Category: National

Christie, Trump take aim at DeSantis over Disney rift

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“I don’t think Ron DeSantis is a conservative, based on his actions towards Disney,” Christie said.
Former President Donald Trump also criticized DeSantis’ feud with Disney on Tuesday, writing in a Truth Social post that DeSantis is being “absolutely destroyed by Disney.”
“Disney’s next move will be the announcement that no more money will be invested in Florida because of the Governor — In fact, they could even announce a slow withdrawal or sale of certain properties, or the whole thing. Watch! That would be a killer. In the meantime, this is all so unnecessary, a political STUNT! Ron should work on the squatter MESS!” Trump said.
Christie told Semafor Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons that he’ll make a decision in the next couple of weeks on whether he’ll run for president in 2024.
DeSantis has not yet announced a bid for president.
“If you’re going to be serious about this, you probably have to make a decision by May,” Christie said.
Christie was seen speaking to more than three dozen of his former staffers and advisors about a possible 2024 presidential run Monday night in Washington.

“If we go forward, we want all of you to be with us,” Christie told the room Monday. “Thank you to all of you for everything you’ve already done for us. It’s been really, really an amazing ride. And you know what? It might not just be over yet.”

Christie said Tuesday the field for 2024 looks “vacant compared to what I dealt with in 2016.”
“In 2016, none of us took Trump seriously,” Christie said about the primary field of his last presidential campaign.
Christie ran for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination but dropped out in late February of that year. He went on to become one of the first high-profile endorsers of Trump, though the two aren’t close anymore following the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“You have someone who has had an affair with a porn star, paid her off $130,000 to cover it up, to keep that information from the American people … That’s not the character of somebody who I think should be president of the United States.”
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#Christie #Trump #aim #DeSantis #Disney #rift
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 18, 2023
Pak court sends Chinese man to 14-day remand on blasphemy charges

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Peshawar: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sent a Chinese national to jail on a 14-day judicial remand on blasphemy charges in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after he was arrested on Monday, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The police arrested the Chinese national identified as Tian on Sunday and on Monday he was shifted to Abbottabad via an Army helicopter due to security concerns as the police feared local people could harm him.
Tian was booked on blasphemy charges and sent to prison on a 14-day judicial remand by an Abbottabad anti-terrorism court on Monday, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The Chinese citizen, a manager at the Dasu Hydropower Project, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, in the Upper Kohistan district of the province, allegedly made blasphemous remarks on Friday when the workers were going to perform the weekly prayer.
According to local people, the Chinese manager complained to workers at the dam that “precious time” was being lost due to prayer breaks.
The Dasu Hydropower Project is a major venture under the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC).
“We have arrested the foreigner suspect under blasphemy and terrorism charges and airlifted him from here to present him before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Abbottabad,” District Police Officer (DPO) Upper Kohistan, Mohammad Khalid, was quoted as saying in the report.

The suspect was later produced before the ATC amid strict security measures. The DPO said the Chinese national was moved to Islamabad onboard a helicopter on Monday evening, the report said.

The police registered a first information report (FIR) against Tian at the Dasu police station on Monday, hours after hundreds of residents and labourers working on the dam project blocked a key highway and rallied, demanding his arrest.
Under Pakistan’s tough blasphemy laws, the offence carries the death penalty.
According to the officer, police swung into action after getting reports on Sunday night that a local mob tried to break into a Chinese camp near the project site.
The mob was controlled, but they assembled again on Monday and blocked the Karakoram Highway, which links Pakistan with China, in a protest that lasted for over six to seven hours, demanding the Chinese national’s arrest.
The blocked highway was later reopened to traffic, and work resumed at the Dasu Dam after Tian’s arrest.
In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the embassy in Islamabad was looking into the incident.
“The Chinese government has always asked Chinese citizens overseas to abide by the laws and regulations of their host countries and respect local customs and traditions,” Wang told reporters at a regular news briefing.
Meanwhile, in a bid to defuse the situation, a team of Ulema from nearby towns and villages have set up a committee to examine the situation.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Upper Kohistan Deputy Commissioner Irfanullah Mehsood and District Police Officer Mohammad Khalid.
The participants urged the agitators not to take the law into their hands as police and the district administration were “handling the matter admirably”.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan. On December 3, 2021, a Sri Lankan national working in a factory in Sialkot was lynched by a mob after workers accused him of blasphemy.
The Dasu Hydropower Project site was hit by a suicide bus blast in July 2021, in which 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed.
Nine Chinese nationals and two Frontier Corps soldiers were among those killed when the bus carrying Chinese engineers and workers to the site of the under-construction Dasu Dam exploded.
The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), in a report in January 2022, stated that as many as 89 citizens were killed in 1,415 accusations and cases of blasphemy in the country since independence.
The report said that from 1947 to 2021, 18 women and 71 men were extra-judicially killed over blasphemy accusations. The allegations were made against 107 women and 1,308 men.
A large number of Chinese nationals have been working in Pakistan on various projects being undertaken under the CEPC.
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#Pak #court #sends #Chinese #man #14day #remand #blasphemy #charges
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
NHRC issues notice to UP Police over killing of Atiq Ahmad, brother

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New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Police over the killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf when they were being escorted by police in Prayagraj, officials said on Tuesday.
In its notice to the Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh and the Commissioner of Police of Prayagraj, the commission sought reports from them within four weeks.
The reports should cover all the aspects leading to the killings, copies of medical-legal certificates of the deceased, inquest report, post-mortem report, video cassette/CD of post-mortem examination, site plan of scene of occurrence of the crime, and magisterial enquiry report, it added.

Ahmad and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night when police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.
They were brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat and Bareilly prisons for interrogation in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal and his two police security guards earlier this year.
The brothers were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels. The last rites of Ahmad’s son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed in Prayagraj just hours before the shooting.

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#NHRC #issues #notice #Police #killing #Atiq #Ahmad #brother
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
Delhi riots: In arson of Muslim woman’s property case, father-son duo convicted

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New Delhi: A court here has convicted a father-son duo for rioting and arson in a case of the 2020 North East Delhi riots, saying the prosecution proved the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against Mithhan Singh and his son Jony Kumar, who were accused of being present in a riotous mob that torched several properties in lane number four of Khajuri Khas on February 25, 2020.
“I find that it is proved beyond doubt against both the accused that they were part of the mob which burnt the property (of complainant Shabana Khatoon)… Thus, they are held guilty of the offences under sections 147 (rioting) 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon) 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc.) read with section 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code and convicted accordingly,” the judge said in an order passed on Monday.

The court posted the matter for filing affidavits on April 19, following which the proceedings on sentencing will commence.
ASJ Pramachala noted the statements of several public witnesses and said it was safe to conclude that an unlawful assembly was formed with the common intention of attacking the properties of a particular community and that the riotous mob engaged in incidents of vandalism and arson.
Regarding the identification of the duo as part of the mob, the judge said none of the public witnesses or residents of the lane, including the complainants, supported the prosecution’s case and refused to identify the accused persons as members of the mob.
The only witnesses who identified both accused as members of the mob were prosecution witnesses Mohd. Tahir and Constable Rohtash, the judge said.

He said Tahir’s testimony was “reliable” to show both accused were out in the lane and that they had joined the riotous mob raising slogans, while Constable Rohtash was the beat officer of the area and saw the duo as part of the mob that torched Khatoon’s property.

The judge said the testimony of the police official could not be discarded because of the absence of the daily diary (DD) entry or a formal report on the incident.
Based on the evidence of the two witnesses, there was “no doubt that both accused persons were part of the mob” that indulged in the incident of arson at Khatoon’s property, the judge said.
The Khajuri Khas police station had registered an FIR against the duo on the basis of Khatoon’s statement. Later, six other complaints were also clubbed with the case.
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#Delhi #riots #arson #Muslim #womans #property #case #fatherson #duo #convicted
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
Mumbai train blasts: HC quashes death row convict’s plea seeking info under RTI

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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition by a death row convict in the 2006 Mumbai train blast case seeking disclosure of information pertaining to the ban imposed on terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen.
Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddique had filed an application under the RTI Act seeking “background notes” of the Centre and reports of state governments of Gujarat, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh in relation to the ban on the organisation, which was stated to have carried out the blast. The outfit was proscribed under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The petitioner challenged in the high court an order passed by the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on June 13, 2019 denying him the information on the ground that it was covered under the exemptions provided in the RTI Act.

While refusing to interfere with the CIC’s decision, Justice Prathiba M Singh said the information sought by the petitioner has far reaching consequences and has to be seen from the “larger issue of safety and security of the public and the nation”. It said the information Siddique has sought, if provided, will have a bearing on sovereignty and security of the country.
“A perusal of the information shows that the same has far reaching consequences. The same organisation is stated to be involved in various unfortunate incidents since 2005, some resulting in severe loss of life and property,” said the court.
It observed that the disclosure of the information sought by the petitioner can “jeopardize the sources” of the government in relation to the ban on Indian Mujahideen and the CIC’s opinion that sharing the information would endanger the sources is “correct and does not require interference”.
“In view of the above, the writ petition is devoid of merit and is dismissed,” ruled the court.

Advocate Arpit Bhargava, representing the petitioner, contended the information sought in the RTI application was needed to prove the innocence of the petitioner in the criminal case and there was no further need to maintain confidentiality in relation to the “background notes” and the reports of the states as Indian Mujahideen has already been declared a banned organisation under UAPA.

The counsel for the Centre said the information in question cannot be disclosed as it is confidential and disclosure will be against public interest.
Siddique was awarded capital punishment for the July 11, 2006 serial blasts when seven bombs packed with RDX ripped through many western line local trains in Mumbai killing 189 peeople and injuring 829.
The petitioner, currently lodged in a prison, claimed in his plea he was falsely implicated by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Mumbai in the train blasts case.
The trial court’s order of sentence is still pending confirmation by the Bombay High Court and the reports of the state governments and the Centre’s background notes would prove the innocence of the petitioner as well as violation of his human rights, the plea said.
Last year, the high court had dismissed another petition by Siddique challenging a CIC order denying disclosure of certain information pertaining to the sanction granted by the Maharashtra government for his prosecution under UAPA.
The high court had earlier this year rejected his petition seeking reports submitted by the Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh governments regarding investigation into the train bombings.
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#Mumbai #train #blasts #quashes #death #row #convicts #plea #seeking #info #RTI
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
Hyderabadis watch OTT shows for at least 3 hours a day, 52% in Hindi: Report

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Hyderabad: A recent study shows that with an average watch time of over 3 hours every day, 52 percent of over-the-top (OTT) content consumers in the city prefer Hindi language content, 28 percent prefer English content while only 14 percent gravitate towards Telugu content.
Among the female audience, 60 percent prefer Hindi and English content over Telugu, says the Hyderabad-based marketing consultancy, Red Matter Technologies’ (RMT) new report ‘Understanding Paid OTT Subscribers of Hyderabad’.
The report also observes that regional players are struggling to gain penetration and affinity among the people on OTT platforms.

The report says that the audience of Hyderabad is indulging in over 3 hours of OTT content every day, with weekends showing 10 percent higher viewership than weekdays.
For city dwellers, OTT viewing is predominantly a mobile experience, with more than half inclined to consume content on the go.
Speaking about the report, RMT’s chief executive officer, Srikant Rajasekharuni said, “OTT platforms have become an integral part of our daily lives, and this report provides valuable insights into the viewing habits of Hyderabad’s paid subscribers.”
Regarding preferred platforms, the report identified three segments – big tech platforms like Prime Video with 70 percent of users, followed by broadcast and regional platforms.

The report’s key audience is individuals who are quite active on the internet, spend money on internet subscriptions, and are primarily working.

The report shows that 77 percent of the audience who subscribe to OTT platforms in the city have an average total household income of approximately Rs 60000 per month.
Hyderabad’s under-26 population prefers watching their OTT shows alone as they tend to gravitate towards more personal and individualistic shows. More than half of the above 35 population of the city, that is 55 percent of them, show a stronger preference towards watching TV with family members.
The report also says that 62 percent of the audience have an active music streaming service, while cable usage was at 58 percent.
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#Hyderabadis #watch #OTT #shows #hours #day #Hindi #Report
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
LuvLap Baby Bed with Thick Mattress, Mosquito Net with Zip Closure & Neck Pillow, Baby Bedding for New Born, 0M+, Dino Print, Baby Sleeping Bed of 78x45x40cm Size (Multicolour)

Price: [price_with_discount]
(as of [price_update_date] – Details)

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LuvLap Baby Mattress with Mosquito Net, bedding set with thick base, soft Pillow and Zip Closure, 6M+, Animal print, 75x40x40cm (Multicolor)
Can be used for babies of age 0 months and above comfortably. This can be used for babies of upto 9 months depending on the growth & size of the baby
Its thick base allows the baby to sleep in maximum comfort. Compact & foldable, the mosquito net allows air to pass easily so that the baby doesn’t feel stuffy
Protects babies from Insect bites. Dimension: 78x45x40cm. Weight: 366gm
This baby bedding set comes with easily carriable plastic bag

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#LuvLap #Baby #Bed #Thick #Mattress #Mosquito #Net #Zip #Closure #Neck #Pillow #Baby #Bedding #Born #Dino #Print #Baby #Sleeping #Bed #78x45x40cm #Size #Multicolour

April 18, 2023
Bobby Deol, Ranbir Kapoor wrap up ‘Animal’ shoot

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Mumbai: The filming of the upcoming film ‘Animal’, starring Bobby Deol and Ranbir Kapoor, was wrapped up recently. In a video that has surfaced online, the two actors were seen cutting a cake at the wrap-up party on the sets.
The video also shows the entire team celebrating in the outdoors and braving the cold weather.
Wrapping up the shoot, Bobby said, “Every moment spent on the set was amazing. Ranbir is such a great co-star to work with and the entire team of ‘Animal’ has been a delight. I am excited and looking forward for the release”.

Bobby’s new look has him in a rugged and muscular avatar. From his chiseled abs to his broad shoulders, Bobby has perfectly adapted to the physicality of his character.
‘Animal’ is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar’s T-Series, Murad Khetani’s Cine1 Studios and Pranay Reddy Vanga’s Bhadrakali Pictures. The film also stars Anil Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. It is slated to release on August 15.
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#Bobby #Deol #Ranbir #Kapoor #wrap #Animal #shoot

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
Is Caste census oppn’s ‘Brahmastra’ against BJP’s Hindutva in 2024?

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New Delhi: The opposition parties are yet to firm up an alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but their unanimous demands for a caste census and the removal of the reservation cap could be a binding factor and hand them what a section of leaders feels the “Brahmastra” to counter the BJP and its Hindutva plank.
The issues of caste census and reservation not only put all opposition parties on the same page but leaders feel it could also help them win back many backward classes who have veered towards the BJP in the recent past.
Tejaswi Yadav in Bihar
At a DMK-convened conference, RJD leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav summed it up for opposition parties when he had said that the best way to beat the BJP’s politics of “polarisation” was through social justice-based politics.

Rahul Gandhi in Kolar
This formula has been adopted by the Congress with much enthusiasm with Rahul Gandhi making an aggressive pitch for a caste-based census and the removal of 50 per cent cap on reservation in his recent speech in Karnataka’s Kolar, in a bid to turn the tables on the BJP that had been gunning for him over his 2019 “Modi surname” remarks alleging that he insulted OBCs.
The BJP has hit back at Gandhi for his remarks, alleging that he is being “disingenuous” with his claim on the issue of social justice when the erstwhile Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka did nothing to address long-pending demands of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The Opposition has spoken with unanimity on general issues such as inflation and rising employment but lacked cohesiveness on specific issues like the Adani matter.
However, with the issues of caste-based census and removal of reservation cap, opposition parties have found an arrow with which they can hit multiple targets at one go — it forges instant unity in the opposition ranks, puts the BJP on the back foot as it is yet to spell out its stance on them categorically, and prepares a counter for the Hindutva push expected closer to the polls.

With Congress aggressively taking up the issue, it is likely to endear the party to regional outfits which have till now been circumspect of the grand old party fearing that it may play the “big brother” by superseding their agenda with issues of its own.

Asked about the Congress’ strong pitch, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh told PTI, “The demand for a caste-based census was articulated forcefully by many civil society groups to Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Congress is following through on that demand.”
A socio-economic caste census was conducted by the end of 2012 covering some 25 crore households but the data could not be published for various reasons, he pointed out.
AAP joins the voice
An example of how the issue of caste-based census could be the glue for the Opposition unity is how even the Aam Aadmi Party which does not see eye-to-eye with the Congress on most issues has joined the caste-based census chorus.
The JD(U) and the RJD, which are part of the ruling ‘Mahagathbandhan’ alliance in Bihar, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have also been vociferously demanding caste-based census for a long time.
The caste census and the removal of the cap on reservation are also likely to put the BJP in a quandary and test its own outreach to the backward classes.
Bihar BJP supports caste census, central BJP yet to respond
The BJP unit in Bihar had supported a resolution at an all-party meeting convened by Nitish Kumar and later a unanimous resolution was passed in the Bihar Assembly on caste census. However, the BJP’s central leadership is yet to respond to the demand for a socio-economic and caste census.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said the “doublespeak” of the BJP is clear from its “ambivalent position” on the Opposition demand for publishing the figures of the caste-based census of 2011.
“It (BJP) seeks the votes of the forward classes while it engages in doublespeak on backward classes,” he alleged.
Sibal added that just being on the same page on this issue was not enough and that the Opposition unity requires much more than this.
RJD MP Manoj Jha, another prominent voice in the Opposition ranks, also underlined the importance of the caste-based census issue.
“We have been demanding caste-based census, it started in 2010-11 when Lalu ji, Sharad ji and Mulayam ji raised this question and the then UPA government agreed to it. Subsequently, 2014 heralded (Narendra) Modi ji’s victory and myself and other MPs raised the question as to what happened to the data and we were told that the data got corrupted. Don’t know whether the corruption was of the data or somewhere else,” Jha told PTI.
“The Kolar speech of Rahul ji provided a further impetus to the demand made by several state governments and leaders from diverse political parties. It is important to see that it is not a political issue, it involves deepening of democracy, who would not want deepening of democracy, it involves psychological, social and political empowerment of communities, it involves ensuring of representation in accordance with their population,” the RJD leader said.
Having said that, it is important to collectively raise this issue and tell the prime minister and his party that politics cannot be rhetorical, one has to come down to the ground and look at what are the critical issues, he said.
“The critical issue is that in the governance structure and bureaucracy, the representation of SCs, STs and OBCs is negligible. Can a democracy live with such anomalies that is our question and that is how we will take it up forward,” he asserted.
Political commentator Sanjay Jha, who was once a spokesperson for the Congress party, alleged that India has been devastated by a double whammy — unemployment crisis and extreme inequality — under the current government.
“The biggest sufferers are those from underprivileged communities and the backward classes. No amount or number of social welfare programmes being propagated by the BJP can neutralize the deprivation and the economic destitution of millions of Indians. Therefore the Opposition is completely justified in focusing on social justice as its key political message,” he told PTI.
“That’s why a nervous BJP is prevaricating on the caste census, as at core, it remains an upper caste party. Further, it is a party of the rich, by the rich, for the rich,” he claimed.
A leader on condition of anonymity said that with the BJP likely to use its Hindutva plank to consolidate its vote bank, the demands for a caste-based census and the removal of the reservation cap could be the Opposition’s “Brahmastra” ahead of the 2024 elections.
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#Caste #census #oppns #Brahmastra #BJPs #Hindutva
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 18, 2023
JKBOSE important notifications for classes 10th, 11th and 12th | Check Here

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Notification No. 44/ HSE-II/Annual(Private)/ Bi-Annual/ 2021-22 of Kashmir DivisionViewNotification No. 04, 05, 08/ HSE-II/ Bi-Annual 2022 special (supplementary) of Kashmir DivisionViewNotification No. 104, 803, 804/ HSE-I/Annual(Private)/ Bi-Annual/ 2021-22 of Kashmir DivisionViewAmended Result Notifications pertaining to HSE-II (Class 12th) Annual (Private)/ Bi-Annual 2021-22 of Kashmir Division.ViewAmended Result Notifications pertaining to Secondary School Examination (Class 10th) Annual (Private)/ Bi-Annual 2021-22ViewChange in Date of Examination of Bhoti subject of Class 10th Session Annual (Regular) 2023 for Hard Zone Areas of UTs of Jammu and Kashmir/Ladakh from 13-04-2023 to 23-04-2023.ViewSubmission of ONLINE Affiliation case files by the affiliated Private Academic Institutions of Kashmir Division including District Kargil of UT of Ladakh.ViewExtension Notice for submission of Online Forms for Classes 10th, 11th and 12th Annual (Regular) Examination 2023 of Hard Zone Areas of UTs of J&K and LadakhViewChange of Date of Examination of Class 11th Annual Regular 2023 from 16-04-2023 to 26-04-2023 for Soft Zone Areas of UT of J&KViewRevised fee structure for various services offered by the JKBOSE to be effective from 01-04-2023View
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#JKBOSE #important #notifications #classes #10th #11th #12th #Check
( With inputs from : kashmirpublication.in )

April 18, 2023