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With the aim of protecting the Hajj pilgrims from various infections and promoting health safety measures, a vaccination programme has been running at full steam for the last couple of days in the Valley, informed the officials on Wednesday. About 5,281 people from the Valley would be going on the pilgrimage this year. The department of health services is providing vaccine doses free of cost. The pilgrims lauded the arrangements and appreciated the efforts of the government in arranging the vaccination facilities under one roof. "We thank the organizers for the vaccination drive. Their aim to keep us safe is really thoughtful," said Aquib Javaid, a pilgrim. Earlier, an orientation-cum-training program was organized by authorities of Hajj house Srinagar in various districts o...

In a step towards elections in Jammu Kashmir, the Chief Electoral Officer of J&K has called for rationalization of all polling stations before June 20 as well as freezing of all Electoral Roll Operations for the region on June 2. This order is being seen as a step closer to conduct of assembly elections in UT. As per a report by Daily excelsior, 20 Deputy Commissioners have been directed who are also District Electoral Officers (DEOs). 20 districts in Jammu Kashmir will work out proposals for rationalization of Polling Stations, wherever necessary, in terms of the extant directions of the Election Commission of India and submit them to the CEO office by June 20. All the 20 deputy commissioners have been asked by the CEO to file proposals for the appointment of electoral regist...

'Agencies will continue to disturb us till elections' National Conference (NC) president and incumbent Member of Parliament from Srinagar constituency, Dr Farooq Abdullah reached the Enforcement Directorate's office here in Rajbagh for questioning with regard to JKCA scam. According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dr Farooq was summoned by ED a few days ago and was asked to appear at the office on May 31. Dr Abdullah will be questioned by the officials at ED with regard to JKCA scam "They will continue to disturb us till elections,"—(KNO)

Twenty-seven militants including four infiltrators were killed in May this year. Joint Forces neutralized these militants in 15 gunfights across Kashmir Valley. The data available with the news agency Kashmir News Trust reveals that 36 persons lost their lives in militancy-related incidents in May. These include 27 militants, 5 civilians, 3 policemen, and an army porter. Among the five slain civilians, one Shahid Gani Dar of Pandoshan Shopian was killed in Pandoshan encounter when militants escaped from the spot while the killing of other civilian Shoib Ahmed Ganaie of Turkwangam Shopian sparked protest prompting authorities to order a magisterial inquiry. The killing of 27 militants is the largest number in a month in the current year. In April this number was 24 followed by 2...

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh who is in the valley, on Monday said that militancy in Kashmir is phasing in it’s last stage as decisive action is being taken to fight militancy which has resulted in huge number of tourists in the valley. Dr. Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Earth Sciences, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Science and Technology, MoS PMO and Minister of State Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances, made these comments while speaking to media on the sidelines of several inaugural, interaction and flag off events in district Budgam. In a response to a question by media over the recent civilian killings as per the news agency Kashmir News Service—KNS, Dr. Singh said that from beginning Pakistan has been indulgi...

The Jammu Kashmir administration is set to reopen the cases of militant-activities in the Valley involving former militants, separatists etc in which evidence can be gathered. The Home Department of the Manoj Sinha-led administration is actively considering all such cases and will take a call shortly depending on the merits, Dalit Excelsior reported. Quoting official sources the report said that the Jammu Kashmir Admin has asked the Home Department to consider reopening of cases pertaining to 'Anti-India' activities involving former militants, who are roaming freely now, separatists and other anti-national elements whose cases were closed or couldn’t be pursued legally during past three decades of militancy due to “indifferent attitude of the then administration”. “Several such ca...

Jammu and Kashmir police Sunday claimed to have shot down a North Korean drone which is having a payload attached to it, Officials said. An official told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) informed that on the basis of drone activity observed in the area of Talli Hariya chak under police station Rajbag in district Kathua, an early morning search party of police was being regularly sent in the general area. "Today early morning, the search party observed a North Korea drone coming from the border side and fired at it," police said. Police added that the drone was shot down and is found to have a payload attachment with it which is being screened by the bomb disposal experts—(KNO)

Kashmiri Pandits are upset that the Himachal Pradesh government has drastically reduced the number of seats in government medical colleges for students from the community. Ashok Raina, a social activist, told UNI that after the Pandits fled the Kashmir Valley in the last 1980s, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray reserved seats for the community in every engineering and medical colleges of Maharashtra besides other institutions. Later, similar reservation was announced in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh too. In Himachal Pradesh, two medical seats were reserved for NEET-cleared Kashmiri Pandit migrant students in the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla and the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Kangra. This number was later reduced to one seat ea...

Night temperature recorded a fall in the twin capitals of J&K and world famous Gulmarg resort following overnight rainfall, officials said on Saturday. A meteorological department official here told GNS that Srinagar received 12.2 mm of rain in 24 hours till 8:30 a.m. today and recorded a low of 13.2°C against 13.6°C on the previous night. The temperature, he said, was above normal by 1.2°C during this time of the year for the summer capital. Qazigund had 3.2 mm of rainfall and recorded a low of 13.0°C against 10.6°C on the previous night. The temperature was 2.3°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said. Pahalgam received 11.1 mm of rain and recorded a minimum of 10.3°C against 6.7°C on the previous night. The temperature was 4.2°C above normal for the famous re...