SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said that the Narco- Terrorism has become a potential threat to our society.
While attending the Attestation cum Passing out Parade of Recruit Constables of 29th BRTC Batch at S.Prithinandan Singh Police Training School, in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, LG Sinha said the JK police and army are committed to deal with challenges of narco terror in a comprehensive manner.
The Lt Governor congratulated and welcomed the new recruits to one of the finest police forces in the country.
I am confident that you will discharge your responsibility towards the nation with utmost sensitivity, commitment and dedication, added the Lt Governor.
“The integrity, dedication and professionalism of JK Police are pivotal in the fight against terrorism. We all take pride in the excellence & professionalism displayed by J&K Police in handling narco-terrorism and enforcing the rule of law,” said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor stressed upon the future-ready policing strategies to tackle the new forms of internal security challenges.
“These are challenging times for our police forces as the world today is facing conventional & non-conventional threats and we need to be vigilant,” the Lt Governor said.
“We believe in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and peaceful coexistence. There is no place for subversive elements in a civilized society,” observed the Lt Governor.
Today, Narco-Terrorism has become one of the biggest threats to the society. The UT Administration, J&K Police and our Security Forces are committed to dealing with challenges of narco terror in a comprehensive manner
J&K UT is on the march and is being transformed. It is our sacred duty to provide a safe, secure and right environment to fulfill the aspirations of the common man, he said. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Thursday chaired a meeting of the officers from the UT administration and Border Roads Organization (BRO) at Raj Bhavan.
During the meeting, the Lt Governor sought the details of the scope of work to be undertaken for the widening, restoration and maintenance of the stretch of yatra track that has been handed over to BRO.
K N Rai, member of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board ( SASB); Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department; Brig Saket Singh, Chief Engineer, BRO; Akshay Labroo, Additional Secretary to Lt Governor, Rahul Singh, Additional Chief Executive Officer, SASB were present.
The Lt Governor was apprised on the scope of work, surveyed via drone. The Lt Governor impressed upon the BRO to complete the works within the specified timeframe. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting of Public Sector Banks, Administrative Departments and other Financial Institutions, at Civil Secretariat on Thursday.
The meeting was chaired to review the action taken on the directions passed in the previous meeting on seamless credit to potential entrepreneurs and saturation of other government schemes aimed to facilitate the dreams of aspiring society.
Calling banking sector the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s growing economy, he said, “Collective efforts should be made to facilitate common man, farmers, industries, SHGs and young entrepreneurs. Banks need to cooperate & complement government’s efforts in reaching out to beneficiaries of all flagship schemes,” the Lt Governor said.
He also observed that during the Back to Village-4 and My Town My Pride Programme, JK Bank ensured a major share of 90 percent in extending the financial support to 75,000 youth recently, while other banks had merely 10 percent contribution.
“This situation needs to change. All the Banks must increase the lending to promote entrepreneurship amongst youth, women and people from marginalised sections of society,” the Lt Governor further said.
The Lt Governor also reviewed the progress achieved to extend the benefits of Kisan Credit Cards to all the eligible farmers.
The banks were instructed to follow the delivery channels of RBI and saturate the distribution of Smart Cards to the KCC account holders by June, 2023.
The Lt Governor emphasized on support and guidance to the farmers in preparing project reports required by the banks through nodal agencies. He also emphasized on holding regular meetings at the district level with mission youth and other government departments to understand requirements of diverse sectors.
The Chair was also briefed on the upcoming ‘Citizen’s portal for Government Sponsored Schemes’. The soon to be launched portal, prepared by JK Bank will ensure that all the Banks operating in Jammu Kashmir seamlessly extend all the benefits of government schemes to the eligible beneficiaries.
The portal will enable a citizen to apply for a Government Sponsored Schemes directly online with OTP Authentication and check the status of his/her application online.
It will forward/route the applications from citizens to appropriate departments and teams in an integrated workflow and enable departments and teams to process and forward/route these applications to the concerned financing agencies.
Further the financing agencies can update status for these applications post processing. It will also facilitate generation of MIS/Reporting Dashboards, it was informed.
Directions were passed to explore possibilities to integrate all the schemes and other portals on a single platform and make the portal more interactive, multilingual and having a module of grievances redressal mechanism.
Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department; Sh Baldev Prakash, MD & CEO JK Bank; Administrative Secretaries, HODs, Heads and representatives of several banks operating in the UT attended the meeting.(GNS)
SRINAGAR: Urging citizens not to fall prey to the misinformation spread on Property Tax, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that that nearly 80 percent of the population will be exempted from the tax and those who would be covered under it, would pay it at nominal rates.
“Nearly 75 to 80 percent of the population of JK will be exempted from the Property Tax. Those who are falling under the purview of Property Tax are trying to create chaos and confusion among the common masses”, the Lieutenant Governor said.
LG was speaking to the reporters after inaugurating the GST symposium and tax awareness initiative ‘Kar-Tavya’ at the convention centre Jammu.
Sinha said the citizens across the country are paying Property Tax. Property Tax proposed for Jammu and Kashmir is one-tenth of Shimla-the capital of neighbouring Himachal Pradesh”, he said and pointed out that on an average Rs 900 to Rs 1000 to be paid annually as Property Tax.
Lieutenant Governor said that aim of proposing this Tax is to develop the cities of Jammu and Kashmir as “Engines of Growth”.
“Every year government grants funds worth Rs 900 crores to the urban local bodies of JK. Property Tax will be directly deposited to the concerned urban local bodies for the overall growth and development of the area,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor appealed to the people to support government’s initiative to develop the towns and cities of Jammu and Kashmir and urged the people not to fall prey to certain vested interests spreading false information and creating misconceptions around anti-encroachment drives, power generation, and property tax.
“No poor will be touched during anti-encroachment drives but no influential encroacher will be spared. The encroached land retrieved by the government will be utilized for the welfare of the common man and schools, colleges, hospitals, and sports facilities will be developed on the retrieved land,” said the Lt Governor.
Maintaining that property tax in Jammu and Kashmir is the lowest as compared to other states, Manoj Sinha said “there are around 5,20,000 houses in the cities of JK and out of these, 2,06,000 houses are less than 1000 sq ft and no tax is being imposed on them.”
There is no tax on 40% of the people living in cities, in rural and religious places. 2,03,600 houses are less than 1500 sq ft and 80% of these households will have to pay less than Rs 600 per annum. This amount is one-tenth of the tax amount being paid in Shimla, Ambala, and Dehradun, the Lt Governor said.
“46,000 out of 1,01,000 shops in city areas are less than 100 sq ft and will have to pay up to Rs 700 per annum. Out of these 46,000 shops, 80% will have to pay a meager Rs 600 per annum/ Rs 50 per month, “he added.
The revenue generated will directly go to the accounts of municipalities and corporations. This step has been taken to make our cities an engine of growth, he added.
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha addressed the foundation day celebration of Cluster University, Jammu at Padma Shri Padma Sachdev Government PG College for Women, Gandhi Nagar.
Congratulating the Cluster University for achieving excellence in quality education, the Lt Governor said that the University, established on 1st March 2017 with five Constituent Colleges, is playing its role of a change agent, with focus on skill development and to transform the vibrant institutions as the centers of new ideas and discoveries.
The Lt Governor highlighted the important role of college campuses & class rooms in enriching the society, creating and nurturing the best talents and stressed upon the necessary changes in sync with the National Education Policy.
“In a new era, the education system & role of a teacher needs to adapt to fast-changing world. Teacher is not just a disseminator of knowledge. A teacher is the one who imparts different skill sets, ignites creativity, innovation in young generation to live a better life,” said the Lt Governor.
The new invention will not be born out of memories of the past or books, but from a free mind, from a young mind full of curiosity. To make the curiosity, innovation, invention, lifeblood of academic institutions, we must implement recommendations of national education policy, the Lt Governor added.
Observing that Innovation will be a major contributor to India’s five trillion economy, the Lt Governor asked the educational institutions to keep pace with digitalization and future technologies.
“We must remove the burden of textbooks and instill in young students the urge for new discoveries. We must give them courage & strength to explore the unknown and not just syllabus. We should provide them with academic freedom so they get to know themselves and respect their own uniqueness,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor also spoke on the growth registered in various sectors including tourism, industries, livelihood generation, sports and the measures taken to improve services for the people.
Entire J&K administration is working towards the welfare of common man. The time has gone when J&K’s administration was running at the whims and fancies of some handful of people with vested interests, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor said 20,000 vacant posts in administration will be filled soon. He also assured strict punishment to the culprits who are behind rigging of recruitment exam.
Speaking on the anti-encroachment drive, the Lt Governor said that the anti-encroachment drive only retrieved the land from the big and influential land grabbers who had illegally occupied large chunks of state land and if any poor person was affected by anti encroachment drive, strict action will be taken against the concerned officers.
The Lt Governor asked the educational institutions and students to collectively participate in the conduct of G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir. Be the socio-cultural ambassadors of JK and make the world aware of the diversity of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
Educational institutions should also dedicate themselves to actively provide solutions to local problems, the Lt Governor said.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor inaugurated the Laboratory block of School of Sciences of Cluster University of Jammu and laid foundation stone for Examination block to be come up at a cost of Rs 39.35 crores.
RR Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta Chief Secretary, and Bechan Lal, VC, Cluster University of Jammu shared the journey of making of the Cluster University of Jammu, highlighting the achievements of the University and the reforms introduced in the education sector.
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha launched Jio True 5G Services for Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday.
Congratulating the citizens of the JK UT, the Lt Governor said the 5G services will play an active role in socio-economic development, enable integrated action for prosperity and bring transformational benefits to the people.
“The 5G technology for the common man will realize the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital India and give a boost to growth opportunities in tourism, e-governance, agriculture, education, healthcare, information technology and small & micro enterprises,” said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor underscored the significance of adopting future technologies and their effective utilization for holistic development of JK UT.
“The latest 5G technology and enhanced connectivity will bridge the rural urban divide, improve productivity, generate more employment and it will ensure growth of grassroot enterprises, self help groups and knowledge connectivity for rural schools,” observed the Lt Governor.
The 5G will also enable citizens and the Government to remain connected on real time basis and will assist & improve the implementation and efficacy of Government schemes and public service delivery, the Lt Governor noted.
Highlighting the digital initiatives of the government, the Lt Governor said the UT Government is providing around 440 services online for the convenience of the common man. We have also ensured the hassle free delivery of those services which are impacting the majority of our population, he added.
The e-office has made the working of the administration more transparent and accountable. On an average J&K is recording a higher number of digital transactions than many bigger states & UTs, the Lt Governor further added.
Governor said, strong internet connectivity will also complement the government’s efforts to bring the reforms in the Agriculture & allied sectors through the implementation of 29 projects recommended by Apex Committee on Holistic Development for Agriculture & allied sectors.
The kind of talent JK possessed is one of the best in the country. Education, MSMEs, startups, and remote areas will benefit from this initiative, he added.
Manoj Sinha asked the Jio representatives to ensure uninterrupted connectivity during the G20 summit and Shri Amarnath ji Yatra. He further asked them to take dedicated measures to resolve the issues of call drop and interruption in connectivity.
Kapil Ahuja, CEO North, Reliance Jio extended gratitude to the UT Government for continuous support to realize the vision of Digital JK.
We are excited to launch Jio True 5G in Jammu and Srinagar. By December 2023, Jio True 5G will cover every town of Jammu & Kashmir. This is testimony to Jio’s commitment towards the Government’s priorities, he added.
The 5G Services have been activated in twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar.
Jio has made the investment of Rs.6529 Cr in the UT to give a fillip to the vision of Digital J&K and has created 36,000 direct & indirect employments. More than Rs 1230 Cr investment is in progress and by end of December 2023 it will connect every block & tehsil of JK, it was informed.
The Shopian Sqay Association players have won medals in two championships, 14 gold and four silver medals at South Asian Sqay Championship and Tri-National International Championship. The 7th South Asian Sqay Championship and tri-nation international 2023 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The players include Khatija Tul Kubra, Shahzadi Lariba, Tawqeer Ashraf, Shahzaib Shakeel, Junaid Shafi and Faizan Ayoub Khan have won gold medals under different categories and Faizan Gulzar and Durdana Yousuf won the silver medal in the championship. In the Tri-National international championship 2023, Tahneet Mushtaq, Anish Zahoor, Zaid Bin Hassan, Mohd Huzaif, Shafeeq Ah Malik, Owais Mushtaq, Danish Aijaz and Haamid Rashid won gold while Umer Masood and Khansa Bashir have won silver medals.
Our Little Squay Champion Abid Aijaz from Ganderbal after returning from 7th South Asian Squay champinship Katmandu Nepal with a silver medal. pic.twitter.com/7sc8rzkWBo
The Jammu and Kashmir government enhanced the wages of daily engaged Daily Rated Workers, including Casual Labourers from Rs 300 per day to Rs 311 with effect from October 2022.
LADAKH
Retired Brigadier Dr BD Sharma took over as Ladakh LG on February 19, 2023. This photograph was taken after clicked after he was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice Jammu and High Court Mr Justice N Kotiswar Singh.
Brigadier (Dr) B D Mishra (Retired) has taken oath as the new Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh. He became the second LG of the Himalayan region by replacing R K Mathur, who held the office since 2019 when Ladakh became the union territory. The 83-year-old Mishra is a former brigadier of the Indian Army and the former Commander of the Counter Hijack Force of the National Security Guard (NSG), popularly known as the Black Cat Commandos. His appointment came on the heels of a stalemate in Ladakh where the Kargil Democratic Alliance and Leh Apex Body have been asking for statehood to the region along with a legislature, schedule-VI safeguards, and an additional parliament seat.
The government has started the Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalising Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir with Rs 463 crore earmarked for creating 2000 Kissan Khidmat Ghars, which will serve as a One Stop Centre for extending farmer-oriented services
RAMBAN
Landslides damage 5 houses in J&K’s Ramban
At least 13 houses and a road stretch of 200 meters was damaged in an incident of ‘land erosion’ at Duksar Dal areas of Gool in Ramban district. The affected families were shifted the safer places. The land sliding had been witnessed in the area for three consecutive days. DC Ramban said a requisition has been sent for expert advice from geologists to ascertain the reasons. Meanwhile, in the Rezan area of the Ganderbal district, soil erosion led to damage to several houses. In the Noorabad area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a landslide damaged five shops belonging to Fayaz Ahmad Hajam and Abdul Majeed Hajam. A house also suffered minor damage.
As per official figures, Kupwara’s Hagnikoot and Nichahama have 9 Lakh metric tonne Lignite deposits while Awoora and Zirhama have 8 lakh metric tonne high-quality Marble deposits
SRINAGAR
Racing for career, Kashmir young girls at a JK Police recruitment rally at Humhama Srinagar in June 2021. Photo: JKP
The government cancelled the results of two Border Battalions of Jammu and Kashmir Police after “observing” some discrepancies. The examination for 1300 Constable posts in JK Police Border Battalion was conducted in October last year and the results were declared in January 2023. An official notification issued by Additional Director General of Police Coordination PHQ Danesh Rana stated that after the declaration of the final result issued on January 25, 2023 in respect of candidates of UT of Jammu and Kashmir who have participated in the recruitment process for the post of Constable in two Border Battalions of Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted in terms of the above-referenced advertisement notifications, some discrepancies in the said result were observed.
QAZIGUND
Thousands of fish at a spring in the Babapora (Qazigund) died after the water body developed a low concentration of oxygen. In a never-before incident, the dead fish were flushed towards the mouth of the spring. Spring is the natural exit point at which groundwater emerges out of the aquifer and flows onto the top of the Earth’s crust to become surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere as well as a part of the water cycle.
As per officials, a spring located at Babapora with good discharge for the past many years was selected as a source for this water supply scheme for villages – Babaporateng, Mandhole and Chandian Pajan. They said there was a reduction in the discharge of the spring in such a way that almost all the fish (in quintals) which were initially inside the spring under the hillock came out towards the mouth of the spring, which has never happened before. This created panic for us as well as the local people, they said.
SRINAGAR
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry elected its new leadership on February 22, 2023.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCC&I) elected its new executive committee with 21 candidates in the fray emerging victorious. The KCC&I later elected its office bearers and the Executive Committee with Javid Ahmad Bhat (Tenga) elected as President, and Ashaq Hussain Shangloo and Fayaz Ahmad Punjabi being elected as Sr. Vice President and Jr. Vice President respectively. Faiz Ahmad Bakshi has been elected as Secretary General while Dr Umar Nazir Tibetbaqal is the new Jt. Secretary-General and Zubair Mahajan has been appointed as Treasurer. Akib Chaya bagged the highest number of votes with 453 voting in his favour followed by Umar Nazir Tibatbaqal with 444 votes.
PATTAN
In a strange incident, a government school teacher posted in the Pattan area of Baramulla district assaulted his colleague and bit his ear. The incident took place on February 21 after the two teachers entered into a verbal brawl over some discussion on managing charge of school assignments. As the teachers exchanged heated arguments, one of the teachers attacked his colleague and bite his ear. Following the incident, the J&K Police in Pattan arrested a teacher for assaulting his colleague and registered an FIR in the case as well. An official said the teacher who was attacked has got around 6 stitches in his ear. Meanwhile, the district education authorities in Baramulla have ordered an inquiry into the matter and are mulling taking departmental action against the teacher.
SRINAGAR
Jairam Ramesh
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”. It is pertinent to mention that earlier in January, the senior Congress leader took a jibe at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DAP by calling it the “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.
RAMBAN
social media
A teacher has been suspended for allegedly criticising policies of the government on social media platforms in the Ramban district. According to an order, Joginder Singh, teacher GPS Chanderkote was suspended for criticising 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.
KARNATAKA
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed various groups after inaugurating various development projects in Srinagar on Monday, October 25, 2021. KL Image by Bilal Bahadur
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that by reading- down Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the “merger” of Jammu Kashmir forever with India. Speaking at an election rally in Sandur, Karnataka Shah praised the government’s move and highlighted the significant improvement in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation. Shah refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims of a bloodbath in the region, stating that the abrogation has led to the lowest figures of terrorism-related incidents. The Home Minister also added that the move has led to a lot of positive changes in the region. The abrogation of Article 370, which had caused harm to the country, was a significant move made by the BJP-led government in 2019, Shah said. Despite opposition from various political parties, the government’s decision has permanently ensured Jammu and Kashmir’s integration into India. The improved situation in the region has been well-received and is a cause for celebration for the entire country, he added.
PULWAMA
Robbers brandishing toy guns loot the Sopore family
In a bizarre incident in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, five villagers were allegedly looted by extortionists holding a “toy gun’. The incident was reported from Trichal village barely 3 kilometres away from the Pulwama district headquarters. As per reports, five villagers who were intending to enter the mosque to offer Fajr prayers were stopped by three extortionists who were probably carrying toy pistols. The victims have been identified as Tawseef Ahmed Bhat son of Ali Muhammad Bhat, Muzafar Ahmed Dar son of Ghulam Hasan Dar, Javaid Ahmed Mohand son of Ghulam Hasan Mohand, Haji Ali Muhammad Dar and Muhammad Shaban Bhat son of Ali Muhammad Bhat.
KOKERNAG
Saddam Nab Azad, with his right hand, raised, son of Ghulam Nabi Azad has joined the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). He was seen at the party’s youth convention at Nigheen Club on February 26, 2023.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also the chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), has announced that if his party wins the upcoming assembly elections, he will bring back the Roshni Act in the Union Territory. The Act, which provides ownership rights to occupants, was initially passed in 2001 by the National Conference government but was repealed in 2018 by the then-governor Satya Pal Malik. Addressing a rally at Larnoo Kokernag, Azad expressed his concern over the economic crises in Jammu and Kashmir and said that his aim is to build the region as a welfare state, where the economy grows to the extent that people are willing to pay taxes themselves. He emphasized that the poor are being crushed by rising electricity bills, water charges, and property taxes.
SRINAGAR
High Court of Jammu and Kashmir
The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh directed the authorities to proceed with the termination of an 18-20-week pregnancy of an alleged minor rape victim after having a fresh examination of the victim and after the father of the minor gives “extra high-risk consent.” The victim’s father had approached the court seeking termination of the pregnancy of the minor. In the rape case, an FIR was registered at a police station in north Kashmir on February 14.
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that 40 percent of the J&K population will have to pay no property tax and the remaining 60 per cent have to pay nominal amount between Rs 600 to Rs 1000 maximum amount per annum. He said that tax amount fixed is one-tenth of the tax being paid by Shimla, Ambala and Dehradun.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at SKICC, LG Manoj Sinha said that in J&K 203,680 households are less than 1500 Sq feet.
“Forty percent people won’t have to pay the tax. Eighty percent of the 2,0,3680 households will have to pay nominal amount of Rs 600 only while rest will have to pay a nominal amount of Rs 1000 as property tax per annum. This amount is one-tenth of the tax amount being paid by Shimla, Ambala and Dehradun,” LG Sinha said.
About the commercial including shops, the LG said that 1,01000 shops are in J&K of which 42 per cent shops are less than 100 sq feet. “These shops will have to pay less than Rs 700 per annum. 76 per cent of the total shops of 11000 shops will have to pay very minimum amount as the property tax,” he said, adding that the amount collected will directly go into the accounts of Municipal Corporations and utilized for the development of the areas where tax will be collected.
“I urge the common people of J&K to come forward and help build a better J&K,” the LG said.
Pertinently, the J&K government announced imposition of property tax in the UT from April 1. The move evoked sharp criticism from the cross section of the society and the political parties, who demanded immediate rollback of the order. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said citizens’ welfare is foremost priority of the government and property tax will ensure financial self-sustainability of cities and improvement of public amenities in the Union Territory.
In a statement LG Manoj Sinha said that our cities must witness rapid development and emerge as engines of growth. “For that financial self-sustainability of cities is necessary. Property tax in J&K will be one of the lowest in the country and will be used for improving public amenities in J&K.”
“Implementation shall be done in consultation with general public. Common citizens’ interests will be protected,” he added.
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.
