Zargar Gulzar

SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a 50-bedded intensive care hospital at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. The hospital has been set up by mobile digital movie theatre company Picturetime in collaboration with the American Indian Foundation.

The PM also laid the foundation stone for 13 other healthcare projects and six food testing vans in the union territory under various schemes. He said that these projects will boost the health infrastructure and ensure quality and affordable healthcare for the people of J&K.

The hospital in Baramulla is equipped with modern facilities and equipment, including eight beds with ICU facility and 42 beds with oxygen facility. It will cater to the needs of the patients from the northern Kashmir region, especially in the wake of the possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PM appreciated the efforts of the local administration, the health workers and the civil society in tackling the challenges posed by the pandemic. He also praised the role of the Indian Army and the security forces in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

He said that the Centre is committed to the development and welfare of J&K and is working on various projects in sectors like education, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, power, connectivity and sports. He urged the youth of J&K to take advantage of the opportunities and participate in the progress of the nation.

The PM also interacted with some of the beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in J&K. He said that these schemes have provided free health insurance cover to over 21 lakh families in the union territory and have benefited more than 2.5 lakh people so far.

SRINAGAR: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off the first electric train in the Kashmir valley and the train service between Sangaldan station and Baramulla station, the move drew praise from National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah who expressed his thanks to Prime Minister Modi.

“We needed it. It is important for our tourism and people. This is a big step that has been taken today. I congratulate the Railway Ministry, PM Modi for this," said National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah.( HT News Network)

SRINAGAR: The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is scheduled to inaugurate Kashmir's first Vistadome coach service today, which will operate from Budgam to Banihal.

An official told News Agency Kashmir Scroll, all the necessary arrangements for the launch have been completed. The Vistadome coach is a modern and advanced coach manufactured by the Indian Railways. The official said that It is specifically designed to offer passengers both comfort during travel and an enhanced viewing experience of the beautiful surroundings. The coaches, known as 'Vistadome,' will be deployed on the scenic route connecting Budgam and Banihal stations.

The officer said that passengers will have the opportunity to embark on a breathtaking journey through the picturesque landscapes of Kashmir while enjoying the comfortable and visually immersive facilities provided by the Vistadome coach. (KS)

SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha today laid the foundation stone of much-awaited 125-bedded District Hospital Complex at a cost of Rs 49.32 crore at Reshipora, Budgam.

 In his address, the Lt Governor congratulated the people of Budgam on the occasion. Today is a historic day for all of us in terms of development. The 125-bedded Hospital will fulfill the long pending demand and dream of the people of having all the health facilities under one roof, he said.

“People’s health is the top priority of administration and this project is a testimony to our commitment to bring better health facilities to small towns, strengthening public health service delivery, minimizing inconvenience and referrals to Tertiary health care centres in Srinagar,” the Lt Governor said.

Addressing a huge gathering, the Lt Governor highlighted the efforts of the administration to establish transparent and responsive governance.

“We have traveled a long distance in the last three years in terms of speedy execution of projects within the stipulated period and eliminated the gap between the aspirations of people and the delivery by administration with dedication and commitment,” the Lt Governor said.

He said the UT Administration, under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister, is working diligently to ensure there is no scope for discrimination and corruption.

Our policies have been formulated with the objective of ensuring living standards of common man are improved and deprived section of the society is empowered, he said.

At Budgam, the Lt Governor paid homage to the martyrs of Police and Security Forces.

“The UT administration is determined to create a fear-free, terrorism-free, corruption-free and future-oriented Jammu Kashmir. We salute our soldiers and police personnel who laid down their lives in combating terrorism. I assure the people that we will make J&K terror-free. This is our resolve,” the Lt Governor said.

He called upon the citizens to discharge their duties and contribute in the development of J&K.

Development should become a powerful people’s movement in all 20 districts and the elements making efforts to disturb peace must be isolated by the society, he added.

He said the conflict profiteers who kept the people of J&K away from mainstream development, those who built their houses in foreign countries and sent their children abroad for studies think that they only have all the rights on government resources.

We have been successful in breaking the backbone of ecosystem of conflict profiteers and will strike the last nail in the coffin of these subversive forces, the Lt Governor said.

Speaking on PM Vishwakarma scheme launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Lt Governor said the scheme provides the benefits including toolkit incentive of Rs 15,000, training of artisans, Rs 500 per day during training, collateral-free credit support up to Rs 1 lakh (first tranche) and Rs 2 lakh (second tranche) at a concessional interest rate of 5%, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support, he said.

J&K is the biggest beneficiary of the reformative schemes introduced by the Central Government in the last few years.  We will make every effort to extend the benefits of this Scheme across the UT and transform the lives of the artisans and craftspeople of Jammu Kashmir working with their hands and tools, the Lt Governor said.

It will be ensured that the eligible beneficiaries are being identified at panchayat level, their ID cards are prepared at District level and the final list will be notified at UT level, he added.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor lauded the public representatives and District Administration for commendable efforts to create smart facilities for the people and inspiring other districts as well to follow in their footsteps. I am confident very soon the dream of Smart City Budgam will be realized, he said.

He said the administration has also initiated the process of establishing Cluster University in Budgam.

“Deputy Commissioner Budgam has proposed the land for Cluster University in Budgam. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir is working on the proposal and I am hopeful that very soon we will lay the foundation of Cluster University Kashmir in Budgam,” the Lt Governor said. 

Sh Nazir Ahmad Khan, Chairman, District Development Council, Budgam expressed gratitude to the Lt Governor-led UT Administration for granting the sanction and approval for the establishment of District Hospital Complex at Budgam in a short period of time.

Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Sh Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary Health and Medical Education; Sh Vijay Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Sh Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Budgam; PRI members, senior officers and citizens from all walks of life were present.

SRINAGAR: IGNOU Regional Centre Srinagar formally inaugurated its new office building at Saida Kadal Rainwari Srinagar. The formal Inauguration was done by the Vice Chancellor of IUST, Prof. Shakeel Ahmad Ramshoo. The function was attended by the students, staff, civil society members and media personnel.

Prof. Shakeel congratulated the IGNOU RC Srinagar for taking the much needed step of shifting the office from Raj Bagh to Saida Kadal as there was no public transportation facility available in the Raj Bagh area and hence the students coming from North, South, Central Kashmir and Leh and Kargil regions were facing difficulties. He said that the shifting is in the interest of the Learners and other stakeholders as it is very well connected with different modes of transportation and is now located in an area where the premier educational institutions of Kashmir are located.

He also showed his happiness with the different services created for the Learners in the new building and the comfortable work space for the staff. Dr. Shahnawaz Ahmad Dar, Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre Srinagar said that we are confident that this change will allow us to enhance our Student Support Services and meet the expectations of our Learners.

Dr. Shahnawaz also informed that IGNOU has started the admission process for its various academic programs for July 2023 admission cycle. Some of the recently launched programs are Master of Arts in Migration and Diaspora (MAMIDI), MSC in Information Security (MSCIS), MA in Journalism and Electronic Media (MAJEM), MA in Journalism and Digital Media (MAJDM), Masters in Urdu (MAUD), PG Diploma in Environmental Management and Law (PGDEML), Post Graduate Diploma in Agribusiness (PGDAB), and various degree programs in several academic disciplines (general, honours and skill based).

Dr. Shahnawaz said that the information regarding the newly launched and other programs offered by IGNOU is available on the official website of IGNOU (www.ignou.ac.in) in a common e-prospectus July 2023, which is also available on the IGNOU Regional Centre Srinagar website (www.rcsrinagar.ignou.ac.in). Desirous students can use the Samarth portal of IGNOU (https://ignouadmission.samartha.edu.in/) to take admission (which is completely ONLINE) in any of the programmes offered by the university for the July 2023 admission cycle. Last date for the submission of admission application forms for both ODL & OL programmes is 30th June, 2023. For any query, students can visit IGNOU Regional Centre Srinagar or call on 0194-3102402 or send mail to admissionrcsrinagar@ignou.ac.in. Re-registration for July 2023 session is also going on and the last date is 15th June 2023.(CNS)