KashmirLife

SRINAGAR: At least 61 percent seats remain unfilled in Government Degree Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir due to lack of student enrolmentsraising a question on functioning of higher education department. The official figures reveal that the total admissions during the previous session stood at 45,438 with officials claiming that it was higher than the enrolment []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Friday announced that dialysis facilities at Sub District Hospital (SDH) Tral in Pulwama district will be operational within the next two months. Replying to MLA Rafiq Ahmad Naik, Health Minister Sakina Itoo said the government is committed to strengthening dialysis services across all SDHs and CHCs, aiming to []

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Friday called on the government to review the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to empower the Food Control Organisation and give more authority to food safety officers. During Question Hour, the Speaker told Minister Sakina Ittoo that while the Act has known weaknesses and []

SRINAGAR: To manage the expected rush during Holi, Northern Railway will run special reserved trains from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to New Delhi and Varanasi, officials said on Friday. According to the officials from Jammu Division, special train numbers 04081/04082 will run between New Delhi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, while train numbers []

by KL News Desk The Epstein files detail decades of sexual abuse, investigations and elite associations, triggering political fallout, legal scrutiny and global questions about power, accountability and institutional failure. The saga of Jeffrey Epstein, once a relatively obscure financier and now a central figure in one of the most consequential criminal investigations and political []

SRINAGAR: The Government of India has informed the Lok Sabha that while the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Vijaypur in Jammu division is fully functional, the AIIMS at Awantipora in Kashmir division is still under construction. Replying to unstarred Question No. 2466 in the Lok Sabha, raised by MP Abhishek Banerjee, Union []

SRINAGAR: The Government of India on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that three complaints of sexual harassment at workplace have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir in Government offices and affiliated departments since the launch of the SHe-Box portal in August 2024. Replying to Unstarred Question No. 2490, raised by MP Sudama Prasad, Union Minister []

SRINAGAR: The Government of India on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that Jammu and Kashmir has three State Drug Testing Laboratories funded under the centrally sponsored scheme for strengthening the drug regulatory system in the country. Replying to Unstarred Question No. 2504, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said the []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu Kashmir Government on Friday said that there is presently no proposal to further enhance the widow pension under the Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS), Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) or under the National Social Assistance Programme. In response to an unstarred question (AQ No. 1314) raised by MLA Dr Devinder []

SRINAGAR: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir will take up the question of raising monthly honoraria for Anganwadi workers, helpers and cook-cum-helpers with the Government of India, the Social Welfare Department told the Legislative Assembly in reply to a starred question. The department said Jammu and Kashmir currently follows the national 90:10 funding pattern and []

SRINAGAR: The government has disclosed that a large majority of forest rights claims filed under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir have been rejected, with official figures showing 39,898 claims turned down against 6,097 accepted across districts. Data tabled in the Assembly by []

SRINAGAR: Farmers in the forest-fringe villages of Samba Assembly Constituency are battling mounting crop losses as troops of rhesus macaques raid fields and orchards, turning cultivation into a daily struggle and pushing many cultivators into distress. Unlike the Valley districts of Kashmir, where such incidents remain limited, the crisis has become more acute across parts []

SRINAGAR: The Anti-Corruption Bureau on Friday reportedly apprehended an officer in Bemina Srinagar in connection with an alleged bribery case. Sources said the accused was caught by ACB Srinagar at Bemina Chowk and later taken to the Police Station for further legal formalities. A case has been registered at Police Station ACB under FIR No. []

SRINAGAR: Official records tabled in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly show land measuring 688 kanals 17 marlas in Tehsil Bahu and a further 579 kanals in Tehsil Jammu South remain under illegal encroachment, while authorities have reclaimed 140 kanals and 11 marlas since January 2025, the House was told on Friday. The reply said []

SRINAGAR: Former Forest Minister and former Member of the Legislative Assembly from Devsar, Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah, died in Jammu on Friday afternoon following a prolonged illness. He had been under medical care for some time and passed away in the city. A prominent political leader from the Devsar constituency, Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah was []

SRINAGAR: Serious concerns over abnormally low tendering dominated proceedings in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Friday, with members across party lines warning that awarding public works to contractors quoting 60 to 80 per cent below scheduled rates was compromising quality and fuelling corruption in engineering departments. The issue surfaced during the debate on []

SRINAGAR: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday said there is a need to review the functioning and rules governing the mining sector in Jammu and Kashmir, acknowledging concerns raised by legislators during the Assembly session. Speaking to reporters outside the Legislative Assembly here, the Deputy Chief Minister expressed gratitude to members who flagged various []

SRINAGAR: The Special Operations Group and other security forces on Friday carried out a flash cordon and search operation at Lal Chowk in Srinagar as part of intensified security measures in the city centre. Officials said multiple hotels and lodges in and around the busy commercial hub were checked during the operation. Security personnel collected []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has said it is operationalising a revised State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC), proposing 58 mitigation strategies and 98 adaptation actions across priority sectors, in response to concerns over the Union Territorys vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather events. The disclosure came in response to a cut []

SRINAGAR: The Office of the Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Kulgam, has issued a safety advisory, restricting all types of vehicular movement over the Brazloo Bridge until further notice. According to the advisory, officials have urged the public to strictly adhere to the restrictions in the interest of safety. The directive comes in view of []

by Ishfaq Gani Mir Rising marriage age in Kashmir reflects economic insecurity, rigid social norms, and emotional strain, creating loneliness, demographic shifts, and an unspoken but deepening social crisis In Kashmiri society, marriage has never been merely a personal milestone; it has traditionally been a social institution woven deeply into family structure, community continuity, and []

Halting south Kashmir railway alignments protected orchards, livelihoods, and trust, emerging as a key confidence-building measure that balanced development goals with local consent and economic security In a region where development projects often arrive as fait accompli, the decision to halt the proposed railway alignments through south Kashmirs orchard belts stands out as a rare []

SRINAGAR: Former National Conference leader and ex-Food Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon, a veteran political figure from Kargil, passed away on Friday, evoking widespread grief across Jammu and Kashmirs political landscape. National Conference legislator Tanveer Sadiq informed the Legislative Assembly about Akhoons demise. Following the announcement, members of the House expressed deep sorrow and paid tribute []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday confirmed that it purchased 133 luxury vehicles in the financial year 2024-25, asserting that the acquisitions were made strictly in line with prescribed norms. In a written reply to BJP MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania, Transport Minister Satish Sharma stated that the State Motor Garages Department acquired []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has informed the Assembly that there is currently no proposal either to regularise or enhance the monthly honorarium of need-based Academic Arrangement faculty engaged in Government Degree Colleges, citing recent directions of the High Court that bar fresh academic arrangements against clear vacancies and mandate recruitment only through the []

SRINAGAR: A 30-year-old man was found hanging from a tree under suspicious circumstances in Mandir Mohalla area of Parshollah in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, officials said. Officals said that the deceased was identified as Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Breswana, Tehsil Mohalla.The exact cause of his death is yet to be []

SRINAGAR: The government has disbursed Rs 657.83 crore in industrial subsidies over the last four financial years, from 202223 to 202526 (up to 15 January), while incentives worth Rs 1,003.55 crore have been approved for 3,187 industrial units under various support schemes in Jammu and Kashmir, the Assembly was informed. Data tabled in the House []

SRINAGAR: Mission YUVA, the Jammu and Kashmir Governments flagship entrepreneurship programme launched on June 28, 2025, has recorded registrations from more than 1.71 lakh youth and secured bank sanctions nearing Rs 1,000 crore, with over Rs 700 crore already disbursed to support new businesses across the Union Territory. The initiative aims to facilitate the creation []

SRINAGAR: The Government of India has approved Rs 666.95 crore for Jammu and Kashmir under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) component of Swachh Bharat MissionUrban (SBM-U) 2.0, the Parliament was informed. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said the funds will strengthen scientific management of garbage and solid waste in urban areas across the []

SRINAGAR: Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, on Thursday said that the Jammu and Kashmir Administration has taken up with the Rajasthan Government the issue of suspension of 33 JK students studying in a college there. Speaking to reporters during his visit to Kupwara, Wani said, the JK has have taken up the []

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir currently has 693 registered stone crusher and hot/wet mix plant units, of which 522 are functional while 171 are non-functional, including 48 that have been sealed or completely closed, according to official figures, as the government steps up regulation of minor mineral-based industries under the Jammu and Kashmir Stone Crushers/Hot and []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government told the Legislative Assembly that 5,457 landowners have had land taken for the construction of water reservoirs, filtration plants and allied works across the Union territory, but compensation has been paid to only 2,397 of them, while 3,060 cases remain pending, the Jal Shakti Department said in a written []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government told the Legislative Assembly that the Union territory currently holds 2,564,348 ration cards in total, of which 2,20,018 are Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards and 1,42,916 are Priority Household (PHH) cards, the administration said in a written reply tabled on the floor. The data in the reply provides a []

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has checked a total of 13,692 vehicles, registered 446 police cases and recovered more than Rs 33 crore in penalties over the last two years as part of an intensified crackdown on illegal extraction and transportation of minerals, with the Mining Department deploying technology-driven surveillance and district-level enforcement mechanisms across the []

SRINAGAR: Coal extraction at Jammu and Kashmirs Kalakote coalfields has been halted at the Mehataka mine after the Director General of Mines Safety (DGMS) imposed prohibitory orders, even as official data shows the mines have slipped into persistent losses, mounting liabilities and shrinking production over the past decade. The DGMS, Srinagar, invoked Section 22(3) of []

SRINAGAR: The Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) in Jammu and Kashmir has so far accrued Rs 108.6 crore from mining-related funds, of which Rs 42.7 crore has been spent on 945 development projects, with 736 works completed, according to details placed by the government while discussing the schemes functioning and utilisation of District []

SRINAGAR: Mining operations across Jammu and Kashmir generated a total revenue of about Rs 455.11 crore over the past three financial years, according to figures placed by the government in the Legislative Assembly, with district-wise data showing wide variations in earnings and a modest share of funds spent on local development through the District Mineral []

SRINAGAR: Oman will begin observing Ramadan 1447 AH on Thursday, February 19, 2026, following confirmation that the crescent moon could not be sighted on Tuesday, February 17. The official committee overseeing lunar observations stated that the moon sets before or at sunset across all governorates on February 17, making visual sighting impossible. As a result, []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has announced that a policy for the establishment of private universities in the Union Territory has been drafted. In a written reply to a cut motion by Peoples Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone, Higher Education Minister Sakina Itoo informed that the Higher Education Department has prepared the policy after []

SRINAGAR: The Court of Additional Special Mobile Magistrate Awantipora on Thursday convicted two persons in a cheque bounce case dating back to 2019 and sentenced them to one year of simple imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 28,08,000. The case, titled Mukhtar Ahmad Sheikh versus Ess Kay Filling Station and another, was decided by []

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Dr AK Mehta has issued a detailed rebuttal to a report published on April 15, 2025, concerning the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), stating that the allegations of a multi-thousand-crore scam were based on unverified claims and did not reflect official records or established procedures. Kashmir []

SRINAGAR: People of Naninara locality in Sumbal town of north Kashmirs Bandipora district on Thursday staged a strong protest against the Power Development Department over the installation of smart electricity meters in their area. The protesters assembled in significant numbers and raised slogans against the move, asserting that the locality is economically backward and incapable []

SRINAGAR: Students of the 2022 batch of a Nursing College in Kishtwar, affiliated with Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, on Thursday staged a protest alleging inordinate delay in completion of their BSc Nursing course. The agitating students said that as per Indian Nursing Council guidelines, the BSc Nursing programme is mandated to be completed within []

SRINAGAR: At least five persons sustained injuries after a Tata Mobile vehicle lost control while travelling from Devsar towards Qazigund on Thursday, officials said. An official said that the vehicle, bearing registration number JK18A-2069, reportedly went out of control during transit, resulting in injuries to five occupants on board. Officials said that soon after the []

SRINAGAR: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has raised alarm over what it described as the steady decline of the Valleys once self-reliant poultry sector, urging the government to introduce immediate policy measures to protect local producers from rising imports and restore competitiveness. In a statement, FCIK said that until 2014, Kashmir met []

by Dr Sabreen and Dr Mehak Majeed Seventeenth-century Kashmiri mystic Rupa Bhawani blended Shaivism and Sufism through yoga and poetry, emerged as Lal Deds spiritual successor, and became a lasting symbol of communal harmony and devotion. Selflessness is the sign of the Selfless Bow down at the door of the Selfless, The selfless are the []

SRINAGAR: The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has released Rs 195.05 crore under the Prime Ministers Development Package for the enhancement of sports facilities in Jammu and Kashmir, the ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The release covers renovation and development of Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar, to FIFA standard (Rs 37.68 crore) and []

There is a particular kind of quiet confidence that comes with having a stable job, a modest savings account, and a roof over your head. It feels like security. But for millions of Indian households, that feeling rests on a foundation far more fragile than it appears. Because what protects a family is not only []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday told the Assembly that the Directorate of Information and Public Relations has issued 28 rebuttals to fake and misleading news reports between April 1, 2025, and Jan 31, 2026, as part of its efforts to counter misinformation. Replying to a question by BJP MLA RS Pathania, the []

SRINAGAR: Stressing that the regularisation of daily wagers is a humanitarian concern, Bhartiya Janta Party MLA Sham Lal Sharma on Thursday said the government must stand by its commitments and provide a clear roadmap for addressing their long-pending issues. Speaking to reporters, Sharma said that regularisation of daily wagers is a human issue and a []