Srinagar, July 29:

Army on Monday claimed to have killed two intruders and injured as many of them along the Line of Control in Kupwara district and Line of Control in Akhnoor divi-sion in Jammu region. Defence spokesperson based in Srinagar, Naresh Vig, told KNS that amid intelligence inputs, troops deployed on LOC observed some suspicious movement along the Keran sector of the frontier district at around 3 a.m. “As troops were already alerted, the moment they noticed some suspi-cious movement, the infiltrating (militants) were engaged in gun-fight,” he said, adding, “Later on, at day light a search operationwas carried in the area which cul-minated in recovery of a body and two AK-rifles.”He said that probably the infiltra-tors were three in number. “Out of which one body was recovered and two other infiltrators fled but

they were injured,” he added. Be-sides two AK-rifles, he said, three rucksacks were also recovered from the site.Meanwhile, S N Acharya, the Jam-mu-based defence spokesperson said that a suspicious movement was observed by troops at around

2030 hrs on July 28 at Laleali area of Sunderbani in Akhnoor Divi-sion. “On being challenged, the intruders started running away from the spot. Troops opened fire and the intruder was shot dead,” he said, adding, “The body was re

See Infiltration on Pg. 11

Gool inquiry heading shopian way: Mehbooba Mufti

‘Victims persecuted in

NC rule’Srinagar, July 29:

Describing Chief Minister’s latest remarks on Gool kill-ings in which he held a local religious leader responsible for the trouble the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to-day said it is an attempt to repeat the Shopian farce in the name of an inquiry.Speaking here today after a visit to the SKIMS where she

visited a number of victims of government violence the party president Mehbooba Mufti said the present co-alition has pushed the state into a vitual anarchy where every indi-vidual faces a threat for one or the other reason. Accom-panied by the party leaders Tariq Hameed Karra and Syed Basharat Bukhari MLA Sangrama, Mehbooba in-quired about the health of the Sarpanch Khazir Mo-

hammad of Krankshivan Sopore who was seriously injured in an attack on him by an unidentified gunman. He needs a reconstruction

surgery of a major portion of his face that was damaged by bullets. She also went to see Jan Mo-hamamd from Noorbagh in the Eidgah area who was

allegedly pushed by police personnel from first floor of his house. Jan Mohammad the only earning hand for

his poor family who worked as a labourer has been dis-abled because of serious damage to his spine.Mehbooba said the Chief Minister’s comments on Gool are not just irrespon-sible but are a deliberate attempt to shield the guilty. She said it reminded one of the sequence of events in the Shopian tragedy where the death of the two unfortu-nate women was ultimately closed as a case of drowning and prosecution launched against lawyers, doctors and those who sought jus-tice against the deceased.

See Mehbooba on Pg. 11

Srinagar, July 29:

Reacting to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s asser-tions, Peoples Conference (PC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone Monday said that his statement about separatist meeting agencies coupled with the statement of Mus-tafa Kamal is a part of a tirade by the status quo traditionalists. “Their task is to tarnish the image of the separat-ists. It is ironical that the biggest beneficiary of New Delhi’s political largess has been the Na-tional Conference. From being offered power on a platter in 1975 to a spate

of rigged elections, New Delhi has always bent its back backwards to groom and patronize the National Conference,” Lone said in a statement to KNS. “And the National Confer-ence has the audacity to hurl accusations against the separatists. It is time both the PDP and the Na-tional Conference stop be-ing elements of outsource to manage the people of Kashmir,” he added.The PC chief claimed the statements emanating from the traditional main-stream faces of Kashmir are either aimed at exploit-ing the separatist senti-ment or tarnishing the

image of the separatists. “The J&K assembly is an institution mandated to address the grievances of the people of the state. It has no power to fulfil the aspirations of the people of J&K. Aspirations pertain to the long term resolution of the Kashmir problem. Mufti (Mohammad Syed) Sahib is unambiguously lying through his teeth when he asks people to give him seats and that he would resolve the Kash-mir issue,” he said. “Mufti Sahib has been a part of the mainstream politics for decades and was also the Home

See Sajjad on Pg. 11

Ganderbal, July 29:

Scores of people staged massive protest against the inability of police to locate a miss-ing youth in Gander-bal on Monday. The dead body of the youth was found in Parimpo-ra area of Srinagar on Sunday.Agitated protestors al-leged that police did not show any keenness to locate the missing youth. “Hilal Ahmed Kumar son of Ghulam Mohammad resident of Bhatpora Dabtal Ganderbal went on

missing a week ago. We filed a missing re-port in police station Shadipora but police did not show serious-ness to locate the miss-ing youth,” one of the family members of the deceased told CNS adding that police has failed to serve the in-terests of people in the area.Protestors raised anti-police slogans and appealed to higher au-thorities to take stern action against the Sta-tion House Officer, Shadipora.

See Youth on Pg. 11

Missing youth found dead

Anantnag, July 29:

In a bid to swindle large chunk of government funds Education depart-ment issued working or-der for the construction of a Primary Block to a dead person.The official documents of Education Department reveals that Chief Educa-tion Officer Anantnag, Ghulam Rasool Shah vide order number AD/7525/13 had authorized the Zonal Education Officer, Zone Vailu Kokernag to con-struct the Primary Block

for the Primary School Gujar Basti Kherpeth Lar-nu Kokarnag.The then Zonal Edu-cation Officer Vailu Mukhtar Ahmed surpris-ingly issued the work-ing order vide number ZEO/V/24/3/13 at a cost of Rs 10 Lakhs to a dead per-son namely Abdul Karim Gojar son of Fathu Gojar.The working order was issued to the dead person on March 5, 2013 while the death certificate shows that Karim Gojri has died in June 2012. “This work-ing order has been issued

to swindle the large chunk of government money and the then Zonal Educa-tional Officer might have thought that nobody is go-ing to expose his fraud,” Village Education Com-mittee Kherpeth, Abdul Hamid Padroo told CNS adding that without the consent of top officials ZEO could not do this all alone.Chief Education Officer Is-lamabad told CNS that he does not know anything about it. “Yes, I have given sanctions for the construc-tion of Primary Block but

it is the job of ZEO to is-sue working order. This time the ZEO of the Vailu zone is Hamidullah Malik but that time it is Muktar Ahmed the then ZEO who might have did it. You please contact him and if proved correct, I would certainly initiate an en-quiry in this regard,” CEO said.Despite repeated attempts, ZEO Mukhtar Ahmed could not be contacted as he did not pick up the phone.When contacted Director

See Working Order on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

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TueSDAY July 30 | 2013 | 20 Ramzan 1434 AH | PAGeS 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSue NO: 185 | RS: 2/- (AIR SuRCHARGe FOR JAMMu /DeLHI/LeH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Army foils two infiltration bids

4 injured, 50 arrested

Srinagar, July 29:

Police on Monday resort-ed to baton charge and used water cannons to foil a march to civil sec-retariat here by casual labourers in support of their demands including wages at the end of every month.Sources told KNS that scores of labourers un-der the banner of All J&K Casual Labourers Union (Power Development

Department) assembled at Basant Bagh here and started to proceed towards the Civil Secre-tariat, housing the office of Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues. As soon as the casual labourers reached near Jahangir Chowk, a de-ployment of police tried to persuade them to dis-perse peacefully. How-ever, casual labourers offered stiff resistance, prompting police to re-sort to water cannons and baton charge.In police action four causal labourers were in-jured identified as Jahan-

gir Ahmad Dar, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, Abdul Ha-meed and Hilal Ahmad, they said. The police also arrested around 50 ca-sual labourers who tried to proceed towards the secretariat despite use of force and water cannons.Mohammad Shafi Bhat, president of the Union, told KNS that despite elapsing of 17 months, promise made by the gov-ernment to release wages has not been fulfilled. “If our demands are not met before 26 Ramdan (Shabi-e-Qadr), then we will go on hunger strike

See March on Pg. 11

Police foils casual labourers march to Secretariat

‘Focus is on production of quality fruit, its smooth marketing’

Srinagar, July 29:

Stating that trade and com-merce activities nurture economy, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that his government was determined to help grow and expand trade, in-dustries and commerce in the state.In his interaction with a deputation of Beopar Man-dal here, Omar said quali-fied youth are being provid-ed various incentives to get engaged in trade, commerce and industrial activities to earn respectable livelihood and provide opportunities to others in this regard.In all Omar met with around 74 delegations as part of his Awami Mulaqaat here and mainly comprised traders. He listed the mea-

sures and packages his gov-ernment has put in place to give boost to horticulture and ameliorate the lot of a large chunk of population associated with this impor-tant activity in the state.The Chief Minister men-tioned drip irrigation, dis-tribution of quality planting material, coverage of fea-sible areas under cultiva-

tion of disease resistant and early maturing, varieties of apple, stone fruits, almond, walnut and other nuts in the temperate zone and cit-rus fruits in sub tropical ar-eas and said that focus is on production of quality fruit and its smooth marketing.He said that horticulture was responsible for gener-ating substantial livelihood

for the people and strength-ening of economy. Omar said this sector offers great promises for investors to invest and urged upon the educated youth to venture upon in this sector under MSME programme for which package of incen-tives are available for them, an official spokesman told KNS.Talking to a deputation of fruit growers from Shop-ian here, the Chief Minister said that a Modern Fruit Market at Shopian will not only give considerable fillip to the handling and market-ing of fruit from this area but ensure remunerative returns for horticulture produce.The deputation of fruit growers conveyed their gratitude and thanks on behalf of over 22000 fami-lies associated with this economic activity in south to the Chief Minister for granting a Modern Fruit Market to the south Kash-mir district known for pro-duction of apples and other fruits. They extended invi-tation to Omar Abdullah to visit the area and lay

See Omar on Pg. 11

Trade, commerce activities nurture economy: Omar

Education Department issues working order in the name of dead contractor

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Srinagar, July 29:

Senior National Confer-ence leader and Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar Mon-day alleged that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) always believed divisive politics and divide people in the name of urban-rural, Guj-jar-Kashmiri and other lines.Talking to KNS Sagar said, “Why PDP patron Mufti Moham-mad Sayeed remembers Kashmir issue now. He should remember that it is because of Omar (Abdul-lah) sahib that Kashmir is-

sue is alive. He (Omar) kept it alive within and outside the assembly.” Reacting to Mufti’s claims that he will solve the Kash-mir issue if given majority, he said, “PDP is creation of New Delhi and it was

formed to weaken NC. PDP are mas-ters in playing divi-sive politics. They divide people in the name urban-rural, Gujjar-Kashmiri and other lines.”“People will decide

whom to vote and whom not. Only time will decide who will get how many states,” he added.Sagar asked Muftii why he

See Sagar on Pg. 11

PDP believes in divisive politics: Sagar

Sajjad reacts to Omar, Mufti’s assertions

Parents demand special

holidays for schools

Srinagar, July 29:

Soaring mercury has left parents aghast over the recent decision of Edu-cation department not to extend Summer vaca-tions in Kashmir Val-ley. Most of the children studying in government schools in North and

Kashmir could be seen taking classes either in open or in tin sheds.“There is scarcity of wa-ter and in other words all the government schools are lacking basic facilities. School Chil-dren are sulking in this soaring temperatures while the authorities are unmoved,” one of the parents told CNS.Reports said that even in private schools the children are feeling it uneasy to stay in classes. “In West when tempera-ture crosses 32 degrees Celsius, Government

their calls it Level 3 and advise people to keep their children inside. But here in Kashmir Valley we have already crossed that ‘Level 3’ as the maximum tem-perature recorded is 36 Degree Celesius,” a Me-teorological official told CNS.Director Education Mir Tariq said that it is up to the Chief Minister to announce special holi-days for the schools on account of soaring tem-peratures. “It is not my prerogative to declare

See Mercury on Pg. 11

Soaring mercury leaves school children sulking

2 infiltrators killed, 2 injured

Protests against Ganderbal police

Shab-i-Qadir holiday on 6th AugustSrinagar, July 29: According to Government order issued by General Administration Depart-ment here today, it is ordered that the holiday on account of Shab-i-Qadir will be now observed on August 6th2013 (Tuesday) instead of August 5th, 2013 (Monday).

Girl ends life in HandwaraSrinagar July 29: A girl (name withheld) resident of Tutigund allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poison-ous substance at home, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Handwara. She was shifted to Sub District Hospital Handwara where she expired. Handwara police has registered a case in this regard.

Girl drowns in SoporeSrinagar July 29: A ten years old girl, Sakeena daughter of Fayaz Ahmad Dar resident of Ladoora, was drowned in river Jehlum while bathing. The body of girl was fished out from the river and handed over to her relatives.

1 dies, 9 injured in road mishaps Srinagar July 29: In continu-ation to a road accident that occurred on 27 July near JVC, Srinagar. The injured who was later identified as Habibul-lah Dar son of Abdul Rehman resident of Preth-Maquam, Beerwa, succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS, Soura. Police has already registered a case in this regard. Meanwhile, a tipper bearing registration number Jk03A/3008 collided with a motorcycle bearing registration number Jk03A/4414 at Bijbe-hara, resulting in injuries to the Motorcyclist, Manzoor Ahmad resident of Redwani. The in-jured was shifted to hospital for treatment. Bijbehara Police has registered a case in this regard.In another accident, a Maruti car bearing registration num-ber Jk01F/7245 turned turtle near Baba Reshi crossing, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Tangmarg, resulting in injuries to five person who were travel-ing in the car. All the injured were shifted to SKIMS, Soura for treatment. Tangmarg Police has registered a case in this regard. In another accident, an Army vehicle bearing registra-tion number 05B90028 hit a motorcycle near Power House, in the jurisdiction of Police station Ganderbal, resulting in injuries to three persons. All the injured were shifted to hospital for treatment. Ganderbal police has registered a case in this regard.

3 structures damaged in fireSrinagar July 29: Fire broke out in the JK Bank Branch, Khowja Bagh, in the jurisdiction of Police station Baramulla, result-ing in damage to the structure. Fire was brought under control with the help of fire tenders and local Police. Meanwhile, fire broke out in the residential house of Manzoor Ahmad Mir son of Mohammad Sultan resi-dent of Gulnar, Dardpora, re-sulting in damage to the house. Fire was brought under control with the help of fire tenders and local police.In another incident, fire broke out in a public School at Bamni-pora, Shopian, resulting in com-plete damage to the building.

Mega Lok Adalat settles 124 cases at BudgamBudgam, July 29: A Mega Lok Adalat was held under the Chairmanship of Chairman, District Legal Services Authori-ty, who is also Principal District and Sessions Judge, Budgam, Mr. Shahzaad Azeem

See Lok Adalat on Pg. 11

JAMMU, JULY 29:

The Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Saifullah Wednesday reviewed the functioning of various de-partments and status of ongo-ing developmental projects in the Jammu division here at a high level meeting.

The Minister, who is here to attend Jammu Summer Secretariat, had a detailed re-view of the essential services including power, water, health and other civic amenities. He also sought details about the irrigation and other facilities being made available to the farmers.

While reviewing power scenario, the Minister directed PDD authorities to ensure bet-ter maintenance of Transmis-sion and distribution network to avoid inconvenience to the consumers due power break-

downs. He called for minimiz-ing the curtailment schedules keeping in view the hot and humid conditions prevailing in the area.

The Minister stressed on immediate repair of dam-aged conductors and trans-formers .He also directed for time bound completion of various ongoing projects taken up for the augmentation of power infrastructure in the region.Seeking details about the water supply scenario, the Minister directed the PHE functionaries to ensure ad-equate water supply to the people and press in tanker ser-vices where ever need arises .He also directed Irrigation and Flood Control Department to maintain adequate discharge in all irrigation canals and also take adequate preventive mea-sure to check any lose due to floods .The Minister also took

a detailed review of the stock position of CAPD ration, be-sides availability of seeds and fertilizers to the farmers by Agriculture Department etc. He also reviewed the imple-mentation of various central and state sponsored schemes by the social welfare and rural Development department.

The Minister stressed the need for effective moni-toring mechanism to ensure proper implementation of the developmental schemes and welfare policies of the gov-ernment .He asked Divisional Commissioner Jammu to seek regular feedback from the District Development Com-missioners pertaining to the functioning of various line departments, besides devel-opmental activities so as to ensure that the loopholes are filled and more accountability is enforced in the system.

Safapora, July 29:-

Minister for Higher Education, Mo-hammad Akbar Lone Wednesday urged upon the officers to work with compas-sion, sincerity and dedication while im-plementing developmental projects and welfare schemes launched by the Government so that deserving and needy people are benefited. He said economic development and dignified life of the people all across the State is the prime concern of the Government.

The Minister said this while addressing an Awami-Darbar convened to assess the pace and progress of the developmental works be-ing executed in the Safapora area of Sonawari Constitu-ency held at Manasbal here Wednesday.

District Development Commissioner Ganderbal, Sarmad Hafiz, Chief Executive Officer Manasbal Development Authority, ADDC, Ganderbal, officers of PDD, PHE, R&B, Ir-

rigation, Education and concerned depart-ments besides, large number of public representatives and people were present on the occasion

The Minister directed the officers of PHE to speed up the pace of ongoing works

and complete the process of interior distri-bution of water supply so that people of the area do not suffer for want of drinking

water. He also enjoined upon the officers of R&B to take up the necessary process of road widening and repairs in well coordi-nation with other departments.

While asking about the progress of projects being executed by Manasbal De-

velopment Authority, the Minister enjoined upon the authorities to expe-dite the work of its up-gradation and develop-ment in stipulated time.

Lone stressed upon the officers of Rural De-velopmental Depart-ment to utilize the funds judiciously with trans-parency and adhere to the guidelines while im-plementing number of various welfare schemes launched by the Gov-ernment so that needy and deserving populace is benefited. He also di-rected holding aware-

ness camps in far flung areas regarding the rural development schemes so that maxi-mum benefit reaches the deserving.

SRINAGAR, JULY 29 –

N. N. Vohra, Governor, has emphasized the urgent need for developing Kala Kendra, Jammu, as a vibrant centre for preserving, conserving and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the State by putting in place the required infrastruc-ture and logistics.The Governor was chairing a meeting of the Governing Council of the Kala Kendra, Jammu at Raj Bhavan here Wednesday.The Governor, who is President of the Gov-erning Council of the Kala Kendra, stressed all possible sources being tapped so that the func-tioning of this Kendra progressively catches up with its aims and objectives.Referring to the suggestions put forth by Raman Bhalla, Minister for Housing and Culture, for setting up a Planetarium at Jammu as part of the Kala Kendra, the Governor asked the Commissioner Tourism and Culture to take up this matter with the concerned authorities in the Government of India and also explore other possible sources for establishing this facility which will be of im-mense benefit to the students and people at large.The Governor asked the Commissioner Culture to take urgent necessary measures for securing the required amounts of water and

power supply at the Kala Kendra Complex and, besides undertaking beautification of its lawns. He desired urgent action to have an electricity

metre installed in the Kendra and all future bills paid timely.After extensive discussions in re-gard to the various agenda items, the meeting

decided to constitute a Sub-Committee headed by Atal Dulloo, Commissioner/Secretary, Tour-ism and Culture, and comprising Khalid Bashir Ahmad, Secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Prof. Nilambar Dev Sharma and Balwant Thakur, to consider all relevant aspects in regard to the amendments required to be made in the existing Rules and Regulations of the Kala Kendra, particularly focussing on the manage-ment aspects, need for regular financial support, allotment of additional land, matters regarding sanction of necessary staff for the Kala Kendra, scale of rentals for the hiring of Seminar Hall, Gal-leries and other spaces, preparation of a logo of the Kala Kendra, etc. The Sub-Committee will finalize its recommendations within one month and the next meeting of the Governing Council will be held in September this year to take a final view on all matters. Raman Bhalla, Minister for Housing and Culture, thanked the Governor for taking keen interest in the conservation and promotion of the rich cultural heritage of the State. He stressed for all the required measures being taken for bringing about continuing improvements in the function-ing of the Kala Kendra. He emphasized the need for establishment of a Planetarium and a Regional Science Centre at Jammu.

No one is going to cater to your needs today, Ar-ies, so get up and do things on your own. There’s little sympathy from others, and strong opinions are a dime a dozen. There’s a great deal of gossip buzzing around that you may be tempted to join. Don’t enable this sort of behavior. It’s only going to alienate you from others in the end.

You might be sidestepping in order to avoid a com-mitment today, Gemini. Don’t keep giving someone the runaround. Be strong and let people know your thoughts even if you think their feelings will be hurt. Your job is to protect your emotions. Other people can handle their own. Be aggressive if you have to. Your sanity depends on being true to yourself.

You’re at a dramatic climax in your monthly emo-tional cycle today, Cancer. It’s quite possible that you will erupt like a volcano. Don’t be ashamed about re-leasing these emotions. Your feminine and masculine natures are connected, and they’re working harmoni-ously to express themselves to the fullest.

Your philanthropic side may want to come out and do good works today, Leo. Your default mode is to care for others. This is fine, but make sure it doesn’t deplete your vital life force. The key is to offer advice and then walk away from the situation. You aren’t responsible for other people’s actions. Offer information, but leave the final decision up to the person you’re trying to help.

Today is a terrific day, Virgo, and you can get a lot accomplished using your quick mind and sharp wit. In-formation is flying quickly. Grab what resonates with you and discard the rest. The more informed you are, the better equipped you will be to handle the decisions of the day. Get all the facts before you proceed.

Why me? You may feel like you ask yourself this question more than anyone else, Libra. Your life may seem like an intense roller-coaster ride that never stops. But deep down you realize that you would have it no other way. Take a break from it all today if you can. Communicate your thoughts and feelings. By talking, you will feel much better about the situation.

Your brain may buzz like a beehive today, Scorpio. That’s good. There is a great deal of information to pro-cess now. Have you been thinking about buying some new electronic equipment or small appliances for your home? Now is a great time to do some research on this project before you hand over your credit card. Use to-day to gather facts.

Don’t automatically assume that you can work out all your problems alone, Sagittarius. Just talking things out with others may help shed light on a situation that baffled you earlier. Enlist the help of others in areas where you need it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for assis-tance. We all have problems and issues to deal with. You aren’t alone.

Get up early and get working, Capricorn. You have a lot of emotional and physical energy that should help you accomplish whatever you need to do. The planetary energy is on your side. Take advantage of it to say what’s on your mind and get a step closer to wherever you need to be. Your active, receptive nature is prominent.

Speak up today. Perhaps no one has heard your point of view in a while. More than likely, it’s incredibly important for them to hear it. Just because people don’t ask for your opinion doesn’t mean that it isn’t valid. You have incredible insight that others don’t have. Don’t as-sume that they know what you’re thinking even though you probably know what they’re thinking.

Someone has just turned on the fan and papers are flying everywhere, Pisces. The pace is picking up and you’re scrambling to pick up the pieces. Stay in close communication with others today, for this will be your saving grace. You may require others’ help to gather the documents that have blown across the room. Keep an eye on things so you don’t lose your place.

Listen closely to the wind, for the answers are blow-ing right in front of you, Taurus. Make contact with peo-ple you haven’t heard from in a while. You can be quite productive today in unexpected situations. Ironically, the less you plan, the more you will accomplish. Be spontaneous. Revelations will come to you in a flash.

Governor for making Kala Kendra a hub to showcase State’s rich cultural heritage

Economic development, dignified life of people prime objective of Govt.: Lone

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar |TueSday 30 .7 .2013

Div Com takes stock of Jumat-ul-Vida, Shab-i-Qadr besides Eid arrangements

SRINAGAR, JULY 29: Arrangements for ensuing Independence Day celebrations in Summer Capital at Bakshi Stadium Srinagar were finalized in a high level meeting held here Wednesday un-der the Chairmanship of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Shal-indera Kumar.

The meeting also reviewed the arrangements for Jumat-ul-Vida, Shab-i-Qadr and Eid-ul-Fitr.

The meeting discussed threadbare arrangements being put in to celebrate the national event with fervor and gaiety.

It was given out in the meeting that fool proof security, arrangements shall be put in place in and around the Bakshi Sta-dium where the flag hoisting ceremony shall be held.

The function will start with the Shahnai Wadan in the wee hours followed by the flag hoisting by chief guest, which will be followed by march past and inspection of parade. The march past shall comprise the contingents of J&K Police, J&K Armed Police, BSF, CRPF, Ladies Police, IRP, Fire and Emergency Services, NCC, Forest Protection Force, J&K Prisons department and stu-dents of different educational institutions.

It was also informed in the meeting that the Department of Information, Cultural Academy, Education and Youth Services and Sports shall jointly arrange cultural programmes of different nature depicting composite culture and art of the State.

The meeting also decided that all major buildings in-cluding Civil Secretariat, Divisional Commissioner Office, Tourism Department , Doordarshan, Radio, SKICC etc shall be illuminated from August 13-15.Divisional Commissioner Kashmir on the oc-casion directed all the concerned officers of the departments in-cluding R&B, PHE, Power, Health, Municipality, Floriculture etc. to ensure proper coordination for the successful celebrations of the Independence Day.The meeting also reviewed the arrangements for smooth conduct of Jumat-ul-Vida, Shab-i-Qadr and Eid-ul-Fitr.

MOS Home inaugurates, stresses for use of latest techniques, equipments

JKRDS organizes Parents Day, presents Madr-e-Meharban Awards-2013

Saifullah reviews function-ing of various departments

SRINAGAR, JULY 29:

In order to acquaint governments em-ployees with the precautionary measures to prevent fire incidents and use of fire fighting equipments, a 3-day workshop started at the Legislative Council Secre-tariat here this morning. The workshop has been organized by General Admin-istration Department (GAD) in coordina-tion with Security Wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police and required assistance from State Directorate of Fire and Emer-gency Services.Inaugurated by Minister of State for Home, Sajad Ahmed Kichloo, the workshop is attended by senior experts from Directorate of Fire Services, New Delhi and a large number of Governments employees from all ranks representing 37 department of state government.

In his inaugural address, Kichloo highlighted the importance of the preven-tive measures to be adopted in case of fire outbreak. He said that fire engulfs a huge property within seconds endangering hu-man lives and precious properties, office records. It is the need of hour to acquaint the officials with the preventive measures and use of fire fighting equipments dur-ing the fire incidents. He added.

Making a reference of the recent fire incident in Civil Secretariat, the MOS disclosed that the government has de-

cided to organize such workshops which could help in awaring the employees about the use of latest fire fighting equip-ments besides preventive measures to avoid such incidents. He stressed for use

of latest techniques and equipments in fighting the fire incidents and evacuating the inmates when such incident occurs.

Kichloo appreciated the efforts

of GAD and Security Wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police for organising the workshop. He said that the awareness provided to the participants would help to educate other employees working in

various departments and would prove fruitful in the long run. He disclosed that such workshops would be organized at all district headquarters in future.

SRINAGAR, JULY 29:

The Jammu and Kash-mir Rural Development So-ciety (JKRDS) Wednesday organized a Parents Day and presentation of Madr-e-Mehrban Awards 2013 here Wednesday.

Speaker, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative As-sembly, Mubarak Gul, who is also Chairman of JKRDS, MLA, Hazratbal Dr. Mustafa Kamal, Principal Dental Col-lege, delegates of JKRDS, scholars, NGOs, Parents, students and prominent citizens were present on the occasion.

A debate on “the role of society in the maintenance of environment” was held on the occasion in which hundreds of students from different schools partici-pated.

Speaking on the occa-

sion, the Speaker Gul said that Madr-e-Meharban Late Begum Akbar Jehan always worked for upliftment of women, orphans and weak-er section of the society.

Gul announced that Madr-e-Meharban Award 2013 will be given to Parvez Rasool, national Cricket player from J&K, Moham-mad Rafiq Malik, Mountain-eer and Neha Sharma, Den-tal surgeon who topped this year’s KAS examination.

Highlighting the achieve-ments of the Government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Gul said that RTI, Public Grievances Cell, Public Services Guar-antee Act and Vigilance Commission have been in-troduced with the aim to ensure transparency and ac-countability besides provid-ing good governance to the people of the State. He asked

the people to avail benefits of the schemes launched by the Government from time to time.

MLA, Hazratbal Dr. Mus-tafa Kamal described Madr-e-Meharban as epitome of courage and compassion. He said he saw her always pray-ing for the betterment and welfare of the people and prosperity of the State. He said that Madr-e-Meharban was noble and a righteous woman.

The Legislator appreci-ated the students who par-ticipated in Wednesday’s debate and asked them to study with dedication.

Later, prizes were dis-tributed among the students who participated in the de-bate competition.

On the occasion, special prayers were held and rich tributes were paid to Madr-e-Meharban.

Reasi administration gears up to attract Shri Budha Amarnath Yatra

to ShivKhori shrineREASI, JULY 29- The District Administration here has decided to

attract the pilgrims visiting Budha Amarnath Yatra to holy shrine of Shiv Khori by providing adequate facilities enroute.This was re-vealed at meeting of officers of line departments representatives of Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board with the deputy commissioner, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary in the chair. The meeting, while discuss-ing the arrangements for the pilgrims, observed that in the light of previous year figures, it is expected that about 2000 yatris will visit the holy cave during annual Shri Budha Amarnath Yatra starting from August 2 to August 12.The DDC said that the administration had taken concrete steps to attract Shri Budha Amarnath Yatris through Shiv Khori route. He further added that for the first time the district administration and locals have geared up to attract the Budha Amarnath Yatra through this route.In order to ensure better facilities to the yatris, concerned departments have been asked to ensure uninterrupted power supply, adequate drinking water, parking and medical aid facilities at the shrine besides, installing sufficient number of temporary toilets, and foolproof security ar-rangements.The DDC asked the officers to coordinate and make all efforts for ensuring comfort of yatris. He said that the district ad-ministration was committed to promote pilgrim tourism in Reasi for which it has great potential.

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

TUESDAY | JULY 30 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

Have a salmon fish dinner. Snack on a handful of nuts. Pour a dash of olive oil in your salad. And bite into that sinister choco-late. Now you can do all this guilt-free! All these foods help in fight-ing bad cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, 'You can reduce cholesterol in your blood by eating healthy foods'. So, here we are today with our list of top 10 cholesterol fighting foods. Oats: If you change your morn-ing meal to oats then you can do your cholesterol level a whole lot of good. Do note that two servings of oats can lower LDL cholesterol by 5.3% in only 6 weeks. Essential-ly, oats contain a substance called beta-glucan which absorbs bad cholesterol. Red Wine: Here's yet another rea-son to toast to your health. The red grapes used in the manufacturing of red wine have an important effect on cholesterol levels. Two glasses of red wine in a week can do you a whole lot of good. Salmon and fatty Fish: Full of Omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is a natural health wonder, which helps in keeping heart conditions

such as heart attacks, stroke and high cholesterol levels at bay. Fishes such as salmon, sardines and herring help in raising good cholesterol levels by 4%. Nuts: Mono-unsaturated fats (found in nuts, seeds etc.) have the lowest fatty acid molecules and are the best of the three fats, namely poly-saturated fats, satu-rated fats and mono-unsaturated fats. Nuts are the best way to get those required healthy fats into your body without feeling guilty. Since the fats that come from nuts are natural and are not chemically processed, this makes them heart healthy, filling, and nutritious options. Beans: Excellent for the heart, ½ a cup of beans added in our diet (in the form of any dish or soup), helps in lowering cholesterol lev-els by 8%. You should try black, kidney, or pinto beans; each one of them supplies about one-third of your day's fiber needs. Tea: Tea has antioxidants and less amounts of caffeine than cof-fee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per

cup. Tea helps in protecting your bones because of the presence of phytochemicals in them. It is also a great defense against LDL cho-lesterol levels. Chocolate: Chocoholics can cel-ebrate with a healthy dose of dark chocolate as it is full of antioxi-dants and cholesterol-reducing properties. According to a Span-ish study published in 2010 in the "Journal of Hepatology,", "the

antioxidants in dark chocolate re-duce the damage that can occur to blood vessels, which can further threaten the health of people with cirrhosis. The dark chocolate can help prevent the blood vessels in the liver from rupturing". Medical experts suggest that munching on 100 grams of chocolate every day helps in reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular mishaps by 21 percent.

A natural solution to backacheMany of us are afflicted with back pain, which we tend to ignore or pay very little attention to, during the course of a busy day.But you cannot overlook the fact that back pain can make it difficult for you to stand up, sit down or even walk around comfortably. So it's best you try some of the following natural remedies and get yourself some relief.Increase your intake of Vi-tamin D - A study looked at the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in 150 people with chronic musculosk-eletal pain and found that 93 per cent of patients had vitamin D deficiency! So all people with persistent, non-specific musculoskel-etal pain should get them-selves screened for vitamin D deficiency.Indulge in some music therapy - Low cost and enjoyable, music has been found to reduce the dis-ability, anxiety, and de-pression associated with

chronic back pain. It has an immediate effect on re-ducing pain, although the results are not statistically significant.Try some breathing tech-niques - To reduce pain, try some breathing tech-niques that make use of the mind-body connec-tion. These techniques inte-grate body awareness, breathing, movement, and meditation. The best thing about them is that they are safe, free

of cost and you can do them at home!Get a soothing massage - The first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a backache is to get a nice massage. Massages may be effective for sub acute and chronic pain. What's more, they reduce anxiety and de-pression associated with chronic pain. In fact, massage therapy is the most popular thera-py for low back pain dur-ing pregnancy.

Yoga during pregnancy helps relieve pain

Many doctors and health professionals are encour-aging pregnant women to do yoga, as it helps in-crease their strength and relieve pregnancy discom-forts. This form of exercise is favoured by some of Hol-lywood's newest moms like January Jones, Hilary Duff and Pink. "Yoga during pregnancy helps a woman increase her strength and flex-ibility, even as her body goes through the dramatic changes of pregnancy," Fox News quoted Mary Barnes, director and owner at Yoga for Two in New York, as saying.The postures yoga offers

may also prepare women for childbirth and help relieve discomforts, such as back pain and swollen ankles. Apart from building strength and relieving pregnancy discomforts, it

also helps increase pain tolerance. As yoga focuses on length-ening the breath, this cre-ates endurance, calms the mind and can increase a woman's pain threshold during labour.

Like human beings, foods can also bring out the best in each other, nutritionally speaking. Read on to find out who should date whom for your good healthYou already know a lot about what foods are good for you. But there's more to healthy eating than just that. Sometimes, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And this especially true for some food combinations, even if they sound weird when you first hear about them. Dietician Sheela Tanna tells you how to pair food to unlock the benefits of individual ingredients.Turmeric and salmonTurmeric has anti-inflammatory and heal-ing properties. Salmon is low on carbohydrates and high on pro-tein. When the two are combined, the properties of Omega 3 fatty ac-ids present in salmon get a boost and it guards the nervous system against the effects of ageing. It also

increases the level of HDL (good cholesterol) which improves heart health by keep the arteries clear of bad cholesterol.The combination is also believed to slow tumour growth by keeping the cancer cells from multiplying.Whole grains and onions Whole grains, such as maize, brown rice, barley and wheat contain iron and zinc in differ-ent quantities. The two miner-als are absorbed by the human body more easily in the presence of sulphur compounds present in onions - which is also what makes you cry when you slice them.Beans and greens Beans are rich in proteins and iron. When paired with veggies rich in Vitamin C such as spinach, sprouts and potatoes, it aids weight loss. "Your body uses three times more energy to metabolise proteins than carbs and fats," says Tanna. "Vitamin C

rich foods do not aid weight-loss directly. But they have water soluble nutrients which make them very low calorie foods. The combination of beans and veg-gies won't let you gain those ex-tra kilos."Also the iron content of beans gets better absorbed in the presence of Vitamin C from vegetables.Tomato and olive oil Tomatoes contain Vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene in sub-stantial quantities. This antioxi-dant lowers the risk of cataracts, osteoporosis, cancer and the ef-fects of ageing. Olive oil, also rich in antioxidants, promotes the for-mation of HDL (good cholesterol) in the body. Lycopene gets better absorbed in the presence of olive oil and is highly beneficial for the heart. It purifies the blood and dis-solves gallstones. The combo also boosts liver function of protein synthesis and detoxification of the

body. It's believed to reduce ef-fects of hypertension.Broccoli and mustard Broccoli is a good source of Vitamin C, antioxidants and a compound called sulforaphane. This compound exhibits anti-can-cer and anti-diabetic properties. The absorption of sulforaphane is better in the presence of my-rosinase, an enzyme present in mustard. The two combat bacterial infec-tions in the urinary tract, excre-tory system, digestive system and the colon. Iron is part of blood cells in the body and carries oxy-gen from the lungs to muscles and organs. Zinc helps in healing wounds. Antioxidants and Vita-min C present in onions also fa-cilitate the iron absorption from whole grains.Whole grains are also rich in Vitamin E which when combined with Vitamin C become beneficial for the skin.

Top 6 fats that lower cholesterolOften given a bad name, fats can be a good addition to anyone's daily diet. In fact, one should never, complete-ly, cut good fats out from ev-eryday meal plans as they are very essential for your body. While some bad fats may pose grave risk of cardiovas-cular diseases, others may shield your heart. An im-portant source of essential fatty acids and concentrated energy, fats are full of fat-soluble vitamins, they assist in cooking too and also keep hunger pangs at bay. Today, Delhi-based Diet Consultant Munisha Bhanot tells us about the top 6 fats that help in lowering cholesterol. Sip red wine, instead of cocktails. Red, blue, green cocktails look tempting, but these drinks are full of calories. So, if you are health conscious, then avoid cocktails. Instead, you can sip red wine because it is full of antioxi-dants, which are helpful in prevent-ing different types of cancers. And an even red wine has saponins, which help in lowering bad cholesterol LDL. But intake of red wine should be limited. The American Heart As-sociation recommends that you limit your daily intake to two glasses (for men) or one glass (for women). Best oils for low-cholesterol cook-ing. All the oils and fats have some good qualities for our health. So we should not stick to one type of oil or fat for cooking. We should follow rule of rotation of oils. For example, in one month you can use sunflower oil and in the next month you can use mustard oil. Or you can even use different types of oils in your meals like one vegetable in sesame oil and another in mustard oil. The low cholesterol cooking oils are olive, canola, sesame oils and mustard oil. Good quality oil is also found in avocados and avocado oil, nuts and their oils, corn, cottonseed, and safflower oils; sunflower seeds

and sunflower oil; flaxseed and flax-seed oil; soybeans and soybean oil; tub margarine and soft spreads; and seafood. Monounsaturated fats are the health-iest fats. There are two types of cho-lesterol - one type of cholesterol clogs our arteries, it is known as bad cho-lesterol or LDL and other type helps in removing these clogs, it is known as good cholesterol or HDL. Monounsaturated fats decrease your total blood cholesterol but maintain your HDL (good) cholesterol. Mono-unsaturated fats, therefore, help lower the risk of heart diseases. Olive oil has 75% of monounsaturated fat. Examples of monounsaturated fats are macadamia nuts (80% of fat is monounsaturated), avocados (71%), almonds (70%), canola oil (59%), and peanuts and peanut oil (46%). Other sources are almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, natural peanut butter, pecans, pistachios, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Polyunsaturated fats may also be somewhat healthy. A polyunsatu-rated fat has good cholesterol but it decreases your total blood choles-terol by lowering both the LDL (bad) cholesterol and the HDL (good) cho-

lesterol. Because of this reason we should use them in moderation. The good sources of polyunsaturated fats can be found in corn oil, may-onnaise, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed oil, hempseed, hemp-seed oil, soybean oil, and pistachios. Liquid plant oils should be your best bet for daily use. It is general ten-dency to use butter or ghee for cook-ing and baking. But butter and ghee are high sources of bad cholesterol or LDL. They increase risk of heart diseases by clogging your arteries. So, to pre-vent this we should use vegetable oils like soya oil, sesame oil, canola, ol-ive, mustard oil etc. for cooking and baking. These oils have high level of good cholesterol HDL and lower our LDL levels. Meat fats also help in lowering cho-lesterol. However, it is important that one reduces the fat content of meat. There are many quick ways to reduce the fat content of meat.First, always buy lean cuts of meat.Before cooking, remove and cut the all visible fats for example remove the skin from chicken because there are fat deposits just below the skin.

20 Best workout snacksIf workout snacks confuse you, look no further. This is the list you've been wait-ing for - here are 20 best workout snacks, complete with calorie counts.Apples: Apples are to ba-nanas what slow carbs are to quick carbs. To elabo-rate, they give you slow release energy and are therefore, great for long workouts or if your work-out is an hour or more away. One standard issue red apple gives you ap-proximately 60 calories.Energy gels: Carbohy-drate-based snacks de-signed mostly for endur-ance events, energy gels are often used by runners, cyclists and mountaineers. These come in single snack servings and since they are meant for athletes who cover long distances, are usually high on calories for the average person.Yogurt parfait: Perfect for light to moderate workouts recovery, yogurt parfaits are just a French way of saying yogurt mixed with chopped fresh fruits. One 60 gms bowl of skimmed yogurt with one whole fruit will cost you about 100 cal-ories. Honey or cinnamon can be great natural sweet-eners at just 10-30 more calories.Energy bars: If you have no time to keep the kitchen stocked with natural work-out foods, rely on energy bars. However, be weary of the fat, carb and sugar con-tent in these snacks. The lower and non-existent these three are, the better it is. Calories differ from brand to brand. For in-stance a standard granola milk bar will be approxi-

mately 120 calories.Eggs and toast: Great as pre or post workout snacks, one or two eggs on toast will give you the per-fect carb+protein fuel or recovery benefits. Two full eggs on one toast will give you about 220 calories.Vegetable omelet: Calorie-efficient, energy-packed, and full of protein - a veg-etable omelet might be just what your fitness routine is missing. Skip the egg yolks to make it even more performance-friendly. A simple omelet with a car-rot and onion in with 1-2 whites will give you ap-proximately 90 calories.Oats: A small bowl (50-80gms) of quick cooking oats with fresh fruits like bananas, apples or pears, makes for a good snack worth about 250 calories. This needs to be prepared with water.Dark chocolate: A great antioxidant, dark choco-late is considered good for recovery after an es-pecially grueling workout. Buy dark chocolate that has low to no saturated fats (esp. Tran's fats) and fewer artificial ingredients. A 100gms cube is a good enough quantity. Calorie count defers from brand to brand, so check the label before buying.Chocolate milk: Recent studies have hailed choc-olate milk for its post-workout recovery inducing properties. Drink a glass (about 250ml) of chocolate flavored milk for a 150 cal-orie-worth post-workout snack.Smoothies: Yogurt smoothies help replenish your body after a workout

and are great for comfort. Rely on healthy skimmed yogurt and skimmed milk, fresh fruit smoothies and you'll be richer by approxi-mately 150 calories.Protein shakes: If you get all your protein require-ment (from .8 to 2gms per kilo, depending on work-out intensity) from natural foods, without eating in excess of your body's daily needs, then you're golden. If not, you need a little supplementation.Remember that the trick to the right protein shake is research and expert con-sultation. Ask your doc-tor and fitness trainer for advice. One scoop will be anything between 30 to 90 calories, depending on contents. You could also look at raw eggs and dairy natural protein shakes, if so inclined.Egg whites: Eggs are quint-essential fitness foods. Eat them before or after a workout and you'll be a happy fitness enthusiast. A couple of egg whites before and a couple or more after (depending on workout intensity), will serve you 40-100 calories of extreme goodness.Avocado: Infamous as be-ing high fat fruits, avoca-dos deserve to be let off the hook. While it's true that one whole avocado will give you 250-300 calories (except California avo-cados, which are smaller varieties), if your work-out is heavy, these will be calories well spent. On the other hand, split it into two servings, and you've still got a great snack of about 120 calories.Almonds and walnuts: Full

of good fat richness and energy powerhouses, al-monds and walnuts (about 7-12 almonds and 2-4 walnuts) can be good en-ergy suppliers. Look to get about 200 calories from here.Dried dates stuffed with al-monds/walnuts: A nice lit-tle variation for those who eat dried dates often. Sim-ply pit the dried date, and stuff with whole almonds or walnuts, or slivers. Each almond or walnut stuffed date will give you about 30-50 calories.Dried dates: Similar to figs with respect to calo-rie counts (approximately 100-150 for about 4), dried dates are performance packed. Eat these if your workout calls for every bit of energy in your body and eat them just before the workout.Dried figs: A great source of iron and roughage, dried figs are old age's best kept secret. Don't wait to hit your 50s to discover this miracle food. 2-4 dried figs are worth about 100-150 calories.Apple slices topped with peanut butter: For those who're avoiding processed cereals, spread the peanut butter over a few apple slices. Extra crunch and flavour guaranteed. This will cost you no more than 120 calories (lesser if it's just 1-2 apple slices).A slice of bread with pea-nut butter: Peanut butter packs an extra punch with its creamy nut butter and omega goodness. Spread a spoonful on a slice of bread and you've got a great pre-workout snack of about 150 calories.

Kashmir ThunderTuesday 30 July2013

UPA coordination panel meet on Telangana on July 31

Taking a step forward on Telangana, the UPA government has called a meeting of its Coordination Committee for July 31 — the day panchayat polls end in Andhra Pradesh — to take a view on the divi-sion of the southern State.The outcome of the meet-ing will determine the date of the Congress Working Committee meeting.The announcement on the tim-ing of the meeting of UPA allies came even as BJP president Rajnath Singh reiterated his party’s support for the creation of Telangana. “We support Telangana cause. The BJP is committed to forming the State,” Mr. Singh told journalists here on Sunday, stress-ing, “the government should grant it immediately.” Telangana will become a reality if the BJP comes to power at the Centre after the general elections.Indeed,

the BJP’s unswerving support for Telangana has been a major push factor for the Congress, helping it to take the final step towards dividing Andhra Pradesh.Meanwhile, even as senior Con-gress leaders from Andhra Pradesh have gradu-ally begun to accept that the Centre is heading towards dividing the State, many of them have warned the party’s central leadership of the many problems that could follow it.

Six anti-Telangana MPs, including Union Ministers M.M. Pallam Raju, K.S. Rao, Chi-ranjeevi and D. Purandeswari (all hailing from coastal Andhra) and K. Bapiraju and Anantarami Reddy met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on

Saturday to make yet another attempt to keep Andhra Pradesh united. The MPs told the Prime Minister that there would be repercussions not only in the State but also for the entire country if the State was divided.

This meeting came in the wake of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy having told the party’s brass that if the government takes the plunge on the creation of Telangana, he will make it clear that he is not party to the decision. If the State is divided, Mr. Reddy, party sources added, has told central lead-ers that he will not be able to guarantee a fair num-ber of seats for the Congress. If Mr. Reddy had asked the Congress leadership not to do anything till July 31 when the panchayat polls end, now sources close

to him are saying that a decision should wait till the zilla parishad and municipal polls are completed in September.The Chief Minister, Congress sources said, could not at all afford to be seen as quietly accepting the high command’s diktat on Telangana, if he hoped to have any political future at all in the Andhra-Ray-alaseema region.

The other political protagonists in the region have also been vocal. MIM leader and Hyderabad MP Asa-dudin Owaisi, speaking to The Hindu on the phone, reiterated his party’s firm opposition to the creation of Telangana. Asked whether the MIM would be in favour of including the districts of Kurnool and An-antapur from Rayalaseema in the proposed Telangana State, he said, “When we are opposing Telangana, where is the question of our wanting two districts to be added to it or not.”The rationale for the proposal to add the two Rayalaseema districts, Congress sources said, was that it would create two States with 21 Lok Sabha seats each; besides, since these two districts — that would bring in four Parliament seats — have substantial Muslim populations, a Telangana that in-cluded them would ensure that the new State had a larger minority population, the proponents of the pro-posal feel.On the other hand, the carving up of Ray-alaseema would affect both Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy and YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, both of whom belong to this region.

Some shell out Rs 100 crore for a RS seat, Cong MP says

J I N D / C H A N D I -GARH: Senior Congress leader Chaudhary Bi-render Singh has kicked up a controversy with his claim that there are people who shell out up to Rs 100 crore to get a Rajya Sabha seat. As the BJP latched on to his remarks to accuse Con-gress of being in the hab-it of “cutting out deals” and having brought politics in the country to such a “low level”, Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, went into damage control on Monday claiming that what ap-peared in media was an “entirely wrong ver-sion” of what he had said.

Addressing a rally in Jind on Sunday, the Congress leader had said, “Once someone told me that he had a budget of Rs 100 crore to become a Rajya Sabha MP. But when he totalled the expenditure later, he found it was Rs 80 crore and he had ended up saving Rs 20 crore.”

“Now you think, a man who succeeds tak-ing the membership of Rajya Sabha by spend-ing 80 crore or 100 crore rupees, what will

they think about the poor,” he had added.

Facing flak for his remarks, Singh said, “my version was simple that there is a trend of new political class, more people with money power, who are entering in Lok

Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and I had given figures from a newspaper”.

“...I had made a mention that after the Lok Sabha results of 2009, certain figures were given in a newspaper report that 360 of the candidates, who had won were crorepatis and a dozen and half of them were billionaries (arabpatis),” he added. Singh said this was how the money power is becoming more im-portant in parliamentary democracy. “There are also certain people, who can spend crores of rupees to make an entry into politics. I had also said that if such elements will have their influence this will muzzle the voice of those people to raise the issues of the poor and take up their causes,” he told reporters.

West Bengal panchayat election results: TMC leads by a huge margin, Left at second spot

BJP asks women workers to propagate achievements of party

NEW DELHI: BJP today asked its women work-ers to propagate the achievements of states where it is in power and highlights the “failures” of the Congress-ruled states as well as the Centre in the run-up to the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

At a national executive meet of BJP’s Mahila Morcha here, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj exhorted the women cadre to adopt a pragmatic approach while canvassing among women.

“There is no point in talking about agriculture growth, GDP figures and so on. There is no need to tell the women about it. You talk to them about their pain... When you reach out to a woman from a slum, or a woman from an affluent section, talk to them about their specific concerns,” Swaraj said. Citing an example, she said while talking with young women working in call centres, the women workers should discuss issues about their security. Speaking on the occasion, former BJP President Nitin Gadkari em-phasised that Congress-led government has failed to ensure the safety of women across the country. “You should choose a party which can promise to gouge out the eyes of those who look at women with the wrong intentions,” he said. Swaraj advised the cadre to be

well-versed with the party’s viewpoints and counter the opponent accordingly. She also gave suggestions for the Assembly polls due in five states. “In states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh where we are in power, the workers should enumerate the various achievements of our governments while in Delhi and Rajasthan you should tell the people about the failures of the Congress there and at the Centre,” Swaraj said.

BJP strategy is to highlight issues affecting the women directly and price rise will be underscored prominently by the party. “Earlier rations were costly, now even milk, vegetables, power, water, education fees and medicines have become dearer... Even gas cylinders are being rationed now,” she said.

Swaraj also asked the BJP women workers to be ready for early polls. “Mission 2014 may even be-come Mission 2013 looking at the state of this govern-ment,” she said. Gadkari also charged that Congress is creating a fear psychosis in the minds of the Muslims that if BJP is voted to power it will do grave injus-tice to them. “They are giving this wrong impression for votebank politics... We follow a policy of neither appeasement nor discrimination. BJP is not against Muslims but against terrorism.” Noting that illegal

immigration from Bangladesh has reached alarming proportions, Gadkari said, “If this continues then in ten years time the Chief Minister of Assam will be a Bangladeshi.” He alleged that Congress-led UPA is indulging in all-round loot of the country. “The nation is on the verge of bankruptcy and soon we may have to pledge our gold,” he said. At the conclave BJP is emphasising on strengthening women through educa-tion, health, economic self-reliance and political em-powerment.

Darjeeling: Most markets were shut and traffic remained minimal today in West Ben-gal’s Darjeeling hills in sup-port of the 72-hour shutdown for Gorkhaland state called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha or GJM.

According to police, there were stray incidents of vio-lence, including the torching of three vehicles, in the protest

led by the GJM.At least 50 people have

been arrested for trying to forc-ibly enforce the shutdown. Schools, markets and govern-ment and private offices re-mained shut.

The shutdown coincides with the Congress-led central government’s reported deci-sion to form a separate state of Telengana by splitting up

Andhra Pradesh.The Gorkhaland move-

ment has left many dead over the past two decades besides affecting the region known for its tea, timber and tourism.

The bandh also brings to an end a period of calm in the hills of Darjeeling since the GTA pact was signed two years ago on July 18, 2011 between the GJM, the state and central governments for setting up the Gorkhaland Territorial Admin-istration (GTA), an autono-mous and elected hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in the late 1980s.The GJM now runs the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration after sweep-ing its maiden elections held in July 2012. Its chief Bimal Gurung is expected to resign in the next three days.

Gorkhaland agitation: Arrests, vio-lence mark GJM bandh in Darjeeling

Jayalalithaa to PM: Drop proposal to reintroduce NEET

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to drop the Centre’s move to rein-troduce NEET and abide by the Supreme Court ruling, quashing the test for undergraduate and post graduate medical and den-tal courses.

Welcoming the judgement, she said it had finally brought to an end a long pending and vexa-tious issue relating to a policy by which students aspiring for medical and dental seats at UG and PG levels had to go through the ‘ag-ony’ of an uncertain selection process which militated against their interest and the interests of Tamil Nadu.

“The majority judgement has rightly upheld all the valid objections raised by Tamil Nadu along with the contentions of the other petitioners. This judgement of the Honourable Supreme Court has

been widely welcomed”, she said in a letter to SinghHowever, instead of abid-ing by the judgement, a statement by union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad indicated that the Centre may move the Apex Court for a review of the judgement.

“This has again created confusion and frustration in the minds of thousands of students of Tamil Nadu who have al-

ready been covered by a fair and transparent admission policy laid down by the Gov-ernment of Tamil Nadu which has been working well”, she said.

“Tamil Nadu strongly ob-jects to any such fresh pur-ported attempts by the Centre to seek a review of the judge-ment of the Supreme Court and efforts for reintroduction of NEET in any manner as it infringes upon the State¿s rights and admission policies

to medical institutions in Tamil Nadu”, she said.“The reported move of the Union Health Minister in seeking to file a review petition before the Supreme Court of India to reintroduce NEET should be immediately dropped. The Government of India should accept the decision of the Supreme Court without seeking a review”, she said.

Sharad Yadav takes on Vijay Mallya, says ‘corporates indulging in corrupt

practices to enter Parliament’Yadav also made his party's position

clear on the issue, and said there are no such discrepancies in the Janata Dal (Unit-ed).Janata Dal (Unted) chief Sharad Yadav on Monday launched a frontal attack on industrialist Vijay Mallya, and alleged that corporate giants were indulging in corrupt practices to find their way into Parliament.

Yadav, who was reacting to the claims made by Congress leader Birender Singh that Rajya Sabha seats are sold for Rs. 100 crores, said he was not aware of the mone-tary value of a seat in the Upper House, but knew that corporate giants were indulging in corrupt practices to find their way into the Parliament.“I am not aware of what the rates are. However, it must not be general-ized. People like Vijay Mallya and others who bring with them moneybags indulge in buying these seats. How much they pay for them, I am not aware,” he said.Yadav also made his party’s position clear on the

issue, and said there are no such discrep-ancies in the Janata Dal (United).“In fact, neither can a wealthy man stand nor can a wealthy man use his money to win at our party” Yadav said.“In the way the coun-try’s political sphere is deteriorating, there are aberrations. These people are manag-ing to come into parliament for business,” he added.Birender Singh has kicked up a

storm by alleging and later retracting that Rajya Sabha seats are on sale. He had al-leged that members are buying seats for as much as Rs 100 crore.He had also al-leged that such Rajya Sabha members would not perform for the benefit of the poor.“A Rajya Sabha MP told me that he had a budget of Rs 100 crore to get into the Rajya Sabha. If people like this come into the Rajya Sabha, I am sure they won't do much for the poor,” he had said, while addressing a gathering in Jind, Haryana.Birender Singh later retracted from his statement saying what he meant was that more people with monetary power were now emerging on the political sphere of the country."Whatever is appearing on TV is entirely a wrong version of what I said. I said that after the results of the Lok Sabha elections 2009, there were crorepati MPs. I said that money power is becoming more important,” he later claimed.

Batla house encounter: Delhi Police seeks death penalty for Shahzad AhmedNEW DELHI: The Delhi Police

today sought death penalty for the lone suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Shahzad Ahmed convicted in the 2008 Batla House encounter for killing decorated police officer M C Sharma and injuring two other cops.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Rajender Kumar Shastri, after hearing arguments of the prosecution and the defence, however, reserved for tomor-row his verdict on the quantum of sen-tence to be awarded to Shahzad.

During the arguments on the point of sentence, Special Public Prosecu-tor Satwinder Kaur sought death pen-alty for Shahzad saying there are no mitigating circumstances in this case and the convict is involved in several heinous crimes.

"One senior police officer (Inspector M C Sharma) was killed and two other of-ficers (head constables Balwant Singh and Rajbir Singh) were injured while perform-ing their duty," she said.Citing Supreme Court verdicts in Devenderpal Singh

Bhullar and Ajmal Kasab cases, the pros-ecutor said just like those cases, this case has also shocked the collective conscience of society.She added there is no scope for Shahzad's reformation and rehabilitation and seeing the nature of crimes he is in-volved in, he will continue to be a "threat to society".Outside the court complex also, over 50 residents of Paharganj area, where one of the blasts had taken place on Sep-

tember 13, 2008, had gathered and demanded death penalty for Shahzad.

Some of them had lost family members or friends in the attack, while others had helped with the rescue efforts to get the injured to hospitals.

The defence counsel argued that there is chance to reform Shahzad as he has not been con-victed in any other case.

Tamta while seeking leni-ency in the sentencing also said that Shahzad was 20-year-old at the time of the incident and was still studying.

The prosecutor, however, opposed his submissions and said Shahzad fired on police officers who had gone to the flat in Jamia Nagar to apprehend its occupants and had even identified themselves as cops. She said that Shahzad is involved in five other cases concerning the September 13, 2008 serial blasts in Delhi which had claimed 26 lives and injured 133 others.

Kolkata: 4:30 pm:The Trin-amool Congress has increased its lead and is now leading in 801 gram panchayat seats. The TMC has taken major leads in East Medinipur (leading in 83 seats), Hooghly (leading in 62 seats) and Bardhaman (lead-ing in 117 seats). However, in Murshidabad, the Congress is ahead of the TMC, leading in 51 seats, with the Left Front

at second place leading in 37 seats, whereas the TMC is leading only in 8 seats. Mean-while, in Malda and Jalpaiguri, the Left Front is ahead of the TMC and Congress, leading in 25 and 18 seats respec-tively.1:10 pm: The TMC has held on to its lead and is now leading in 584 gram panchayat seats. The party has taken ma-jor leads in Bankura (leading

in 71 seats) and West Mid-napore (leading in 70 seats). However, in Malda, the Left was ahead of TMC, leading in 21 seats. In Murshidabad, the Congress was leading in in 39 seats, followed by the Left (37) and TMC (8).11:11 am: After the first three hours of counting, the Trinamool Congress continues to lead in 497 gram panchayat seats, fol-lowed by the Left Front, which is now leading in 262 seats. In Bankura, the TMC was lead-ing in 45 seats while West Midnapore, the party was lead-ing in 53 seats. The TMC took a huge lead in East Midnapore, where it is ahead in 51 seats, followed by the Left, which is ahead in 10 seats. The Con-gress is leading in 162 seats in all.West Bengal panchayat election results: TMC leads by a huge marginThe result will decide the fate of 1.69 lakh

candidates, of which around 90,000 are women.9:14 am: The Trinamool Congress has taken an early lead in the Gram Panchayats and was leading in 331 seats. The party took ma-jor leads in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Birbhoom and Bankura. In Birbhoom, the TMC was leading in 43 seats. The Left front wqas leading in 150 seats in all in the early counting hours, followed by the Congress, leading in 77 seats. The BJP was far behind and was leading in 3 seats in all.The counting in the five-phased West Bengal panchayat polls began on Monday morn-ing amidst heightened secu-rity. The result will decide the fate of 1.69 lakh candidates, of which around 90,000 are women.The massive exercise to determine the results for vil-lage councils - the third tier of India's electoral system.

Tuesday 30 July 2013