructure facilities, which are at present not sufficient to meet the growing demand of the economy. To address emerging demand by catch-ing up with the economic and social growth of the country, a massive Road development programme has been

taken up in the country.

NHDP The National Highways Develop-ment Project (NHDP) is the flagship programme, for development of less developed areas, dedicated regional programmes like the Special Acceler-ated Road Development Programme for the North-East (SARDP-NE) and the Special Programme for the Left Wing Extremism affected areas have also been taken up. Now, there are plans for building up Expressways in the Country. Three projects i.e. East-ern Peripheral Expressway in National Capital Region, Delhi - Meerut Express-way and Mumbai – Vadodra Express-way covering about 650 km are target-ed during the current financial year. Planning for Bengaluru – Chennai and Delhi – Jaipur Expressways are also in advance stages. All these Expressways will be fully access controlled roads on green field alignment. To meet with the massive require-ment of funds, innovative means of fi-nancing and financing strategies which inter alia include cess on fuel, private sector participation including foreign investment, borrowing from the mar-ket as well as budgetary support have been adopted. A major step was to at-tract foreign as well as domestic invest-ments through Public Private Partner-ship (PPP). Involving the private sector would lead to increasing efficiency with the help of using modern technol-ogy. The private sector has more flex-ible procurement and decision-making procedures and therefore, it can speed up implementation efforts. Allowing private sector to raise capital/funds has paved the way for the Government to use its scarce resources efficiently and effectively. Several new materials of road construction are also emerging that would need to be encouraged de-pending upon their cost effectiveness. For development of National High-ways in the Country in the 12 five year plan targets to invest Rs 1,44,769 crores from budgetary support, Rs 64,834 crores from IEBR and Rs 1,87,995 crores from private sector participation.Launched in 1998, the NHDP program represents the largest road construc-tion project ever undertaken to boost

the development of the National High-ways in the country. The program is aimed at the development of about 50,000 km of National Highways. Golden Quadrilateral which provides four-lane connectivity between four metros, is complete, while the North-South-East-West (NSEW) corridor is about to be completed. Four laning and six laning is underway at many places and progressing at brisk pace, despite the hurdles in land acquisi-tion, obtaining environment and for-est clearances, high cost debt etc,. So far work on more than 21,000 km have been completed and in about 12,350 km works are in progress. Other flag-ship regional programmes which in-cludes SARDP-NE and roads in LWE affected areas covers development of about 12,000 km of roads out of which work has already been completed in about 3800 kms.

Mode of Projects The emphasis has been to take up progressively more and more in-frastructure projects through private sector participation on BOT (Toll) basis so that more public funds are available for social sectors such as Health, Education, etc. However, it would not be practically possible to take up development of the majority of the highway stretches on BOT (Toll) mode. This has reflected in the recent trends of bidding when in majority of roads projects we could not get the favourable response. Accordingly, re-cently, Ministry has decided to take up road projects as turnkey Engineer-ing Procurement Construction (EPC) contracts basis which would help to reduce construction time and is ex-pected to improve quality of work as well. Also, in this system the objec-tive to garner private sector efficiency is retained and the private entrepre-neurs are free to use new technology to speed up their works

New InitiativesE-Tolling The experience on present tolling system is associated with con-gestion and delays at toll plazas. To overcome this, Government has de-cided adoption of Electronic Toll Col-lection (ETC) system across National

Highways in India, which would en-able toll to be collected electronically from vehicles at toll plazas while the vehicle is in motion. Pilot projects have already been taken up in this re-gard which will pave way for nation-wide interoperable ETC at all the toll plazas on National Highways by 2014.New Materials Besides financing, such a mammoth development pro-gramme requires huge amount of natural resources. As such conserva-tion of the material is area of concern for all. There is a need to save scarce physical resource like aggregates, sand, earth, cement, bitumen, etc. looking to huge programme of con-struction of highways in the country. On the other hand, the Nation is facing problem of the disposal & storage of in-dustrial waste like fly-ash, copper slag, marble slurry, etc. Efforts are on in utilizing these waste materials in con-struction of roads through complete/partial replacement of conventional materials. Cashless Treatment of accident Victims (A Road Safety initiative) India has the dubious distinction of having maxi-mum number of fatalities on roads. During the year 2011, there were around 5 lakh road accidents result-ing in the deaths of over 1.42 lakh people. Each day, nearly 390 people die on our roads. In India more than half of road accident victims are in the age group 20-65 years. The loss of the main bread earner and head of household due to death or dis-ability can be catastrophic, leading to lower living standards and poverty, in addition to the human cost of bereave-ment. This is an unacceptable price to pay for mobility. The Ministry has already taken up multi-pronged strategy in his regard. The latest mile-stone in this area is a Pilot Project for “implementation of cashless medical treatment to the accident victims” for the first 48 hours. Under this scheme accident victims will be provided free treatment during this period as a result immediate relief can be pro-vided to the accident victim, which will go a long way in reducing fatali-ties on our road.Completion of programmes already taken up is expected to go a long way in contributing towards building the Nation.

Empowering Mentally Ill to Live with Dignity

Mental health represents a critical indicator of hu-man development, serves as a key determinant of well-being, quality of life

and is the basis for social stability. So-cial and economic impact of poor men-tal health is pervasive and far reaching, leading to poverty, high unemployment rates, poor educational and health out-comes, among others. There is a need for a wider recognition of mental and emotional well-being as a core indicator of human development, and it is neces-sary to integrate a mental health and psychosocial perspective into all devel-opment and humanitarian policies, pro-grammes.Persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities represent a significant pro-portion of the world’s population. One in four people globally experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. Al-most one million people die due to sui-cide every year and depression is ranked third in the global burden of disease, and is projected to rank first in 2030. In India prevalence of mental disorders is 6-7% for common mental disorders and 1-2% for severe mental disorders. Treatment gap for severe mental disorders is ap-proximately 50% and in case of Common mental Disorders it is over 90%.With such a magnitude of mental disorders it becomes necessary to promote mental health services for the well being of gen-eral population, in addition to provide treatment for mental illnesses.Persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities often face stigma and dis-crimination due to widely held miscon-ceptions about the causes and nature of mental health conditions. Persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities also experience high levels of physical abuse. They encounter restrictions in their ex-ercise of socio-politico-economic rights

in the majority of countries, largely due to the false assumption that they are not able to carry out their responsibilities, manage their own affairs and make deci-sions about their lives.Though mental health conditions are one of the leading causes of disability, persons with mental and psychosocial disabilities often lack resources to main-tain basic living standards. Further-more, they are one of the most neglected and discriminated groups in develop-ment policies and programmes. Integra-tion of mental health into development efforts is a cost effective pro-poor strat-egy. There are cost effective treatments available for most mental illnesses, and effective treatment is associated with reductions in overall health-care costs. Child development, education, health, social welfare policies and pro-grammes must integrate mental and psychosocial aspects.In India, National Mental Health Pro-gramme (NMHP) was started in 1982 with the objectives to ensure avail-ability and accessibility of minimum mental health care for all, to encourage mental health knowledge and skills and to promote community participation in mental health service development and to stimulate self-help in the communi-ty. Gradually, the approach of mental health care services has shifted from hospital based care (institutional) to community based mental health care, as majority of mental disorders do not require hospitalization and can be managed at community level. During IX five year plan, Dis-trict Mental Health Programme was initiated (1996) and at present DMHP is covering 123 districts in 30 States and UTs. In addition to early identifi-cation and treatment of mentally ill, District Mental Health Programme has now incorporated promotive and pre-

ventive activities for positive mental health which includes; School Mental Health services; College Counselling services; work place stress manage-ment and suicide prevention services. Efforts are being made to improve hu-man resource availability in mental health sector so that mentally ill gets required attention and persons hav-ing a predilection for mentally illness can get good advice, counselling at the initial stages itself. Components of NHMP are being brought under the overall umbrella of National Rural Health Mission so that the States are able to plan requirements concern-ing Mental Health services as part of the respective project plans. Rs.623.45 crore has been approved as XI plan out-lay (upto 2012) for the National Mental Health Programme.However, recognizing the difficulties/stigma faced by mentally ill persons the Government is in the process of providing a humane, patient centric le-gal framework for mentally ill patients. The proposed Mental Health Care bill can be a ‘Game changer’ in the life of millions of mentally ill persons who were often victims of inhuman and degrading treatment, abuse and ridi-cule, both at the community level and at health care delivery establishments.The proposed Mental Health Care bill is significant in terms of Rights’ Approach that is being adopted to give pre-emi-nence to the preferences and opinion of the mentally ill person to a major extent. Provisions like ‘Advance Directive’ em-powers every person to make directive on how he wishes to be cared and treated for mental illness or not. Other salient provisions are;· A mentally ill person admitted to a mental health establish-ment shall have a right to receive or re-fuse visitors, phone calls, mail,etc· A mentally ill person has a right

to have treatment in his locality / resi-dence and can prefer only minimum treatment/care at mental health estab-lishments. This is to ensure that the pa-tient is allowed to live in, be part of and not be segregated from society to the ex-tent possible· Every patient has a right to protec-tion from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and the mental health estab-lishment shall be safe, clean with facili-ties for education, recreation, religious practices.· No patient shall be forced to un-dertake work and subject to compulsory shaving of head and wearing of uni-forms.· Mental illness may be made eligible for medical insurance coverage.· Government is duty-bound to plan, implement mental health programmes and create awareness about mental health and illness to reduce the associ-ated with mental illness· Every person will have access to mental health care and treatment at af-fordable cost, of good quality and of req-uisite quantity, accusable to the report, their families and care givers· Government should interpret men-tal health services into general health care services at all levels in all health programmes.· Government shall arrange good quality care and treatment in hospitals funded by government and in case of non availability in nearby place; refund the costs of treatment to the patient.To conclude, a mentally well person means a healthy society and developed nation. It is not enough if we have best health care services, protective legisla-tion unless the stigma, discrimination and widely held misconceptions at-tached to mental illness are weeded out and community becomes more empa-thetic towards such persons.

Microbiology Mother of all Biological sciences

Food and dairy microbiology – It deals in various aspects like food

processing, food preservation, can-ning,pasteurization of milk, study of

food born microbial diseases andtheir control. The water used for the food-

processing is being studied for its mi-crobial limits.Environmental microbi-ology – In this branch we study about

the role ofmicrobes in maintaining the qualityof environment.

DR AEJAZ IQBAL