Jammu Kashmir has registered more than 2,800 cases of domestic violence in the last two years, with a 121 per cent spike in reported incidents in the last financial year, the legislative assembly was informed on Thursday. Responding to a question by National Conference (NC) MLA from Habbakadal, Shamim Firdous, Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo said 2,872 domestic violence cases were registered during the last two years at One Stop Centres for Women and on the Mission Shakti dashboard in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of these, 893 cases were registered in 2023-24, while 1,979 were lodged in 2024-25, the minister said. According to the data, an additional 1,086 domestic violence cases — 121.61 per cent — were registered in the last financial year compared to 2023-24. The government ...

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has dismissed two government employees from service under Article 311 of the Constitution, citing their alleged involvement in activities linked to militancy. The move, according to officials, underscores the Jammu Kashmir administration’s continued “zero-tolerance policy” towards any form of support for militancy or subversive acts. The employees dismissed are Ghulam Hussain, a teacher in the Education Department from Reasi district, and Majid Iqbal Dar, a teacher and former Lab Assistant. Officials said Hussain was accused of acting as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, maintaining contact with militants and allegedly facilitating their recruitment and financial networks in parts of Reasi. Majid Iqbal Dar, on the other ha...

The Revenue Department of Jammu and Kashmir has revealed a significant regional imbalance in the issuance of social category certificates over the last two years, exposing a deep divide between the Jammu and Kashmir divisions.Kashmir travel guide The data, shared in the Legislative Assembly in response to a question raised by PDP legislator Waheed Para, shows a striking disparity in how Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC), Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Reserved Backward Area (RBA), and Actual Line of Control (ALC) certificates were distributed. According to official figures, Jammu accounted for 99.2 percent of SC certificates, while Kashmir registered just 0.67 percent. Similarly, 87.2 percent of ST and 88.5 percent of EWS certificates were iss...

Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Wednesday stopped National Conference (NC) MLA Mubarak Gul from speaking in Kashmiri during the Zero Hour, citing the absence of a translator in the House. Gul had begun his speech in Kashmiri, narrating his recent interaction with local youth who voiced concern over the growing encroachments and illegal constructions around water bodies. However, the Speaker interrupted him, saying his remarks could not be recorded in the official proceedings. “Why are you speaking in the Kashmiri language without permission? There is no translator available in the House, so your speech will not go on record,” the Speaker said, interrupting the MLA mid-speech. Following the intervention, Gul switched to Urdu and criticised the governm...

The Jammu and Kashmir government has said that a total of 5,478 brides from Budgam district have received financial assistance under the State Marriage Assistance Scheme (SMAS) over the past two fiscal years. According to official data placed before the Legislative Assembly in response to a question by MLA Ali Mohammad Dar, the beneficiaries were supported under the Social Welfare Department’s Marriage Assistance Scheme, which provides financial aid to women from economically weaker families holding Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) or Priority Household (PHH) ration cards. In 2023–24, assistance was provided to 2,654 beneficiaries out of 3,158 applicants, while in 2024–25, 2,824 women benefited from the scheme out of 3,107 applications. A total of 787 cases are still under process. Bet...

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by announcing the establishment of temporary classes of the proposed National Law University at Ompura in Budgam district during the ongoing Assembly session. In its letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner and dated October 29, 2025, the BJP candidate from Budgam alleged that the Chief Minister made the announcement on the floor of the Legislative Assembly at a time when the MCC is in force. The party claimed that the statement was intended to influence the electorate by projecting developmental benefits in the constituency. The BJP said the announcement constitu...

The Jammu Kashmir government has said that it is providing an additional 10 kg of free ration per beneficiary to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households in the region since April 2025, while the proposal for providing 12 LPG cylinders to these families is still under consideration. As per official documents, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), stated that the additional ration is being distributed in light of Government Order No. 25-JK (FCS&CA) of 2025 dated April 2, 2025, with an aim to augment the monthly food requirements of AAY households having a family size of four or more members. The department clarified that the distribution ensures the quantity “does not exceed 10 kg per beneficiary” under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Howev...

Senior National Conference leader from Budgam, Aga Syed Mehmood, on Wednesday expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for approving the establishment of the National Law University (NLU) in Jammu Kashmir, a long-pending demand of locals and public representatives from Budgam. Aga Mehmood said the decision fulfilled a long-cherished aspiration of the people of the district who had been advocating for the setting up of a premier legal institution in central Kashmir for years. “I am grateful to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for listening to this long-pending demand. Establishing the National Law University will not only strengthen legal education in Jammu Kashmir but also create avenues for our students to pursue quality legal studies without having to move outside the region,” A...