IBTimes

The J&K Government has approved 15 crore for restoring the traditional pilgrimage route to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine through Nagrota and Bamyal. Residents of around 25 villages have long sought the route's revival, saying it would ease pressure on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, provide pilgrims an alternative route to Katra, revive the historic Deva Mai Temple link and promote socio-economic development in villages along the stretch.

Ladakh has launched a pilot project to cultivate premium saffron on reclaimed barren land in Leh, using around 800 kg of high-quality Iranian saffron corms. The initiative, undertaken under Project Him Sarovar, aims to diversify agriculture, explore new income opportunities for farmers, and assess the suitability of saffron cultivation in Ladakh's high-altitude agro-climatic conditions.

The J&K Legislative Assembly witnessed a major uproar after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved a resolution seeking immediate restoration of full statehood, with the BJP strongly opposing the reference to the 2000 autonomy resolution. BJP MLAs stormed the Well, tore copies of the resolution and raised slogans, prompting Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to adjourn the House until Monday.

BJP seeks month-long session, accuses NC government of undermining legislative accountability; Omar hits back, says BJP-ruled states have held even shorter sessions

Jammu and Kashmir Police have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba-linked terror module in Rajouri with the arrest of three overground workers. Investigators said the accused were allegedly providing logistical support and facilitating the movement of terrorists in the Pir Panjal region.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has challenged the BJP to introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in Parliament if it has the numbers to pass it, questioning the move to implement the legislation through individual states. His remarks came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states would introduce the UCC before 2029.

Ladakh may get a sui generis governance model with a directly elected UT-level body and special constitutional safeguards under a proposed Article 371 provision. Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the model would have legislative, executive and financial powers, while protecting Ladakh's land, natural resources, culture and environment.

Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati, a senior judge of the Rajasthan High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court by President Droupadi Murmu. He is scheduled to take the oath on September 9 at SKICC, Srinagar.

The NIA on Saturday conducted simultaneous searches at five locations in Kupwara and Anantnag districts of J&K as part of an ongoing probe into a suspected Over Ground Worker (OGW) network and possible links between drug trafficking and terror financing. The searches led to the seizure of electronic devices, including a mobile phone, as investigators examined suspected links to the wider terror-support network.

More than 5.35 lakh children were reported missing across India between 2021 and 2024, of whom 3.46 lakh were traced while nearly 1.89 lakh remained untraced, according to NCRB data tabled by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the Rajya Sabha.

Government data tabled in the Rajya Sabha reveals that the number of people treated for drug addiction in Jammu and Kashmir surged nearly ninefold in five years from 5,382 in 2021-22 to 46,491 in 2025-26 with Jammu, Srinagar, Bandipore and Kulgam emerging as the worst-hit districts.

Army assault dog Tyson, a German Shepherd attached to 2 Para Special Forces, has been honoured with a Mention-in-Dispatches for displaying exceptional courage during an anti-terror operation in Kishtwar, where he was injured while helping security forces locate terrorists.

Nearly 3,000 Kashmiri Pandit and other migrant employees working in the Kashmir Valley have reportedly been informally advised to work from home until August 20 following a fresh terror threat against Hindu employees. The administration has also reportedly exempted them from Independence Day stadium duties amid heightened security ahead of August 15 celebrations.

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police raided nine locations across the Union Territory in connection with the 1990 kidnapping and murder of Kashmiri Pandit poet and social activist Sarvanand Kaul Premi and his son Virendra Kaul. The long-pending case, registered under FIR No. 45/1990, is being thoroughly investigated to uncover the conspiracy and bring closure to the decades-old tragedy.