Zabarwan Times E paper 8th June 13

RNI NO:JKBIL/2011/39764 Registered No: JKNP-158/SKGPO-2010-2012

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NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARSaturday, 08 June,2013

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Centre has sought clarifications, did not return Bill

Kolkata: Amid reports that the centre has returned the anti-chitfund Bill, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Baner-jee on Friday said that some clarifications have been sought on the Bill sent for presidential assent.

“The centre did not return the Bill. The Bill is absolutely okay. The centre only asked for clarifications on three points. They can seek such clarifica-tions. It is their prerogative,” Banerjee told reporters follow-ing reports in a section of the media that it was returned.

The three points on which clarifications are sought in-clude widening of powers of special designated courts and that no court could grant an-ticipatory bail and a sugges-tion by the centre for adding a new provision for compound-ing offences. Banerjee said no clarification was sought on the clause that allowed retrospec-tive effect.

“We held a meeting to-day and agreed to all the three points made by the centre. We are sending our reply today. We hope that the centre will not create any delay and send the Bill which we had sent for presidential assent,” she said.

The West Bengal Protec-

tion of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments Bill, 2013 formulated by the Trin-amool Congress government was passed in the state assem-bly on 30 April following the Saradha chitfund scam.

Slamming criticism by the Left and Congress, she said

her government was alert and had passed the Bill promptly in the wake of Saradha chitfund scam.

“They unleashed propagan-da. Those who are resorting to such false propaganda should speak only after knowing it,” she said.

Big setback for Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav from court

Lucknow: In a setback for the Akh-ilesh Yadav government, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court today stayed the Samajwadi Party government’s process of withdrawal of terror charges against those falsely implicated in terror cases.

The bench has given Mr Yadav’s gov-ernment six weeks to reply and referred the matter to a larger bench.

“We respect the court’s order. How-ever, our government is committed to get-ting justice to innocent people framed in terror cases,” the Chief Minister said after the verdict.

for the Assembly elections last year, the Samajwadi Party had promised in it controversial manifesto to review terror charges against innocent Muslim youth who had been allegedly framed in terror cases during the former Mayawati gov-ernment.

When it came to power, the state gov-ernment began work on its promise by ordering the withdrawal of terror charges against Khalid Mujahid, an accused in the Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Faizabad serial blasts case. In November, serial blasts had ripped through the three cities killing more than a dozen and injuring several people.

But a court in Barabanki rejected the state government’s plea to withdraw ter-ror cases against him and another accused Tariq Qasmi. The rejection came on tech-nical grounds, for non-compliance of pa-perwork formalities.

Similarly, the Allahabad High Court had in November last year ticked off the UP government for seeking to with-draw cases against two suspects in the March 2006 Varanasi serial blasts, which claimed 25 lives, and asked if this would not encourage terrorism.

The Samajwadi Par-ty rode to power as a result of a massive consolidation of the Muslim vote that constitutes one-fifth of the total voting population in Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, the concerns of the community are para-mount for Mr Yadav. The withdrawal of terror cases is one of his biggest political commitments. But with every new hurdle in fulfilling this promise, there is a grow-ing perception in the minds of Muslims that this promise was always meant to be broken.

Naroda Gaam case: Gujrat court gives more time to CBI inspector

AHMEDABAD: A des-ignated court, hearing the 2002 post-Godhra riot case of Naroda Gaam in the city, today gave three more days’ time to a witness and CBI po-lice Inspector to appear before it after he apologised for his absence.

Judge Jyotsna Yagnik today considered the apology tendered by case witness and CBI in-spector N S Raju and directed him to appear be-fore the court on June 10. Yesterday, court had issued bailable warrant against Raju, who had failed to comply with court’s order to remain present before it for his deposition, and then di-rected him to appear today.

As Raju failed to remain present before the court today too, the judge started dictating the order expressing strong objections about the con-duct of CBI officer.

However, half way through the dictation Spe-cial Public Prosecutor of the case S C Shah, who had just received a communication from Special Investigation Team (SIT) officer, informed the court that CBI officer has faxed a letter express-ing regrets and apologies for his conduct.

“Raju has expressed his regrets and tendered

unconditional apologies for not remaining present before the court today and has assured that he will remain present on June 10 if court grants him time,” submitted Shah before the court. “As witness has tendered unconditional apologies and gave assurance, court should show the magnanimity in the larg-

er interest of the justice and refrain from pass-ing harshest order to issue non-bailable warrant against him,” observed designated judge while granting him the time.

In the aftermath of the train burning inci-dent at Godhra on February 27, 2002, violence had broken out in Naroda Gaam industrial area, where 11 people from the minority community were killed. Naroda Gaam case is separate from Naroda Patiya case in which the same judge had earlier given her verdict.

Trial is underway against 82 accused includ-ing former state minister and BJP leader Maya Kodnanai and VHP leader Dr Jaideep Patel.

Raju was part of the team which investigated the authenticity of CD of a sting operation done by reporter Ashish Khetan of Tehelka, in 2007, in which some of the accused of this case has made extra-judicial confessions.

‘Roshni’ for Naxal-affected areas: 50,000 youths to be trained

NEW DELHI: Reaching out to youths in Naxal-hit areas, Centre today launched a placement linked skill de-velopment scheme targeting 50,000 rural men and wom-en, mostly tribals, in 24 worst affected districts.

Initiating the programme called “ Roshni”, Rural De-velopment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at least 50 per cent of the candidates covered under the scheme will be women and special efforts will be made to proactively cover Par-ticularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on a priority basis.

‘Roshni’ will show a “new path” to the youths being targeted by Maoists, the Minis-ter said.

The three-year initiative aims at skilling and placement of 50,000 youth from 24 Nax-al-affected districts in nine states.

The new programme drew lessons from a similar scheme being implemented in two crit-ical Left-wing Extremism affected districts--West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Sukma in Chhattisgarh -- and Himayat programme launched to address the needs and aspirations

of the youth in Jammu and Kashmir.

Beneficiaries aged be-tween 18-35 years with requisite aptitude depend-ing upon the trade or job requirements are to be selected as per the Par-ticipatory Identification of Poor. The scheme will be

implemented through training partners from the private and public sectors as well as non-profit organisations. The scheme will provide training for youth from identified districts for employment in the organised sector.

“The training providers will ensure 75 per cent placement defined as continuous employ-ment for three months at higher than minimum wages. Placements will be provided anywhere in India,” Ramesh told reporters.

Different training strategies will be used for diverse groups of youths, ranging from school dropouts (below 8th standard to below 10th standard) to those with college educa-tion.

The Minister said the funding for the ‘Ro-shni scheme’ would be in the ratio of 75:25 to be shared between Centre and states.

MiG-21 Bison crashes near Barmer in Rajasthan, pilot

ejects safely

A MiG-21 aircraft of IAF on Friday crashed in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, with the pilot ejecting safely.

The plane crashed near Sodiyar village at 9 am and the pilot ejected safely, Defence Spokesperson S D Goswami told PTI.

He said the aircraft took off from the Uttarlai Airbase in the western sector and was on a routine sortie.

It crashed 40 km off Barmer, he said.A rescue mission was immediately launched from Jodhpur air-

base, he said.When do we learn? Why is it not possible to make someone

accountable for these crashes? From a related India today article: “The Rajya Sabha was informed that over the past 40 years, India had lost more than half of its MiG combat fleet of 872 aircraft. The minister disclosed that “482 MiG aircraft accidents took place till April 19, 2012”.

RTI is the biggest threat to democracyThe preposterous order of the Central

Information Commission (CIC) bringing political parties under the Right to Informa-tion (RTI) Act is a frontal attack on democ-racy that deserves to be condemned in the strongest terms. Our reputable political par-ties, who have been at the receiving end of this legislation whenever they have formed or been a part of a government, are under-standably concerned at this brazen attempt to drag them into the pit of transparency and accountability.

The biggest problem with the CIC rul-ing, in the words of RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal is that it “will increase transparency in political parties, which, in turn, may help in curbing things like scams and corruption cases.”

Evidently, the assumption is that finan-cial transparency of political parties is a good thing. If you take the six national par-ties that have been brought under RTI by the CIC ruling—the Congress, the Bharati-ya Janata Party (BJP), the Nationalist Con-gress Party (NCP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI (M), the Communist Party of India, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)—as of today, none of them provide details about party finances. A voter has no way of knowing where they get their money from, which businessman or arms-dealer or poverty-stricken Mahatma Gan-

dhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme (MGNREGS) labourer contributes how much to which party, how the money is spent, how much the office-bearers are paid, etc.

But then, does he really need to know all this information? In any case, how can a citizen who gives nothing to a political party except his vote—just one vote—ex-pect the same level of accountability from it as someone else who contributes his vote plus, say, Rs.40 crore? Won’t political par-ties then be forced to ignore those who have contributed hundreds of crores in expecta-tion of some return in the form of a lucra-tive contract or policy change or regulatory clearance? How can a democracy function with such excessive transparency?

As a matter of fact, if only this whole RTI nonsense had been nipped in the bud, the Adarsh scam may never have become public, nor the Commonwealth Games

scam nor the 2G scam nor the scores of other scams that barely merit a media men-tion because the amounts involved are not comparable with the mega-scams.

And we all know how disruptive these corruption scandals can be, for they caused serious discomfort to the democratically elected UPA government. Can we then fault the Congress general secretary Janard-han Dwivedi for correctly pointing out that the CIC ruling “will create a lot of harm and damage to democratic institutions”? Do we want our political parties also to be subjected to such damage wrought by RTI cowboys filing query after query in their quest for the next big scam?

The osten-sible logic behind the CIC ruling is that political parties should be subject to pub-lic scrutiny as they are beneficiaries of the state’s largesse. According to the petitioner, the New Delhi-based Association for Dem-ocratic Reforms (ADR), the Congress and the BJP alone have received subsidies from the government worth Rs.255 crore. Plus they get free air time on Doordarshan and All India Radio, not to mention substan-tial income-tax exemptions. While all this could be true, it would be absurd to argue that this renders political parties answer-able to the taxpayer whose money is subsi-dizing them.

Jagan DA case: CBI seeks judicial custody of Andhra ex-ministers

Hyderabad: The CBI, probing the al-leged disproportionate assets case against YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Red-dy, on Friday sought judicial custody of former Andhra Pradesh ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasad Rao. The central agency sought their judicial custody from the special CBI court alleging that former state Home Minister Sabitha Reddy and the then Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao were making statements before media claiming that they were innocent and would come out of the case.

Their statements to media will affect the investigations of the case, the CBI told the court. Both the ministers are accused in the case relating to alleged quid-pro-quo investments in Kadapa MP Jagan’s compa-nies.CBI deputy legal advisor Balla Ravin-dranath filed memos in this regard before the court and also submitted two CDs con-taining video clippings of the statements made by both the former ministers before the media. The CBI apprehended that the former ministers were deliberately talking to media and there are possibilities that it may affect the further investigation and in-fluence the witnesses.

The CBI alleged allegied that former ministers Sabitha Reddy and Dharmana Prasada Rao were making statements claiming that they were innocent.

It may amount to threat to witnesses and also hurdle the ongoing probe into the case, the investigating agency told the court. The memos were under scrutiny of the court.

The former ministers, who had ten-dered their resignations last month, had reportedly told the media that “we don’t have any case against us and we will freely come out of the case.” Sabitha Reddy has been named as fourth accused in the fifth charge sheet against Jagan and others, while Dharmana Prasad is an accused in the VANPIC aspect of the case.

JD(U) trashes BJP suggestion on Narendra ModiPATNA: With BJP

suggesting that JD(U) shed its antipathy to-wards Narendra Modi to avoid a Maharajganj-like defeat in future, Janata Dal (U) today said there was no need to “outsource” a leader in Bihar.

“People of Bihar have given three-fourth mandate to NDA in Bi-har in the name of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi...what is the need to outsource a leader in Bihar,” JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Ku-mar told PTI.

Kumar was reacting to BJP National Gen-eral Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy’s views that in view of massive defeat in Maharajganj by-poll, Modi was re-quired by his party and ally JD(U) to improve prospects in the gen-eral elections in Bihar and elsewhere in the country.

On BJP likely to declare Modi as poll campaign committee chief at Goa, the JD(U) spokesman said, “It is an internal matter of BJP.”

Bihar JD(U) Presi-

dent Bashist Narayan Singh was also unim-pressed by the advice and said, “BJP and JD(U) are two different parties who have come together to run a gov-ernment in Bihar on the basis of certain agreed issues.”

“By losing one by-poll have, we become insignificant?” he asked.

The Bihar JD(U) President said that his party stood by what it decided at the conclave in Delhi on issues like prime ministerial can-didate.

Four IndusInd Bank employeeskilled in fire in Mumbai

Mumbai: Four young staffers of the IndusInd Bank were burnt to death in a major fire that broke out after an explosion in the bank’s build-ing in suburban Andheri East in the Maharashtra capital early on Friday, officials said.

The fire broke out in a back office section of the bank in its multi-storeyed building in the Ma-harashtra Industrial Development Corporation

(MIDC) area around 11.30 pm on Thursday.The city fire brigade rushed to the scene of the

blaze and rescued many of the 20-odd employees trapped inside. However, some staffers ran helter-skelter in panic, lost their sense of direction, and could not be saved, fire officials said.

Early Friday, four employees were found dead. Seven employees were injured, some seri-ously.

The dead were identified as Atanu Laha, 35, Rakesh Shirkar, 24, Rohan Katkare, 25, and Sandeep Naik, 25.

The injured have been admitted to Seven Hills Hospital nearby.

The cause of the explosion and the blaze has not yet been established.

“We are giving the best possible medicare to all the injured staffers and making necessary ar-rangements for the victims,” a bank spokesper-son told IANS.

Researchers have found that children exposed to diethyl phthalate (DEP) and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP)—phthalate chemi-cals commonly found in personal care and plastic products—have elevated risk of asthma-related air-way inflammation.Of the 244 children aged 5 to 9 in the study, all had detectable levels of phthalates in their urine although these varied over a wide range.Higher levels of both phthalates were associated with higher levels of nitric oxide in exhaled breath, a biological marker of air-way inflammation.The association between BBzP exposure and air-way inflammation was especially strong among children who had recently reported wheeze, a com-mon symptom of asthma, according to the research-ers at Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health."While many factors contribute to childhood asthma, our study shows that exposure to phtha-lates may play a significant role," said Allan Just, PhD, first author on the new CCCEH study and current

postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.Dr. Just and co-investi-gators looked at children enrolled in the CCCEH Mothers and Newborns study. All live in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx where asthma prev-alence is high. Exposure to phthalates was measured through a urine test, and the level of nitric oxide in the child's exhaled breath was quantified as a marker of airway inflammation.The study is the first to use exhaled nitric oxide in a

study of phthalate expo-sure in children. By using the biomarker in exhaled breath, the researchers overcame a significant hurdle."Many asthma patients only have asthma exac-erbations a few times a year, making it difficult to discern short-term asso-ciations between environ-mental exposures and the disease," explained Mat-thew Perzanowski, PhD, senior author and Associ-ate Professor of Environ-mental Health Sciences at the Mailman School.

"To solve this problem, we used nitric oxide, which has been shown to be a reliable marker of airway inflammation in response to known asthma triggers like vehicle emissions," he said.Phthalates are used widely in consumer prod-ucts, including plastics, vi-nyl flooring, and personal care products, making ex-posure ubiquitous in the United States and other developed nations.Phthalates enter the body through ingestion, inha-lation, and absorption through the skin.

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

SATURDAY | 08 JUNE 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

Exposure to pesticide behind childhood coughChildren exposed to the widely used pesticide ad-ditive piperonyl butoxide (PBO) in the womb have heightened risk of non-infectious cough at ages 5 and 6, a new study has found.The findings support the premise that the children's respiratory system is sus-ceptible to damage from toxic exposures during the prenatal period. A com-mon symptom, childhood cough can disrupt normal daytime activities and in-terrupt sleep for both child and parent. Researchers at the Colum-bia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health and of Columbia Univer-sity Medical Center con-ducted the study. Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) is an organic compound used to bolster the effects of pyrethroid pesticides. Pyrethroids are the most commonly used pesticides for both professional pest control and non-profes-sional residential use, ac-cording to a 2011 study by Mailman School research-ers. Exposure to one pyre-throid, a variation of per-methrin, was linked with increased risk for cough by

age 5 in a 2009 study by Rachel Miller, MD. In the current study, Dr. Miller and colleagues sought to build on these findings by exploring the effects of subsequent ex-posure during childhood, looking specifically at the effects of PBO exposure. Researchers looked at 224 mother-child pairs enrolled in the CCCEH birth cohort study of en-vironmental exposures, examining measures of PBO and pyrethroid in personal air monitors worn by the mothers dur-ing pregnancy.

Air samples also were col-lected from the home over the course of two weeks when children were be-tween 5 and 6 years old. Questionnaires were used to evaluate respiratory outcomes. Researchers found that children exposed to PBO during pregnancy had in-creased odds of reporting cough unrelated to cold or flu. Exposures to PBO dur-ing childhood were not a factor. There was no observed as-sociation between prenatal or childhood permethrin exposure and cough,

something the researchers say may be explained by the fact that PBO is much easier to measure in air samples than permethrin. There was also no asso-ciation with PBO or per-methrin exposure and oth-er respiratory outcomes like wheeze or asthma. While it is unclear wheth-er the effect is due mainly to PBO itself or residen-tial pyrethroids of which PBO is an indicator, it is important to remember, said Dr. Miller, that "these exposures may be a factor in a very common problem for children—cough.

Personal care items cause asthma in kids

Replace ghee with canola or olive oilWhen a recipe calls for ghee or butter, substitute it with canola or olive oil for better health.Both these oils can help you to shed weight and reduce liver fat, lipids and triglycerides, says a study. The study conducted by the Diabetes Foundation (India) (DFI) and the Na-tional Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Founda-tion (N-DOC) has found that consuming olive or canola oil can help in de-creasing weight, waist circumference and reduce liver fat, lipids and trig-lycerides. A group of 90 people were part of the study for three years from June 2007 to 2010. They were divided into three groups and asked to use one type of cooking oil — olive, canola or any other oil. "After a period of six months itself, we found that those who used olive or canola significantly re-duced there weight, liver fat and triglycerides," said Seema Gulati, head of nu-trition research group at N-DOC.

The group which used olive oil significant-ly reduced the body weight, waist circum-ference and liver fat. As for the 30 people who used canola oil, they reported a decrease in waist circumference and a significantly improved insulin and blood glu-cose. The group which

used other oils, except the soybean or sun-flower oil — which have a high content of mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) — as cooking medium had not showed any significant changes. "If the different tradi-tional Indian oils used across the country are replaced by olive or

canola oil, it can lead to multiple health ben-efits," said Anoop Misra, director and head of de-partment of diabetes and metabolic diseases at a leading hospital. he said that the study has important implications for Indians who are at heightened risk for dia-betes and heart disease

Books are tonic for the brainReading is not just another leisurely activity or a way of brushing up your litera-cy skills and factual knowl-edge - it acts as a tonic for the brain too.Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield suggests that reading helps to expand attention spans in kids. "Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end - a structure that encourages our brains to think in se-quence, to link cause, ef-fect and significance," she says."It is essential to learn this skill as a small child, while the brain has more plastic-ity, which is why it's so im-portant for parents to read to their children. The more we do it, the better we get at it," Greenfield added.Reading can enrich our relationships by increas-ing our understanding of other cultures and helping us learn to empathise, the Daily Mail reports."In a computer game, you might have to rescue a princess, but you don't care about her, you just want to win," explains Greenfield.

"But a princess in a book has a past, present and fu-ture, she has connections and motivations. We can relate to her. We see the world through her eyes."John Stein, emeritus pro-fessor of neuroscience at Magdalen College, Oxford, says reading is far from a passive activity. "Read-ing exercises the whole brain," he explains. Read-

ing stories to children will help their brains develop the ability to analyse the cause, effect and signifi-cance of eventsIn 2009, a brain-imaging study in the US showed that reading about land-scapes, sounds, smells and tastes, activates brain areas tied to these experi-ences in real life, creat-ing new neural pathways.

Simply stated, our brains simulate real experiences, which doesn't happen when you're watching TV or playing computer games.In 2009, University of Sus-sex researchers showed how six minutes of read-ing can slash stress levels by more than two-thirds, more than listening to mu-sic or going out for a walk.

Best purple foods for good healthThere has been so much talk on hav-ing a rainbow of foods on your plate - a group of 'colours' of certain fruit signifying certain benefits.Of these purple foods are perhaps most significant as it is a fact that darker the food, the higher the anti-oxidant level. Antioxidants can pre-vent cell damage, and keep one look-ing younger. Here are more reasons to stock up on purple-hued foods today.

Benefits galore:As per data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), in a survey on eating and health, it was seen that adults who eat purple and blue fruits and vegetables are less likely to be overweight. They have a reduced risk for both high blood pres-sure and low HDL cholesterol. It was be-lieved that anthocyanins, or compounds that give purple foods their colour, were responsible for this. Purple foods have a pigment called anthocyanin. This is a strong and antioxidant, which is said to reduce the risk of cancer.

What they are:Eggplant, Purple grapes, figs, plums, dark cherries, raisins, purple cabbage are all candidates.

Get cooking!Here are some quick-fix recipes...Plums: Take fresh plums, and put them in a grill with the skin on. Grill and sprinkle a little cinnamon powder on them. You

can also stick a clove in each of them and rest them awhile, then remove cloves and eat.

Purple cabbage: Take purple cabbage, slice it up. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar or light sweet onion dressing over them.

Enjoy!Figs: To make a healthy salad, just chop fresh figs along with shredded rocket leaves, feta cheese and add toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts on them. Serve.Plums: This fruit is best had on its own. However, it can also be enjoyed in des-serts and savouries. To make poached plums, place plums in a baking dish, add a little sugar and lemon juice and toss them gently so they get coated. Bake for 15 min-utes. Remove and have with cream or just like that.

The use of "smoky coal" for household cooking and heating was found to be as-sociated with a substantial increase in the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study from China. This represents one of the strongest effects of environmental pollution reported for cancer risk in any population, the re-searchers said. It also un-derlines the importance of taking action to minimise exposure to the most haz-ardous types of fuel. About half the world's popula-tion uses coal and other solid fuels for cooking and heating, often in simple stoves that are unvented. Exposure to certain types of solid fuel smoke is as-sociated with several dis-eases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratory infections, and lung can-cer. However, the relation-ship between smoky coal use and lung cancer is not

fully understood. So an international team of researchers compared deaths from lung cancer between lifelong users of "smoky coal" and "smoke-less coal" for household cooking and heating in Xuanwei County, Yun-nan Provine, China, where lung cancer rates are par-ticularly elevated. In total, over 37,000 individuals were followed over a 20-year period (1976-96) dur-ing which time more than 2,000 deaths from lung cancer were recorded. Af-ter taking account of other possible risk factors includ-ing tobacco use, lung can-cer cases and deaths were substantially higher among users of smoky (i.e. bitumi-nous) coal for home cooking and heating than users of smokeless (i.e. anthracitic) coal. In absolute terms, the risk of lung cancer death be-fore 70 years of age for men and women using smoky coal was 18 percent and 20

percent respectively, com-pared with less than 0.5 percent among smokeless coal users of both sexes. These risks are almost as high as those reported for heavy smokers in Western countries, ranging between 20 percent and 26 percent. Lung cancer deaths were also associated with the av-erage number of hours that a smoky coal user spent at home and the age at which participants started cook-ing. The researchers say that their findings have important implications for public health in this region of China and suggest that the use of less carcinogenic types of coal or other fuels can translate into a sub-stantial reduction of lung cancer risk. As this chemi-cal and physical composi-tion of coal differs widely in different geographical locations, additional re-search is needed on the carcinogenicity of various types of coal, they added.

Scientists now have an ex-planation for why green tea is good for the brain -- it lies in the chemical properties that affect the production of brain cells, improving memory and spatial learning."Green tea is a popu-lar beverage across the world," said Yun Bai, pro-fessor from the Third Mili-tary Medical University, Chongqing, China."There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cel-lular mechanisms in the brain."Yun's team focused on the organic chemical EGCG, (epigallocatechin-3 gal-late) a key property of green tea. While EGCG is a known antioxidant, the team believed it can also have a beneficial ef-fect against age-related degenerative diseases, the journal Molecular Nutri-tion and Food Research

reports."We proposed that EGCG can improve cogni-tive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis," said Yun."We focused our research on the hippocampus, the part of the brain which processes information from short-term to long-term memory."The team found that ECGC boosts the production of neural progenitor cells, which like stem cells can adapt, or differentiate, into various types of cells. The team then used lab mice to discover if this increased cell production gave an advantage to memory or spatial learning, accord-ing to a Medical University statement."We ran tests on two groups of mice, one which had imbibed ECGC and a control group (with-out ECGC)," said Yun."First the mice were trained for three days to find a visible platform in their maze. Then they were trained for seven days to find a hidden platform."

SRINAGAR, JUNE 7

To encourage more and more youth of the State to choose Civil Services as a career option and help them to achieve success in cracking the prestigious competitive tests, Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khan-day Friday said that the government is laying strong edifice for enthusiastic stu-

dents to go for national level examinations

after obtaining proper coaching and guid-ance from the experts of the state as well as other parts of the country.

Mr Khandey was addressing a gather-ing of students, academicians, administra-tors after inaugurating a one day orienta-tion program at SKICC for aspirants of All India Services (IAS,IPS,IFS etc) organized by ASCENT GROUP, an umbrella organiza-

tion for human capital development in J&K

at SKICC.The seminar-cum-workshop ti-tled “How to Cope with the Changes in the Pattern of Civil Services (UPSC) Examina-tion?”, saw a large number of enthusiastic boys and girls participating and interacting with academicians and experts as well as icons from J&K who have already cracked Civil Services including Civil Service Top-per Dr Shah Faisal besides others.

A social enterprise, ASCENT Group, was set up by former civil servant, Mohammad Shafi Pandit, who is the first Muslim from J&K State to join IAS in 1969 followed by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khan-day who joined the service in 1978.

Appreciating the initiative Chief Sec-retary termed the effort put in by ASCENT Group as effective and bearing fruit. “Ear-lier very few students would appear as it was not looked as a career option resulting in under representation of youth from J&K at National level services” he said adding that today we see greater participation and selection of enthusiastic youth who are eager to join and contribute in the Governance system.“Best Engineers, Doc-tors and other professionals are asset of healthy society but it is equally important that hard working youth with fertile brain should get adequate representation in civ-il services to look after policy formulation for the State.” he maintained.Chief Sec-retary asked the students to make career choices during their school and college life and dedicate themselves in excelling in the area of their choice.”

Information gleaned from friends could have you fo-cusing on a new goal, Aries. You may have a lot of ideas about projects you want to take care of, and today you might realize which one has top priority. Start moving! Whatever you choose to do, find out what you need be-fore you start. There’s a chance you might waste time running around trying to find necessary materials.

You should feel especially emotional today, Gemini, reacting strongly to nearly everything you see, whether a photo of a natural disaster, a group of children, or a kitten sitting on a doorstep. Spiritually, you’re highly motivated and longing to know more about worlds be-yond this one. You might long to make a pilgrimage, perhaps to a holy shrine or other sacred place.

Dreams and visions might come and go today, Can-cer, as unconscious drives and images surface. Some of these impressions could represent old traumas or pho-bias that need to be released. You could also draw cre-ative inspiration from these perceptions and use them as a basis for artistic projects. By day’s end you may feel much lighter - emotionally, at least!

Social events or group activities could put you in touch with a lot of people, Leo, both close friends and ca-sual acquaintances. A new person may come into your life who makes a difference for you. Issues may come up that you feel strongly about.This is fine, as you will be tactful and others will appreciate your sincerity.

Virgo, you should feel physically strong and ener-getic today and ready to take on just about anything that comes your way. This is good, as you may be presented with some powerful challenges that bring new purpose to your life. Excitement and enthusiasm permeate your entire being right now. Anything that comes your way you’re likely to face with determination, undeterred by the enormity of the task.

Spiritual passion is tempered by romantic desire to-day, Libra, and you’re likely to want to pursue both. Per-haps your romantic partner is as spiritually inclined as you, and you both aspire to the same ends. Much of the passion you feel wells up from deep within. If you’re in any way creatively inclined, you may want to memori-alize these feelings through writing.

If you’re currently romantically involved, Scorpio, you can expect your relationship to move to the next level of commitment. You and your partner could agree to be monogamous, get engaged, or set a wedding date. If you’re married, you might decide to have a child. If you aren’t involved, expect to attract someone soon. You’re ready.

An invitation to an important social event could come today, Sagittarius. This could represent a chance to meet important people who could advance your ca-reer or who might be involved in a field that interests you. Your energy and enthusiasm won’t be lost on these people, or anyone for that matter, as you will obviously be speaking from the heart when you discuss .

A previously untapped talent could emerge today, Capricorn. You may decide to train this talent and fos-ter a skill that can help you with any type of work you will do. This is definitely the day for it, as you should be full of energy and enthusiasm, capable of assuming any task, however formidable. Physically, you should feel strong and well.

Romantic passion might motivate you to work on improving your appearance, Aquarius. You might de-cide to exercise, change your diet, and experiment with new clothing styles. You’re likely to produce the results you want. With the energy and enthusiasm churning within you today, you might surprise yourself with this task or anything else you do.

You’ll wake up ready to take on the world, Pisces. Excitement, enthusiasm, and purpose will fill your soul, yet you might wonder where it comes from, as nothing has changed since yesterday. Don’t waste time mulling over it - harness it! Tackle a class or exercise program. Start a project. This energy is generated from deep in the subconscious

The Universe is inviting you magnify your vision, Taurus. It’s time to see the bigger, better, more ad-vanced side of things. Remember that life is a mirror. You’re highly unlikely to receive more than you hope for. So dream big, hope big, and imagine yourself in the stars. Don’t sell yourself short. It’s a misuse of humility and modesty

CS inaugurates Workshop for IAS aspirants

Dr. Kamal inaugurates Coaching Camp

JAKASICON-2013 inaugurated Taj appeals for restoring GMC its prime position in medical education

Several deputations call on Gul

SRINAGAR JUNE 7-

MLA, Hazratbal, Dr. Mus-tafa Kamal inaugurated week long National Ball Hockey Coaching Camp organized by J&K Ball Hockey Association by organizing candle lit cer-emony at Circuit House Sri-nagar.Among others Secretary General, All India Ball Hockey Federation, Waseem Raja, Treasurer, Sheikh Mehraj and Advisor All India Ball Hockey Federation, G.N. Wani were present on the occasion.

This is the first National Coaching camp of the Ball Hockey game in which more than 300 players from all over the country are going to par-ticipate. Two International Coaches from Canada and Check Republic would provide training to the players for the international cup which was going to held at Canada in the month of November 2013.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kamal laid the emphasis

on the players to come for-ward and show their talent at State, National and Inter-

national level. He said that players coming from outside the State and abroad are a big

achievement. He congratu-lated J&K Ball Hockey Associa-tion to take such type of steps

to organize marvelous event aimed at boosting tourism industry.

SRINAGAR, JUNE 7:

Minister for Medical Edu-cation, Youth Services and Sports, Taj Mohi ud din inau-gurated the 3rd annual con-ference of J&K chapter of As-sociation of Surgeons of India - JAKASICON 2013 here today.

In his inaugural address, the Minister hoped that the deliberations at the confer-ence would go a long way in improving the patient care in the state. He said many ad-vancements are taking place in the field of medical scienc-es and there is a need to share them among the medical practitioners for an efficient and better patient care.

Describing Govt. Medical College as a premier institu-tion of the State, Mr Taj said not long ago it was rated as one of the best medical col-leges of the country and at one point it was even ranked

as no 4. He appealed the fac-ulty, staff and students of the college to help in restoring the college its glory and prime po-sition.The Minister said Gov-ernment would do whatever is required in this regard and sought support and help from the faculty of the college. He said not the state but even the whole country is proud of the efficient doctors the state has

produced who have proved their mettle at international level. But he said, what is re-quired now is conviction and dedication coupled with sin-cere efforts to take the college

back to its position which we all are proud of.

Addressing the session, Minister of State for Medical Education, Feroz Ahmed Khan hoped the conference would be a good learning experience for the young surgeons of the state. He said such confer-ences bridge the gap between research and its application.

Earlier in his welcome ad-

dress, Principal GMC, Dr Rafiq Pampori dwelt in detail the role played by GMC Srinagar in spreading medical educa-tion in the state ever since its establishment in 1959.

DODA, JUNE 7:-

Minister for R&B and Mechanical Engineer-ing, Abdul MajidWani today paid an extensive visit of Dessa region of Bhagwah Block and in-augurated 26 Mtr Motorable Bridge over Gadi Nallah on Doda - Dessa road, constructed by PWD (R&B) Division Doda at a cost of Rs. 119.56 lacs.

While addressing the gatherings dur-ing the visit in the region at Bhagwah, Manjmi, Thanote and Gai Dessa, Wani said that the in-frastructure development process initiated by the government is showing its visible impact in rural as well as in urban areas and various backward and unconnected areas of Dessa, Bharath, Marmat, Gandoh. He said the present coalition government headed by Chief Minis-ter, Omar Abdullah is the Government of the people and has a firm motive to connect each

and every unconnected habitation with roads and other basic facilities.

Wani said that the road connectivity percentage of the region during the economic survey of 2005 was just 5.6 percent and now it is about 40 percent which was only possible due to the liberal funding from the Central Government, by virtue of which the govern-ment was able to connect unconnected, hilly

and backward areas with towns and cities. He said that various road projects are going on in the District while as various others are in pipe-line and soon we will be able to connect every habitation with surface connectivity for the ho-listic development of the rural as well as urban areas.Wani also laid the foundation stone of 6 Km, Thanote to Panchayat Ghar Mehchar Link road up to Chatroon, which will be constructed by PWD (R&B) Division Doda at an estimated cost of Rs. 500 lacs.

SRINAGAR, JUNE 07-

Several deputations from various parts of the State to-day called on the Speaker, J&K Legislative Assembly, Muba-rak Gul at his residence. The deputations as well as indi-viduals apprised him about various problems confronting

them and sought early redres-sal.The deputation from vil-lage Dhirti district Reasi met the Speaker and demanded engagement through MGN-ERGA.The deputation from District Pulwama comprising NGO and Social Worker also met with Gul and apprised him about their demands.

The deputations and In-dividuals from Fruit Mandi Palpora, Idgah, Nawa Bazar, Nawakadal, Noorbagh, Pom-

posh Colony, Hazratbal and other several parts of the Valley also met the Speaker and apprised him about their problems. Gul gave patient hearing to the deputationists and assured that he will take up the issues with the ap-propriate authorities for their immediate redressal. He said

that coalition government under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was serious to address the genu-ine problems of the public, adding that the administra-tion has been geared up to at-tend these problems. He said that several schemes in Social Welfare and other Sectors have been launched by the Government for the uplift-ment of poor. He said that it is duty of Panchs.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS SrInAgAr | SAturdAy 08 .6 .2013

POONCH, JUNE 7:-

Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir Friday said that the Government is committed to create agri-culture hub (ZiratMandi) in Poonch district and for this purpose special package for cultivation of Basmati paddy, Rajmash, Potato, Bee-keeping, Mash-room crops besides development of Sericulture Sector is being approved for the district. He asked farmers to cultivate Basmati crop from ensuing Kharief sea-son and procure bas-mati seedling from Jammu.

The Minister was address-ing large gathering of farmers after inaugurating a day long Kissan Mela organized under ATMA (Agriculture Technol-ogy Management Agency) scheme organised by District Agriculture Department in

coordination with allied sec-tors of District Administration including Horticulture, KVK, Animal & Sheep Husbandries, Handloom, Handicraft, Fish-eries and financial institutions of the State.District Informa-tion Centre on this occasion arranged a scintillating cul-tural programme for amuse-

ment of audience and Finan-cial institutions operating in the district.Separate stalls demonstrating their respec-tive performance in the field for development of these sec-tors were set up in the Mela. Minister inspected each stall and evinced keen interest in

the stalls particularly machin-ery stall , introduced by Agri-culture Department to reduce manual labour in farming.Ad-dressing progressive farmers on the occasion Mir said that objectives of organizing such Kissan Mela is to strengthen economy of farmers by in-troducing machinery which

reduces manual hard working in farm-ing profession under Micro Management Scheme of ATMA. Under the scheme farmers are imparted training and tours are arranged for farmers within and outside the state to acquaint

them with cultivation of dif-ferent crops and vegetables. Moreover Demonstration plots of various crops are dis-tributed among the farmers where in high yielding seeds and fertilizers are provided free of cost besides providing technical know-how.

Mir inaugurates Kissan Mela

DC Kulgam seeks co-operation of PRIs

KULGAM JUNE 7:- Deputy Commis-sioner Jahangir Mir has directed the rev-enue officers to activate their field staff to curb land conversions in the length and breadth of the district. He called for roping in all the PRIs, Lambardars and Chowkidars to sensitize the public in general regarding the repercussions of unplanned land conversions for the society as a whole.Chairing a meeting of Tehsildars and Naib Tehsildars here on Thursday afternoon, the Deputy Commissioner highlighted the need to observe High Court directions in letter and spirit. He also called for ensuring strict implementation of Section 133 of Land Revenue Act to protect common land and grazing land from any kind of encroachment. “Any negligence in this regard will be seriously viewed”, he cautioned. Jahangir also reviewed other land management matters and asked for sticking to preparation of new Girdawari and Jamabandi registers as per the dour(schedule) submitted by each Tehsildar. He called for periodic inspection of the revenue records under the custody of Patwaris so that the func-tioning of these ground level function-aries is monitored.

SASB sets up 24x7 Helpline/Control

RoomSRINAGAR, JUNE 7 – Shri Amarnathji

Shrine Board has established a Control Room equipped with helpline facility, for Yatris un-dertaking the Shri Amarnathji pilgrimage, in the office of Additional Chief Executive Offi-cer of the Shrine Board. Navin K. Choudhary, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board informed that the helpline will function from 9.30 AM to 6 PM on all weekdays from 8th June to 26th June. The helpline shall function round the clock from 27th June onwards till the conclusion of the Yatra.

The CEO said that any person seeking information or help in regard to the forthcom-ing Yatra, which commences on 28th June, 2013 can call 0194-2501679 or 09469722210 or email [email protected]. Any person can call this Control Room/ Helpline to make enquiries about the Yatra arrangements.

Choudhary also added that interested pilgrims can also gather Yatra related infor-mation through the Shrine Board’s website by logging on to www.shriamarnathjishrine.com and also send e-queries on-line through the website.

Wani inaugurates 26 Mtr Motorable bridge over

Doda-Dessa road

2010 killings: Court seeks report in six weeks

Srinagar, June 07:

Meraj-e-Aalam was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across the Valley on Friday. Thousands of devotees thronged the shrines and masjids in connection with the cel-ebrations. Devotees also held night-long prayers and recited ‘durood’ at the Hazratbal shrine, which is be-lieved to house holy relic of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The biggest con-gregation of the Meraj-ul-Alam was held at Hazratbal shrine located on the banks of the Dal Lake here. Devo-tees thronged the shrine during the course and offered the prayers at the shrine. The holy relic of Prophet Mu-hammad (PBUH) was displayed to

See.......Celebrated on Pg. 11

Srinagar, June 07:

Jammu and Kashmir High Court has given six weeks time to state govern-ment to submit a report on why only 17 killings out of the 117 during the 2010 summer unrest in the valley were referred to the inquiry commission prob-ing the deaths.A division bench comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Hasnain Masoodi yesterday directed the govern-ment to submit the report by or before July 22. The division bench also directed the Centre and the state government to consider the cases for compensation to the next of kin of the victims who died in the unrest after October 2, 2010.The division bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by chairman of separatist JKLF Mohammad Yasin Ma-lik. On October 8 last year, the court had

See.......Court on Pg. 11

Srinagar, June 07:

One junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Army died when Paki-stani troops resorted to small arms gunfire on the LoC in Sawjian area of Mandi sub sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.Defence sources said that Naib Sube-dar Bachhan Singh sustained critical injuries when he was hit by shrapnel close to his Khalsa-2 post. He suc-cumbed to injuries before being evac-uated to a hospital.A Defence spokesman at Northern Command headquarters at Udham-pur said that the Pakisnai troops used Pika guns, RPGs and UBGLs in the “unprovoked firing” that started at 1300 hours in Mandi area of the LoC in Poonch. He said that the Indian troops responded with ‘calibrated retaliation’ and the exchange of fire was going on intermittently when the reports last came in late in the after-noon.After a series of the border skir-mishes since January this year, this is the first fatal casualty the Indian troops have suffered in the last over two months. Friday’s violation of the 2003 ceasefire between the In-dian and the Pakistani troops on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir has oc-

curred in a day of Nawaz Sharief’s assuming office as the Prime Minis-ter of Pakistan.Army suspects that the firing was aimed at providing a cover to infiltra-tors trying to sneak in the Indian side. The entire area has been cordoned off and a search operation has been launched, he said.Earlier, on May 27, Pakistani troops had pounded Indian posts along the LoC in the same Poonch sector with rockets.A Brigadier and two jawans were injured on May 24, when Pakistani troops opened fire on Indian positions along the LoC in the Tutmari Gali sec-tor in Jammu and Kashmir.

Suhail Malik

Srinagar, June 07: There is no doubt that public memory is very short and people forget even the incidents which make history and leave long lasting effects on the life of general masses. However public memory is not too short to forget the contribu-tions of a person of eminence in public life or political parties claiming to be the sole representatives of the aspira-tions of the masses at large. When Omar Abdullah addressed the parliament on no confidence mo-tion moved against Dr. Manmohan Singh led government, he mesmer-ized the whole nation with his logic and his theory he advanced in favour of Congress led government in larger interest of the country in general and Muslims of India in particular. His jugglery of words, his credible argu-ments and his vision for the selfless

services was so meticulous that he would have been voted to become the Prime Minister of India at that time, if there would have been a precedent for a Muslim to head the government in this country. It is because of that the Congress party saw in him an honest ally and a dependable statesman to bring lasting peace in Jammu & Kash-mir and take the state forward on the path of development at par with the most developed states of the republic. The people of J&K were no different than the people of India in seeing a hero in the making. They saw in him a savior, an honest politician, an out-spoken person besides a Kashmiri who was full of vigour and spirit to heal the open wounds of Kashmiris, who had experienced a miserable and painful life during over two decades of uncertainty and violence. But alas! All the dreams could come true. The hopes started fading, dreams shatter-

ing and the plans of a bright future looked as if it was gradually going to bleak and dark era with every pass-ing day after Omar became the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir. It is not that Omar is not honest, is not true to his promises or he does not mean what he says but it is because he is like Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was a fit person in the most unfit sur-

roundings. Omar believes the people who ditch him. He leads a coalition which is overcrowded by scandalous and corrupt people and has a bureau-cracy which has never proved faithful to anybody except to their own greed and interests. It will be an honest as-sessment to say that Omar is a failureBut at the same time it is true that he has not been able to translate his ca-

pacities into realities due to several reasons including coalition with Con-gress party, infighting and groupism in his own party and lack of account-ability in the administration. Omar dreams of providing employ-ment to every qualified and deserving youth, revocation of AFSPA, hassle free services to all citizens irrespec-tive of the area they live in, uninter-rupted power supply, the best possible road connectivity, above all to make politicians in public life accountable and to fulfill the aspirations of the people including their political aspi-rations have been derailed, sabotaged and torpedoed not only by his politi-cal opponents but his allies and his party members. His voice seems to have been lost in a hostile atmosphere in the state which has never allowed honest policies to thrive and instead has promoted hypocrisy, vested inter-ests and sown the seeds of hatred so

that things keep on boiling for reaping the best possible crop. His directions to fill up 80,000 vacancies in govern-ment service on fast track system, the much publicized Sher-i-Kashmir employment guarantee programme are continuously being sabotaged by the vested interests, inimical to his success because of fast approaching parliamentary and assembly elec-tions. The selection and recruitment agencies are full of rotten and dead-wood fellows who only know to delay the process than to set it in motion. For example it takes two years on an average to fill up a vacancy by these recruiting agencies due to the faulty interpretation of the new system of weightage adopted during Gh. Nabi Azad’s tenure as Chief Minister. If anything remains that is stayed by the courts and nobody in the govern-ment or these recruiting agencies

See........Omar on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

SaturDaY June 08 | 2013 | 28 rajab 1434 aH | PaGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSuE NO: 138 | rS: 2/- (aIr SurCHarGE FOr JaMMu /DELHI/LEH 50 PaISa)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

JCO killed in Pak firing in Poonch

Srinagar, June 07:

Stating that the Union Government is looking serious in revoking the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the certain ar-eas of the state, Minster of state for Home Sajad Ahmad Kichloo Satur-day said Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh has assured Chief Min-ister Omar Abdullah of revisiting New Delhi’s stand on lifting of the act. He added that the Prime Minster has also said that the rehabilitation policy and the interlocu-tors report would also be reviewed.“During the recent Chief Minster’s conference, Omar Abdullah raised issues pertaining to the lifting of AFSPA and re-newed his demand on the issue”, Kichloo said and

added that ‘Prime Minis-ter Manmohan Singh not only acknowledged the concerns of CM, but was optimistic regarding re-viewing of the interlocu-tors report’.“The union govern-ment has assured us that they will work for the strengthening of the rehabilitation policy and would also review interlocutors report to see wherefrom the AF-SPA could be revoked”, claimed Kichloo.“We have told centre that if youth returning from PaK are arrested, they would prefer to stay back and the policy would eventually fail” Said Kichloo.He also refused to accept that the latest surge in militant attacks on police was due to rise in infiltra-tion. “No, there has been no rise in infiltration,

but police is a soft target therefore they attack on it more often”, Claimed Kichloo.The MoS home while de-fending the government decision to put restric-tions on certain separat-ist leaders said that they (Govt) did not believe in curbing the move-ment of individuals.“But our main concern is to maintain law and order. These are the months of business and income generation for our peo-ple. If they create trouble and prevent people from earning livelihood, how can we allow them to do that”, asked Kichloo. Regarding relief for the quake hit victims in Chenab valley, Sajad Kichloo said,” we have submitted a proposal of more than 600 crore to the GOIU, and are wait-ing for the response.”

New Delhi ready to revisit its stand on AFSPA: Kichloo

Srinagar, June 07:

Union Home Secre-tary designate, Anil Goswami today vis-ited forward posts on the Line of Control to take stock of secu-rity and development situation. Goswami toured border areas of Uri and Bandipora and interacted with troops on the forward posts, official sources said.The Home Secre-tary designate was also accompanied by the Joint Secretary Kashmir affairs, R K

Srivastava and Direc-tor General of Police, Ashok Prasad apart from commanders of Army and other secu-rity agencies.Goswami had detailed interaction with troops and officers of the army and police in both Uri and Ban-dipora areas where he took first hand stock of the situation pre-vailing in the border areas. He was also briefed about infiltra-tion attempts from across the borders while as the proposal for border fencing

also came up for dis-cussion, the sources said. "He was briefed about the infiltration pattern of militants in the sectors and the measures being taken by the army to pre-vent such attempts. Goswami spent some time with the troops and asked about their welfare," the sources added.The Home Secretary designate is also re-ported to have taken inputs about the de-velopmental scenario in the border areas.

See.......Goswami on Pg. 11

Goswami tours border areas; takes stock of

security situation

Meraj-e-Aalam celebrated across Kashmir with religious fervor

Mesmerized the whole nation by his speech in the Parliament

But did Omar succeed in translating his vision into reality?

Concern

Ceasefire Shattered Again ‘Ya Nabi Salam Alieka, Ya Rasool Salam Alieka’

Srinagar, June 07:

Following complains that children of former mili-tants returning to Kashmir under the state govern-ment's rehabilitation policy are being denied admission in schools, chief minister Omar Abdullah has said the education department has been given orders to relax norms to make admissions possible.The state government is also planning a nodal desk headed by a senior officer for redressal of problems faced by these families after their return to the Valley."We will soon have a nodal agency for the families

returning under the reha-bilitation policy. We will try to address all the prob-lems faced by these people," Omar Abdullah said on Fri-day."We have told the depart-ment of education that some norms should be re-laxed and these children should be accommodated in schools. Whenever these cases come to us, we make sure children get admis-sions," he added.The chief minister, how-ever, said getting admis-sions in technical or pro-fessional colleges can be a problem. "The children can continue their studies but problem arises when some

students, who are pursuing professional degrees, like engineering or MBBS/BDS want to continue studies here. This is a real problem as we can't give admissions in professional colleges here, we have had cases but our hands are tied on that front," he added.Around 233 men - 117 with families - have returned to Kashmir in the past one year after chief minister Abdullah announced the re-habilitation policy for mili-tants. The returnees usu-ally come home informally through Nepal and then by road to Kashmir, with the authorities going soft on the

See.....Woes on Pg. 11

Govt wakes up to woes of returneesrules being relaxed to admit children in schools

Review of rehabilitation policy, interlocutors report on cards

Srinagar, June 07:

Moderate separatist faction of the Hurriyat on Friday expressed willingness to engage New Delhi "pro-vided it shows seriousness and takes measures on suggestions" made by the separatist amalgam in the past."We have always been for a result-oriented dialogue process on the Kashmir dis-pute. Unfortunately, there has been no movement on

See.......Hurriyat on Pg. 11

Hurriyat willing to talk to Centre if it's serious

Cop dismissed for abducting girlPattan, June 07: Police Friday dismissed senior grade con-stable of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police for allegedly ab-ducting a girl from Pattan area.Police sources said that one Mohammad Yousf Reshi son of Ghulam Hassan Reshi (belt number 313) of IRP 16 battalion posted at Kunzar Tangmarg abducted a girl from Pattan area and soon after the act went underground.“We have registered an FIR vide 135/2013 under section 366 against the accused and we are on job to get the culprit arrested,” Station House Officer Pattan Mehboob Bandey said adding they have inputs that the culprit has fled to Jammu.He further said that the culprit has been dismissed from his service.

Sagar appreciates Karan SinghSrinagar, June 07: Senior National Conference leader Ali Mohammad Sagar Friday said that the remarks made by former Sadr-i-Riyasat Dr Karan Singh is eye-opener for those who oppose the political phi-losophy of Late Shiekh Moham-mad Abdullah.“It is appreciable that Dr Karan Singh finally recognized the contributions made by Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah. It is a big lesson for those who criticize the founder of National Conference,” Sagar said adding that opponents will always try to target the tall leader of NC.Without naming Peoples Demo-cratic Party, Sagar said that this party will never occupy the seat of power as it lacks people’s support. “National Conference is a force to reckon and it has strong base. NC will sweep the polls and there is no doubt about it,” he said adding that present Coalition government has been serving the people and the biggest thing is that people are acknowledging this fact.

Flying squads to check brick pricesSrinagar, June 07: Taking no-tice of complaints with regard to violation of notified rates for bricks, district administra-tion in Budgam is mulling to constitute flying squads for random checking of brick kilns and cancel the licenses of the violators.Sources said that the brick kiln owners while violating the norms and rate lists set by the authorities have raised the rates of the bricks affecting the ongoing construction work in various p[arts of the valley. “The district administration is contemplating constituting of checking squads with powers to cancel license of erring kiln owners”, the sources said.“As per the government rate list, No. 1 bricks are to be sold at 15,500 per three thousand and B-class at 9,000 per three thousand bricks, but unfortunately that is not the case, they sell it at higher rates which have broken the spine of the general public”, a delegation of people from different areas said. They added that though the administration has appointed the Tehsildar

See......Check on Pg. 11

Orderly thrashed for advising seniorPattan, June 07: An official thrashed an Orderly of his department after he could not swallow his advice about brib-ery. Eyewitnesses said that a Senior Assistant (SA) posted at Zonal Education Officer Pattan beat an Orderly to pulp when the Orderly advised him not to demand bribe from the visiting people.The Orderly said that the Se-nior Assistant even cares a fig for the ZEO, Pattan Abdul Ra-him Khanta. “SA does whatever he likes and he gives a damn to the orders of ZEO,” Bhat said.Teachers Forum Pattan Presi-dent said that there are serious

See.......thrashed on Pg. 11