THE KASHMIRIYAT

Jammu Kashmir AIDS Control Society (JKACS) and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, Srinagar, have recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU establishes the provision of free HIV viral load testing for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) at SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar, using the available testing capacity of COBAS RT-PCR equipment in the Department of Microbiology. Previously, PLHIV samples had to be sent to Chandigarh for viral load testing. The in-house testing at SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar will significantly reduce the time it takes to report results, enabling clinicians to offer timely treatment to PLHIV. A similar MoU had been signed between JKACS and GMC, Jammu a few days earlier. With this new agreement with SKIMS, the people of Jam...

Jammu Kashmir administration Thursday said there has been a drastic decline in water in rivers and streams in the UT this year which has caused a huge power deficit while the department still supplies 2200 MWs of power against the availability of 1400 MWs and the remaining 700 MWs is being procured through power exchange.” The administration said that the Power Development Department (PDD), despite facing a huge power shortage, is supplying 1200 MWs of power to Kashmir division and 1000 MWs to the Jammu region. Addressing a press conference at Rajbhawan here, Principal Secretary PDD, H Rajesh Prasad said that this year, there has been a drastic decline in the water level of rivers and streams in J&K. “This resulted in a huge dip in the local power generation in the UT. “In Jun...

Dr. Taha Ashraf Qureshi, a Kashmiri medical professional, has attained the highest recognition in the inaugural Fellowship in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (FAAI) program. He has been bestowed with the prestigious "Dr. Pudupakkam K. Vedanthan Gold Medal" for his exceptional performance in the 2023 FAAI course. This pioneering FAAI initiative was a collaborative endeavor between AIIMS Rishikesh, PGI Chandigarh, and International Asthma Services in Denver, USA. It marked a significant milestone as the first fellowship of its kind, bringing together candidates from India and around the world in June 2023. The certificates of completion for the FAAI course will be officially awarded during the upcoming graduation ceremony in December 2023 at AIIMS, Rishikesh. During this event, Dr. Tah...

A portion of the road in the General Bagh near Khati Darwaza area of Rainawari in Srinagar has caved in, worrying residents who fear for their lives and property. "The unexpected road collapse, which occurred in this historic neighborhood, has left us worried about its potential consequences. The cave-in has created a significant depression in the road's surface, endangering the safety of pedestrians and motorists, as well as posing a threat to residential houses in the vicinity," the locals told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). "We are calling for swift action from the authorities to address the issue and ensure the safety of the neighborhood. If this road is left unattended, its instability could lead to more extensive damage," said Muneer, a local from Rainawari. "This ...

A minor physically challenged girl was charred to death and a residential house was also gutted in a fire incident in the Badherkote area of Karnah in north Kashmir's Kupwara district. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a fire broke out in a residential house in Bhaderkote, resulting in complete damage to it. He said that in the incident a 7-year-old girl was also charred to death. “The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained,” he said—(KNO)

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has quashed the detention of a North Kashmir shopkeeper under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA). Senior Advocate Bashir Ahmed Tak representing the incarcerated shopkeeper told news agency Kashmir News Trust that the detention of Javaid Iqbal Khan, a resident of Nusu village of Bandipora was quashed by the court nearly over a year after he was arrested on charges of allegedly providing logistics to militants in May 2022 and simultaneously booked under the PSA by district administration Bandipora. The accused was put behind bars in previous FIRs for which he had been already released. He is a shopkeeper and is currently lodged at Agra Jail of Uttar Pradesh. The court of Justice Sreedharan after hearing the arguments of Advocate Bashir Ahmed T...

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today dedicated the specialized snow clearance equipment and vehicles to the public. The types of equipment procured by J&K Disaster Management Authority were handed over to the Mechanical and Hospital Engineering Directorate of the PW (R&B) Department to carry out safe and effective snow clearing and maintain accessibility for the citizens. The 170 number of Disaster Response and Snow Clearance equipments under SDRF I, II & III includes Snow cutters, Backhoe Loaders, Tractors with Snow Plough; Light Recovery Vehicle Crane, Wheel Mounted Front End Loaders, Variable Snow Plough, Wheel & Chain Mounted Excavators. Sh Shailender Kumar, Principal Secretary Public Works (R&B) Department; Prof. Nilofer Khan, Vice Chancellor of Kashmir U...

National Conference (NC) on Monday expressed concern over widespread damage to apple orchards in Kulgam, Shopian areas following a heavy hailstorm. In a joint statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Senior leader Sakina Itoo, MP Hasnain Masoodi, JKNC Agriculture Committee Chairman Javed Dar said the intense hailstorm damaged hundreds of orchards in Kulgam and Shopian belt just when the harvest was about to commence. "Our fruit growers have been facing increasingly challenging times in recent years, with continuous lockdowns and natural disasters taking a toll on their livelihoods. Once again, nature's destructive forces have severely damaged the nearly ripe produce. For many, this year's harvest is a pivotal moment in their lives, as they have invested all th...

In a heart wrenching incident, throat-slit bodies of a couple were found in Rajouri district on Tuesday, officials said. A police official told GNS that the bodies of the couple—Mohammad Azam and her wife Gulzar Begum—were found inside their home in Bagla village of Kandi area in Rajouri district. Soon after the information, a team of police and security forces reached the spot and took the bodies in their possession for medico-legal formalities. Asked if there was militancy angle with regard to the incident, the official said that “everything will be unravelled during investigations.” “A case has been registered and further investigations were underway,” he added. When contacted DIG Rajouri-Poonch Range, Dr Haseeb Mughal, told GNS that it is a case of brutal murder, and an inh...

For over a decade, a critical water supply scheme in the Dangarpora Arihal area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district has remained inoperative, leaving residents grappling with a persistent water crisis. The locals of the area told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the water supply scheme, initiated in 2009, efficiently served the community until 2011. However, the scheme's lifeline, a well, collapsed in 2011, rendering the entire system defunct. Since then, the local population has been plagued by the unavailability of clean drinking water. According to Mohammad Shaban, a resident of the area, although the authorities attempted to rectify the situation by constructing two additional wells, the water they produced was deemed unsuitable for consumption. We have repeate...