DELHI
Years of working silently may be over for J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute as recognition of the contributions it has made has started dragging it out of the closet. The latest on this front was in Delhi where its director Dr M I Parray received an Assocham award. India’s premier industry lobby awarded EDI for Best Organisation Encouraging Entrepreneurship in MSME. The only addresses for entrepreneurship, EDI has 10,000 trained candidates and 3700 active entrepreneurs spread across the state and 90% of them are functional! A satisfied Dr Parray, a historian turned management guru, was curt and simple, terming the award a ‘great honour’ and yet another ‘milestone’!
LADAKH
Nature manifests itself interestingly. Arid Ladakh desert has two artificial lakes and both frozen by more than 2 ft. BRO used to dump boulders in Kargil’s Wakha River and it stopped course of water and created a 5 kms long lake that froze into a stadium. As the traditional ice rink in the town failed to develop ice, authorities are organizing yearly ice-hockey there! But another similar lake was created in Phutkal in remote Zanskar where a mountain landed in the river and choked it. It is surging fast and is threatening the survival of a vast low-lying belt including Kargil. Who’s Who of Kargil is in Jammu, seeking help. The latest is that NDMF is being approached.Arid Laartificial lakes
SANGRAMA
On January 15, Lashkar’s Karachi militant Zubair Mughal @ Amir Muaviyah was arrested from Panthers Party just-defeated candidate Farooq Ahmed’s home in Choora (Sopore). He was hiding for five days. He had told cops guarding him that his guest had come from Gaziabad (UP). Nevertheless, three cops were placed under suspension and arrested. New revelations suggest that the ‘leader’ had driven him on a guided tour to Srinagar! Besides, he had helped him secure vote ID card as Akhter Hussain of Vilgam.
UTTARKHAND
Walnut, one of Kashmir’s monopoly dry fruits, has been a small money-minting crop for a vast section of growers. It was already under duress for low product and massive imports. But now it has got another competitor: Uttarakhand. The government has set up two mother nurseries in Kumaon and Garhwal under National Horticulture Mission’s Walnut Panchayat scheme. To achieve the target of taking-over J&K in production, Walnut Development Council is being set up. Interesting part is that J&K is providing high quality seeds.
JHARKHAND
Beware, it has happened again. Police have arrested a Jharkhand resident for robbing a family their gold worth 3.50 lakhs and a watch worth Rs 50 thousands. Identified as Manoj Munda, he was a domestic help of Ghulam Nabi Khan in Rajpora (Pulwama). Police had sent a team to Jharkhand and arrested his. He has reportedly admitted to have committed the crime on December 17.
KARGIL
A new political battle has started in Kargil in LAHDC. The ruling Congress is in minority after Asgar Karbalie was elected to assembly. For a 30-member (26 elected and 4 nominated) council, the September 2013 election fetched 10 seats to Congress and 8 to NC as 8 were taken by independents. Of 8 independents, four each sided with two parties taking Congress to 14 and NC to 12. NC nominated four and they supported NC making it 16:14. But NC decided against unseating Congress. With Karblie out, it remains to be seen how the party survives as Kargil’s ruler. Congress won three of the four seats in Ladakh.
Of J&K’s 10143700 people, 2463443 are enrolled with educational institutions, says 2011 census
Leaked religious census suggests J&K has improved Muslim population by 1.30 % from 67.0 in 2001 to 68.30 in 2011.
