To commemorate National Education Day, Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK), Dr. G.N. Itoo, today kick-started enrolment week in schools here.

Highlighting the need for increasing the enrolment of students in schools, DESK said that the students of the state have a lot of talent which needs to be groomed to nurture their capabilities.

He said efforts are underway to further improve literacy rate of the State and make the vision of making the State successful in education sector a reality.

Dr. Itoo expressed these views while participating as a chief guest in the Divisional Level function of National Education Day organized by Directorate of School Education Kashmir in collaboration with Navkriti Foundation, New Delhi in Zone Rainawari.

DSEK said to nurture the potential of students and to achieve academic excellence, teachers need to be properly trained. He stressed on providing teachers with training as per the latest trends and practises in the field of education.

President Navkriti Foundation Rajeev Kumar and Journalist Wajahat Qazi were the guests of honour in the function.

The Foundation adopted Government BMS Kathidarwaza and will be setting up a computer lab and provide sports kits to the school.

Earlier, DSEK unveiled the computers provided by Navkriti Foundation to BMS Kathidarwaza in presence of President Navkriti Foundation, General Secretary Asif Nabi Khan, CEO Srinagar, ZEO Rainawari and other officers of the Department.

On the occasion of National Education Day, many events were organized in many schools of across Kashmir Division by Directorate of School Education Kashmir in which students, teachers, parents and educationists participated in large numbers.

MLA Shopian Adv. Mohd Yousuf Bhat has described the recent scale of relief under “State specific special natural calamity” for damaged orchards due to recent snowfall grossly inadequate and squarely against the expectations of affected orchardists and demanded adequate compensation to the those whose trees got damaged due to snowfall.

“The governor administration is morally and constitutionally bound to come to the rescue of calamity affected people who are in desperate need of some relief and the recent amount of relief announced amounts to adding salt to their wounds. Horticulture is the backbone of state’s economy and heavy snowfall has dealt a blow to it and this needed empathy, large heartedness and a positive effort to win the people in distress,” he said in a statement to KNS.

While reiterating his demand for implementation of crop insurance scheme, to give some cushion to the fruit growers, in times of natural calamities, Bhat said, “he had raised this issue of crop insurance scheme in state assembly and the same was announced by previous government but the same was not implemented by the incumbent government for the reasons better known to them.”

Bhat further urged upon the government for exemption of Kissan credit card loan to fruit growers whose harvest was damaged by the snowfall and have suffered huge losses and thereby are not in a position to repay the loans raised by them against their farming land and orchards. The loan waiver would benefit the farmers all over and will be a succor to the ailing horticulture sector in general and recently aggrieved farmers in particular.

Sharing concern of the snow affected orchardists about delay in payment of relief on account of colossal damage caused to their orchards and apple crop , Chairman PDF and MLA Khansahib, Hakeem Yaseen has urged the Government to complete the loss assessment exercise on war footing basis so that adequate ex-gratia is paid to the affected orchardists.
He said unexpected snow fury has wrecked a havoc with the livelihood of fruit growers who have pinned high hopes with the Governor administration for their relief.

In a statement to KNS, Hakeem Yaseen while sharing concern of snow damaged orchardists has said that the un-necessary delay being caused to finalize the snow damage assessment in favour of affected fruit growers was a cause of serious concern adding that the Government should come up to the expectations of the panic ridden farmers and provide adequate relief to them.

He said Government should also address concerns of the affected orchardists that the proposed scale of relief under local calamity relief fund for the affected orchardists was too in adequate as compared to the quantum of damage caused to their orchards and apple crop due to the un- expected snow fury.

Hakeem Yaseen has called for urgent measures to provide adequate relief to the panic stricken farmers adding that besides cash relief, they should be provided free ration for 3 months, free plant material, free fertilizers and fungicides. He said damage caused to the orchards due to snow has inflicted a recurring loss worth crore to the horticulture sector. He said fruit growers are desperately in need of out of way assistance both in cash and kind to withstand the natural calamity.

Hakeem Yaseen has also called for immediate restoration of power supply and road network in far-flung areas which, he said, was still in shambles aftermath the untimely snow fall. He said Governor Administration should gear up men and machinery and in advance, make all the required arrangements to meet any exigency during winter months on account of power, drinking water supply and snow clearance from various roads. He said unexpected snow fall should be a wakeup call for the Governor administration to ensure fool proof winter arrangements in the snow bound areas of Kashmir division.

A 24-year old youth who was working in a hotel at Zero Bridge area of Rajbagh here was arrested by a police team during a raid Friday night, family said.

Zubair Ul Islam, son of Mohammad Rafiq, a retired sub-inspector of police, is working as a cityward in restaurant Fine Dine in Rajbagh. He was held by a police team during a raid, the family said.

Zubair’s mother Nabla Bano told GNS that she received information that her son was taken by police station Rajbagh and was later handed over to police station Pattan in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

She urged police to release her son who she said is having a cyst and is scheduled to undergo a surgery on December 22 in SMHS hospital.

Meanwhile, sources said that police team of police station Pattan has also arrested Owais Ahmad Lone, son of Farooq Ahmad Lone at HMT in outskirts of Srinagar city.

A police officer meanwhile confirmed the arrests but did not divulge further details.

An army soldier was killed in a ‘sniper fire’ by Pakistan army at along the Line of Control in north Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning.

A police officer told GNS that Pakistan army in “violation of ceasefire” opened the sniper fire upon the army’s 8 JakLi posts at Keri area of Khour along the border.

A soldier Rifleman Varun Katal (Belt No: 9122247 K) died on the spot, the officer said.

A top security officer told GNS that “there is a possibility of a major incident” along the borders of Poonch, Rajouri, Samba and Akhnoor areas.

“The BAT action cannot be ruled out even there is also the possibility of more sniper attacks by Pakistan,” he said, referring to intelligence inputs.

The officer said that in wake of growing incidents of sniper attacks and intelligence inputs, the army has been put on high alert to prevent any eventuality.