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Transporters in Jammu Kashmir have unanimously decided to observe 'Chakka-Jam' on April 17 across the region to press for their long pending demands. The transporters are demanding the reopening of fitness certificates and renewal of route permits for all passenger vehicles that have been halted due to passenger tax from 01-04-2023. They also demand release of arrears on account of 37 % hike vide JKRTC/GML/Sgr/1003 dated 10-11-2021 under SRO 157 in freight charges for goods carriers engaged by the JKRTC. The transporters have also opposed the rapid increase in fitness fee for all commercial vehicles. They said the order for the collection of Passenger Tax on quarterly basis of all passenger commercial vehicles is still pending. The Association has sought intervention of Lt Governo...

The Supreme Court observed that preventive detention laws in India are a colonial legacy and have great potential for abuse and misuse, reported LiveLaw. The Court emphasized that laws conferring arbitrary powers to the state must be critically examined and used only in the rarest of rare cases. A Bench of Justice Krishna Murari and Justice V. Ramasubramanian said that, “Every procedural rigidity, must be followed in entirety by the Government in cases of preventive detention, and every lapse in procedure must give rise to a benefit to the case of the detenue. The Courts, in circumstances of preventive detention, are conferred with the duty that has been given the utmost importance by the Constitution, which is the protection of individual and civil liberties.” Brief Facts In N...

Gujarat conman Kiran Patel had made four visits, each between three and five days, over six months until March this year, Indian Express reported. During his meeting, he met at least two IAS officers besides several junior officials. He fixed up meetings for at least three Gujarat businessmen with key government functionaries; and hobnobbed with a slew of local BJP and RSS functionaries. From rolling out the official red carpet to upgrading his security, in the form of a bullet-proof vehicle, two escort vehicles, and a dozen gunmen from Sashastra Seema Bal, The Indian Express reported that behind moving the wheels were two individuals: Rajasthan-based RSS functionary Trilok Singh Chauhan and Baseer ul Haq Chaudhary, IAS officer of 2015 batch, who is Deputy Commissioner of Pulwama. ...

Most of the studies conducted across the world suggested that individuals who fast experience improvements in their symptoms of depression, anxiety and even stress, said mental health experts. Dr Yasir Hassan Rather, Professor in Department of Psychiatry, IMHANS, GMC Srinagar told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that research has found that fasting during Ramadan can have a positive psychological effect on individuals due to the feeling of connection with the community and spiritual wellbeing. "Studies have also shown that fasting can increase feelings of self discipline, self-control, empathy and compassion," he said. Additionally, fasting has been linked with improved mental health due to increased gratitude, mindfulness, and improved concentration, Dr Yasir said. Dr ...

The unemployment rate in Jammu Kashmir has recorded a spike of over 6 percent for the month of March against February, which is the third highest in states and UTs across India. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), monitoring monthly unemployment in India, has put Jammu Kashmir's employment rate at 23.1 percent in the month of March against 17.1 in February. The monthly figures of the unemployment rate maintained by CMIE since 2016 show that in August 2022, unemployment reached its highest over the years when it jumped to 32.8 percent. In the month of December, unemployment went down to 14.8 per cent against the 22.4 per cent unemployment rate in November. With 1.5 per cent, Puducherry has the lowest unemployment rate followed by Indian state of Gujarat with monthly unempl...

Kounsar Bashir At 6:40 pm on Wednesday, a minor girl left her home in the remote Khurhama Zab area of Lolab in north Kashmir's Kupwara district and informed her parents that she would go out to play. Hours later, her throat-slit body was found outside her home and her head buried under a cement bag. Jammu Kashmir Police has said that that police will soon crack the murder case of the 8-year-old girl and that the killer will also be behind the bars soon. However, as of now, the Police have urged the locals to cooperate with them in the investigation and share input, if any, with the police. Around 8 PM on Wednesday, a sudden noise created alarm in the Khurhama locality. As the locals gathered, Haji Salam, the grandfather of the girl informed the locals that the 8-year-old (name ...

Kashmiri research scholar Ishaq Ahmad Magray recently accomplished his Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Jawaharlal Nehru University. According to Awaz's report, Ishaq Ahmed Magray who is visually impaired hails from the Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district. Due to his visual impairment, Magray's path to academic excellence has been fraught with many difficulties. But ultimately, his unwavering spirit and resolve to overcome all challenges allowed him to accomplish this amazing feat. After earning his undergraduate degree in History from the Hindu College in Delhi in 2008, he started his pursuit of higher education. His dedication to learning and love of history inspired him to enroll at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped in Dehradun, where he s...

Safoora Hilal/ Suhail Dar Ali Mohammed Dar, 51, a resident of Budgam had a small rice field before he lost it to a road widening project launched by the then Government. His fields, he says, produced sufficient rice to feed his family, but two decades after, Ali Mohammed Dar is running from one private store to the other to buy rice to feed his family. He looks at an old mud structure, where he says, a few decades ago, his forefathers stored rice. "This traditional storage structure was used for storing food grains and it never had less than half of it filled with rice. Look at how it is now, we have to literally beg for rice," he said. ALSO READ: ‘Not beggars who need freebies’, say locals as food grain supplies to Kashmir are drastically reduced As the month of Ramadhan is being ...

Amid Ramadhan, the Jammu Kashmir administration has woken up to the exorbitant food prices in the region and issued a rate list of vegetables and fruits. Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs has fixed rates for vegetables and fruits to avoid overcharging. Officials of the department said that strict action would be initiated against the violators of the rate list issued by the Jammu Kashmir admin. "Raids will be conducted in markets throughout the month of Ramadan and anyone found violating the rate list will be booked under law," an official of CAPD told The Kashmiriyat. He said that during Ramadhan the shopkeepers charge extremely high rates, when the shopkeepers around the world offer discounts in this month. "Nevertheless," he said, "we request the general ...

Confusion prevailed in the Kashmir valley after a late-night announcement by the Ruat e Hilal Committee of Pakistan that Ramadhan will commence on Thursday. For ages, Kashmir has followed Pakistan's Ruat e Hilal Committee for starting its Ramadhan and Eid and the other months of the Hijri calendar, however, the crescents other than that of Ramadhan and Eid ul Fitr hardly make any debate. Ramadan, like all lunar months globally, begins the day after the first sighting of the sliver-thin new crescent moon, visible up to an hour after sunset on the appropriate evening. The orbit of the moon around the earth is such that it can take up to three days for the whole world to actually see the crescent for the first time each month, even after clouds have cleared. Kashmir's Grand Mufti, Nasir...