New Delhi: Emphasising the importance of communication tools, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said the “biggest punishment” for people is when they have no means of communication.

The Information and Broadcasting Minister, speaking at the National Awards for community radio event here, also hailed the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir as “historic decision.”

“We did a lot of work. In Kashmir, people did not get the right of development like the rest of the country. So that they get this right of development, Article 370 happened. It is a historic decision. The development that Jammu and Kashmir did not have, it will get it now.”

He also said, “the people didn’t get reservation, they will get it now, they didn’t have right to education, they will get it now, they were being left out of government schemes that are doing well, they will get its benefits now. All the laws will now be applicable there. So, now they will grow at a higher rate than the rest of the country.”

Javadekar said at present, the situation in India is such that everyone has a mobile phone through which one can talk to each other across cities. He said that India has emerged as the largest user of the mobile phone in the country.

“This is the power and need of communication…when people store everything in their hearts and are unable to tell anyone about it, is the biggest punishment. When you cannot talk to anyone, you cannot contact anyone and you have no tool to communicate, that is the biggest punishment,” he said, adding that one of the biggest medium of communication is community radio.

Incidentally, the minister’s comments come in the backdrop of restrictions imposed on communication services in the Kashmir Valley after the abrogation of the Article 370 by the Union government on August 5.

The minister gave away awards in five categories for the years 2018 and 2019. While in 2018 for the Radio Namaskar, Odisha received the first prize, the second prize was bagged by Radio Sharda, Jammu and Kashmir in the Thematic Category, in 2019 the first prize was won by Friends Radio, Tripura followed by Salaam Namaste in Uttar Pradesh.

Javadekar also said that the government led by Narendra Modi was taking decisions at high speed and unlike earlier governments which gave annual reports of its work, this government gave 50 days and 75 day reports. He also released a booklet of 75 days of the Modi government highlighting its achievements called “Jan Connect.”

JAMMU AUGUST 28- Senior National Conference leaders on Tuesday described the continued detention of senior political leadership in Jammu and Kashmir as a cause of grave concern, saying curbs on liberty and freedom of expression is against the democratic spirit of the country.

“Now for the past over three weeks the party leadership including President Dr Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Mr Omar Abdullah besides senior functionaries are under detention and nobody knows where they have been lodged and what is the status of their health”, senior leaders said in a statement.

“It is appalling that those who stood for democracy all their life braving challenges are denied their basic right of liberty”, they said, adding that their health and welfare remains a major cause of concern for them.

The signatories to the joint statement included Mr Rattan Lal Gupta, Th Rachpal Singh, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Mr B. R Kundal, Mr Vijay Bakaya, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Dr Kamal Arora, Th. Kashmir Singh, Babu Rampal, Mr Jagjeevan Lal, Qazi Jalal Ud Din, Dr. Chaman Lal, Mohd Aslam Khan, Mr Brij Mohan Sharma, Haji Mohd Hussain, Mr Bushan Lal Bhat, Mrs Bimla Luthra, Master Noor Hussain, S. Tarlochan Singh Wazir, Mrs Deepender Kour, Mrs Swaran Lata, S. Gurdeep Singh Sasan, Mrs Vijay Laxmi Dutta, Mr Vipan Pal Sharma, Mr Bashir Ahmed Wani, Mr Jugal Mahajan, Ch. Haroon, Ch. Liaquat Ali, Mr Anil Dhar, Mrs Satwant Kour Dogra, Mr Pradeep Bali, Mr Abdul Gani Teli, Mr Vijay Lochan, Mr Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, Mr Mohinder Gupta and others.

In a rather controversial statement, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday, 28 August claimed that those opposing the scrapping of Article 370 will get beaten up with shoes by people.

Malik made the comments when asked to comment upon Rahul Gandhi’s stand on Jammu and Kashmir during a press briefing in Srinagar.

Malik initially said that he won’t comment on Gandhi as he hails from a “respectable family of the country” but went on to lash out at the Congress leader.

“He has behaved like a political juvenile, as a result of which Pakistan has included his comments in its letter to the UN. He should have objected when his party’s leader linked the Kashmir issue to UN in Parliament. They have not clarified their stand on Kashmir till today. When elections come, their (Congress’) opposition will point and say these are the supporters of Article 370. They will be beaten up with shoes”.

Courtesy ANI

Announces 50,000 jobs for youth, to be filled within three months, says Mobile services to be restored in Handwara, Kupwara first, Internet used more by militants than people, rules out any contact with Omar, Mehbooba

Srinagar, August 28 : Stating that Kashmir was peaceful at present, Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik today said that curbs were imposed in Kashmir for the safety of people and that a massive recruitment drive will soon be launched to fill 50,000 posts within two to three months in Jammu and Kashmir.

Governor said that that teams of officials from the Centre have been meeting him every day. “The administration has tried its best to impose restrictions while preventing any civilian casualties,” Governor Malik told a selected group of newsmen. He while assuring the people of peace in the state, he said that normalcy will soon return to the Valley.

According to news agency while addressing press conference at Rajbhavan here, soon after the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre on Jammu and Kashmir press freedom and Article 370 pleas, Governor Malik said that restrictions in the Valley were for the betterment and welfare of the people, and that a massive recruitment drive will take place in the state in the next two-to three months.

Malik admitted that pellet guns were used during protests in the Valley but the utmost precaution was taken to prevent any injuries. He said most of the pellet injuries were below the waist.

On the communications clampdown in the state, he said these problems were earlier also there when there were no telephones. He said the restrictions on communication was done so that Pakistan media doesn’t misuse it.

The J&K Governor also denied having talked to any political leaders for negotiations. He was referring to  some news reports that he may have talked to Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. The two leaders were detained following the imposition of restrictions in the state after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions.

On the mobile services he said that the medium of phone and internet is used less by people  and mostly by militants  and Pakistanis as well as for mobilisation and indoctrination. “It is a kind of weapon used against us so we have stopped it. Services will be resumed gradually,” he said.

Malik , however, said that mobile phone services will be restored in Kupwara and Handwara areas of Kashmir followed by other districts.

Information News with more Inputs from KNO

NEW DELHI: After getting a green signal from the Supreme Court, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to meet his party colleague and former MLA Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, the Left party said.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Yechury to visit the state to meet Tarigami, who has been detained by the authorities there in the wake of the Centre abrogating provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded a special status to the state.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, however, directed Yechury to only meet Tarigami and not use the visit for any “political purpose”. The bench said if the Left leader indulged in any political activity, the authorities were free to report it to the apex court. “The Supreme Court has ordered that Sitaram Yechury be permitted to visit Yusuf Tarigami in Kashmir.

Accordingly Comrade Sitaram Yechury will travel to Srinagar tomorrow, August 29th. He will inform the authorities in J&K in the hope that at least this time they will facilitate the meeting,” the party said. It said Yechury will file an affidavit before the Supreme Court on his return. “The Supreme Court has permitted me to go to Srinagar and see Com Yousuf Tarigami and “report” back to them on the condition of his health. Once I meet him, return and report to the Court, I will make a more detailed statement,” Yechury tweeted.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader had made two attempts to visit Jammu and Kashmir this month — once with Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja and another with a delegation of opposition party members.

Both the times, he had to return from the Srinagar airport on the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir administration that cited security issues as the reason for denying them entry. The CPI(M) had filed a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, which says a person has the right to move the Supreme Court (and high courts also) for getting his fundamental rights protected.