Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), Thailand is inviting applications for a fully funded scholarship in Master’s and PhD programmes for the year 2023.
Forty foreign students will be paid scholarships in about 15 academic fields including Biochemistry, Digital Engineering, Science, Management, Mechanical Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence among others.
The documents required for the scholarship include a CV/resume, Academic transcripts, Identity proof, a research paper, a Personal statement, Two recommendation letters, and an English Proficiency certificate.
Selected candidates will be provided with a full tuition fee, full thesis support, medical insurance, and a living allowance of 10,000 Baht (23,800) per month. Candidates will receive round-trip economy class tickets and a miscellaneous fund of 10,000 Baht (23,800).
SRINAGAR: The government on Saturday said that imposing property tax is aimed at ensuring better facilities for the people.
Addressing a news conference today at TRC meeting hall here, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir V K Bidhuri, who was accompanied by SMC Commissioner, Athar Aamir Khan clarified that 1/3rd of the population are already exempted from the property tax as their property area is less than 1000 square feet.
He added that the Jammu and Kashmir is last in the country where the property tax is being imposed. “Unlike other places, the property tax is very less. The property tax will be collected from those whose houses are built at more than 1500 square feet,” he said. He also said that the tax to be paid only once in a year.
He added that the collected amount will be used for the people and the amount will remain in the account of corporation and municipal committees only.
Bidhuri further stated that there was no option other than imposing property tax, which would be acceptable to the people, for ensuring better facilities to them.
The SMC Commissioner, while interacting with media persons, said that the tax that would be collected from people from April will be used for better facilities to people. “At present SMC’s revenue is just ten per cent compared to its requirement. This will help in ensuring better services and facilities to the people as the tax cannot be transferred to the central or state government and used for developmental purposes only,” he said.
SRINAGAR: Former colleagues, Jairam Ramesh and Ghulam Nabi Azad are at loggerheads once again, as Azad has slapped the Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh with a defamation notice for reportedly calling him a “slave”, “Mir Jafar” and a “vote- cutter”.
In the notice, which has been sent through Azad’s legal counsel Naresh Kumar Gupta, the DAP chief seeks compensation of Rs 2 crore from the Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh for causing damage to his “unblemished reputation”.
“That you Mr Jairam Ramesh (Notice Receiver)… always remain in search of occasion to tarnish and harm the growing dignity, respect, honour conferred upon him (Azad) at national level, by way of repeated posts in your Twitter account word ‘Ghulam’ in order to inflict injury to lower him in the estimation of others, soon after Mr Azad was honoured by Padam Bhushan Award,” the notice read.
Its pertinent to mention that earlier in January , the senior Congress leader took at jibe at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DAP by calling it “ Disappearing Azad Party” after the exit of the leaders from the newly formed DAP.
Earlier during Bharat Jodo Yatra’s J&K leg, Ramesh had called DAP chief “Mir Jafar” and alleged that he had been propped up by the BJP to cut the Congress’ votes in J&K.
The notice emphasized that the name calling was a deliberate attempt to defame Azad in public and tarnish his image and said that the Congress General Secretary had committed an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 500 ( punishment for defamation) and was liable to pay monetary compensation.
Mr Ramesh used the name “Ghulam” that translates to “slave”, deliberately and intentionally, to defame the leader in the public, Gupta said in the notice.
The notice stated that the “imputation and defamatory aspersions” remarks made against Azad in press statements were based purely on malice, and have caused the DPAP chief “mental agonies, torture, harassment” and tarnished his image, “which can’t be repaired”.
Mir Jafar, who served as the commander of the Bengal army under Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, betrayed him during the Battle of Plassey, paving the way for British rule in India. Since then, his name has become a synonym for “traitor.”
Gupta advised Jairam Ramesh to tender an “unconditional apology” through print-electronic media and on social media to Azad, or through any sort of communication, within two weeks from the date of receipt of the legal notice.
SRINAGAR: A teacher has been suspended for allegedly criticizing policies of the government on social media platforms in the Ramban district. According to an order, Joginder Singh, teacher GPS Chanderkote was suspended for criticizing policies of the government on social media platforms. The teacher, as per the order, has been attached to the office of chief education officer Ramban and an inquiry committee has also been constituted, which will be headed by additional district development commissioner Ramban to probe the matter. “The inquiry committee will initiate an in-depth inquiry and submit a comprehensive report on the matter, along with specific recommendations, by or before March 25,” reads the order.
SRINAGAR: The weather department on Thursday forecast scattered to fairly widespread light rain and snow over Jammu and Kashmir in next 24 hours.
Quoting a meteorological department official news agency GNS reported that scattered light rain and snow was expected for subsequent two days.
Regarding temperature, he said, Srinagar recorded a low of 1.6°C, the same as on the previous night and it was above normal by 0.1°C for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 0.2°C, also the same on the previous night and it was 0.2°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of minus 3.2°C against minus 3.8°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 2.5°C against 2.0°C on the previous night and it was 2.4°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 1.0°C against minus 3.4°C on the previous night and it was 4.8°C above normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at minus 0.3°C against 0.2°C on the previous night and it was 0.3°C above normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 11.2°C against 10.2°C on the previous night. It was 0.6°C ‘below’ normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 6.4°C (above normal by 4.2°C), Batote 8.0°C (above normal by 4.5°C), Katra 11.6°C (2.1°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 3.7°C (2.9°C above normal).
Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 9.0°C and 12.4°C respectively, the official said.
While Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day long harsh winter period that started on December 21 and a 20-day-long period called ‘Chillai-Khurd’ that followed it have ended, Kashmir is under grip of 10-day-long period ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold) which ends on March 1.
Once upon a time, the garden was an address for peak summer bathing, swimming and prayers. Now, Sher Bagh is a place for a brief halt for patients visiting the women’s hospital, reports Aasiya Nazir
Once the town’s coolest place for prayers, fresh air, and rest, Anantnag’s Sher Bagh is a sort of ruin now. Its glory is lost, and so is its quality of water and the freshwater fish ponds that would help kids pick up swimming and understand the aquatic life.
It is a historic garden. Residents attribute it to the Mughal era insisting that the pleasure-seeking occupiers laid most of the gardens in Kashmir including the south. However, history lacks a clear idea to vindicate the claim.
“Till 1951, the discharge from the Andar Nag spring had created a marsh on the spot,” M Salim Baig, the INTACH convenor in Jammu and Kashmir said. “One day when Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah visited the town, the residents talked about the marsh and he suggested it be converted into the garden for the locality and since then it is named Sher Bagh.”
Baigh said he has checked with the historians and they have revealed that the residents went to neighbouring Mattan wherefrom they got fish and were introduced to the newly refurbished garden. Andar Bagh has a spring called Nagbal and the discharge made a small waterfall. Given the fact that there are a few references to the garden prior to 1947, there is a possibility that there might have been some kind of garden which was in duse and mismanaged and resulted in a marsh. “Mughals avoided laying gardens in the towns. All the Mughal gardens are far away from the population. They avoided laying a major garden in Srinagar.”
The neighbouring Rani Bagh, part of which houses an educational institution, is attributed to the Dogra period.
Sher Bagh is located on the foot of a hill that is home to a Sulphur spring, the Andar Nag. In fact, the discharge from this spring lands in Sher Bagh and moves through the neighbouring localities and eventually gets into the Jhelum. The water channel, however, is in ruins as the discharge has gone down.
Even though the water discharge has gone down, fish are hardly seen in the ponds, the garden still holds its majestic looks. It has enormous Chinars and during summers it is lush green.
A view of Sher Bagh in Anantnag garden in February 2023. KL Image: Shah Hilal
What makes the Andar Nag and Sher Bagh premises interesting is that it has the stakeholding of all the faiths. The Nag premises have a temple and a Gurudwara. The Sher Bagh has an open mosque, where, till recently prayers were offered five times a day. It is an impressive platform that has a freshwater pond and various water channels surrounding it. The main pond has been a public swimming pool for generations. However, it was never called a mosque and was always referred to as Nimazgah.
“We used to swim in smaller channels and once we would get trained, we will finally swim in the main pond,” Abdul Rashid, a resident, now a doctor said. Originating from the sulphur spring, the water would normally be cold in spring and slightly warmer in winter. “It was a place for recreation and picking the real-life skill, the swimming and in between, there would be prayers.”
= Now, the garden is the casualty of the times. Officially it is managed by the fisheries department but there is no any fish in the ponds and the channels. The space that would be crowded by the residents during afternoons till late in the evening is now the resting place for the attendants of women admitted to the Maternity and Child Care Hospital.
The park space has been relocated. Realigned, it is craving for upkeep and proper maintenance.
Residents allege that the park has received little to no attention in the last many years. They claimed that visitors have ceased to get in. The fish have disappeared. They attribute it to the pollution over the hill.
“When I was a kid the number of fishes in the ponds was such that the surface was never visible,” resident, Mohammad Yousuf, said. “The water was so clean that we used to drink it. Now the water is polluted.”
Even though it lost its beauty, the garden retains its utility. Located near one of the busiest markets in the town, people still get in, take a rest and leave.
Society has equally contributed to the unmaking of this space. Though enough and adequate parking space is available near Rani Park, most of the people park their vehicles outside Sher Bagh, polluting its atmosphere. The parking at the main gate of the Bagh is impacting business and sometimes hinders the emergency cases in the hospital in their movement.
Another telling mess of the park is that the people who have lunch in the park, throw away a lot of waste. The park managers have failed to offer any kind of system that will enable the space to stay clean. Dustbins are there but nobody uses them.
Those visiting the park have their own issues. Zaina Begum is a frequent visitor. “The single biggest issue that the people face is the closure of the washrooms,” Begum said. “The public toilets were so dirty that they were locked, once and for all.”
Residents said the park is facing a crisis because there is multiple stakeholdings. While the property belongs to the Waqf Board, fish are supposed to be the Fisheries Department’s responsibility and the park is to be maintained by the Floriculture department. Residents said it would be ideal if the Bagh is given to a private party that will maintain it and manage it at a cost. “There is no harm in people paying some coins for spending a few hours in the park,” one resident suggested.
SRINAGAR: At least seven persons from Jammu and Kashmir died after a compressor in a cold storage plant exploded in Daurala area of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.
Quoting an official the news agency KNO reported that the explosion took place in the afternoon and at least 25 workers were present on the site.
He said some of them were evacuated safely while among the deceased 7 belonged to Jammu and Kashmir.
The deceased have been identified as Balwant, Baldev, Balbir Singh, Sat Pal, Ramesh Lal, Kalu—all residents of Udhampur and Hoshiywar Singh of Ramban.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh expressed grief over the accident and said all possible help was being provided to victim families.
“Just now spoke to DC Meerut Mr Deepak Meena (IAS) on receiving the report about some persons from Jammu And Kashmir becoming victims of the unfortunate accident at Daurala Cold Storage. Sad to note that out of 7 deaths, 6 persons belong to district Udhampur and 1 from district Ramban,” he tweeted.
He also said 9 injured have been shifted to the hospital, while instructions have been issued to provide all possible help.
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday said that in the UT, people use internet data, buy I-phones and pay to play videos he wonders why there was a hue and cry over imposition of nominal property tax. He was quick to add that the money collected from property tax will be used to development and welfare of the people.
Addressing a function at Jammu where LG extended Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana ( PMFBY) to the farmers of all 20 districts of J&K, the LG as per news agency KNO, said that the administration hardly gets the power tariff and water bills paid by the people. “In J&K, people pay to use internet data, buy I-phones and play videos, I wonder why there is hue and cry over imposition of property tax,” the LG said, adding that there will be a push to the GDP in J&K once property tax will be collected.
The LG said that SAKUST-Kashmir and Jammu will be made of international standards while food security will comprise proteins as well. On February 22, Jammu and Kashmir administration ordered the imposition of property tax from April 1. In exercise of the power conferred by section 71A of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, the government hereby notifies the rules for levy, assessment and collection of property tax in the municipalities and municipal councils of the UT, housing and urban development department principal secretary H Rajesh Prasad had said in a notification. The tax rates will be 5% of taxable annual value (TAV) for residential properties and 6% for commercial properties, it stated. In another announcement, the government said that small houses were exempted from the tax and the amount fixed for commercial buildings was nominal. The government announcement, however, evoked sharp criticism from almost all the political parties who termed the move as unjustified.
SRINAGAR: J&K Bank has emerged winner as Best MSME Bank, MSME Friendly Bank, Govt Schemes Implementing Bank, Best Branding Bank and Best Bank for Implementing COVID Schemes at a function of MSME Banking Excellence Awards – 2022 that was organized by Delhi-based Chamber of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (CIMSME).
Accompanied by General Manager (Credit) Ashutosh Sareen and Zonal Head (Delhi) Rakesh Magotra, Bank’s MD & CEO Baldev Prakash received the prestigious award at the hands of Chief Guest and Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat under ‘Private Bank’ category at a high profile event held on Thursday evening in New Delhi. Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner Union Ministry of MSME, Dr Rajneesh and President (CIMSME) Mukesh Mohan Gupta were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, MD Baldev Prakash said, “It is really a momentous occasion for us to have been conferred with all these prestigious awards under different categories of excellence at the august hands of honourable union minister in presence of bankers and industry notables from across the country. And I feel proud to attribute this achievement to the entire J&K Bank Family, whose everyday efforts on ground continue to be recognized and rewarded at prestigious platforms in the country.”
Earlier, MD & CEO asserted that as a responsible financial institution J&K Bank understands that MSME sector plays a critical role in fostering entrepreneurship, generating huge employment opportunities by complementing the larger industry and is vital to the entire eco-system.
Amid a round of applause on the occasion, he also shared the recent success story of J&K Government’s flagship programs, wherein effective financial intervention by the banks operating across the UT with overwhelming participation of J&K Bank generated employments benefiting 75000 people.
Highlighting the Bank’s role further in promoting the inclusive and sustainable growth of economy through its effective financial intermediation with special emphasis on MSME sector, he said, “Such an assertion is evidenced by the fact that not only did we surpass the mandated Priority Sector Lending target of 40% by recording 45.19% achievement during the Financial Year 21-22, but we also recorded an achievement of 13.58% under lending to Micro Enterprises –almost double the regulatory stipulation of 7.5%.”
He further said, “Moreover, being pro-active in mitigating the effects of COVID19 on our borrowers, so far we have provided incremental credit of Rs 2240 Cr under various Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) schemes announced by the Central Government to around 43000 customers – across all sectors and segments.”
JAMMU: In its 12th High Level Committee (HLC) meeting of Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) attended by the senior officers in Civil and Security establishment Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Friday impressed upon all the line departments including the Shrine Board to prepare well ahead of commencement of yatra for its successful conduct this year, an official handout reads.
According to statement, Dr Mehta urged all the departments including PDD, Jal Shakti, RDD, H&UDD, BRO, Telecommunication and others to complete the necessary tendering and other contract related processes in the month of April itself. He directed the BRO to clear the snow from roads on both the axis of Chandanwadi and Baltal before end of April so that other departments are able to carryout their activities smoothly.
The Chief Secretary stressed on marking the disaster prone areas on both the routes and ensure that the utilities are not established in such areas. He directed that necessary assistance may be taken from NDRF in this regard so that they could certify that no utility has been erected in such zones, reads the statement.
He asked the concerned Deputy Commissioners to facilitate all the service providers so that the facilities created at each location are appropriate and sufficient for both the devotees and facilitators. He advised them to work in coordination with each other and use the work window very efficiently so that every facility is ready by mid June in any case.
He asked the civil administration about the arrangements made last year by them at each of the camp location and enroute up to the holy cave. He told them to repeat the same exercise with necessary improvements, wherever required. He asked them to implement the Supreme Court directions passed in this regard in letter and spirit and give more focus on stabilization of slopes in vulnerable stretches, construction of foot bridges along the yatra track, repairing of safety railings and removal of slips and installation of signages for the safety and ease of pilgrims.
Dr Mehta stated that the DPRs of the works to be taken in hand for successful conduct of the yatra should be given timely Administrative Approval. Besides, their technical vetting should also be carried on priority to identify the works that are more significant in terms of safety and security of yatris. He directed for completing the building at Ramban before start of yatra this year.
He enjoined upon all the Departments like Health, FCS&CA, RDD, H&UDD, DMRRR, Information, IT and others to carryout their routine works as per the past practice enhancing the capacity wherever required. He termed their contribution very crucial for conduct of the yatra and beckoned them to work with a sense of purpose and urgency.
The Chief Secretary further directed them to ensure that the installation of lights, water tanks, toilets, generators, PSPs, Public Address System, communication towers are fully functional at each camp location before the commencement of yatra.
He stressed on creating health facilities with appropriate bed capacity at each location with the allied facilities like Oxygen supply, X-ray, ECG and others as per the actual requirement. He laid emphasis on taking proper sanitation measures at all camp and langar sites without any fail with putting good number of volunteers and personnel at work.
He also asked for the trial running of all the helipads on both the routes well before time. He asked the Divisional and District administration to take every measure for risk mitigation deemed fit after visiting the tracks themselves.
The Divisional administrations ensured him that full proof arrangements would be made everywhere. They further gave out that power supply, water, health facilities, installation of toilets/baths, telephone, ration, fire fighting equipment, firewood, shelter sheds, helipads, mobile connectivity, langar, tents and SDRF/NDRF personnel deployment would be done at each spot identified for the purpose. They informed the meeting that every facility required for the event would be created as per the standard practice besides taking all the measures as per the directions given in this meeting.
