Trump, Mamdani plan to meet in New York during president's upcoming UN visit
US President Donald Trump will meet New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. They will discuss issues affecting the city and its residents. This meeting follows a cordial first encounter after Mamdani's election. Trump had previously criticized Mamdani during the 2025 campaign. Mamdani presented Trump with a mock newspaper front page during a February meeting.
Changing LifelinePart 4 :Better data, better models key to Jhelums water future
Srinagar, Sep 20: The Jhelum River basin needs a new generation of climate and hydrological modelling to prepare for a changing water regime, with researchers calling for better data, higher-resolution climate models and multiple modelling approaches to reduce uncertainty in future streamflow projections. A study published in an international journal, 'Discover Applied Sciences', has recommended a comprehensive overhaul of future research on the basin, stressing that improving the spatial resolution of climate models should be a priority to capture regional and local climate variations more accurately. The research notes that while climate models provide valuable projections, the complex terrain and varied landscape of the Jhelum basin require finer-scale modelling to better understand how climate change will influence precipitation, temperature, runoff and river discharge. The study has called for enhanced representation of land-surface processes and their interaction with atmospheric conditions. Such improvements, it said, would help researchers better understand the processes that determine how rainfall and snowfall translate into runoff and ultimately affect river flows. A major recommendation is to move beyond reliance on a single hydrological model. The researchers advocate employing more than one hydrological model to assess the range of possible future outcomes and determine the degree of uncertainty surrounding streamflow projections. This, the study argues, would provide policymakers with a more robust scientific basis for water-resource planning, particularly as future projections can vary depending on climate models, hydrological models and their underlying assumptions. The researchers have further recommended the use of fully distributed hydrological models for water management and environmental decision-making in geographically diverse and complex landscapes. The recommendations assume significance in view of the study's projections for the Jhelum basin under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The analysis found that mean temperatures are projected to rise throughout the century under all scenarios, while precipitation is also expected to increase, the study notes. However, more precipitation does not necessarily mean more water in the river throughout the year. The study projects a significant seasonal shift in streamflow, with flows expected to decrease during summer and increase during winter compared with the historical period. Under the future scenarios, high flows are projected to mostly decline, while low flows are expected to rise during the near, mid and far future periods. The researchers also found that the emergence of future low-flow conditions could occur earlier than the emergence of changes in high flows, suggesting that the timing and distribution of water could become an increasingly important issue for the basin. The study's flood-frequency analysis also projected a reduction in 30-year flood levels in the future, implying that the severity of such events, according to the model projections, could decrease. However, the researchers' emphasis on improving models highlights the importance of accounting for uncertainties before translating projections into policy. The research said its findings can advance understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on future discharge and serve as a guide for developing watershed water-resource management policies. For the Jhelum basin, therefore, the researchers' message is clear--future water management cannot depend solely on historical river behaviour. Instead, authorities and researchers need to combine finer climate data, better representation of land-surface processes, multiple hydrological models and fully distributed modelling systems to understand how the basin may respond to a warming climate, it adds. The study ultimately calls for a more scientifically robust approach to water-resource managementone that can account for changing seasonal flows, local climatic variations and the uncertainties inherent in long-term climate projections.
Supplements arent a shortcut to better health or longer life
The growing use of self-prescribed supplements, protein products, and fitness boosters is raising concerns among medical experts in Jammu and Kashmir, as more people turn to pills, injections, and specialised diets without assessing whether they actually need them. From vitamins and minerals to protein supplements, steroids, and products marketed for fitness and longevity, supplementation has increasingly become part of everyday life. Experts caution that even commonly used supplements can have adverse effects when taken unnecessarily or without medical guidance. In an interview with Rising Kashmir Health Correspondent Mansoor Peer, Dr Akhtar Purvez, MD, FICS, FASRA, a Kashmiri-American physician and clinical researcher, discusses the benefits, risks, and evidence behind their growing use. Q: How has supplement use changed, and what are the risks of taking them without medical advice? Dr Purvez: Over the years, dietary habits have changed significantly, with more people taking supplements such as vitamins C and E, joint-health injections, protein supplements, steroids, and magnesium without medical advice. While some supplements may be beneficial when medically indicated, unnecessary or excessive use can be harmful and should be avoided without proper medical guidance. Q: How should we think about supplements used for health, fitness, and longevity? Dr Purvez: The word supplement covers very different substances. A vitamin used to correct a deficiency is not equivalent to a compound marketed to everse ageing, and creatine used for athletic performance is different again. The right question is not whether supplements are good or bad, but: What is the specific claim, and what quality of human evidence supports it? A supplement may be valuable for correcting deficiency, useful for a particular purpose, unnecessary when nutrition is adequate, or harmful when used excessively. Q: Has any supplement been proved to make healthy people live longer? Dr Purvez: No dietary supplement currently has convincing evidence that it extends maximum human lifespan. We must distinguish among a biological mechanism, a biomarker, and a meaningful clinical outcome. A substance may increase NAD+, alter a laboratory marker, or produce interesting results in animals without demonstrating that people taking it live longer or healthier lives. Q: What does the evidence show for creatine and protein powders? Dr Purvez: Creatine monohydrate is among the most extensively studied sports supplements. Evidence supports benefits for strength, power, and repeated high-intensity activity, particularly with resistance training. Common studied maintenance doses are around 35 grams daily. These benefits, however, do not establish that creatine prevents disease or extends life. Protein is essential. People who exercise intensively, older adults trying to preserve muscle, or those with inadequate dietary intake may benefit from additional protein. A powder is mainly a convenient source and is not inherently superior to adequate protein from food. Product quality and manufacturing standards also matter. Q: What about vitamin D, K2, B12, and magnesium? Dr Purvez: Vitamin D, B12, and magnesium are essential nutrients, and genuine deficiencies should be corrected. But being essential does not mean everyone needs supplementation. High-dose vitamin D should not routinely be taken in the hope of prolonging life, and K2 does not automatically need to accompany D3. B12 is particularly important for people who are deficient or at risk, including some vegetarians and vegans, older adults, and people with impaired absorption. Magnesium deficiency should likewise be corrected, but claims that magnesium is a universal treatment for sleep, stress, and recovery go beyond the evidence. Q: Should everyone take omega-3 or fish-oil capsules? Dr Purvez: No. Omega-3 fatty acids are biologically important and can lower triglycerides, and clinicians may recommend particular preparations in specific circumstances. But this does not mean every healthy person needs a fish-oil capsule. Eating fish within a healthy diet and taking concentrated omega-3 supplements are not identical interventions. Q: What about ashwagandha, turmeric, and shilajit? Dr Purvez: Traditional use deserves respect and scientific investigation, but traditional use and clinical proof answer different questions. Some ashwagandha preparations have shown potential benefits for stress and sleep, although broader claims remain insufficiently supported and safety considerations exist. Turmeric used in food is not equivalent to concentrated curcumin. Research suggests possible benefits in selected conditions, but not universal disease prevention or longevity. Shilajit has historical and Himalayan appeal, but evidence is insufficient to call it a proven anti-ageing treatment. Purity, contamination, and standardisation must also be considered. Q: What about NMN, NAD+ boosters, resveratrol, spermidine, and Ca-AKG? Dr Purvez: These are scientifically interesting, but scientifically interesting is not synonymous with clinically proven. NMN can influence NAD+ biology, but that does not establish prevention of dementia, cardiovascular disease, or disability, much less long life. This illustrates the biomarker trap: a measurable laboratory change is promoted into a clinical benefit the study never demonstrated. Resveratrol, spermidine, and Ca-AKG likewise remain areas of ageing research rather than established longevity therapies. Early research should tell us what deserves further investigation, not automatically what belongs in our medicine cabinets. Q: Where do CoQ10, collagen, and multivitamins fit? Dr Purvez: CoQ10 has biological functions and has been studied in several clinical settings, but that does not establish a general longevity benefit. Collagen may offer modest benefits for certain skin or musculoskeletal outcomes, but this is not evidence that it slows biological ageing. Multivitamins can be useful when nutritional intake is inadequate, but they do not replace a healthy diet. Preventing deficiency is different from extending lifespan. Q: Does atural mean safer? Dr Purvez: No. Natural describes origin; it does not establish safety. Plants contain biologically active chemicals, which is why they may produce benefits but also cause adverse effects or interact with medications. A substance does not become harmless because it came from a root, leaf, or mountain rather than a pharmaceutical laboratory. Q: Are there concerns about supplements sold in India, especially Kashmir? Dr Purvez: We must ask two questions: Does the ingredient work, and does the product actually contain what the label says? Consumers should consider reputable manufacturing, transparent ingredient quantities, regulatory compliance, and credible independent testing. Proprietary mixtures that conceal individual quantities deserve particular scepticism, especially when manufacturing or storage standards are difficult to verify. Q: What concerns you most about today's supplement culture? Dr Purvez: The gradual disappearance of the distinction between possibility and proof. A laboratory observation becomes supports health. Supports health becomes prevents disease. A biomarker becomes anti-ageing, and eventually anti-ageing becomes longevity, although nobody has demonstrated that people taking the product actually live longer. Science requires us to ask at every step whether the evidence supports the next claim. Q: What should someone do before starting a supplement? Dr Purvez: Start with the objective, not the bottle. Are you correcting a deficiency, seeking an athletic benefit, addressing a medical condition, or simply hoping to remain healthy? Then ask: What exactly is the claim? What is the quality of the human evidence? Does it demonstrate an outcome that mattersor merely a laboratory change? People with chronic illness, kidney or liver disease, pregnancy, or prescription medications should be particularly cautious about unsupervised supplementation. Q: If supplements are not the answer to longevity, what is? Dr Purvez: There is no bottle that can presently promise longevity. The strongest foundations remain appropriate nutrition, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, avoidance of tobacco, moderation or avoidance of alcohol, healthy blood pressure and metabolic health, preventive medical care, and treatment of established risk factors. Supplements can have a legitimate place, but they belong on top of the foundation, not in place of it. Q: If you could leave readers with one rule about supplements, what would it be? Dr Purvez: The greater the promise on the bottle, the stronger the evidence we should demand before opening it.
Kashmirs Weddings: All Glitter, Then Litter
Srinagar, Sep 20: Kashmirs increasingly elaborate wedding celebrations are leaving behind more than memories and photographs, with discarded flowers, food, plastic, thermocol and decorative material adding to the Valleys growing solid-waste challenge. From elaborate stage decorations and floral entrances to table arrangements, bouquets and car decorations, flowers have become an integral part of weddings across Kashmir. But once the celebrations end, large quantities of floral material are removed and generally discarded with other municipal waste. Environmentalists say the flowers themselves are not the problem. Being organic and biodegradable, they can be composted and converted into useful material. The bigger challenge is that flowers are often mixed with plastic, thermocol, ribbons, wires and other decorative material, making recovery difficult. Flowers are biodegradable, but when they are mixed with plastic, thermocol, wires and other decorative material, their environmental value is lost. We need segregation at source so that floral waste can be composted and returned to the soil rather than ending up in landfills or being dumped in open areas, climate expert Dr Touseef Ahmad Bhat said. The scale of the wider waste challenge is already significant. Jammu and Kashmir generates around 1,530.8 tonnes of solid waste every day, including approximately 936 tonnes of biodegradable waste and 443.17 tonnes of recyclable waste. Around 352 tonnes a day is reportedly left untreated, highlighting gaps in collection, segregation and scientific processing. There is no official estimate available for floral waste generated specifically by weddings in Kashmir. However, the Department of Floricultures Waste to Wonder initiative demonstrates the potential for recovering flower waste. A recent report on the initiative said floral-waste collection under the programme has reached 8.5 tonnes, with the waste being put to productive use rather than simply being discarded. The figure is not a measure of wedding waste alone, but highlights the volume of floral material that can be diverted from the conventional waste stream through dedicated collection and processing. For wedding venues, environmentalists say segregation can be introduced with relatively simple arrangements. Separate bins for flowers, food waste, plastics and other material could prevent organic waste from becoming contaminated before collection. Every wedding venue should have a basic waste-management plan. Flowers, food waste, plastic and other materials should not be thrown together. What is being treated as waste can actually become a resource if it is properly segregated and processed, Dr Bhat said. The problem becomes particularly visible after the dismantling of wedding stages. Floral arrangements are frequently held together with metal wires, plastic sheets, ribbons, foam and other decorative material. When everything is thrown together, extracting flowers for composting becomes more labour-intensive and costly. Senior environmentalist Dr Tanveer Ahmad Khan said the focus needs to shift from merely collecting waste to recovering and reusing different components. Wedding waste is no longer limited to food leftovers. Large quantities of flowers and decorative material are generated during such functions, and the absence of proper segregation means biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste often gets mixed, he said. He said flowers should ideally be diverted towards composting instead of becoming part of mixed municipal waste. Once flowers are mixed with plastic sheets, foam, ribbons and metal wires, separating them becomes labour-intensive and expensive. The easiest solution is segregation where the waste is generated, Dr Khan said. The challenge assumes significance as Srinagar and other urban areas continue to generate increasing quantities of municipal waste. The J&K Government has also moved towards strengthening waste-processing infrastructure, including a proposed 800-tonnes-per-day Integrated Solid Waste Management facility at Achan for Srinagar. Environmentalists, however, maintain that expanding processing capacity alone will not solve the problem unless waste is segregated at source. Florists and wedding decorators say elaborate functions can consume substantial quantities of flowers, particularly when several stages, entrances, dining areas and vehicles are decorated. Once the function ends, much of the material has little commercial value and is removed as waste. Dr Khan said a dedicated collection mechanism for floral waste could create a circular system.A dedicated mechanism for floral waste can create a circular system in which flowers are collected, composted and converted into useful material. This would reduce pressure on the municipal waste system and also create awareness among citizens, he said. Such a system could bring wedding halls, decorators, florists and municipal authorities together. Floral waste could be collected separately and sent for composting, while plastic, wire and other material could be recovered for recycling. Dr Bhat said the change would also require a shift in public behaviour.We must move towards sustainable celebrations. A wedding is a celebration of life, and it should not leave behind an environmental burden. Even small changes in how flowers and other waste are handled can make a difference, he said.
LG Sinha chairs SMVDSB meet, approves key initiatives
Jammu, Sep 20: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday chaired a Special Meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at Lok Bhavan, Jammu, to review the progress of the International Museum of Goddess at Katra and discuss important matters concerning the Shrine Board. The meeting was attended by members of the Shrine Board including Baleshwar Rai, Dr Ashok Bhan, Gunjan Rana, Dr K.K. Talwar, Kulbhushan Ahuja, Lalit Bhasin and Suresh Kumar Sharma. Mahamandleshwar Swami Vishveshvaranand Giriji Maharaj and Sudha Murty virtually attended the meeting. The meeting primarily reviewed the progress towards realisation of the International Museum of Goddess, an important project envisaged to showcase the rich spiritual, cultural, artistic and civilisational heritage associated with the worship of Goddess. The Shrine Board had accorded in-principle approval to the project at its 76th Meeting held on February 8, 2026. As part of the ongoing efforts to establish a strong scholarly foundation for the proposed Museum, the Board was informed that extensive research, documentation and field-based cultural studies are being undertaken. Dedicated teams comprising scholars and researchers are visiting various temples, Shakti Peethas and other important centres of Devi worship to comprehensively document their history, mythology, traditions, rituals, architecture, cultural significance and associated heritage through field research, documentation and videography. The Board ratified the engagement of an Advisor for the Museum Project and deliberated on the preliminary concept design presented by M/s Batul Raj Mehta & Associates (BRMA) and M/s Tata Ecofirst Services Ltd. Taking into account the experience of BRMA in museum concept design and the expertise of M/s Tata Ecofirst Services Ltd. in architectural, fabrication and construction consultancy, the Board approved the consortium of the two agencies for formulation of the preliminary concept design. The Board deliberated at length on various aspects of the project including the scope of work, estimated project cost, implementation schedule, and the consortium fee payable to the engaged firms. Following detailed deliberations, the Board tentatively endorsed the initial projected cost and the proposed consortium fee towards the concept design services. The Board also approved, in principle, the proposed implementation schedule, envisaging completion of the project within an estimated period of approximately 38 months, subject to timely completion of the prescribed project milestones. Keeping in view the significance and strategic importance of the project, the Lieutenant Governor desired that a dedicated project team be constituted specifically for the purpose, headed by an experienced and competent officer having the requisite administrative and project-management expertise, to ensure effective supervision and coordination at all stages of the project. The Board also reviewed the arrangements for licensing, operation, maintenance and management of nine premium cottages located near the Sports Stadium, Katra. Comprising fully furnished 2-BHK units equipped with modern facilities, the cottages are intended to provide quality hospitality facilities. In this regard, M/s J&K Heritage Resorts Pvt. Ltd. has been awarded the facility for its operation under the brand of ITC Hotels Ltd. The Board further discussed the future management of the Shrine Hospital at Kakryal and decided to strengthen its institutional framework by entrusting its management and operations to SMVD Charitable Society. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor released a Special Cover titled Global Symbol of Faith issued by the Department of Posts in honour of the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Shrine to further promote and showcase its rich heritage and universal appeal. Anjani Kumar Singh, Advisor to the Museum Project (virtually); Dr Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor; Brij Mohan Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Government, Culture Department; Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; Sachin Kumar Vaishya, Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB; Alok Kumar Maurya, Addl. CEO, SMVDSB; Brijesh Jha, Director (Academics & Research), Museum Project; Sagar Hanuman Singh, Chief Post Master General, J&K Circle; Shah Nawaz Hussain, Senior Superintendent of Post Office, Jammu; Rajeev Sharma, Superintendent of Post Office Udhampur; Shruti Awasthi, Regional Director, IGNCA; Batul Raj Mehta, and other representatives of M/s BRMA and M/s Tata Ecofirst Services Ltd. and senior officers of the Shrine Board also attended the meeting.
Incredible to watch capability ISRO is developing in Science Missions: NASA Sr Official
New York, Sep 20: NASA has an incredible partnership with ISRO and is looking forward to more collaboration, the US agencys Indian-American senior official Amit Kshatriya has said. We already have incredible collaboration with ISRO, Kshatriya, NASAs Associate Administrator and Chief Engineer, said in an exclusive conversation at the iconic Intrepid Museum. The [] The post Incredible to watch capability ISRO is developing in Science Missions: NASA Sr Official appeared first on Northlines .
Heritage, development must go together: Sinha
Commits to strengthen road connectivity to Purmandal and Utterbehini. Jammu Tawi, Sep 20: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday laid the foundation stones for projects aimed at the renovation, restoration and revival of the ancient heritage of Purmandal, worth Rs 7.15 crore, and for renovation, restoration and related development works at [] The post Heritage, development must go together: Sinha appeared first on Northlines .
SIM Camera trail leads to alleged ISI spy link in Kathua
Northlines Spl Correspondent 24-year-old truck driver accused of reconnaissance and sharing security-related footage; Dubai-linked payment trail under probe Kathua, September 20: Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a 24-year-old truck driver in Kathua in an alleged espionage case involving the use of a SIM-enabled surveillance camera to monitor a road used by security forces. [] The post SIM Camera trail leads to alleged ISI spy link in Kathua appeared first on Northlines .
New twist in Poonch Jewellery Shop Case:
Claim of conspiracy to frame individual amid family dispute (Sarabjeet) Jammu Tawi, September 20: A new development is being claimed in the investigation into the recovery of five AK-47 rounds, Pakistani currency, a Pakistani flag and other objectionable material from a jewellery shop in the Khorinar area of Poonch. According to information attributed to [] The post New twist in Poonch Jewellery Shop Case: appeared first on Northlines .
COUNT THE DAYS FIRST :The paradox behind J&Ks five-day week debate
Srinagar, Sep 20: The school bell in Jammu and Kashmir may ring as late as 4:30 pm, but the school year itself is considerably shorter than in several other parts of the country. That contrast sits at the centre of a debate now reaching the J&K Legislative Assembly: if children are already under academic pressure, should they spend one less day a week in school? National Conference (NC) MLA Hasnain Masoodi has proposed a five-day working week for schools, with Saturdays and Sundays as holidays, saying students are burdened by studies and need time for rest and recreation. Education Minister Sakina Itoo has said the proposal will be examined by the concerned education authorities. A report titled Working Hours Parity Report: An Objective Audit of the Jammu & Kashmir Academic Calendar, records 181 working days for J&K. Its comparison gives Delhi 243 working days, the South India category 236 and West Bengal 217. In other words, the difference between J&K and the three comparison regions is not measured in a handful of days. It is 36 days against West Bengal, 55 against the South India comparison and 62 against Delhi. The report points to one conspicuous reason: the winter break. It records a 76-day winter vacation in J&K, against 13 days in each of the three comparison regions. Overall, it records 184 holiday days in J&K, including 17 national holidays and 26 state holidays, leaving 181 working days. And yet, on a day-to-day basis, J&K can appear to have a demanding school schedule. The report notes the extension of the school day to 4:30 pm and calls the resulting perception the 4:30 PM illusion, the sense that a late closing bell necessarily means a longer academic year. The report puts annual working hours for J&K at 1,086, against 1,458 in Delhi, 1,463.2 in the South India comparison and 1,519 in West Bengal. It calculates the gap between 25.5 per cent and 28.5 per cent, averaging 26.6 per cent across the three comparisons. There is a qualification that matters: these are working-hour figures for teaching staff and the academic calendar, not a direct measure of the hours individual students spend learning. The report therefore cannot establish that a J&K student receives only 1,086 hours of classroom instruction in a year. But it does establish something relevant to the present debate: J&Ks formal school calendar has fewer working days than the three regions against which the report compares it. The report offers another way of looking at the issue. It applies a common 7.5-hour working day to J&K and West Bengal, removing the difference in daily schedules from the calculation. J&K would still have 1,357.5 annual hours against West Bengals 1,627.5, a 270-hour difference, because the number of working days is different. The comparison becomes even more striking against private-school benchmarks cited in the report. It puts annual hours at 1,498 for private schools in Delhi, 1,536 in West Bengal and 1,711 in its South India comparison, against 1,086 for J&K, with reported gaps ranging from 27.5 per cent to 36.5 per cent. None of these figures, however, answers Masoodis central contention that children are burnt out by academic pressure. That is a different proposition, and it requires different evidence. Nor does the report establish that J&K should have more working days. Its purpose is comparative: to show how the distribution of the academic year differs across the regions examined. Its own figures show that the 76-day winter closure is doing much of the work in producing the annual gap. The calendar data also needs to be read against J&Ks existing academic schedule. The JKBOSE 2024-25 academic calendar separately provided roughly 185 working days for the Kashmir division and winter-zone Jammu. That figure comes from a different academic year and calendar dataset from the 181 working days cited in the institutional audit. J&Ks academic calendar has also changed over time. An earlier DSEK academic planner for 2017-18 prescribed 200 instructional days and 800 effective school hours for primary classes, while upper-primary classes were prescribed 220 instructional days and 1,000 effective school hours. The report also examines the effect of the daily timetable across seasons. It puts peak daylight at roughly 13-14 hours between April and July, when the school day may run to 4:30 pm. For September and October, it puts daylight at about 11-12 hours, while during November and December the school day ends at 3 pm. The report describes these as approximate seasonal daylight figures. Itoo has said the proposal will be taken up with the Directorate of School Education Kashmir, Directorate of School Education Jammu and the Director of Colleges for examination.
Srinagar, Sep 20: A day ahead of the autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, political parties went into a huddle on Sunday to chalk out their strategies for the 10-day session, with the ruling National Conference (NC) and its Congress ally deliberating on legislative business and public issues, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) separately prepared to put the governments two-year record under the scanner. The meetings came amid indications of a politically charged session, with the Opposition preparing to corner the government on governance and delivery, even as the Congress maintained that its alliance with the NC would not prevent it from raising legitimate public concerns. At the Banquet Hall in Srinagar, NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah chaired a meeting of the partys Legislature Party, attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Six Congress legislators also joined the deliberations as part of the discussions ahead of the session beginning Monday. The legislators discussed the legislative business to be taken up during the session and various matters concerning public welfare, development and governance, the NC said in a statement. Dr Farooq called upon the legislators to remain closely coordinated and ensure that the concerns and aspirations of the people were effectively raised in the House. He stressed the importance of constructive participation and focused engagement on issues concerning the public. The meeting underscored the importance of coordinated participation by the ruling alliance as the government prepares to face a determined Opposition on the Assembly floor, he said. NC MLA from Gurez Nazir Ahmad Gurezi said the Congress was part of the alliance and the ruling parties would collectively face the Opposition while ensuring that public concerns were addressed. Congress party was part of the alliance, and we will collectively face the Opposition and also ensure peoples issues are resolved, Gurezi said. Echoing similar views, NC spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said there was no rift between NC and Congress and that the coalition was intact. He said people had high expectations from the Assembly and assured that the government would take up issues raised by the public. People have expectations from the House and the government will ensure public issues raised are resolved, he said. Karra draws line between alliance and public issues The Congress made it clear that its partnership with the NC would not prevent its legislators from questioning the government or taking up what it considers legitimate public concerns. JKPCC president and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra, after a meeting of Congress legislators, said being part of the ruling alliance did not mean that the party would remain silent on issues concerning the people. We are in alliance with the National Conference, but that does not mean we will not raise public issues. We will take up genuine concerns and ensure they are expedited, Karra said. Hesaid the Assembly was fundamentally a forum for raising questions and ensuring that matters affecting people were addressed, irrespective of whether an issue was raised by a member of the ruling side or the Opposition. The purpose of the Assembly is that work should be done as soon as possible. For that, everyone raises questions, whether it is from the ruling party or the opposition party, he said. He said the Congress legislature party meeting was held to discuss the issues and strategy for the upcoming session. Karra's remarks assume significance against the backdrop of differences between the Congress and NC over certain issues, including Vande Mataram and UPI, despite the two parties remaining partners in the government. Asked about these differences, Karra said the Congress had entered into the alliance on a principled basis and with the larger picture in mind. You see it from a very myopic view. We are in an alliance, and we are on a principled stand. We took that alliance as a principled stand, keeping in mind the larger picture, he said. At the same time, he made clear that the alliance would not dilute the Congress position on public concerns. Being in an alliance does not mean that we will not raise peoples issues. Being in an alliance does not mean that we will not talk about peoples legitimate demands. So there is no connection between that and this, the J&K Congresschiefsaid. The remarks indicate that while the two parties are preparing to jointly face the Opposition, the Congress intends to retain space to articulate issues it considers important for the public. BJP prepares to put govt's record under scanner The BJP held a separate meeting of its legislators to finalise its strategy for the session. J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma said the party would raise the National Conference-led governments performance over the past two years and seek a white paper detailing the work carried out during its tenure. Our party will raise these issues on the streets, and our MLAs will question the government in the Assembly and ask them to issue a white paper detailing what work has actually been carried out by them, Sharma said. He alleged that the government had not met peoples expectations and maintained that two years constituted sufficient time for its performance to be examined. Two years is not a short period. During these two years, they have not lived up to the expectations of the people. They have not even lived up to their own expectations, Sharma said. He further claimed that people he had interacted with felt disappointed with the government and questioned their decision to vote for the National Conference. The BJP is expected to use the session to press the government for answers on its record and commitments, with its legislators preparing to raise issues concerning governance and delivery. Sharma also spoke about the BJPs month-long service campaign being organised in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday and 25 years of his public life. He said party workers would organise programmes across the country, including activities involving children. On the Delhi University Students Union elections, Sharma said the ABVP remained engaged with students and their concerns. Jobs, power and public concerns likely to dominate The political preparations come amid indications that jobs, power tariffs, development, regularisation of workers and other public concerns will occupy considerable space during the session. The Opposition has already indicated its intention to question the government on its performance, while the ruling alliance is preparing to defend its record and respond to issues raised on the floor. The Congress has also sought to distinguish its role within the coalition from the broader functioning of the government, with Karra stressing that alliance politics would not prevent the party from taking up legitimate demands. For the NC, the emphasis is on maintaining coordination among alliance partners and ensuring that issues raised by legislators translate into government action. Gurezis remarks underline that position, with the NC legislator stressing that the alliance would collectively face the Opposition while keeping public issues at the centre of the proceedings. With the NC-Congress alliance and BJP having held separate strategy meetings on the eve of the session, the political lines are clearly drawn ahead of Mondays opening sitting. The government will seek to demonstrate its legislative and governance agenda, while the Opposition is preparing to demand answers on its performance. The real test, however, will begin on the floor of the House on Monday, when political positions, public grievances and competing claims over governance come face to face in the Assembly.
We Cannot Look Away from Child Labour
Around 70-80 percent of the human population in Jammu and Kashmir is directly or indirectly linked to the horticulture sector. In effect, this sector forms the backbone of the region's economy. With autumn in progress, one finds people in the rural areas busy with apple harvesting all around, a very useful activity for strengthening our economy. Granted that doing physical labour to earn a living can be a virtue, but it is hard to swallow the fact that even children in the age bracket of 10-16 would be seen involved in doing the hazardous task, obviously at the cost of their health and education. Climbing the tricky apple trees and physically carrying the apple boxes through the fields for a kilometre or two to the loading trucks or home has never been a safe activity. These children receive serious injuries at times. A couple of days ago, a child fell off an apple branch and seriously injured his right shoulder; a girl child lost her balance, and the falling apple boxes off her head hit a passing bike. No less serious mishap took place. Busy with the task of supporting their parents or for some money, these school-going children are being kept out of school. Thus, we are finding very low attendance for classwork. With the annual examination just a few days away, academics are taking a severe beating. As per the Central Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, employing children under 14 years old remains unlawful in any commercial setup. For adolescents aged 14 to 18, employment is prohibited in hazardous operations. Several minor children are seen carrying out manual labour in Dhabas, restaurants and railway stations; working as drivers/ conductors and construction workers; pruning apple trees, picking apple fruit, carrying apple boxes and doing other hazardous tasks. Arguably, child labour has become a worldwide challenge, but it cannot be used as a justification for the rising child labour in our society. As per the United Nations figures, there are an estimated 152 million children in child labour; 72 million among them are in hazardous work. In the least developed countries, more than one in four children (ages 5-17) are engaged in labour seen as detrimental to their health and development. After Africa, Asia and the Pacific rank second highest 7% of all children and 62 million in total are in child labour. Together, Asia, Africa and the Pacific regions contribute nine out of ten children in child labour worldwide. The remaining child labour is driven by America (11 million), Europe and Central Asia (6 million) and the Arab states (1 million). In terms of percentage, 5% of children account for child labour in America, 4 % in Europe and Central Asia and 3 % in the Arab states. According to a report on child labour in J&K, there are more than one lakh child labourers in the UT, most of whom work in the handicraft sector, automobile workshops, brick kilns, in agriculture and as domestic servants in homes; thousands of children here are seen working as vendors, bus conductors and auto drivers. Arguably, it is the struggling economic scenario which plunges children into the mire of child labour, pushing them away from schooling. However, the safest route to the shores of salvation from an unwelcome socio-economic situation is considered formal education. Notably, aside from the requirements of good income, parents ascribe the acquisition of skills and uncertainty as to employment avenues to the need for facilities for a better life, as to their preference to let their children earn in place of seeking education. Is it not a moment of concern? Overlooking the education, health and happiness of children for a few rupees does not bode well for any household and society. It is a moral imperative for every parent to look after their children well and protect them from the jaws of illiteracy and ignorance. Children can undertake safer activities, but forcing or misleading them to shoulder hazardous tasks at the cost of their physical, mental and moral health looks disturbing. It forebodes gloom and doom down the road. Many child labourers have suffered serious injuries: not long ago, a minor child labourer driving a passenger auto rickshaw met with an accident; he broke his right leg and stayed in bed for about six weeks, losing both education and days of playing (which is essential for his psychological development). Though no child would be happy to work as a labourer, it is the abject financial position and not yet fully grown educational awareness of an area which largely push children towards hard physical labour. Moreover, the hot and cold nature of the political situation has added to the number of child labourers: thousands of children have lost their parents and guardians over the course of the turmoil and without a breadwinner, these children get trapped in the smithy of child labour aimed at supporting their families. If the number of child labourers has risen in J&K, the onus is on their parents and the wider society to discourage and combat it in cooperation with the institutions authorised to take care of the disturbing trend. Stopping minor children from any hazardous work is possible if both society and the state work together. But if they address it separately, we might end up in chaos. The authorities concerned can launch child welfare schemes and rehabilitate child labourers; otherwise, the result can prove devastating. Children in school is a healthy sign for society. Parents, teachers and preachers can play a key role in stopping child labour and, conversely, put them on the road to sound health and education. Turning a blind eye to child labour is an open invitation to a bleak future. That we can ill afford. (The author is a teacher by profession and RK columnist and can be reached at: sheikhshabir518@gmail.com )
Assembly Autumn Session Begins Today
Obituary references, JJM report, Cooperative Bill on agenda for day 1 Srinagar, Sep 20: The autumn session of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly will commence on Monday with obituary references, the presentation of a House Committee report on alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), and the introduction of a Cooperative Bill on []
Dr Farooq to MLAs: Take people
Srinagar, Sep 20: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Sunday held a special meeting of its legislators at the Banquet Hall in Srinagar, chaired by party president Dr Farooq Abdullah, to discuss the upcoming Assembly session beginning Monday and chalk out a strategy for raising public issues and matters of importance in the House. []
Srinagar, Sept 20: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday said the Congress would continue to raise peoples genuine concerns in the Assembly despite being in an alliance with the National Conference (NC). We are in alliance with the National Conference, but that does not mean we []
BJP to demand white paper on govt
Srinagar, Sep 20: The BJP will raise the National Conference-led governments two-year performance during the upcoming Assembly session and seek a white paper on the work carried out during its tenure, J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma said on Sunday. Sharma said BJP MLAs would question the government in the House and []
Heritage tourism to boost local economy: LG Sinha
Lays foundation stone for renovation, restoration of heritage sites Jammu, Sep 20: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday laid the foundation stones for projects aimed at the renovation, restoration and revival of the ancient heritage of Purmandal, worth Rs. 7.15 crore, and for renovation, restoration and related development works at the sacred Uttervehini site, worth []
Bukhari cautions against settling outsiders in J
Slams neglect of Srinagar, demands probe into citys Master Plan Srinagar, Sep 20: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday cautioned against any attempt to settle outsiders in Jammu and Kashmir under the garb of development, demanding a probe into allegations that land is being purchased in the name of certain locals to []
LG Sinha chairs special meeting of SMVDB
Approves key initiatives for premium cottages, hospital Releases special postal cover Jammu, Sep 20: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday chaired a Special Meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at Lok Bhavan, Jammu to review the progress of the International Museum of Goddess at Katra and discuss important matters concerning the Shrine []
7-yr-old girl dies after struck by vehicle
Srinagar, Sep 20: A seven-year-old girl died after being hit by a vehicle in the Barbar Shah area of Srinagar city on Sunday evening, officials said. An official told KNO that the girl was critically injured after being struck by a vehicle near Barbar Shah. He said she was shifted to SMHS Hospital, where doctors []
Iran says conveyed conditions to US for reopening Hormuz
TEHRAN: Irans top negotiator said Sunday that Tehran had conveyed to Washington through mediators its conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it has blockaded throughout the Middle East war. The two foes are locked in a stalemate months into the conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Tehran []
AIP seeks public release of reservation report
Srinagar, Sep 20: Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi on Sunday urged the government to make reservation rationalisation, particularly the concerns of Open Merit candidates, a priority for discussion in the Legislative Assembly session beginning Monday. The government must make the Cabinet Sub-Committee report on reservation rationalisation public and place it before the Assembly for a transparent debate. There can be no meaningful discussion on an issue affecting the future of thousands of our youth if the report itself remains inaccessible to the public, Inam Un Nabi said. Inam Un Nabi said AIP believes the concerns of Open Merit candidates must be addressed while protecting the legitimate rights of reserved communities. Inam Un Nabi said AIP supports a population-based reservation framework, as suggested by AIP President and Baramulla MP Er Rashid in Parliament, with representation rationalised at the district, divisional and UT levels. He demanded that the government immediately make the Sub-Committee report public, disclose the data and criteria on which its recommendations are based, allow a substantive Assembly debate and provide a time-bound roadmap for implementation. The youth deserve clarity, not secrecy. Let the report be made public, let the data be placed before the House and let elected representatives debate it openly. Open Merit candidates deserve fairness, while the rights of reserved communities must remain protected. A transparent, population-based and data-driven framework can provide a credible way forward, Inam Un Nabi said.
BJP reviews organisational activities across Kashmir
Srinagar, Sep 20: J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma on Sunday chaired an organisational review meeting in Srinagar to take stock of the partys functioning, ongoing programmes and organisational activities across Kashmir. The meeting, held at Church Lane, was attended by BJP vice president Dr Shehnaz Ganie, general secretaries Mohammad Anwar Khan and Gopal Mahajan, besides state office bearers, spokespersons, district presidents, Morcha presidents and general secretaries. The meeting primarily focused on reviewing the progress of the partys ongoing Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, being organised from September 17 to October 17 in connection with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The month-long campaign is being conducted through various programmes and activities at the constituency and district levels. Programme in-charges, district presidents and Prabharis presented detailed reports on activities undertaken in their respective areas and outlined plans for the next phase of the campaign. Addressing the meeting, Sharma stressed the need for greater organisational coordination and sustained grassroots engagement. He said party workers must play an active role in taking the BJPs programmes and initiatives to the people and strengthening the organisation at the ground level. Sharma said the BJP has a clear roadmap for the progress and development of Jammu and Kashmir and called upon party workers to adopt a collective approach to expand the organisations presence and public outreach across Kashmir. He reiterated the partys stated commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, while emphasising regular interaction with people and effective coordination among different organisational units. During the meeting, district presidents and Prabharis briefed the leadership on organisational activities, ongoing programmes and issues emerging from their respective areas. The senior leadership discussed measures to address field-level concerns and improve coordination through structured planning and regular organisational reviews. The meeting concluded with the leadership stressing the need for continued organisational activity, stronger coordination among party workers and sustained grassroots engagement across Kashmir. The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan will continue through October 17.
Bukhari flags Srinagars development, livelihood woes
Srinagar, Sep 20: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday raised concerns over what he described as the continued developmental neglect of Srinagar and demanded an inquiry into alleged changes to the citys Master Plan. Addressing a public meeting at Chinar Colony, Parray Pora, in the Chanapora constituency, Bukhari said the city, particularly downtown areas, had suffered from prolonged developmental and livelihood challenges. He alleged that changes to the Srinagar Master Plan had affected the citys character, with areas originally designated for commercial use being converted to residential zones and vice versa. He also alleged that commercial buildings had been allowed in residential colonies. Bukhari demanded a probe into who altered the Master Plan, at whose behest and for what purpose. He also alleged that attempts were being made to settle outsiders in Kashmir under the garb of development, claiming that some local individuals were allegedly facilitating land purchases on behalf of outsiders. He called for an inquiry into the allegations. On Jammu and Kashmirs political situation, Bukhari reiterated his appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate dialogue with the people, particularly youth, and address their grievances. He also sought constitutional guarantees for protection of domicile laws. He said young people facing police verification issues over past cases should be given an opportunity to move forward and lead peaceful and dignified lives. Bukhari also criticised the government over what he described as failures to address public issues, including unemployment, drinking water, housing, drainage and parking in Srinagar. He said the lack of livelihood opportunities was a major concern for youth and questioned restrictions faced by street vendors. He also called for better housing and drainage infrastructure, saying even minor rainfall led to flood-like situations in parts of the city. On reservation, Bukhari criticised the existing policy and called for a system based on population proportions to ensure what he termed fair representation in employment opportunities. He also raised concerns over the alleged political bias in the execution of road and lane macadamisation works in Chanapora and said playgrounds in the constituency had been left unattended. Party vice president Mohammad Syed Akhoon accused the ruling National Conference of failing to fulfil promises made during the 2024 elections, while general secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were facing larger political and environmental challenges. Provincial president Mohammad Ashraf Mir said the Apni Party would continue to raise public issues and work for the development and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir.
CBI arrests agriculture officer, two others in bribery case
Srinagar, Sep 20: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three people, including a Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO) and an Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Department, in a bribery case linked to the release of a subsidy under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The third accused is a private individual, the CBI said. The case was registered on September 19 following a complaint alleging that the SDAO had demanded 35,000 from the complainant for releasing the subsidy. According to the CBI, the officer directed the complainant to hand over the bribe to either the AEA or the private individual. The agency subsequently laid a trap and allegedly caught the AEA and the private individual red-handed while demanding and accepting 15,000 from the complainant. The SDAO was later arrested from his residence, the CBI said. Further investigation in the case is underway.
Mirwaiz backs five-day school week proposal
Srinagar, Sep 20: Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq on Sunday welcomed the participation of around 2,800 boys and girls from maktabs across Jammu and Kashmir in a Grand Seerah Competition held at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the programme, Mirwaiz said it was heartening to see the Jama Masjid filled with children eager to learn about the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad. He appreciated Maktab Maseeh-ul-Ummah and the Mirwaiz Foundation for organising the event, saying such initiatives were important to connect the younger generation with the values of faith, compassion, good character and service to humanity. At a time when our children and youth are facing many social, emotional and moral challenges, it is extremely important that they remain connected with the Seerah of the Prophet, which offers guidance for every aspect of life, he said. On the proposal before the government to examine a five-day school week in Jammu and Kashmir, Mirwaiz welcomed the move and said the wellbeing of children should remain central to the education system. He said children needed time not only for studies but also to rest, spend time with their families, play and grow in a healthy and balanced environment. He stressed that their mental health and overall wellbeing should remain at the heart of education. Mirwaiz congratulated the participating children, teachers, parents and organisers and expressed hope that such initiatives would continue to promote knowledge, good character and a deeper understanding of Islamic teachings among the younger generation.
Ukraine Launches Over 1,000 Drones At Russia, Moscow Reports Largest-Ever Attack
SRINAGAR: Ukrainian forces launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, including hundreds targeting Moscow, in what the citys mayor described as the largest-ever drone attack on the Russian capital. The strikes came as Russia concluded the third and final day of its parliamentary elections on Sunday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 450 drones had []
Ganderbal seeks inclusion in Ladli Beti scheme
Ganderbal, Sep 20: Despite being the home constituency of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Ganderbal continues to remain outside the ambit of the Jammu and Kashmir governments Ladli Beti Scheme, prompting residents to demand its extension to the district in the upcoming Autumn Assembly session. The Ladli Beti Scheme is currently being implemented in only eight districts of Jammu and KashmirJammu, Samba, Kathua, Kishtwar, Srinagar, Pulwama, Budgam and Anantnag. Ganderbal is not among the districts covered under the scheme. The scheme is aimed at providing long-term financial support to eligible girl children. As per the governments scheme details, girl children born on or after April 1, 2015, are eligible subject to the prescribed criteria. From April 2022, applications for the scheme have been facilitated through the e-service portal. The scheme provides a financial corpus at the age of 21 years, along with provisions related to health, nutrition and other support services. The issue has gained renewed attention in Ganderbal ahead of the upcoming Autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, with locals asking whether the government would take up the matter during the short session and extend the scheme to the district. Residents said the exclusion has deprived eligible families, particularly those from economically weaker sections, of a welfare benefit intended to provide financial security to girl children. Speaking to Rising Kashmir, Apni Party leader Choudhury Atta Mohammad said the issue should be taken up during the upcoming Assembly session and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure that Ganderbal is brought under the scheme. Through the media, I want to convey to Omar sahib that his own district is deprived of such a scheme. The Ladli Beti Scheme should be available in Ganderbal so that poor fathers and their daughters can benefit from it, he said. Atta said that while the scheme is already operational in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ganderbal has remained outside its coverage. This scheme has already been launched in Jammu and Kashmir. At least this much can be done for the people of Ganderbal during the Assembly sessionthat the Ladli Beti Scheme is implemented in the district, he said. He urged the government to ensure that the prescribed eligibility criteria are followed while extending the scheme to Ganderbal. The people of Ganderbal have trusted the Chief Minister, who represents the district. Through the media, I appeal to the government to understand the feelings of the people and implement the Ladli Beti Scheme in Ganderbal so that eligible girls can benefit, Atta said. The demand comes after the government informed the Assembly earlier this year that the Ladli Beti Scheme remained limited to eight districts. The government said the districts were selected based on the low girl-child sex ratio prevailing at the time of their selection. In March 2026, the government also informed the Assembly that there was no proposal then under consideration to extend the scheme to additional districts. However, the demand for expansion has continued from excluded districts. In April, MLA Kangan Mian Mehar Ali also raised the issue in the Assembly and sought extension of the Ladli Beti Scheme to Ganderbal. With the Autumn Assembly session approaching, residents of Ganderbal are now looking towards the government for a decision on extending the scheme to the district, saying its implementation could provide financial support to eligible families and strengthen welfare measures for the girl child.
Jobs, power top public expectations from Assembly
Srinagar, Sept 20: As the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly prepares to begin its autumn session on Monday, common people across Kashmir are looking towards the elected house with expectations that issues directly affecting their daily lives will find space in the proceedings. The Assembly session is scheduled from September 21 to 30, with seven effective sitting days and issues such as employment, regularisation of temporary workers, electricity, development and governance are expected to figure prominently. For many young people, employment remains among the biggest concerns. Residents said the Assembly should seek clear timelines for filling vacant government posts, address delays in recruitment and discuss opportunities for the private sector. Young people are waiting for years for recruitment and many are crossing the age limit while waiting. The Assembly should ask the government for a clear employment roadmap and time-bound recruitment, said Zaffar Iqbal, a resident of Uri town. The issue of daily wagers and other temporary workers is another major expectation. There are employees who have served for years without job security. Their regularisation and pending wages should be discussed seriously instead of being left to assurances, a daily wager working in the Animal Husbandry Department in Baramulla said on the condition of anonymity. Locals want electricity supply and tariff hikes also to be discussed. Electricity bills have become a major concern for ordinary families. People want the government to explain the tariff structure and take steps to make power more affordable, said Faisal Chaku, a local shopkeeper in Srinagar Residents from rural and remote areas, meanwhile, want the Assembly to focus on roads, healthcare, drinking water, public transport and basic infrastructure. They said development should not remain concentrated around major towns and cities. In villages, people still struggle with roads, transport, healthcare and water facilities. MLAs should raise these issues and seek answers from the departments concerned, said Khushal Ahmad, a local of Kupwaras Karnah village. Residents also expect the house to discuss the problems of traders, small businesses, farmers, tourism stakeholders and people living in border and remote areas. The Assembly should become a platform where ordinary peoples problems are discussed seriously. People want decisions and follow-up action, not only speeches, said Tahir Ahmad, a local of Chadoora tehsil of Budgam district. Locals also want the promotion of border tourism to be taken up during the Assembly session. The government speaks a lot about promoting tourism in border areas. It should tell the people clearly what steps have been taken so far to promote border tourism and how much progress has been made, said Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Baramulla district.
CAT Jammu among top disposal benches: Dr. Jitendra Singh
New Delhi, Sep 20: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Jammu Benchs case disposal rate is among the highest in the country, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday. He was speaking after inaugurating the new Office-cum-Court Complex of the CAT Jammu Bench at Bahu Plaza, Jammu. Jitendra Singh said the high disposal of cases by the Jammu and Srinagar Benches reflected their capacity to provide speedy and accessible justice in service matters. He said that since its inception and up to June 30, 2026, CAT had received 10,01,177 cases across the country and disposed of 9,32,723, recording an overall disposal rate of 93.16 per cent. For the Jammu and Srinagar Benches, 20,984 cases had been transferred from the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, while 20,405 fresh cases were instituted before the benches. Of these, 18,392 transferred cases and 13,952 fresh cases had been disposed of, he said. The total number of cases received was 41,389, with minimal pendency. Jitendra Singh said the Jammu Bench had initially functioned with one Division Bench but was later strengthened with another in view of the growing workload. It presently has two Judicial Members and two Administrative Members. He also highlighted that only around 8 per cent of cases from the CAT Jammu Bench had gone in appeal to the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. The Minister said the new complex at Bahu Plaza would provide expanded space and infrastructure to enable the Jammu Bench to function at full capacity and strengthen redressal of service-related grievances. He said CAT had also expanded its use of technology through e-filing, video conferencing, online case information, digital payment of court fees, online certified copies and paperless court facilities. Jitendra Singh said the Jammu and Srinagar experience showed that infrastructure, technology and institutional capacity could strengthen the delivery of administrative justice.
The death of seven-year-old Sidra after she was struck by a vehicle in Barbar Shah on Sunday is not merely another tragic entry in Srinagars accident register. It is a devastating reminder that the citys roads, lanes and crossings remain hostile to the most vulnerable: children, pedestrians, elderly people and those who have no protection except the promise that public spaces will be governed responsibly. Sidra was critically injured and rushed to SMHS Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. Behind these brief official details lies a family shattered in an instant. A child who should have been returning home, walking beside a parent or playing in a neighbourhood, became the victim of a collision whose circumstances must be established without delay. The police investigation is necessary, but it cannot be the end of the public response. Every such death raises questions that go beyond the individual driver. Was the road adequately lit? Was traffic moving at a dangerous speed? Were pedestrians forced into the carriageway because footpaths were absent, encroached upon or unusable? Were warning signs, speed controls and enforcement visible? In crowded parts of Srinagar, these are not abstract questions. They are matters of life and death. Urban roads are often designed around the convenience and speed of vehicles, while pedestrians are expected to negotiate whatever space remains. This imbalance is especially dangerous in old and densely populated areas, where narrow streets, informal parking, commercial activity and constant vehicle movement create a permanent hazard. Children cannot be expected to calculate braking distances or anticipate reckless driving. The responsibility lies with drivers, enforcement agencies and urban planners to make streets safe before tragedy occurs. Authorities must therefore treat Sidras death as a warning demanding action, not as an isolated incident to be forgotten after the investigation report. The stretch where the accident occurred should be audited immediately. Speed limits must be enforced, illegal parking removed, crossings marked, and lighting improved. Traffic police presence should be strengthened at vulnerable points, particularly around residential areas, schools, markets and hospitals. CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts must be examined transparently, and accountability must follow if negligence is established. But enforcement alone will not solve Srinagars pedestrian safety crisis. The city needs a clear road-safety policy that places human life above traffic speed. Footpaths must be protected from encroachment, crossings made usable and road design aligned with the realities of a dense urban population. Public awareness campaigns are useful, but they cannot substitute for engineering, regulation and sustained enforcement. Sidras family will carry this loss long after public attention moves elsewhere. The least the city can do is ensure that her death does not become another statistic. A child was killed on a Srinagar street. The question now is whether the authorities will merely investigate the incident or confront the unsafe system that made such a tragedy possible.
A Session That Must Rise Above Theatre
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly convenes today for its autumn session. The stage is set for a political battle that will test both the treasury and opposition benches. With nearly 650 questions and around 50 Private Members' Resolutions submitted, the people's representatives have ample opportunity to address the issues that matter most to citizens. The question is whether they will rise to the occasion or descend into the familiar theatre of disruption. The BJP has signalled its intent to corner the government on unemployment, electricity tariff hikes, daily-wager regularisation, and unfulfilled electoral commitments. These are legitimate concerns. The 6.83 per cent tariff increase, coming against the backdrop of the NC's promise of 200 units of free electricity, deserves scrutiny. The demand for a uniform and time-bound regularisation policy for daily wagers is equally pressing. These issues affect lakhs of families, and they deserve serious debate, not sloganeering. Yet, the Speaker's appeal to the media carries an important message. He has urged journalists to focus on substantive debates rather than disruptions. This is wise counsel. When rabble-rousers dominate headlines, they set an example that tempts other members to follow. The result is a House that functions less like a legislature and more like a shouting match. The J&K Assembly has a unique opportunity this session. With a 10-day calendar, there is time for meaningful deliberation. Private Members' Resolutions on daily-wagers' regularisation, power tariff, and even a proposal for two-day weekends in schools are on the table. These are issues that touch ordinary lives. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are watching. They want solutions, not spectacle. They want their representatives to ask tough questions, hold the government accountable, and propose workable alternatives. The Assembly is not a stage for performative politics; it is a forum for governance. Let us hope that substance prevails over noise, and that the dignity of the House is upheld. The challenges before J&K are too serious for political theatrics.
Rethinking School Time: A Human Capital Question for Kashmir
The proposal for a five-day school week in Jammu and Kashmir, with Saturdays and Sundays as weekly holidays, has entered the policy debate. Education Minister Sakeena Itoo has said that the proposal will be examined by the Directorates of School Education Kashmir and Jammu after Pampore MLA Hasnain Masoodi raised the issue, citing the academic burden on students. The debate, however, should not be reduced to whether children need another holiday. The more important question is whether a five-day school week can be introduced with enough learning to avoid compromising the quality of human capital. Education is not merely consumption; it is an investment in the productive capacity of people. The World Bank describes knowledge, skills, health and capabilities as the foundation of productivity, earnings and economic growth. The economic value of a school day does not lie in the number of hours a child remains inside a classroom. It lies in what the child actually learns during those hours. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 provides a useful benchmark of roughly 34 working weeks and around 29 instructional hours a week. That translates into approximately 986 instructional hours over the academic year. The arithmetic shows that a five-day week need not necessarily reduce this amount of learning time. Around 29 hours distributed over six days amounts to about 4.8 hours a day, and when distributed over five days, it requires approximately 5.8 hours a day. The issue therefore is not whether Kashmir moves from six school days to five. It is whether the same or greater learning output can be produced from a more concentrated input of time. Simply removing Saturday without reorganising the school day would be different. At 4.8 hours per day, a five-day week would provide only about 24 hours of instruction instead of 29, reducing weekly instructional time by roughly 17 percent. This matters particularly in Jammu and Kashmir because the school calendar already operates within a difficult seasonal environment. Weather-related disruptions, seasonal vacations and other interruptions can affect actual classroom time. In human-capital terms, that is a significant reduction in the input going into the formation of future skills. There are nevertheless legitimate educational arguments for reducing the weekly burden. The marginal productivity of instructional time can decline when schooling becomes excessively long, particularly when additional hours are spent on repetition, low-intensity teaching or examination-oriented routines. Moreover, time outside school can allow children to rest, participate in sport and cultural activities, read independently and spend time with their families. Teachers could also use the additional day for preparation, assessment and professional development. A five-day schedule could therefore work if it produces more concentrated and productive classroom time rather than simply fewer hours. But the equity dimension cannot be ignored. Education expands capabilities that extend beyond immediate academic performance, literacy, numeracy, cognitive skills, social capabilities and eventually employability. The World Bank notes that, globally, each additional year of education is associated on average with roughly a 10 percent increase in earnings, although returns vary substantially by country, education quality and labour-market conditions. For Kashmir, therefore, the opportunity cost of instructional time cannot be ignored. A Saturday spent outside school can have developmental value through rest, sport, reading, family interaction and independent learning. But for children from households with fewer educational resources, school may provide learning opportunities that are difficult to reproduce at home. A reduction in school time can therefore have unequal effects across households. The five-day proposal should consequently be accompanied by a simple economic test: does the change improve the productivity of educational time without reducing annual learning? This requires measuring annual instructional hours, actual teaching days, attendance, learning outcomes and teacher workload before and after any reform. If five concentrated days produce comparable or better learning outcomes, the reform could represent an efficiency gain: fewer routine school days without a corresponding loss of human-capital formation. If learning hours and outcomes decline, the apparent gain in leisure may carry an educational cost. A flexible Saturday could help reconcile these objectives. Saturday could ordinarily remain a holiday while being retained for remedial instruction, catch-up classes after weather-related closures, examinations, teacher training and other academic requirements. This would preserve the capacity of the system to recover lost instructional time without making a six-day week the permanent norm. The larger lesson is that Kashmir should stop measuring educational effort primarily through attendance at school and start measuring it through learning produced. The five-day week can therefore be understood as a small but significant experiment in human-capital policy. Its success should not be judged by how many holidays students receive, nor by how many hours they remain in classrooms, but by whether the education system can convert fewer routine school days into equal or greater learning, wellbeing and future productivity. For an economy seeking to diversify beyond traditional sectors, the quality of its human capital is ultimately more important than the length of its school calendar. The Saturday debate is therefore not really about Saturday. It is about whether Kashmir's education system is organised around time spent or capabilities created. (The author is a Climate Reality Leader and Masters Student at the Department of Economics, IUST. He can be reached at: tuhaq220@gmail.com)
There is a scene that often repeats itself in almost every college hostel, every office party, every group of friends growing up. Some substances get passed around. A voice, casual but insistent says, everyone else is doing it. Saying no can feel like stepping out of the group. A pause follows, the kind where a young person quickly weighs the embarrassment of saying NO to a peer group against the discomfort of being singled out. That is the make-or-break moment, because addiction does not always happen with a conscious decision; it often starts due to the fear of being left out. NO To Drugs, YES To Life This is the quiet but critical moment that the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) was conceived to influence. Its larger purpose has been to build awareness around substance abuse, but its deeper challenge is social: to make a drug-free choice easier to make, easier to express and eventually, easier to see as normal. STEELY Resolve When the campaign was launched on 15 August 2020 by the Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, NMBA chose to fight for something more challenging: the courage of a single person, in a weak moment, to say NO in front of a peer group. That is why the most powerful word in the campaign may be the simplest one, No! Not a dramatic No!. Not a moral lecture. Just the confidence to decline when everyone around you appears to be saying YES. Honble PM has said, For the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, the name Nasha Mukt Yuva itself makes the resolve clear. As India sets the goal of becoming a developed nation, it is essential that our youth remain healthy in body and mind, full of confidence, and always free from the deadly habit of drugs. This is the purpose of the campaign. We must all resolve that our youth understand the dangers of addiction, remain aware, and stay away from it. The National Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan now plays a major role in this resolve. NMBA: A Nationwide Movement of Shared Responsibility Six years on, that individual act has become part of something much larger. The campaign has reached more than 13.71 crore young people through pledges and mobilisation, while more than 31 lakh awareness activities have been conducted across schools, colleges and communities. It has become voluntarily common on campuses for students to make pledges, a gram Sabha now taking the topic as routine business. Where families once accepted a member's addiction in private shame, more than 10.65 crore women, through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and community networks, have begun speaking about it openly, in their own language, to their own neighbours. More than 1.70 lakh Nasha Mukti Mitras (NMM) have emerged as community-level champions, helping carry the message to over 34.57 crore people, as on September 19, 2026. And the trend is skyward in the positive direction. This is where a public campaign begins to change social behaviour. NMBA has steadily moved beyond one-way awareness to create multiple avenues through which people can engage with the campaign, seek information and carry its message forward. The NMBA portal brings together information, educational resources, best practices and opportunities for citizens to engage with the Abhiyaan. https://www.dosje.gov.in/organisation/nasha-mukt-bharat-abhiyaan Drug-Free Youth, Drug-Free India Honble Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi gave voice to this larger mission recently, in the 137th episode of the monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, when he renewed the call for its goal- drug-free youth, drug-free India. His appeal was particularly significant because it extended beyond institutions and enforcement agencies to young musicians, students and theatre groups, recognising that messages are often most powerful when they travel through voices that young people already trust. That is, in many ways, what the last six years of NMBA have quietly built, not a wall of prohibition, but an alternative circle of belonging, one large enough now to reach every State and Union Territory, into schools, colleges, Panchayati Raj institutions, ASHA and Anganwadi networks and thousands of community organisations, each carrying the same pledge in its own words. From Awareness To Resolve A movement of this size does not stay confined to statistics for long; it begins to shape conversations in homes, classrooms and communities, bringing substance abuse into the open and making prevention a shared responsibility rather than a conversation reserved for moments of crisis. But awareness is only the beginning. For someone seeking help for themselves or a loved one, the next question is: where does one go to? NMBA has sought to make that step easier too. The National De-Addiction Helpline, 14446, provides a point of contact for information, guidance and referral to appropriate de-addiction services, helping turn a moment of concern into a possible first step towards recovery. For any person who has ever stood in that hesitant pause, weighing a friends insistence against their own better judgment, the journey of NMBA offers reassurance that they are not alone. What began in 2020 has grown into a nationwide movement, bringing together young people, families, communities and institutions around a common purpose. Together For Safeguarding Youth-The Beacon of India Citizens now have the opportunity to carry that mission further as Nasha Mukti Mitras, taking the conversation beyond campaigns and into the places where everyday choices are shaped. Because lasting change is rarely created by one campaign, one institution or one moment. It is sustained when awareness translates into everyday conversation, conversation becomes a collective resolve and that resolve finds its way into everyday life. That is the potential and impact of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, a campaign against substance abuse where the country stands together. Lets Join Hands To Safeguard Youth-The Beacon Of India. (Shri Sudhansh Pant, IAS, is Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice And Empowerment, Government of India. Courtesy: PIB)
Annual Day cum grand parent-teacher meet held at BHSS Achabal
Schools maiden annual magazine Shuhaab released ANANTNAG: Boys Higher Secondary School (BHSS) Achabal organised its Annual Day cum Grand Parent Teacher Meet with great enthusiasm and active participation of students, parents, teachers and members of the civil society. The programme was graced by the MLA Abdul Majeed Larmi as the Chief Guest. DEPO Anantnag, Assadullah []
Illegal mining: Police seize 9 vehicles in Shopian, Sopore
SRINAGAR: Continuing it sustained drive against illegal mining and transportation of minerals, Police have seized nine vehicles including two dumpers and seven tractors involved in illegal extraction and transportation of minerals in Shopian and Sopore. The vehicles were found involved in the extraction and transportation of mining material, without valid authorization and in violation of []
SRINAGAR: MY Bharat Srinagar, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, organised the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh at Youth Hostel, Srinagar, to promote a drug-free lifestyle and encourage youth participation in building a healthy, empowered and developed India. Various activities, including a pledge campaign, signature campaign, []
Comedian lampoons PM Modi on stage at Rahul
NEW DELHI: The Congress and BJP traded barbs over stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani impersonating Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rahul Gandhis Chhatron Ki Goonj event in Indore, with the comedian mimicking Modis mannerisms and speaking style. The leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha shared the stage with comedian Mani for a short act at []
Salesforce sees Indian firms shift to production as enterprise AI grows
NEW DELHI: Indian companies are moving from artificial intelligence experiments to production deployments, Salesforce President and Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Arundhati Bhattacharya, said, as the country enters a wider phase of enterprise AI adoption. Bhattacharya said India offered significant white space for growth in digital and agentic AI and that Salesforce would continue to []
151 Ambedkar statues vandalised in UP under BJP govt, only 14 arrests so far: Akhilesh
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed that 151 statues of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar were damaged across 72 districts of Uttar Pradesh during the BJP rule, but only 14 arrests have been made so far. He alleged that the vandalism was done deliberately because the BJP wanted to change the Constitution but failed []
United Imports Srinagar qualify for semifinals of Greenlam Laminates BIG Premier League
SRINAGAR: United Imports Srinagar secured their place in the semifinals of the Greenlam Laminates BIG Premier League 2026 after defeating Cyber X Strikers by eight wickets at Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar. In the first match of the day, United Imports Srinagar invited Cyber X Strikers to bat first and set a target. Chasing the target, United []
BRICS: Rewriting the World Order
BRICS did not form with a treaty or a grand diplomatic bargain. The need for BRIC was recognised as the balance of the global economy began to shift. In 2001, Terence James ONeill coined the term BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) in his Goldman Sachs paper entitled The World Needs Better Economic BRICs, drawing attention to the growing economic weight of four emerging powers and its implications for global governance. Initially, BRIC began as an economic proposition but gradually acquired a political dimension, as the four states increasingly recognised the benefits of coordinating their positions and seeking greater influence in the institutions that shape global affairs. The emergence of BRIC was preceded by an important phase of cooperation among Russia, India and China under the RIC framework. The three countries had already been exploring greater coordination on major regional and global issues, creating a political foundation that later complemented the economic rationale behind BRIC. The idea was put forward by Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov in 1998, at a time when Russia was arguing for a world with several centres of power rather than one dominant centre. The three countries began meeting at the foreign ministers level in 2002, creating a diplomatic channel that would later make the wider BRIC conversation easier to pursue. By 2006, BRIC was beginning to move beyond an economic idea. The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China met in New York in September 2006 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, giving the four countries their first formal platform for political dialogue. An acronym coined to describe four rising economies was beginning to take on a life of its own in international politics. The first BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. The following year brought the first major change to the grouping when South Africa joined the four founding members. BRIC thus became BRICS, bringing an African country into what had until then been a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The grouping took another important step at the 2014 summit in Fortaleza, Brazil. The five members agreed to establish the New Development Bank, which began operations in 2015 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China. The bank was created to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other developing countries. At the same summit, the members also established the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, a $100 billion financial mechanism designed to provide support to members facing short term balance of payments pressures. BRICS was no longer only a forum for countries with growing economies. It was beginning to build institutions through which its members could pursue their own areas of cooperation. The next transformation came nearly a decade later. At the Johannesburg summit in 2023, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were invited to join the grouping. The new members came in from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, significantly widening the reach of BRICS. Indonesia joined as a full member in January 2025, making the grouping still larger. The expansion has changed the character of BRICS. Its 11 members now account for nearly half of the world's population, around 49.5 per cent, bringing together more than four billion people. Collectively, they represent about 40 per cent of the global economy when measured by purchasing power parity and around 26 per cent of world trade. Their importance is also visible in the energy sector, with BRICS countries accounting for a substantial share of global oil and gas exports. The grouping brings together some of the world's largest populations, major energy producers and important emerging economies. Yet the countries are far from politically or strategically identical. India, Brazil and South Africa are democratic states, while China, Russia and Iran follow very different political systems. India and China remain strategic competitors with an unresolved border dispute. In West Asia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have their own competing regional interests. Russia's confrontation with Western countries also places it in a different geopolitical position from members such as India, Brazil and the UAE, which maintain important economic and strategic relations with the West. These differences make BRICS a diverse grouping rather than a traditional political alliance. Its real challenge, therefore, is whether such different countries can find enough common ground to use their combined economic and demographic weight to gain a stronger voice in shaping the international order. Cooperation without Consensus BRICS does not need complete political agreement to become an effective global platform. Its real test is whether countries with different interests can identify areas where cooperation serves everyone. Trade is the clearest example. Intra-BRICS merchandise exports increased from about $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024, a more than thirteenfold rise. Yet intra-BRICS trade still accounts for only around 5 per cent of global trade. The message is clear. The economic relationship has grown rapidly, but its potential remains far from exhausted. Trade can therefore become the foundation of deeper cooperation. BRICS members can reduce trade barriers, simplify customs procedures and improve transport and logistics between their markets. Faster and cheaper cross-border payments can make this process even easier. The objective does not have to be a common BRICS currency. It can begin with practical steps such as allowing countries to settle more trade in their own currencies and reducing unnecessary dependence on third-party financial channels. India has supported greater payment connectivity, while the 2026 BRICS discussions placed renewed emphasis on cross-border payments and local currency settlements. Finance provides a second opportunity. The New Development Bank was created in 2014 to finance infrastructure and sustainable development, with an authorised capital of $100 billion. Its importance can grow if it becomes a larger source of development finance for countries that often struggle to obtain affordable long-term funding. Financing projects in local currencies can also reduce some of the risks created by exchange rate fluctuations. The Contingent Reserve Arrangement, also valued at $100 billion, gives BRICS an additional mechanism for responding to short term financial pressures. These institutions show that BRICS has already moved beyond the language of declarations and created instruments through which cooperation can produce tangible results. Energy is another field where interests naturally converge. BRICS includes some of the world's largest energy producers and consumers. Its members therefore have a shared interest in reliable supplies, stable markets and affordable energy. Cooperation can extend beyond traditional oil and gas to renewable energy, hydrogen, critical minerals, energy storage and smart grids. India's 2026 BRICS chairmanship has already demonstrated this direction through initiatives on smart grids and energy storage. Such cooperation matters because the energy transition is not simply an environmental question. It is also becoming a question of technology, industrial power and control over critical resources. The growing scope of BRICS cooperation shows that political disagreements do not have to prevent countries from pursuing shared economic and developmental interests. In April 2025, BRICS agriculture ministers adopted a joint declaration covering food security, agricultural trade, digital certification and sustainable agriculture. In June 2025, BRICS health ministers advanced cooperation on public health, while the July 2025 Rio Summit adopted commitments on artificial intelligence, digital governance, trade and development. These initiatives demonstrate that cooperation can continue even when member states disagree on major geopolitical questions. India and China, for instance, continue to have unresolved differences over their border, yet both remain part of BRICS and continue to engage through wider economic and multilateral frameworks. Russia and other BRICS countries also hold different positions on major international conflicts, but these disagreements have not prevented cooperation in areas such as trade, finance, energy and technology. BRICS is therefore better understood as a platform for practical cooperation than as a political alliance based on a single foreign policy. The member states have different political systems, economic structures, foreign policy priorities and regional concerns, making complete political unity unlikely. BRICS can function as a framework for cooperation among countries that hold different political positions but share interests in particular areas. Such cooperation does not require the member states to agree on every international issue. It can develop through practical agreements in areas where cooperation serves their common economic and developmental interests. The larger significance of BRICS, therefore, is not that it can replace the West or create an entirely new world order overnight. Its significance lies in whether it can make the international system more representative by giving emerging and developing economies greater capacity to shape trade, finance, technology and development. If BRICS succeeds in building practical cooperation where interests overlap, its economic weight will gradually translate into political influence. The most powerful form of cooperation may ultimately be cooperation without consensus. Expansion is not Influence BRICS has changed considerably from the five-member grouping that existed until 2023. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates became full members in January 2024, followed by Indonesia in January 2025. BRICS also created a partner country category, bringing additional developing economies into its wider framework. The result is a grouping that now spans Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East and represents a much larger share of the world economy and population than the original BRIC arrangement. But geographical expansion has also brought greater diversity in political systems, economic structures, regional priorities and relations with the major powers. This diversity makes a single political agenda difficult to sustain. India and China remain strategic competitors, Russia has a sharply different relationship with the United States and Europe, and the West Asian members have their own regional calculations. At the same time, these countries have identifiable areas of overlapping interest. Trade facilitation, development finance, energy security, technology, critical minerals and greater representation for developing countries in global institutions offer practical areas for cooperation. BRICS therefore does not need a common foreign policy to become more effective. It needs agreements that can survive differences between individual members. The distinction is important because BRICS presents itself as a platform for cooperation among emerging and developing economies, rather than as a military or political alliance directed against another group of states. The measure of expansion should consequently be the results that the enlarged grouping can produce. A larger membership is meaningful only when it creates wider markets, stronger financial cooperation, better connectivity, greater technological capacity or a stronger collective voice in global institutions. The New Delhi Summit provides the first major opportunity to examine this after the completion of the recent expansion. Its decisions on trade, cross-border payments, development finance, technology, energy and institutional cooperation can show whether BRICS is translating its larger membership into practical forms of cooperation. BRICS and the Politics of Multi-polarity The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September 2026, placed the idea of a more multipolar international system at the centre of the grouping's political agenda. The summit took place at a crucial time when the international system is struggling to respond to multiple armed conflicts and deepening geopolitical tensions between states. The New Delhi Declaration called for a more representative and fairer international order and reaffirmed BRICS's commitment to multilateralism and multipolarity. It called for greater representation of emerging markets and developing countries in global decision-making and supported comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council. China and Russia, both permanent members of the Security Council, specifically reiterated their support for the aspirations of India and Brazil to play a greater role in the United Nations, including the Security Council. The declaration also recognised the growing role of the Global South in shaping international affairs. The summit also addressed the economic structures through which global power is exercised. The New Delhi Declaration criticised unilateral tariffs, non-tariff barriers and unilateral coercive measures and called for a stronger multilateral trading system. BRICS supported greater use of local currencies in trade and investment and continued efforts to improve the interoperability of national payment systems. The summit did not establish a common BRICS currency, nor did it turn the grouping into an anti-Western alliance. Its approach was more practical. The members sought greater flexibility in trade and finance while retaining their different economic and foreign policy choices. This approach also reflects the limits of BRICS. The eleven members have different relationships with the United States, Europe and other major powers, and they do not hold identical positions on every geopolitical crisis. BRICS therefore remains a platform for coordination rather than a unified geopolitical bloc. The larger significance of BRICS will depend on whether these political and economic initiatives can produce lasting changes in global governance. A multipolar system does not require one dominant power to be replaced by another. It requires greater space for several centres of economic, political and strategic influence. BRICS can contribute to that balance by expanding development finance, strengthening payment connectivity, supporting reform of international institutions and giving developing countries a greater role in setting rules for trade, technology and finance. Its purpose should not be to construct another bloc against the West, but to make the international system less dependent on a single centre of economic and political power. The real promise of BRICS lies in building a more plural and representative order in which the interests of emerging and developing countries carry greater weight and the established powers remain part of a system whose rules are shaped by a wider distribution of global power. (The author is Ph.D. in Political Science from AMU & currently working as a College Lecturer in JK HED at GDC Surankote, Dept. of Political Science, Jammu & Kashmir)
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) As A Universal Model For Humanity
The Quran emphatically rejects the idea that Ibrahim belonged exclusively to one later religious community: Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim, and he was not of the polytheists (Quran 3:67). For Muslims, following Ibrahim does not mean merely remembering an ancient prophetit means reviving []
B.Sc Forestry Students Seek Govt Jobs, Clear Recruitment Rules in Jammu Kashmir
SRINAGAR: B.Sc Forestry students in Jammu and Kashmir have sought government intervention to address what they describe as limited employment opportunities and unclear eligibility provisions for graduates of the professional course. The students have urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government and recruitment agencies to review existing service and recruitment rules and ensure that Forestry graduates []
Italy Plans School Ban On Burqas, Niqabs; Foreign Student Numbers May Be Capped
SRINAGAR: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday announced plans to introduce measures that would restrict the number of foreign students in classrooms and ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools. Addressing the youth wing of her nationalist-conservative Brothers of Italy party at a national festival in Rome, Meloni said the proposed measures []
Houthis Warn Against Joining Saudi Arabia As Yemen Civil War Flares Up
SRINAGAR: Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels have warned countries against joining Saudi Arabia in the renewed civil war, while saying they have assured the United States that American vessels in the Red Sea will not be targeted. Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, told The Associated Press on Sunday that Washington had reached []
Rasuwa floods: Death toll rises to 1,451 in Nepal
Kathmandu [Nepal], September 20 : The death toll in the Rasuwa floods has risen to 1,451, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on Sunday, as search, rescue and relief operations continued in the affected areas. Providing an update on the operations as of 7 PM on Sunday, the NDRRMA said a total of 13,784 people have been rescued, while 5,786 people remain missing, including 636 foreign nationals. According to the disaster management authority, 33 Nepalese Army helicopters conducted flights to the affected areas as part of the ongoing rescue and relief efforts. It further said 15 people are currently undergoing treatment at five different hospitals, while medical treatment has been provided to 10,163 people by various security forces. On rehabilitation efforts, the NDRRMA said an alternative housing and livelihood grant has been put in place for families unwilling to stay in holding centres. Families unwilling to stay in holding centres will be provided a monthly allowance for accommodation and livelihood until alternative housing is arranged, for a maximum period of six months, at a rate of NPR 15,000 per family (for up to four members), plus an additional NPR 2,000 per member for any members exceeding that number, the NDRRMA said. It added that the process for receiving the grant has been established and sent to the concerned local governments for implementation. The measures come as authorities continue search, rescue, medical assistance and rehabilitation efforts in the flood-affected areas. Meanwhile, Nepalese Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle on Friday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government and the people of India for the extraordinarily generous support extended to Nepals rescue and relief efforts following the devastating flash floods, as Kathmandu looks to mobilise international assistance for a massive reconstruction programme. Meanwhile, as India continues to advance its assistance towards Nepal following the catastrophic floods on August 26, India delivered 11 tonnes of relief goods to Nepali officials on Saturday as the ninth aircraft carrying supplies landed in the Himalayan nation from India. Indias support to Nepal's recovery efforts continues: The 9th Indian Air Force (IAF) flight with 11 tonnes of material, including tents, medicines, sleeping bags and forensic supplies, arrived in Kathmandu and were handed over to the Government of Nepal, the Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, stated on X. India fast-tracked the dispatch of relief inventory, equipment and specialist personnel to Nepal, utilising nine dedicated aircraft beginning August 26 in response to the catastrophic flash floods. (ANI)
LG Sinha Reviews Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Projects, Approves Key Initiatives
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday chaired a special meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board at Lok Bhavan here and reviewed the progress of the proposed International Museum of Goddess at Katra besides taking key decisions on hospitality and healthcare facilities associated with the shrine. The meeting also discussed various matters []
Trump warns he has entered deciding mode on Iran, says ig things are in store
Washington, DC [US], September 20 : US President Donald Trump cautioned on Sunday that he has reached a decisive juncture regarding the conflict involving Iran, warning that significant consequences will follow if Tehran refuses to alter its behaviour. In remarks shared during an interview with the US network Fox News regarding his strategy in the ongoing war, Trump stated, My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They had better behave. Outlining his available courses of action, the US President noted that he could annihilate the country, permit it to economically deteriorate, or pursue a diplomatic settlement, while forecasting that very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future. Addressing upcoming international engagements ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level week commencing Monday, Trump indicated a readiness for diplomatic talks, mentioning that he would probably be open to holding discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Regarding broader conflicts across the region, Trump remarked that Washington maintains ongoing contact with Yemen's Houthis in the wake of their recent ballistic missile strikes directed at Saudi Arabia, maintaining that the faction has consented to refrain from attacking American personnel. However, indications suggest a new front is opening across the restive Middle East as the American administration studies potential military steps against the Houthis following their missile attack targeting the Saudi capital, Riyadh, which Saudi forces successfully intercepted. Amid these escalating regional tensions, President Trump cut short an overnight stay at Camp David and returned to the White House early. CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas reported on X that discussions at the presidential retreat centred on deliberating and reviewing strike options concerning Yemen. Following these high-level deliberations, US embassies across the Middle East issued security warnings to American citizens regarding potential retaliatory targets. The security climate has grown increasingly complex, with ongoing regional friction involving Iran, Yemen, and Western interests. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously addressed the gravity of the Houthi threat, asserting that military intervention could have swiftly concluded the conflict had it not been for concerns over innocent Yemeni civilians. Concurrently, US diplomatic missions have advised citizens to monitor consular alerts closely due to persistent threats of drone and missile strikes linked to Iran and its regional allies. Adding to the diplomatic dimensions, Irans security chief Mohsen Rezaei stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Tehran has communicated its terms for ending hostilities through Qatari mediation, demanding an end to the war on all fronts, the unfreezing of national funds, and the cessation of the naval blockade. While the Trump administration weighs these conditions alongside military preparations, world leaders prepare to convene in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where the unfolding crisis in West Asia is anticipated to dominate international discussions. (ANI)
Strong Alliance, Assembly Will Run Well: NCs Tanvir Sadiq
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) Legislature Party meeting, chaired by party president Dr Farooq Abdullah, concluded in Srinagar on Sunday ahead of the J&K Legislative Assembly session, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Congress legislators and other members in attendance. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, NC chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir []
Seven-year-old girl dies after vehicle hits her in Srinagar
Srinagar, Sep 20 : A seven-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a vehicle in the Barbar Shah area of Srinagar on Sunday evening, officials said. The girl, identified as Sidra, daughter of Sajad Ahmad and a resident of Bihar, was critically injured in the accident, they said. She was rushed to SMHS Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead, officials said. Police have taken cognisance of the incident and initiated an investigation, they added.
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is scheduled to meet in Srinagar on Monday, September 21, with the House set to take up an inquiry report on alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and a bill concerning cooperative societies. According to the Legislative Assembly Secretariats list of business, the []
Seven-year Old Girl Killed in Srinagar Road Accident
SRINAGAR: A seven-year-old girl died after being hit by a vehicle in the Barbar Shah area of Srinagar city on Sunday evening, officials said. An official said that the girl was critically injured after being struck by a vehicle near Barbar Shah. He said she was shifted to SMHS Hospital, where doctors declared her brought []
NC Legislators Meet Ahead Of Assembly Session, Farooq Abdullah Urges Focus On Public Issues
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) on Sunday held a meeting of its legislators in Srinagar ahead of the upcoming session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The meeting, chaired by NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah at the Banquet Hall, was attended by Chief Minister and Leader of the House Omar Abdullah, []
Nepal flood toll crosses 1,450; over 6,000 still missing
The search for those missing in Nepal has continued across river stretches, debris fields and damaged hydropower projects in Rasuwa and neighbouring districts.
Jammu, Sep 20: The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today laid the foundation stones for projects aimed at the renovation, restoration and revival of the ancient heritage of Purmandal, worth Rs. 7.15 crore, and for renovation, restoration and related development works at the sacred Uttervehini site, worth Rs. 6.85 crore. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor said the initiative was not merely about repairing bricks and stones, but about reconnecting the nation's glorious past with a radiant future. Referring to India's cultural ethos, the Lieutenant Governor noted that the preservation of history, sacred knowledge and values rooted in Dharma serves as the lifeline of a nation. A nation that forgets its heritage loses its foundation. But a nation that respects, preserves and revives its roots ensures that its future generations stand with confidence, resilience, self-belief and a strong sense of identity, the Lieutenant Governor said. The Lieutenant Governor observed that Purmandal, blessed by the sacred Devika River, has for centuries been a site visited by saints, sages and spiritual seekers, and that its ancient temples, stone carvings, sacred ponds and historical structures reflect outstanding architectural and artistic achievement, much of which had diminished by time and neglect. The Lieutenant Governor stated that the old Lakshmi Narayan Temple, the old Shiva Temple, the old Ram Temple at Purmandal, and the historic temple complexes at Uttervehini would be restored using a blend of modern conservation techniques and traditional architectural aesthetics. The Lieutenant Governor also observed that the restoration work would help establish Jammu Kashmir as a leading destination for spiritual and cultural tourism, with improved infrastructure, pathways and lighting creating convenient linkages for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, Shiv Khori, the Raghunath Temple and Baba Amarnath Ji, while also enabling easier access to the spiritual tranquillity of Chhoti Kashi. Highlighting the economic dimension of heritage tourism in the region, the Lieutenant Governor said it will act as a powerful multiplier for local handicrafts, hospitality, homestays, transport and food establishments, generating livelihood opportunities for youth and new markets for artisans and small entrepreneurs. The Lieutenant Governor said the restoration and renovation of sacred sites will directly benefit the people of surrounding areas. By improving access to these sacred places and enhancing their grandeur and dignity, we are opening the doors to the divine spiritual experience of Purmandal and Uttervehini for spiritual seekers arriving from different parts of the country and the world. I also firmly believe that this will boost the local economy and empower communities, because every restored brick, every pathway constructed and every tourist who visits this place will contribute directly to the economic prosperity of the people of the region, he said. The Lieutenant Governor also emphasised the inter-generational significance of the project, stating that when youth walk through the restored corridors of Purmandal and Uttervehini and witness the preservation of centuries-old art and culture, it would instil pride and a stronger connection to their roots. He commended the district administration and all stakeholders involved in the initiative and expressed hope that citizens would join in preserving and protecting these sacred sites for future generations. Our active efforts today to preserve our heritage will bear the fruits of cultural self-confidence, moral strength and social harmony for generations to come. They will protect our young generation from becoming disconnected from its roots and foster a natural reverence for our composite culture and ancient values of life. In the journey towards a developed India, preserving our cultural identity is as important as building highways, digital networks and industrial corridors. Physical development gives momentum to the region and cultural heritage gives society direction and soul, the Lieutenant Governor said. The Lieutenant Governor reiterated his commitment to strengthen and improve road connectivity to Purmandal and Uttervehini. He also appreciated the efforts of the District Administration Samba in providing land for the establishment of the Mata Devika Ved Pathshala in Purmandal. The Lieutenant Governor stated that the funds for the construction of the Ved Pathshala will soon be sanctioned through the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor also launched GCC Gurha Slathia magazine. Chander Prakash Ganga, Member of Legislative Assembly from Vijaypur; Brij Mohan Sharma, Principal Secretary, Culture Department; Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Tejinder Singh, IGP, Jammu; Shridhar Patil, DIG, JSK Range; Ayushi Sudan, Deputy Commissioner Samba; K.K. Sidha, Director, Archives, Archaeology and Museums; Rajesh Gupta, President, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, J&K; Dr. P.S. Pathania, President, Dharmarth Trust; senior officials, religious heads, prominent citizens, youth and devotees in large number attended the foundation stone laying ceremony.
7-Day Autumn Session To Begin In J
Srinagar, Sep 20: Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly will meet here on Monday for a seven-sitting Autumn session as opposition parties, including the BJP and the PDP, plan to corner the Omar Abdullah government over issues such as jobs and failure to fulfil electoral promises. National Conference MLAs and supporting Independents will meet here [] The post 7-Day Autumn Session To Begin In J&K Assembly On Monday appeared first on Northlines .
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday said the Congress would continue to raise peoples genuine concerns in the Assembly despite being in an alliance with the National Conference (NC). We are in alliance with the National Conference, but that does not mean we will not []
Alliance with NC wont stop Congress from raising peoples issues: Karra
Srinagar, 20 : Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president and MLA Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday said the Congress would continue to raise peoples genuine concerns in the Assembly despite being in an alliance with the National Conference (NC). We are in alliance with the National Conference, but that does not mean we will not raise public issues. We will take up genuine concerns and ensure they are expedited, Karra said speaking with reporters in Srinagar, after meeting of Congress legislators ahead of the upcoming Assembly session, as per the news agencyKashmir News Observer (KNO). He said the purpose of the Assembly is to raise questions and ensure that issues concerning people are addressed at the earliest, irrespective of whether they were raised by ruling party members or those from the opposition. The purpose of the Assembly is that work should be done as soon as possible. For that, everyone raises questions, whether it is from the ruling party or the opposition party, he said. Karra said the Congress legislature party meeting was held to discuss the upcoming Assembly session. Asked about the Congresss recent differences with the NC over issues including Vande Mataram and the UPI, Karra said the partys position should be viewed in the broader context of its alliance with the NC. You see it from a very myopic view. We are in an alliance and we are on a principled stand. We took that alliance as a principled stand, keeping in mind the larger picture, he said. He said the alliance would not prevent the Congress from raising issues concerning the public. Being in an alliance does not mean that we will not raise peoples issues. Being in an alliance does not mean that we will not talk about peoples legitimate demands. So there is no connection between that and this, Karra said.(KNO)
SRINAGAR: A Private Members Bill moved by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA from Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, seeking measures to address demographic decline while strengthening womens and maternal health, has been admitted for consideration in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Titled The Protection of Kashmirs Future Generations from Demographic Decline and Advancement of Women, Adolescent []
Kashmir weather delights tourists as shikara rides draw visitors to Srinagars Dal Lake
Srinagar, September 20 : Pleasant weather and scenic Shikara rides at Dal Lake continued to attract tourists in Srinagar, with visitors from Kerala praising the regions weather, hospitality and traditional experiences. A tourist from Kerala, Mahesh, who is currently working in Dubai, said the contrast in weather was noticeable after arriving in Kashmir. Yes, the weather here is very nice. The climate is very pleasant, and its not hot outside. Its very hot, especially in Dubai, but the weather in Kashmir is very nice, he said while speaking to ANI. Mahesh, who stayed on a houseboat, also spoke about his experience there, saying, We stayed in a houseboat, which was also very nice. They provided dinner at night and breakfast as well. He described the Shikara ride as another highlight of his visit. Yes, the Shikara ride was also very nice. We could see many stalls outside, and we bought some clothes and other materials. Everything was very nice, he said. Another tourist, Shamia, also from Kerala, travelled to Kashmir with her family and said they enjoyed the weather and hospitality. Its really nice. I mean, the weather is also very pleasant. I came here with my family, with my parents, and they enjoyed it a lot too. The people here are also very nice. The hospitality here is very, very good, she said, while speaking to ANI. Shamia also recalled her Shikara ride and said the family had photographs taken in Kashmiri outfits. The Shikara ride was also really nice, she said, adding, We also got our photos taken wearing Kashmiri outfits. It was very lovely. During their four-day trip, Shamia said they had visited Sonamarg and Gulmarg and were planning to travel to Pahalgam before returning the following day. Dal Lake, popularly known as the Jewel in the crown of Kashmir, continues to draw domestic and international tourists through the year. Shikara rides remain among the popular attractions for visitors looking to experience Srinagars lake and surrounding scenic beauty. (ANI)
CBI Arrests SDAO, Two Others Over Rs 35,000 Subsidy Demand
Jammu, September 20: The CBI Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Jammu, has arrested a Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO), an Agricultural Extension Assistant and a private person for allegedly demanding Rs 35,000 from a complainant for facilitating the release of subsidy under the High-Density Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The accused have been identified as Rajan Sharma, SDAO, Akhnoor; [] The post CBI Arrests SDAO, Two Others Over Rs 35,000 Subsidy Demand appeared first on Northlines .
Houthis Launch Missile, Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia Amid Rising Tensions
Riyadh, September 20: Tensions in West Asia escalated after Yemens Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including a ballistic missile aimed at the capital Riyadh, which Saudi air defences intercepted, officials said. The Saudi-led coalition said the missile targeting Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed. It also said attempts to target civilians [] The post Houthis Launch Missile, Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia Amid Rising Tensions appeared first on Northlines .
47.3 Kg Heroin, Arms Seized From Four in Faridkot: Punjab Police
Chandigarh, September 20: Punjab Police on Sunday busted a cross-border heroin smuggling network in Faridkot and arrested four operatives, recovering 47.3 kg of heroin, three pistols, three magazines, 15 cartridges and two vehicles, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said. The recovery was made during an operation by Faridkot Police, which led to the dismantling [] The post 47.3 Kg Heroin, Arms Seized From Four in Faridkot: Punjab Police appeared first on Northlines .
Bigg Boss 20: Kashmir Contestant Qazi Touqeer
SRINAGAR: Bollywood actor Salman Khan has clarified that he is in good health after a Bigg Boss 20 promo showed him clutching his chest and appearing to suffer severe pain, with the actor later revealing that the sequence was staged to teach Kashmiri contestant Qazi Touqeer a lesson. The promo of the reality shows Weekend []
SRINAGAR: A proposed four-day Tantra in Silence A Journey Within retreat in Kashmirs Gurez Valley has sparked political and religious controversy, with former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Kashmirs chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam demanding intervention. The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and Bandipora district administration, however, have clarified that they []
US-Iran conflict, crude prices and foreign flows key market triggers next week
Mumbai, Sep 20 : The Indian stock market is likely to remain sensitive to developments around the US-Iran conflict, crude oil prices, US tariff moves and global bond yields in the coming week, with foreign fund flows and rupee movement also expected to influence investor sentiment. Market participants will closely watch developments on the diplomatic front between the US and Iran, as any signs of progress or escalation could have implications for crude oil prices, global risk appetite and equity markets. US tariff developments will also remain in focus. The US House of Representatives has approved a Russia sanctions bill that would empower President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. The move could have implications for major importers such as India and China and may influence global trade and energy flows. Crude oil prices are likely to remain a key market driver, particularly amid concerns that sustained higher energy costs could add to inflationary pressures and weigh on economic growth. Foreign institutional investor (FII) and foreign portfolio investor (FPI) flows will also be closely watched. FIIs and FPIs turned net buyers in the cash market on September 18, purchasing shares worth Rs 599.54 crore more than they sold. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also remained net buyers, with net purchases of Rs 1,019.69 crore on the day. The rupee-dollar movement is expected to add another layer of volatility to equities, particularly amid elevated crude prices and changing global bond yields. The Indian stock market ended the truncated trading week on a weak note, weighed down by higher crude oil prices and rising global bond yields. Concerns over the near-term inflationary impact of higher energy costs and their potential drag on economic growth continued to weigh on investor sentiment. For the week, the Sensex declined 0.65 per cent to close at 74,294.46, while the Nifty slipped 0.22 per cent to end at 23,346.40. Broader market indices, including the midcap and smallcap segments, remained largely flat after a volatile week, following several weeks of outperformance. Investors are likely to track global developments closely in the coming sessions, with geopolitical tensions, energy prices, foreign fund flows and currency movements expected to remain key factors for market direction.
SRINAGAR: The BJP will raise the performance of the National Conference-led government over the past two years during the upcoming Assembly session and seek a white paper detailing the work carried out during its tenure, J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma said on Sunday. Sharma said BJP legislators would question the government []
The Truth About Blood Cancer Trends & Diagnosis | In Conversation with Abid Bashir
FULL PODCAST | Dr Ishfaq Rashid, Consultant Clinical Haematology & Blood and Marrow Transplantation, says blood cancers are showing a constant trend, while advances in technology have improved cancer detection. He explains the role of CBC, bone marrow tests, flow cytometry and molecular tests in diagnosing blood cancers. In conversation with Rising Kashmirs Abid Bashir
Dry Weather Likely Across Jammu Kashmir For Next Five Days: MeT
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir is likely to experience mainly dry weather over the next five days, with isolated rainfall possible at some places on September 25 and 26, the Meteorological Centre Srinagar said on Sunday. According to the latest forecast issued by the India Meteorological Department, weather is expected to remain dry across Kashmir and []
LG Sinha condoles journalist Payal Mehtas demise
Srinagar, Sept 20:Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday expressed grief over the untimely demise of journalist Payal Mehta. In a post on X, Sinha said he was saddened to hear about Mehtas passing and remembered her for her deep ground-level reporting and kindness. Known for her deep ground-level reporting and immense kindness, she leaves behind a lasting legacy in journalism, the LG said. Sinha conveyed his thoughts and prayers to the bereaved family and colleagues of the journalist. Om Shanti, he said.
For over a decade, gangs across Jammu and Kashmir have sold ordinary stones and false promises as rare heavenly metal, duping victims out of crores through fake science and fear of missing out. Seven men sat inside Police Station Heerpora on a Saturday in Shopian. Beside them lay a box holding a plain stone and []
Short: DC Pulwama reviews implementation of PM-NAPS
Short: JKBOSE holds consultative meeting on development of vocational courses
Short: Haj-2027: HCoI allots 500 seats under Mehram category
Why Has Kashmir Developed a Costly Obsession with Social Approval?
by Dr Farooq A. Lone Kashmirs obsession with social approval is driving extravagant weddings, wasteful spending, debt and anxiety. The article urges families to embrace simplicity, preserve traditions and prioritise dignity over display. We hear some sentences so often that we stop noticing their power. Lukh kya wanun? Log kya kahenge? What will people say? []
Short: Stormy session awaits J&K Assembly tomorrow
Short: Winter knocks early as Kashmir feels first chill
Invasive Weed Completes Life Cycle in Kashmir, Study Warns of Spread into Agricultural Ecosystems
SRINAGAR: An invasive weed capable of surviving Kashmirs sub-zero winters and completing its life cycle in the Valley has established a self-sustaining population in a rice-growing area of Pulwama, raising concerns about its potential spread into agricultural and non-crop ecosystems under changing climatic conditions, according to a 2026 study published in Applied Biological Research. []
They Ignored Our Little Kids! Srinagar Family Slams Govt After Boat Sinks
Spending nights in a tent after their dream donga boat sank last week, this Srinagar family regrets casting votes for NC saying nobody from government visited them let alone offering them help. When government doesn't bother about little kinds and a homeless family, it has no right to rule, say family members. Watch this special report with Abid Bashir Camera and Edit: Musaib Fayaz
Two_week high_altitude field ecology course concludes at SKUAST_K
Srinagar,: A two-week specialised High-Altitude Field Ecology Course for young Ph.D. researchers working on high-altitude Himalayan ecology concluded yesterday at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir), Shalimar. The programme was jointly organised by the Division of Wildlife Sciences, SKUAST-Kashmir, and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR), Bengaluru, under the aegis []
Mauritius President awards Crown Jewel of World Tamils to VIT Vice-President Sekar Viswanathan
VELLORE: Dr. Sekar Viswanathan, Vice-President of VIT, received the prestigious Crown Jewel of World Tamils award ('Ulaga Thamizhar Maamani') in recognition of his exemplary contributions to higher education at the World Tamil Economic Conference held in Mauritius. The 13th edition of the Global Tamils Economic Conference and Global Economic Summit took place in Mauritius from September 11 to 13. The event brought together over 200 participants, including heads of state, government ministers, economic experts, and investors from more than 20 countries. Discussions at the conference focused on international investments, new business connections, artificial intelligence, financial services, higher education, healthcare, startups, and global trade. VIT Chancellor Dr. G. Viswanathan , Minister for School Education Rajmohan, and V.R.S. Sampath, President of the Madras Development Society and President of the World Tamils Economic Foundation, were among the dignitaries who attended the event. Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool presided over the ceremony and presented the awards. Sekar Viswanathan, alongside other prominent Tamils from various fields across the world, was honoured with the Crown Jewel of World Tamils 'Ulaga Thamizhar Maamani' award.
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh confident BJP will secure support in October bypolls
The News Mill
Journalist Payal Sharma passes away in Mumbai, PM Modi expresses grief
Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 20 (IANS) Journalist Payal Sharma passed away in Mumbai early on Sunday. She was 46. Mehta developed uneasiness late on Saturday night and was rushed to the hospital at around 2 a.m., according to colleagues. However, before any treatment could be administered, the doctors did not find any pulse. Payal Mehta was working as an Assistant Editor with CNN-News 18. Condolences poured in following her demise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to express grief over the passing of the journalist. Payal Mehta Ji was a hardworking journalist who remained firmly connected to the ground, bringing a deep understanding of national issues to her reporting, PM Modi posted on X. Beyond her work, she will be remembered for the kindness and warmth with which she touched so many lives. Her sudden and untimely passing is extremely saddening. My condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. May they find strength in this difficult hour. Om Shanti, he added. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed shock and sadness over the passing of Mehta. Taking to X, Singh said, Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the untimely passing of journalist Payal Mehta. She has left us far too soon. Payal was an extremely hardworking and dedicated journalist who covered the Parliament beat with great commitment and professionalism. During Parliament sessions, she would be present from early morning till late at night, tirelessly following the proceedings and doing her work with remarkable dedication, Singh said, offering heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also offered condolences, remembering Mehta as a hardworking and diligent journalist. Deeply saddened by the passing of Payal Mehta ji. A hardworking and diligent journalist, she covered Parliament and had a keen understanding of public affairs. Her untimely passing is deeply distressing, Kharge said in a post on X. My heartfelt condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. May they find strength in this difficult hour, he added.
First Asian Games gold goes to Japan as China's 13-year-old Yu lights up pool
The first gold medal of the 20th Asian Games was won on Sunday by host nation Japan as a 13-year-old swimmer from China started in blistering form on the opening day of the multisports extravaganza. Even the rain held off, and I was in top form right up until I stood on the starting line, added Hojo, who also won the Asian Games test triathlon a year ago on the same course.
Notorious Naxalite Commander Brijesh Ganjhu Killed in Encounter with ATS in Varanasi
Brijesh Ganjhu, a wanted Naxalite commander, was shot dead in an encounter with the ATS in Varanasi, carrying a bounty of 30 lakh. Notorious Naxalite Commander Brijesh Ganjhu Killed in Encounter with ATS in Varanasi
Mumbai: 2 dead, 4 injured in electrocution near Ganesh pandal in Lalbaug
The incident took place near the entrance gate of the Kalachowki Vibhag Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal on Dattaram Lad Marg, Kalachowki, at around 2.20 am
Govt jobs to one lakh youth in Uttar Pradesh, says Adityanath
25-30 thousand more recruitments will take place through UPSSSC results and 20-25 thousand recruitments through the Uttar Pradesh Education Selection Commission
Chennai Prepares for Ganesh Visarjan with Enhanced Security Measures
Chennai ramps up security for Ganesh Visarjan with 16,500 police deployed to ensure a peaceful celebration and smooth traffic management. Chennai Prepares for Ganesh Visarjan with Enhanced Security Measures
