Kashmir Reader

LG says session significant to chart future roadmap Session split into three phases around Ramzan & Eid Opp parties ready to question govt on key issues CM Omar to present FY27 Budget on Feb 6 Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the Budget session of the assembly holds special significance []

Announces Panel of Chairmen; House pays tributes to former legislators Jammu: Speaker Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather on Monday said it is collective responsibility of the House to ensure productive outcomes during the session. The Speaker said that people expect solutions to their problems and reminded members that significant public resources are invested in conducting []

Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the economy of Jammu and Kashmir has demonstrated encouraging momentum in recent years, with the Union Territory recording an annual nominal growth rate of around 11 per cent in 2024-25. He said that the growth reflects positive outcomes of sustained policy reforms, enhanced infrastructure development and proactive []

Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that tourism continues to be a vital pillar of Jammu and Kashmirs economy, with the Union Territory recording 1.78 crore tourist visits in 2025 despite security-related incidents and natural calamities. Despite challenges arising from security-related incidents and natural calamities, the Union Territory recorded 1.78 crore tourist visits []

National Cadets Corps has inspired generations of youth Jammu: The true meaning of a developed society and a developed nation, extends far beyond infrastructure, modern technology, or economic progress alone. A developed society and nation also signify a place where people possess strong character, where social values stand firm, and where the social fabric remains []

Jammu: The Pakistan governments decision to pull out from the high-profile T20 World Cup clash against India in Colombo on February 15 has evoked a strong response in the political corridors of Jammu and Kashmir, with some saying politics should not be mixed with sports, and others batting for sporting ties between the neighbours amid []

Srinagar: Night temperatures across Kashmir rose marginally, with Srinagar recording a minimum of 2.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees above the seasonal average, officials said on Monday. The minimum temperature in Srinagar city has been rising slowly but steadily since the end of Chillai Kalan, the 40-day harshest winter period in Kashmir. The ski resort of []

Srinagar: An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 hit the Kashmir Valley early on Monday, causing panic among the people in Pattan and surrounding areas of Baramulla district, officials said. There were no reports of any damage so far, they said. According to the National Centre for Seismology, the quake occurred at 5.35 am at a depth []

Societys struggle to see women as potential perpetrators and men as credible victims is undermining the legal system. True equity demands laws and a culture that protect the innocent and believe the harmed, no matter who they are. Falak Aslam In mid-2024, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh quashed a rape FIR []

JAMMU: The Northern Railways Jammu division has decided to operate an additional pair of special trains between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar over the next two days for the benefit of travellers and tourists visiting snow-bound Kashmir, officials said on Monday. The special reserved trains will operate on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra []

NEW DELHI: A row erupted in the Lok Sabha on Monday after Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sought to quote from the unpublished memoir of former Army chief Gen (retd) M M Naravane but Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with other BJP members, strongly opposed it and accused the Congress leader of misleading the []

Srinagar: District Police Anantnag on Monday said it has registered a case in connection with objectionable and provocative content circulated on social media, which had triggered public concern and speculation. In a statement, the police said FIR No. 14/2026 has been registered at Police Station Mattan under relevant provisions of law against a woman []

Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that the government remains committed to addressing the challenges of unemployment, infrastructure gaps, and social welfare. Addressing the MLAs in the Central Hall of the J&K Legislative Assembly complex, Sinha, said: The Government during its first year in office has sought to combine development with dignity, growth []

Srinagar,: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out raids at multiple locations across the Kashmir Valley, officials said. They said the searches were conducted early in the morning in Srinagar, Sopore, and Bandipora as part of an ongoing investigation into terror-related activities and funding networks. An official said that NIA teams, assisted by []

Islamabad/Karachi: At least 145 terrorists and 17 security personnel have been killed in the last 40 hours in multiple counter-terrorism operations in the restive Balochistan province, Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said on Sunday. Bugti, in a press conference in Quetta, said that the bodies of all the 145 terrorists were in the custody of []

Association slams HP CM Sukhu for inaction SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Sunday expressed deep concern after a fresh and disturbing case of alleged harassment and assault involving a Kashmiri shawl seller was reported from Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh, just days after two Kashmiri shawl seller brothers were brutally assaulted in Uttarakhand. []

Rs 62 lakh fines recovered JAMMU: Astaggering 8,354 ticketless travellers were apprehended by officials of the Railways Jammu Division in January, with fines amounting to approximately Rs 62 lakh recovered from the offenders, said officials on Sunday. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Jammu Division, Uchit Singhal, said that to provide better facilities to passengers and []

Call for citizenship for Pak-returned families, end to employee terminations SRINAGAR: Senior AIP Leader and MLA Langate Sheikh Khurshid along with AIP Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi, addressed a press conference here on Sunday, outlining a series of political and humanitarian initiatives taken by the Awami Itihaad Party both inside and outside the Assembly. During []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah Sunday asked J&K administration to ensure adequate and comprehensive arrangements at all major shrines across Jammu and Kashmir in view of the upcoming auspicious occasion of Shab-e-Barat. Dr. Farooq emphasised that Shab-e-Barat holds immense religious significance for the Muslims across the region with large []

SRINAGAR: Emphasising the need to integrate health education with formal schooling to strengthen human development in Jammu and Kashmir, Tarang Health Alliance and the SKUAST-K Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship Centre have joined hands to promote structured school-based health education in the region. Speaking during a webinar organised by Tarang Health Alliance in collaboration with Fijeeha []

SRINAGAR: The Press Information Bureau (PIB), Srinagar Region, has organised a press tour for journalists from Srinagar, as part of its ongoing media outreach initiatives. The tour commenced today and will continue till 7 February 2026. A 14-member press delegation, comprising journalists from Srinagar, including organising officials from PIB, is participating in the tour. Ahead []

NEW DELHI: The government estimates an 8 per cent growth in gross tax revenues at over Rs 44.04 lakh crore in the 2026-27 fiscal. The personal income tax collection is expected to grow at 11.73 per cent to Rs 14.66 lakh crore in FY27 over revised estimates of Rs 13.12 lakh crore in FY26. Corporate []

NEW DELHI: The allocation for control of pollution schemes and projects, which includes funding for pollution control boards and the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), has increased in the Union Budget 2026-27. For 202627, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has been allocated Rs 3,759.46 crore, about Rs 278 crore or nearly []

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive package for the livestock, fisheries and high-value agriculture sectors in Budget 2026-27, with a total allocation of Rs 1,62,671 crore for agriculture and allied activities a 7.12 per cent increase from the revised estimate of Rs 1,51,853 crore for 2025-26. The Budget seeks []

Fiscal deficit pegged at 4.3% of GDP Total expenditure up 7.7% Net market borrowings at Rs 11.7 lakh crore GDP projected at 393 lakh crore, up 10% from current year New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented a Rs 53.47 lakh crore Budget for 2026-27, up 7.7 per cent []

LG Gupta says development in focus New Delhi/Leh: The Centre has allocated more than Rs 4,869 crore to the Union territory of Ladakh in the Union Budget 2026-27, a drop of around 33 per cent compared to the Revised Estimates of Rs 7,377.43 crore for the current fiscal. The Union territory, which came into existence []

Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday hailed the Budget 2026-27 as pragmatic which he said will prioritize economic acceleration, create future-ready infrastructure, sustain growth momentum, chart path to $5 trillion economy milestone within few years and comprehensive fiscal strategy will balance growth ambition with social welfare. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and []

Criticises neglect of J&Ks regional needs Srinagar: While welcoming the Union Budgets emphasis on strengthening the manufacturing sector, supporting MSMEs, promoting exports, and expanding capital expenditure, the Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) on Sunday said that these measures have the potential to bring much-needed stability to the MSME and manufacturing sector across the []

New Delhi: The Union Budget on Sunday allocated Rs 6,000 crore for Census 2027, with the 16th edition of the mega population head count slated to begin on April 1 after a delay of almost six years because of the Covid outbreak. The Budget Estimates for 2026-27 presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman []

Intelligence Bureau sees massive hike of 68% New Delhi: The Union Budget 2026-27 on Sunday allocated over Rs 2.55 lakh crore to the Ministry of Home Affairs, reflecting an increase of around 9.44 per cent from the budget estimates of over Rs 2.33 lakh crore provided to it in 2025-26. The majority of the funds []

New Delhi: India on Sunday set aside Rs 7,84,678 crore as defence outlay for 2026-27 in a steep hike of 15 per cent over last years allocation of Rs 6.81 lakh crore, with its military majorly focusing on boosting combat prowess in the face of increasing security challenges from China and Pakistan. The increase in []

Srinagar: The announcement by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech on Sunday to support the high-value nut crops, including walnut, has brought a fresh wave of optimism for nearly seven lakh people whose livelihoods depend on the struggling walnut trade in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the announcement, the air in the valley []

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the government has chosen the path of reforms over rhetoric. Presenting the Budget for 2026-27 in Lok Sabha, she said India will continue to take steps towards becoming a Viksit Bharat. The finance minister also laid the 16th Finance Commission report for tax revenue devolution between []

NEW DELHI: Gold and silver prices plunged up to 9 per cent in futures trade on Sunday, hitting their lower circuit levels ahead of the Union Budget for 2026-27, as investors extended profit booking after the recent record-breaking rally. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the FY27 budget in Parliament later in the day. The []

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of Crime Branch J&K has produced a chargesheet in Case FIR No. 24/2017 under Section 420 RPC read with Section 66(d) of the IT Act against two accused persons before the Honble Court of City Munsif (JMIC) Srinagar, after establishing their involvement in a prize money fraud case. The []

Handicrafts & Handloom Dept refutes claims of art dying SRINAGAR: The Handicrafts and Handloom Department, Kashmir has strongly refuted certain portions of a news story published in a local daily newspaper with headline The Art Will Die with Us: Srinagars papier mache craftsmen battle extinction. In a press release issued here, a spokesman of []

Sakeena Itoo conducts surprise inspection of GMC Jammu, reviews healthcare facilities JAMMU: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo on Saturday conducted surprise inspection of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu and took detailed appraisal of healthcare delivery and patient-centric services at the facility. During the visit, the Health Minister undertook []

SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmirs Scientist Dr Khalid Zaffar Masoodi, along with his PhD scholar Shivani, has been conferred the prestigious DESIGN for BioE3 Challenge. Associate Professor, Division of Plant Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Srinagar, The award has been instituted by BIRACBRIC under []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Spokesperson and MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq on Saturday inaugurated the much anticipated Karam Shah Bridge at Syedakadal, constructed at a cost of 45.29 lakh. The inauguration marks the fulfillment of a long-pending demand of the local population and an important commitment made during the election campaign. The []

SRINAGAR: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar on Saturday hosted the AI Pre-Summit 2026, focusing on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in rural development. The one-day event was held in HiTech-5 and conducted in a hybrid mode, with over 140 participants joining both in-person and online. It is a part of AI []

JAMMU: Under the patronage of Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (Patron-in-Chief, J&K Judicial Academy), Arun Palli and guidance of Chairperson and members of Governing Committee for J&K Judicial Academy, the Jammu & Kashmir Judicial Academy on Saturday organised a one day orientation programme on ICT and e-Courts Induction Programme for []

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Saturday said it has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking urgent intervention over what it described as a disturbing and sustained pattern of identity-based harassment and violence against Kashmiri traders, shawl sellers, labourers and students across several North Indian states, following the brutal assault []

Reviews progress on ground, stresses accuracy, transparency, time-bound completion BUDGAM: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Budgam, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, on Saturday conducted an on-site visit to Hokarsar Wetland, a designated Ramsar Site, to personally assess the progress of the ongoing demarcation exercise being carried out by Revenue and allied departments. During the field visit, the DC []

New Delhi: India on Saturday conveyed to Arab League member nations that zero-tolerance for terrorism must be an uncompromising universal norm as the two sides deliberated on the shared priority of advancing the Gaza peace plan and ways to navigate the current geopolitical environment. The issues figured at the second India-Arab foreign ministers meeting in []

Srinagar: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General G P Singh on Saturday directed officers to ensure that peace and stability are maintained in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh arrived in Srinagar on Friday, on 2-day Kashmir visit and began his inspection with a visit to the 54 Battalion CRPF at Nishat. He was accompanied by []

Jammu: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) submitted a chargesheet on Saturday in a corruption case against officials and other persons for the alleged misappropriation of ration in a village of Jammu district, officials said. The chargesheet was produced before the court of the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Jammu, against nine officials and other persons of the Food, []

Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha have extended warm greetings to the people on the auspicious occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti, to be celebrated on Sunday. In his felicitation message, the Chief Minister said that Guru Ravidas Jis teachings of equality, social justice and universal brotherhood continue to inspire generations and []

Hollow belonging pushes souls away; its time for revival of faith-based, not wealth-based, relationships Dr Rameez Ahmad When noise, taunts, labels, and hate speeches crush the spirit, even creatures built on trust, loyalty, and social bonds choose to walk away. Leaving ones own kind hurts but remaining where the soul is wounded again and []

Palestine, the Middle East, and the world deserve better Ramzy Baroud The history of American power is, in many ways, the history of reinventing rulesor designing new onesto fit US strategic interests. This may sound harsh, but it is a necessary realization, particularly in light of US President Donald Trumps latest political invention: the so-called []

Protects SC/ST/OBC students but lacks safeguards against false complaints; may burden universities with bureaucracy, fear. Dr Tanveer Ahmed The passage of the new UGC Bill marks a significant moment in Indias higher education policy, positioning equity and social justice at the centre of campus governance. While some have welcomed the legislation as a long-overdue corrective, []