RisingKashmir

Srinagar, Oct 6: The Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), J&K, has intensified its food safety enforcement across the Union Territory, inspecting 395 street food vendors and recommending statutory action in 68 cases for violations of prescribed food safety and hygiene norms. A spokesperson said the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), J&K Conducted enforcement, inspection and awareness activities among street food vendors across all districts with the objective of strengthening compliance with food

Srinagar, Oct 06: Jammu & Kashmir Bank has reported a decline in its operational environmental footprint during 202526, with total energy consumption falling by 4.5 per cent and combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions declining by 6.1 per cent, according to its Annual Report 202526. The bank reported total energy consumption of 1,53,153 GJ during the financial year, while its combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions stood at 22,506.07 tCO It said that the bank remains committed to in

Srinagar, Oct 05: The Union Territory government has amended the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Rules, 2010, making safety-related certifications mandatory for schools covering traffic compliance, building standards, fire safety and the safe handling of laboratory chemicals. The amendments were notified by the School Education Department through an order dated October 5, 2026, issued under Section 29 of the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Act, 2002. Under the amended Rule 4, schools will

You may already know about it. The Department of Labour and Employment, Government of J&K is working closely with IIM Jammu to organise a benchmark event, the J&K GCC Summit 2026, where 55 panellists interact with leading government officials and other stakeholders over two days to find out the optimal path to make J&K an emerging destination for GCCs. But what are GCCs? The earlier BPOs were outsourced, but Global Capability Centres are fully owned in-house centres that companies build to centr

Ask the chief financial officer of a Global Capability Centre what it costs to run. The answer begins with people. Salaries and benefits take the largest share of a centre's annual budget. Rent and technology account for most of the remainder. Plant and machinery barely feature. That simple fact should shape how Jammu and Kashmir competes for the sector. And that simple fact is what the J&K Government is going to position at the J&K GCC Summit 2026, being organised by Government of J&K and IIM J

Srinagar, Oct 6: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday ruled out any move to shut down public sector undertakings (PSUs) in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the government would instead examine the reasons behind their financial losses and fix accountability. Addressing reporters, Choudhary said financial deficits could not be a reason to shut down institutions that form part of Jammu and Kashmirs heritage. If India goes into a deficit, will you shut down India? If J&K goes into a financi

JAMMU, Oct 6:The Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), Jammu and Kashmir, conducted a Union Territory-wide enforcement, inspection and awareness drive among street food vendors with the objective of strengthening compliance with food safety standards and ensuring the availability of safe, hygienic and wholesome food to consumers. As part of the drive, 395 street food vendors were inspected across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The inspections focused on key aspects of food safety, including pe

Srinagar, Oct 6: Jammu and Kashmir is likely to witness intermittent spells of rain and snowfall over the coming days, with generally cloudy weather, thunderstorms and gusty winds expected at several places, according to the Meteorological Centre Srinagar. The weather office said light rain, with light snowfall over higher reaches, is likely at many places on October 6, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds. On October 7, the weather is expected to remain generally dry, though a brief spe

Srinagar, Oct 06 : A fresh spell of rain and snowfall is likely over parts of Jammu and Kashmir in the next 24 hours under the influence of a Western Disturbance. According to Kashmir Weather, an independent weather forecaster based in Kashmir, thundershowers are likely at some places in the plains, while snowfall is possible over the extreme higher reaches. Temperatures have remained significantly above normal during the last few days, and hailstorms and gusty winds cannot be ruled out at a few

Srinagar, Sep 30: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said that no primary school has been merged or clubbed with another school across the Union Territory during the last three years, while one government primary school in Hiranagar was closed during the period due to zero enrolment. The details were provided in response to an Unstarred Question raised by MLA Vijay Kumar of Hiranagar in the Legislative Assembly regarding the clubbing or merger of government schools. As per the reply, 3,997 s

Srinagar, Sep 30: Jammu and Kashmir has filed 1,520 food safety cases and imposed fines of Rs 2.34 crore during 2025-26 and 2026-27, according to district-wise Food Safety Enforcement and Surveillance data placed before the Legislative Assembly. During the two-year period, the Food Safety Department conducted 30,465 inspections, collecting 11,995 enforcement samples and 5,588 surveillance samples. As many as 1,049 samples were found non-conforming, the data shows. The department filed 1,211 ca

Srinagar, Sep 30: The Centre has returned the proposals for Metro projects in Srinagar and Jammu, observing that e-buses could be a more cost-effective mass transport solution for the two cities, the government said on Tuesday. In a written reply to a Question by MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, the government said traffic congestion in Srinagar had increased substantially in recent years due to population growth, rising vehicle ownership and commercial activity, coupled with inadequate road capacity

Srinagar, Sep 30: The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) conducted a total of 369 recruitment examinations involving 15,964 advertised posts during the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 and the period up to April 1, 2026, the government informed the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. According to the data, the JKPSC conducted 245 recruitment examinations involving 4,961 advertised posts. It received 2,76,065 applications, while 1,85,808 candidat

Srinagar, Sep 30: MLA Uri Dr Sajjad Shafi on Wednesday highlighted a range of tourism, education, health, power and water-related issues concerning his constituency following the conclusion of the sixth session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Addressing a press conference here, Shafi said several issues affecting the people of Uri were raised during the Assembly session and expressed hope that the government would take concrete steps to address the concerns. On tourism, the MLA th

Jammu, Sep 30: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jammu and Kashmir Branch Office (JKBO), sponsored exposure visits for 635 students from 25 BIS Standard Clubs to the Gatisheel Jammu & Kashmir 2.0 exhibition held in Jammu from September 28 to 30. The initiative was aimed at providing students from schools across the Jammu region, including far-flung and hilly areas, with firsthand exposure to government departments, public sector undertakings, agencies and other organisations participating in

The history of humanity is illuminated by those extraordinary souls who transcend the barriers of religion, race, nationality and social hierarchy to proclaim the inviolable dignity of every human being. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Ded, Hazrat Bulbulshah and Amir-e-Kabir Mir Syed Ali Hamdani belong, in their respective historical and spiritual contexts, to a larger civilizational conversation about justice, compassion, equality and the moral transformation of society. Though sepa

Srinagar, Sep 28: Cluster University of Srinagar convened its 7th Academic Council Meeting on Monday at Amar Singh College, Srinagar, to deliberate upon key academic initiatives, curriculum reforms, examination-related matters and the introduction of new academic programmes in emerging areas, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. The Academic Council appreciated and endorsed the Universitys concerted efforts towards academic innovation, technological advancement, research

Srinagar Sep 28: The Department of Linguistics, University of Kashmir (KU), began a three-day national conference on Sociosyntax and the Bharatiya Linguistic Area: Structure, Variation and Contact at the Main Campus, with a focus on advancing interdisciplinary research at the interface of grammar, culture and society in Bharat. Sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, and the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, the conference aims to explo

Awantipora, Sept 28: The Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council (JKSTIC), Department of Science and Technology, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, is set to host the JK Science Congress 2026 from September 29 to October 1, 2026, at its main campus. The three-day Congress will be inaugurated by Manoj Sinha, LG J&K and Chancellor, IUST, on September 29. Being organised under the theme Science, Innov

Srinagar, Sep 28: In a major push to accelerate grassroots entrepreneurship across Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, Rural Business Incubation Centre (RBIC) at SKUAST-Kashmir on Monday launched five flagship startup support programs and unveiled its official digital portal at the universitys Shalimar Campus. The launch took place on the occasion of a high-level NABARD delegation visit led by Dr BR Premi, Chief General Manager (RMSMED), NABARD Mumbai, which was planned for the Board of Directors (BoD)

Srinagar, Sep 28: Uri Foundation, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) in collaboration with SRDE, Youth for Climate Resilience Network (YCRN), and Climate Week India 2026, with support from NHPC -II Salamabad organised a climate week celebration programme on Monday at Government Degree College (GDC) Uri. The programme was held under the theme Climate Resilience for Healthy Communities: Awareness and preparedness on climate change, heat waves and public health. The event brought together

Srinagar, Sep 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Govt. has said there is no proposal to upgrade Primary Schools to Middle Schools or Middle Schools to High Schools, while a proposal is being considered to upgrade existing High Schools in rural and far-flung areas into Higher Secondary Schools. This was stated by government in a written reply to a question raised by Karnah MLA Javid Ahmad Mirchal in Legislative Assembly. The reply was given by the Minister In-charge of School Education. In response to t

Jammu, Sep 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has rejected allegations of arbitrary allotment of Hi-Tech Polyhouses under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in Ramgarh constituency, stating that the beneficiaries were selected through a prescribed verification and approval process. The government gave the clarification in reply to a starred question tabled by Ramgarh MLA Dr Devinder Kumar Manyal regarding alleged irregularities in the allotment of Hi-Tech Polyhouses. In it

Srinagar, Sep 28: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo on Monday chaired a high-level meeting of the UT Level Census Coordination Committee (UTLCCC) to review the progress of ongoing Census 2027 operations in snow-bound areas and assess preparedness for the upcoming Population Enumeration exercise in the remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department; Commissioner Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Departme

Srinagar, Sep 28: How long can we have patience? Chief Minister Omar Abdullah thundered in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday, mounting a strong defence of the resolution seeking restoration of full statehood and declaring that the demand was neither a charity nor a favour but a right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The Assembly subsequently adopted the resolution through a voice vote after Speaker Abdur Rahim Rather said there was no need for amendments once the Chief Mini

Srinagar, Sept 28: The Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has reported a sharp improvement in board examination results and a decline in school dropout rates, with the Class 12 pass percentage rising from 75.95 per cent in 2024-25 to 86.08 per cent in 2025-26, while the Class 10 pass percentage increased from 79.94 per cent to 86.36 per cent over the same period. The details were presented in a government reply on the department's reformative measures. According to the reply, the depa

Srinagar, Sep 28: The Jammu and Kashmir government has disclosed that electricity bills amounting to Rs 6,870.15 crore remain outstanding against commercial and industrial consumers, government and semi-government departments and security forces installations in the Union Territory. The figures were provided by the Power Development Department (PDD) in the Legislative Assembly on Monday in response to a question raised by MLA Hasnain Masoodi. According to the department, government and semi-gove

Srinagar, Sep 28: A nine-month-old toddler, her father and mother were among five people killed after a passenger vehicle skidded off the Teetwal-Simari road and plunged into the Kishenganga river in the Semari area of Karnah in north Kashmirs Kupwara district on Monday. The accident involved a passenger vehicle bearing registration number JK07-1299. The vehicle reportedly went off the road and fell into the river, leaving five people dead and eight others injured. The deceased have been identif

Srinagar, Sept 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds multiple portfolios including Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and Finance, on Monday introduced seven significant bills in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly during the ongoing Autumn Session, including the landmark Jammu and Kashmir Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026, which seeks to replace permission-based control with rule-based governance. The most significant among them, the Jammu and Kashmir Ease of Doing Busine

Srinagar, Sep 28: Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was committed to the restoration of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir but would not accept any attempt to link the demand with the Assemblys earlier resolutions on greater autonomy and restoration of special status as it amounted to fulfilling Pakistan's agenda. Addressing a press conference here after the Legislative Assembly passed the resolution seeking immediate restoration of full statehood,

Srinagar, Sep 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed a major showdown on Monday as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma stormed into the Well and staged a sit-in protest over references to the 2000 autonomy resolution and the pre-1953 position in the statehood resolution. The BJP said it was fully in favour of restoration of statehood and was ready for a debate on the issue, but strongly objected to references that, it said, sought to brin

Heritage is not merely a collection of old buildings, monuments and artefacts. It is the living memory of a society, preserved in its architecture, crafts, language, sacred spaces, traditional settlements and public institutions. In Jammu and Kashmir, where history has unfolded through layers of Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Sikh and modern influences, heritage conservation is not a luxury. It is a responsibility owed to the past and to generations yet to come. Across the region, however, many herit

Five lives were lost and several others injured on Monday when a passenger vehicle plunged into the Kishanganga River on Seemari Road in Karnah, Kupwara. The tragedy has once again exposed the grave risks faced by people travelling through the remote and difficult terrain of north Kashmir. Every such accident is initially reduced to a police statement, a rescue operation and official condolences. But behind those familiar phrases lie shattered families, disrupted livelihoods and communities forc

Food security relies on humans respecting and maintaining ecological and moral harmony. Disruption of this duty leads to scarcity. Ann Poshi Teli Yeli Wun Poshi (Food is subservient to Forests) is a historical saying by the great Kashmiri saint, Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali, popularly known as Nund Resh. Today, one can imagine very well as to how farsighted the great saint was, who attributed the significance of forests for human survival approximately 586 years ago. As global populations rise, so

FUTURECRAFT | TECHNOLOGY & MARKETS A Baaj Akh unit hums through the wheat fields outside Tarn Taran most nights now, its jammer sweeping the dark for rotor noise. An Indrajaal Ranger idles at a forward post further south, its mast up, its AI core watching four kilometres of sky in every direction. Between them and the dozen systems like them now strung along the Punjab and Rajasthan border, India has built the densest counter-drone shield it has ever fielded, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah ha

By September 2026, Ladakh is once again preparing to celebrate itself. From 26 to 28 September, Leh is alive and throbbing with a vibrancy that it prepares for the entire year with a bated breath. The resonance of this extravaganza permeates the regions dance, music, cultural heritage, archery, polo and what you have tucked between the geographical limits of this cold desert, notwithstanding the intra- distances between these limits. The festival brings together cultural groups from different p

FRAGRANCE OF IDEAS Geopolitical developments taking place at a fast pace around the world, and particularly in the region and sphere in which Pakistan is involved, create great concern and desperation in Pakistan. These upheavals for Pakistan are mostly beyond any sort of control or convenient management that could have been ordinarily or even extraordinarily possible in routine matters. Analysts, government and their agencies throughout and the media in Pakistan are in serious and worrisome wil

Srinagar, Sep 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led Government on Monday extended the benefit of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to thousands of employees appointed against posts advertised or notified prior to December 24, 2009, but who subsequently joined service under the New Pension Scheme (NPS). The Government issued the orders following the decision taken by the Council of Ministers, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, at its meeting held earlier this month. Under the decision, employees

Srinagar, Sep 28: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has expressed grief over the death of five people, including a nine-month-old baby girl, in a road accident at Semari in Karnah sector. Bukhari described the incident as a heartbreaking tragedy and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families. He said he stood in solidarity with the families and prayed for peace for the deceased and strength for those left behind. Bukhari also urged the district administration to ensure immediat

Srinagar, Sep 28: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday questioned the BJPs stand on restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the demand was being raised for the people and not for any individual or political party. Speaking to reporters, Choudhary also raised concerns over the functioning of various departments and institutions, saying important decisions should be taken by the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. He referred to the discussion on

Srinagar, Sep 28: Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) senior leader and Langate MLA Sheikh Khursheed on Monday backed the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly resolution seeking restoration of statehood, saying the regions political identity and democratic rights must be restored. Speaking during the discussion on the resolution, Khursheed said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had lost their political identity, flag and emblem and that these should be restored. Statehood is about our political identity, dignity and

Srinagar, Sep 28: Authorities on Monday foiled a proposed Assembly gherao by members of the Jammu Kashmir Casual Daily Wagers Forum (JKCDWF), after a large number of temporary employees attempted to march towards the J&K Legislative Assembly here to press for their demand for regularisation. The casual labourers and daily wagers had assembled at Polo Ground and attempted to march towards the Assembly, where the autumn session was underway. As the protesters tried to proceed towards the Assembly,

Srinagar, Sep 28: The District Congress Committee (DCC) Srinagar staged a protest at the J&K Congress headquarters on Sunday, alleging electoral irregularities and demanding greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process. The protest was led by DCC Srinagar president Dr Audil Farooq Mir and attended by senior Congress leaders, Youth Congress and Mahila Congress workers. Rajya Sabha MP and AICC Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera also joined the demonstration. Th

Jammu, Sep 28: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jammu & Kashmir Branch Office, facilitated an exposure visit for 255 students from 11 BIS Standard Clubs to the Gatisheel Jammu & Kashmir 2.0 Exhibition in Jammu on Monday. The students, mainly from schools in the far-flung and hilly areas of Doda, Ramban and Rajouri, visited various stalls showcasing products, technologies, services and initiatives of government departments, PSUs and other organisations. The visit was aimed at providing stude

Srinagar, Sept 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said that journalists and media persons from the Union Territory are eligible to avail benefits under the Journalists Welfare Scheme (JWS) of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, while there is currently no separate UT-level pension scheme exclusively for retired journalists. The government stated this in its reply to a starred question tabled by Tanvir Sadiq, MLA, regarding the welfare of journalists and media persons. Accor

Srinagar, Sep 28: The government has approved an Rs 361-crore Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) project at Achan with a capacity to process 800 tonnes of waste daily, even as the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) continues large-scale biomining of nearly 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste accumulated at the site. According to the government, the ISWM project at Achan in Srinagar at an estimated cost of Rs 361 crore is currently at the tendering stage. The government has stated that

Srinagar, Sep 28: The Jammu and Kashmir government is yet to notify the headquarters or location of the proposed National Law University, nearly seven years after the Jammu and Kashmir National Law University Act was enacted. The disclosure was made by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in the Legislative Assembly in response to questions raised by MLA Sunil Sharma regarding the status of the university and the proposed location of its headquarters. The department said the

Srinagar, Sep 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said that no regularisation of casual and other workers was carried out during 2024-25 and 2025-26 under the provisions of SRO-520, even as particulars of 1,00,501 workers have been registered through the online Aadhaar-based biometric identification and skill-profiling system. The information was provided by the government in response to an Unstarred Question tabled by MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para regarding the regularisation of daily wagers a

Srinagar, Sep 28: The number of indebted farmers in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 8.53 lakh in 2025-26, with their total outstanding agricultural debt touching Rs 14,407.48 crore, according to official data. The figures accessed by Rising Kashmir show a substantial increase in farmer indebtedness over the past three years. In 2023-24, 6,69,241 farmers were reported to be indebted, with total outstanding agricultural debt of Rs 7,728.81 crore. The number rose to 8,12,496 in 2024-25, while the ou

Srinagar, September 28: Senior Traffic Police officers today visited the Parimpora and Tengpora flyovers to assess the traffic situation and review measures to ease congestion in the areas. The inspection was led by the IGP Traffic J&K Shri Suliman Choudhary IPS and DIG Traffic Haseeb Ur Rehman IPS along with other senior traffic officers. During the visit, the officers assessed traffic movement, identified congestion-prone points and reviewed the existing traffic management arrangements. The of