SRINAGAR: Shah Rukh Khan, the famous actor, caused a stir among his fans when he arrived at Srinagar airport, and a video capturing the incident has surfaced on Twitter.
In the video, he is seen being mobbed by enthusiastic fans. The reason for his visit was to shoot for his upcoming movie, Dunki, in which he will star alongside Taapsee Pannu.
The short clip depicts the actor being jostled by the crowd while his security personnel work to extricate him from the situation. On Friday, Shah Rukh concluded filming in Kashmir and returned to Mumbai, where he was spotted arriving at Kalina airport later that evening.
SRINAGAR: Two soldiers were killed when a army vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident near Line of Control in Rajouri district on Saturday.
Official sources said that the vehicle skidded off the road and fell about 200 feet down into a gorge near Dungannon Nallah. Two soldiers suffered critical injuries and were shifted to army hospital Rajouri were they succumbed to injuries.
A police official said that a case has been registered and further investigations have been taken up.
Sources identified the soldiers Havildar Sudhir Kumar of Bihar and Paramvir Sharma of Rajouri. (GNS)
SRINAGAR: University of Miami is offering a fully funded scholarship for the academic year 2023 for undergraduate programs.
The courses offered include Accounting, Business Studies, Art, Biology, Marine Science, Sports Science, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Health and Fitness, and Marine Engineering.
All national and international students can apply, and architecture applicants must submit test scores or a portfolio. The candidate must be academically exceptional. Additionally, candidates whose native language is not English must have an English proficiency test such as TOEFL or IELTS.
The required documents include Official Transcripts, Official English Test Scores, and Letter of Recommendation.
The selected candidates will receive full tuition fees and on-campus housing facilities. Students will also be provided with an enrichment fund of $12,000 (INR 9,80,947.80) to study abroad, for undergraduate research, an unpaid internship, or other educational pursuits.
SRINAGAR: A man died after falling from a Slap in the Wachi Zainpora area of South Kashmirâs Shopian district on Saturday morning.
An official said that Muhammad Abdullah (70) son of Ab Jabbar, a resident of Wachi Zainpora in Shopian fell from the slab of his house on Saturday morning. He was rushed to nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, he said.
Meanwhile, police have taken cognizance of the incident. (KS)
SRINAGAR: Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Friday said that in the run-up to the G-20 event, slated to be held in the last week of May, massive participation of the general public has been witnessed in Jammu & Kashmir and that the young minds are being given an of how things operate on a global platform through the participatory exercises.
Shah spoke to the reporters on the sidelines of the model G20 summit, which was organized by the Tourism department at SKICC, Srinagar.
Shah said that a very important event is going to be held in Kashmir in the last week of May and as part of a participatory exercise where students from various colleges and schools and especially universities are being involved, a model G20 summit was organized to give these young minds a taste of how things operate on a global platform.
âIn the run-up to the G-20 event, there is massive participation that we have seen from the people of Jammu & Kashmir, the government of J&K is organizing different events in the run-up to the main event to give a sense of public participation for the massive event for us on the international scale and has a potential to promote J&K tourism on the next level,â he said.
We are also making sure that while we are preparing for the main event, we encourage a lot of public participation to give a sense of involvement to the general public, especially the young bright minds, he said.
âMajority of the GDP comes from tourism as it is the backbone of our economy, so therefore, we have to project, promote and manage tourism in J&K in the right perspective so that it is taken to the next level on a local stand,â he added.
He added that J&K was always the prime destination for film tourism where the movies were being shot. âNow, I am happy to inform you that in the last year, over 200 movies have been shot in J&K. At present, the big film stars are coming in and today also we have a very big film crew in the town and there are queries for the future as well. The department has come up with a very strong facilitator ecosystem concerning film tourism,â he said.
âWe are trying to promote new tourism destinations. For this calendar year, we have planned 300 new destinations while some of them are already up and there are 75 offbeat destinations among them. The government as well as the tourism department is trying to project other destinations where fewer tourists are visiting,â he said, adding that 75 cultural heritage and adventurous destinations, and religious destinations have been shortlisted. âWe are taking a holistic view in this regard,â he said. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: The Committee for Fixation and Regulation of Fee of Private schools (FFRC) Friday said that Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School Rajbagh was violating its orders by charging excessive transportation fee from the students.
In this regard, the Chairperson of the committee, Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali has given one last opportunity to the school to appear before FFRC to explain their position by or before May-02 and has warned the reputed private school of the consequences if it fails to appear before the Committee to explain its position why it arbitrarily hiked the transportation fee for the students.
Hali in a communique to the school has said that in pursuance to the complaint filed by the parent, notices were issued to the School Management.
The main grievance of the complainant is that School was charging Rs 1480 per month from the students as a bus fee, an action that violates the prescribed norms of FFRC.
Despite sending notices, the Principal Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School (PCHSS) didnât appear before the FFRC.
Notably, the FFRC last year in October after a detailed discussion with the stakeholders including the school in question allowed a hike of 14% to the schools on the fee being charged by them in October 2019.
The PCHSS admitted that the school was charging Rs 1480 per month. As per the order, the school was required to hike the bus fee by 14 percent from the amount (1480 by 14%) which was being charged.
FFRC issued a notice on 26 April this month to the school directing it to explain the position as to why was the school charging fee over and above the prescribed fee by the Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee.
The next day the school came up with a reply that FFRC termed as irrelevant and out of context. The school in its reply referred to some dispute with the complainant pending in the court of law.
âIt has no bearing on the present context in which the notice has been issued to you. The law will take its own course in case the complainant has committed any crime. Therefore it is irrelevant for the present proceedings,â Chairperson FFRC Sunil Hali observed.
He further stated that: âYour (PCHSS) reply to the notice issued by this office is that the order dated 6 October 2022 relating to the fixation of Transport Charges does not apply to your school as it applies to those schools who are providing their own transport. Also as per your explanation you have outsourced this business to some Private transporter. There is some misconception in understanding the charging of transport fee. The committee under its rules has to fix, determine and regulate the fee which includes the Transport Fee also. It is immaterial how the school provides this facility to the students whether it is school owned transport or the same is being outsourced. It is not your case that the Transport facility has been arranged by the parents with some private company then, of course, the school has no responsibility. You are directly charging transport fee from students, therefore it is your exclusive responsibility to charge fee which is permissible under law.â
FFRC further conveyed to school that: âWhat are your terms and conditions with the transport company is a bilateral issue between you and the transport company. You cannot escape the responsibility of charging fees as per the order dated 6 October 2022 which provides a hike of 14% to the existing fee charged by your school. As per the receipt issued by your school, it has come to the fore that you are charging Rs 4900 for two months.â
âDespite being asked to appear before the Chairperson FFRC you failed to appear and explain your position. You are given one last opportunity to appear before FFRC to explain your position by or before May 2 and in case you fail to appear then your action will be tantamount to violating the orders of the committee which entails consequences provided under the law which includes in first stage imposing of fine,â FFRC warned.
The FFRC Chairperson said, âYou are given one last opportunity to appear before the committee to explain your position by or before May-02 at 3 pm.â
Hali said that in case, the school fails to appear then its action will tantamount to violating the orders of this committee which entails consequences provided under law which includes in first stage of imposing a fine.
SRINAGAR: Officials reported that a tourist from West Bengal died of a heart attack in a Srinagar hospital on Saturday morning.
The tourist, who was staying in a hotel in Srinagar with his family, had complained of chest pain. He was then taken to the SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar Soura, where doctors pronounced him dead.
The deceased has been identified as Suhash Chandra, an 80-year-old resident of Deshbandhu Nagar, West Bengal. (KS)
SRINAGAR: Amid forecast for erratic weather till May 4, the night temperatures continued to hover below normal in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday.
A meteorological department official said that Srinagar recorded a low of 7.4°C against 6.5°C on the previous night and it was 1.9°C below normal for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 7.2°C against 6.8°C on the previous night and it was 0.6°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of 3.8°C against 4.2°C on previous night and it was 0.6°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmirâs Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 6.4°C against 5.7°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C below normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 0.5°C against minus 1.0°C on previous night and it was 4.7°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmirâs Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 6.4°C against 5.6°C on the previous night and it was 1.4°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.
Â
Jammu recorded a low of 19.7°C against 19.4°C on the previous night. It was 2.2°C below normal for J&Kâs winter capital, he said.
Â
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 7.6°C (2.1°C below normal), Batote 8.4°C (3.6°C below normal), Katra 14.8°C (4.1°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 6.4°C (2.5°C below normal). Ladakhâs Leh recorded a low of minus 4.4°C, the official said.
Â
Regarding rainfall in last 24 hours till 8:30 a.m. this morning, he said, Srinagar recorded 4.6mm, Qazigund 612.8mm, Pahalgam 12.9mm, Kupwara 0.8mm, Kokernag 8.2mm, Gulmarg 9.2mm, Banihal 10.2mm, Batote 0.6mm and Kathua 1.0mm.
Â
About the forecast, he said, from April 29- May 2nd, the weather is expected to be partly cloudy. âPossibility of intermittent rain/thunderstorm at scattered places is expected towards late afternoon/evening (50% chance).â
Â
From May 3-4, he said, there is possibility of widespread light to moderate rain and thunder in J&K. âSome places are likely to receive heavy rains,â he said.
Â
Overall, he said, weather is very likely to remain erratic till May 4.
Â
âFarmers are advised to postpone spraying of orchards till May 4,â he added. (GNS)
With 60000 specimens, the 51-year-old Kashmir University Herbarium (KASH) is the only address for studying the diverse plant basket of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. In near future, it is planning to get digitized, reports Insha Shirazi
Mrs and Mr Dr Ralph R Stewart, the last major botanist who immensely contributed to the taxonomy in Kashmir.
It has been a phenomenal growth. The Kashmir University Herbarium, founded in 1972 by AR Naqshi with a meagre collection of 500 species in a single room, has now blossomed into a haven of Himalayan plant specimens with a staggering 60,000 plant specimens. Known globally for its unique and endemic plant diversity, the herbarium is a magnet for plant enthusiasts and researchers. As early as 1980, the Herbarium was recognised by the International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature based in New York, under the acronym KASH. Housed in the Universityâs Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT), it had only 12,000 plant specimens, then. In the last four decades, the collects have gone up five times.
Index Herbarium puts this herbarium and rank three in the North-Western Himalayas of India. Although Central National Herbarium, Kolkata is home to more than 200000 plant specimens and Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and IIIM of Jammu have more than 12000 plant specimens each, none of these major herbariums has a collection as diverse and unique as that of the Kashmir University Herbarium.
Professionals associated with the herbarium have collected the plant species from diverse habitats across Jammu and Kashmir. It has plants that grow in Guraze, Tulail, Karnah, Keran, Badherwah, Doda, Kishtwar, Warwun, Marwah, Dachin, Padder, Rajouri, Poonch, Drass, Kargil, Zanskar, and Nubra. Part of the collection was sent to renowned herbaria including the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, besides various others within India.
The Preservation
âHerbarium is a dried plant specimen collected through different techniques. We go to the field and collect them, dry them in newspapers or blotting paper, depending on the moisture content,â Akhtar H Malik, Junior Scientist and Curator for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT) at the Kashmir University Herbarium (KASH), said while explaining the process of collecting and preserving plant specimens. âAfter drying, we paste these specimens on specialized sheets called herbarium sheets, which have an international standard size of 29Ă41.5 cm. On the bottom side of the plant specimen, we paste a special label known as the herbarium label that has data like the spot where it was collected, location, date, habitat, etc. After that, we transfer these plant specimens to the herbarium and arrange them according to the Bentham and Hooker systems. Nowadays, we arrange them in herbarium compactors according to the family of the plant specimens.â
However, preserving these plant specimens for long-term storage requires more care. âWe use chemicals to preserve these plant specimens at the time of pasting on specialized Herbarium sheet. Then, the second step is to use a small amount of mercuric chloride with glue because plants that we collect from different places, such as aquatic bodies, can be contaminated by pests. After that, we keep them in fumigation chambers with chemicals like Para dichlorobenzene and naphthalene for 10 days until these chemicals are exposed. Finally, we transfer them to herbarium compactors.â Malik added.
These plant specimens last for a long time. âWe have species that are more than 100 years old, collected by British botanists from Kashmir,â Malik said. âThey collected a lot of specimens from the Himalayas of Kashmir and kept those specimens in Dehradun. We obtained 10 specimens from them and kept them in our Herbarium.â
These plant specimens are not only important for scientific research but also for education and cultural heritage. âEvery year we get students from schools, colleges, and Universities. If this herbarium would not be there a researcher or student might have to go to another place to submit their specimen,â Malik said.
The Importance
KASH (Kashmir University Herbarium) holds a huge collection and has emerged as a valuable resource for identifying unknown and rare plant species.
âWe have specimens of Kuth (Saussurea costus) and Kahzaban (Arnebia benthamii) that identify the genuine from similar plants, said Malik. âThese specimens are not only useful for researchers and scholars but also for students who visit our herbarium to learn about plant diversity.â
The curator at KASH Herbarium at the University of Kashmir explains things to visitors. KL Image Special Arrangement
Herbariums are crucial for documenting plant diversity. âWe can create a flora or inventory of plant species based on herbarium data. We can also determine the location of a particular plant species with the help of herbarium specimens,â added Malik.
Off late, KASH has also become a popular destination for students, scholars, and researchers from different colleges, schools, and universities. Besides, Herbariums represent Kashmirâs natural heritage of plants.
Climate Change
The herbarium can be used as a tool to determine how the phenology of plants changes due to climate change. Now, some plants flower in February. âWe can take historical data from the Herbarium of these plants whose flowering was preponing, by one month,â Malik said. âThe collectors collected these plants for the herbarium when the flowering was seen in March but now it is February. It clearly explains the climate change impact.â
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared at least six medicinal and aromatic plant species on the red list of extinction in Jammu and Kashmir. âWe can do mapping of extinct plants. We write the herbaria data of the plant specimens, location, its geo coordinates and make a map about their distribution range then and now,â Malik said. âSuppose we have 50 locations in herbarium specimens but on the ground, we can locate 10 or 15 locations and we go for their In-situ conservation.â
The data on medicinal plants in the herbarium is collected by scholars from different locations of Kashmir like Gulmarg, Kokernag, and Daksum.. When they go to collect the specimens after 30 years and fail to locate the particular specimen, it reflects a shift in climate change, land use patterns, population expansion, habitat fragmentation or any other reason.
A Rich Collection
âI have visited the KASH 8-10 times. In comparison to established herbaria, it is an active herbarium of northwestern Himalaya and houses a rich collection of Jammu, Â Kashmir and Ladakh regions. This has a collection of very remote areas which are not found in any other herbariums,â Dr Priyanka, Principal Scientist CSIR, National Botanical Researcher Institute Lucknow (NBRI) said. âIf we want to study plant diversity of Jammu and Kashmir and Himalayan you can sit in Kashmir University herbarium and compile a lot of data on plant diversity.â
Priyanka is working on the Himalayas. Though the Herbarium of Kolkata has an almost 200 years old collection, the specimens are not in good condition.
âMy 20 students have visited KASH because it is mandatory. It is important for Kashmir and Ladakh flora as they are representing a good amount of plant diversity in India,â Priyanka said. âThe main collectors of the KASH are well-renowned taxonomists. The specimens are well-identified and well-researched and represent the Standard reference diversity.â
Plant Collectors In Kashmir
Improvement
With technology shifts in knowledge management, KASH is also changing. âWe will go for digitization of all the specimens and we have submitted the proposal also,â Malik said. âWe can use a high-end digital scanner and can scan the specimens and we can keep all those scanned images of all the plant specimens on the website by which the student and scholars across the world can asses those scanned images of plant specimens at home. It will take 3-4 years to execute this plan.â
The Financial Assistance for Science and Technology (FIST) grants the Kashmir University herbarium 10 lakh rupees for the herbarium compactors.
âMany herbariums in India and outside India have digitized their herbariums. If the herbarium of Kashmir gets digitized it would be the very fantastic job and it will be very useful for the researcher from outside Kashmir to assess the plant specimens sitting at the home. It will save time and money,â Dr Priyanka said.
