Srinagar, Feb 12: North Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid Thursday made a strong and emotional appeal to the Union Government, urging it not to strangle the livelihoods of daily wagers, contractual and consolidated employees and warning that development built on their suffering would amount to grave injustice. During his address in the House, Engineer Rashid said that irrespective of who owns the wealth or who builds grand structures, every palace is ultimately constructed on the sweat and blood of workers. “If we fail to respect their labour and sacrifice, it will be a great injustice,” he said. Drawing attention to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the MP said the House would be shocked to learn that thousands of daily wagers, contractual and consolidated employees, working in factories, workshops and government departments have remained unregularised for decades. He pointed out that many of them were engaged in their youth, their children are now in their twenties and the employees themselves have crossed fifty years of age, yet continue to be denied regular status. Sharing a personal example, Engineer Rashid said he himself worked in the public sector in 2008 and even after leaving the job fourteen years ago, dues in his area remain unpaid till date, reflecting the harsh realities faced by daily wagers and contractual staff. Citing the saying of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he reminded the House that wages must be paid before the sweat dries and questioned why even the right to strike is being taken away from such employees. Er Rashid urged the government to bring, if not immediately, then at least in the near future, a national policy for the regularisation of daily wagers, contractual and consolidated employees working in factories, semi government organisation and government departments, so that families forced to survive on uncertainty can earn dignified livelihoods. Engineer Rashid also raised serious concern over the condition of porters working along border areas, from Karnah to Kanyakumari, who serve alongside the Army and BSF but whose rights remain completely unprotected. He cited cases from Baramulla where porters lost their lives while on duty and received only token compensation with no proper rehabilitation and demanded statutory protection of their rights. Highlighting the plight of employees in the unorganised sector, he questioned the adequacy of the minimum wage, asking what could possibly be managed in Rs 350 per day. He pointed out that even inside Parliament, sanitation staff who repeatedly greet MPs are themselves denied dignified wages, despite being an essential but unorganised workforce. The MP further criticised the functioning of labour courts and labour administration stating that accident victims are forced to wander for justice when daily wagers or contractual employees lose limbs or suffer serious injuries at workplaces. He said labour courts and designated officials often treat such postings casually, resulting in denial of timely relief. Engineer Rashid also warned that economic growth figures and trillion-dollar dreams are meaningless if achieved by crushing daily wagers, contractual and consolidated employees. “Do not choke them,” he appealed. “Whether the palace is yours or the wealth belongs to someone else, it is built on their blood and sweat. Ignoring their rights will be a grave injustice.”

Srinagar, Feb 12: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Thursday raised critical concerns about governance in the J&K Assembly while paying tribute to the institutional dignity that must be preserved. Commenting on the Roads and Buildings Department, he said that the Deputy Chief Minister now holds a portfolio once led by distinguished leaders such as Mirza Afzal Beg, Devidas Thakur, Mangat Ram Sharma, Muzaffar Baig and Nirmal Singh. He expressed hope that the current minister would uphold its dignity. "Currently, it does not look like it. I pray that the dignity of this chair remains intact," he said. In his address, Lone drew attention to a fundamental issue where the Assembly represents a Union Territory that was downgraded from what was once the strongest House in India. "The strongest House in India was downgraded to a Union Territory," he said. He said this reduction in status means that votes cast in Jammu and Kashmir are considered less powerful than those in states like Gujarat or Haryana. "They belittle us. But when a sitting minister belittles an MLA, they assist Delhi in this demeaning," Lone added. He stressed that such behavior makes officials complicit in undermining the Assembly's stature. He emphasised that the Assembly is accountable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir who elected its members. "We are accountable to the people of J&K who elected this Assembly and I must answer them tomorrow. When the minister acts according to his own whims, who answers the people?" he asked. Lone appealed for respect toward the House and its MLAs. "MLA has their constitutional role and a minister has theirs. You are also an MLA—why not stand for the dignity of the House?" Drawing from personal experience, he added, "I speak from experience. The same could happen to you tomorrow." Reflecting on his time on the ministerial benches, Lone recalled, "I was once on that bench and I say with my hand on my heart that when ruling party MLAs claimed certain things were happening, I refused to accept it. The existing MLA decides, not outsiders. They left in anger, but this is the reality we must all face." On technical matters, Lone raised concerns about macadamization, expressing bewilderment at official claims. "I do not understand what they mean when they say, 'Sir, macadamization has happened.' It is as if they are living on another planet," he said. He said that the reality on the ground tells a starkly different story. "Look at the state of the roads. The macadam is not even finished before it begins coming off the next day," he added. He insisted that the minister must be held responsible for this failure. "When decisions involving thousands of crores of rupees are made, there must be accountability. Why does the macadam lift after a few days?" Lone further criticized the biased allocation of funds saying that the minister, especially the Deputy Chief Minister, cannot say, "I will give less here and more there. That is not appropriate." Turning to institutional matters, he made a strong appeal for the revival of the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation, describing it as the region's own corporation and a source of pride that was unfortunately shut down. On the issue of undervaluation in tendering processes, Lone highlighted a systemic problem. "If our engineers set a tender at 100 rupees and someone bids 50, either the engineer erred—in which case accountability is needed—or it is impossible." He proposed implementing a 10 percent band system suggesting for setting a 10 percent band. "If a tender is 100 rupees, reject bids below 90 and above 120." He emphasized the long-term consequences of this problem. "For the past 70 years, undervaluation has caused contracts to fail. We cannot allow unqualified contractors to undercut our educated engineers." When questioned about the constitutional viability of rejecting the lowest tender by the Speaker, Lone firmly responded, "Yes, we can. The Constitution does not force us to close our eyes." He pointed out that global practices are evolving. "Globally, lowest bidding is no longer the norm. It is questioned in medicine and other sectors because it can produce substandard outcomes. Even the GeM portal faces such issues. Billions of rupees have been lost due to unviable low bids." On infrastructure development, Lone requested the construction of a major highway to Kupwara in North Kashmir comparable to those in South Kashmir. "Big highways are the true paths to development and this has not been done." Addressing industrial policy, he highlighted a troubling disparity under the NCSS 2021-22 package. "A package of 28,400 crore rupees was released. 26,000 crore went to Jammu and only 2,000 crore to Kashmir. This is deeply unfair."  He criticized changes to laws such as the requirement of four kanals to build a hotel. "Most hotels in India occupy less than one kanal, but here the poor cannot participate. Land and capital requirements exclude them. Industrial packages including tourism and service sectors have largely failed to benefit Kashmir." On mining administration, Lone revealed concerning findings. "Inquiries show that nine out of 20 District Mining Officers have pending inquiries yet were appointed to these posts." He documented a dramatic escalation in costs, stating the cost of a sand truck has risen from 2,500–3,000 rupees before 2019 to 15,000–20,000 now. "The additional amount mostly benefits corporate interests while laborers receive only a fraction." He raised ecological concerns and argued that allowing outsiders to mine destroys local environments whereas local villagers would self-regulate. "This House is responsible not only for current governance but also for future generations." Lone also raised the issue about the rising unemployment crisis, noting that sand mining once provided employment to many people, supplied affordable construction materials and supported local livelihoods.  "Corporate dominance since 2019 has disrupted this," he said. He urged for a return to traditional manual methods that historically balanced employment needs with ecological sustainability and community welfare.

Srinagar, Feb 12: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference on Thursday expressed concern over the continued detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, who has been held under the Public Safety Act since September 2024, and called for a review of his case. Speaking to the media, a party spokesperson, citing party President Sajad Gani Lone, emphasized the importance of ensuring that elected representatives are able to fulfill their responsibilities to their constituents. "We believe that the situation requires careful and humane consideration, along with meaningful dialogue, to uphold democratic values and public trust," the spokesperson said, adding that the party continues to advocate for fair and transparent processes while appealing for his release so that justice is served to those who placed their trust in him and gave him their mandate. The spokesperson stressed that JKPC hopes for a prompt resolution that strikes a balance between legitimate concerns and the expectations of the people. "JKPC remains committed to democratic principles and looks forward to a positive outcome in this matter so that the people regain their rightful representation and the ideals of democracy can flourish," the statement reads.

Srinagar, Feb 11: Airtel, has unveiled its innovative Fraud Alert, an AI-powered, cutting-edge solution that delivers real-time protection to customers against the rapidly growing menace of One-Time-Password (OTP)-related bank frauds. The move is part of its ongoing efforts to combat the menace of spam. "Fraudsters exploit the urgency often associated with OTPs for day-to-day services like delivery, and dupe customers into sharing banking-transaction-OTPs, thereby exposing their account savings to the risk of fraud," a handout reads. Airtel's new AI-powered system identifies such potentially risky situations and warns the customers involved. Whenever a bank OTP is detected during a potentially risky incoming call, Airtel intervenes with a fraud alert check to the customer about the potential risk of giving consent for a banking transaction OTP to be delivered while they are still on the call.  "This powerful combination of AI-driven intelligence and human judgment gives customers the crucial time they need to think, verify, and stay firmly in control of their security, effectively closing the gap scammers exploit," it reads. Commenting on the initiative Managing Director and CEO Airtel,  India Shashwat Sharma said they are on a mission to make Airtel the safe network. "While working towards this, we have realised that despite the foundational role played by One-Time Passwords (OTPs) in securing digital transactions, their efficacy is frequently being undermined by criminal tactics," Shashwat Sharma said. "We are, therefore, pleased to announce a significant advancement in Airtel’s network layer that is designed to strengthen protection against banking frauds."  Airtel's newly developed, AI-powered, autonomous solution operates proactively at network level and is engineered to detect and intervene against fraudulent activity in real-time. "Extensive trials have demonstrated a remarkable level of accuracy and impact in preventing the menace of such scams.” Over the past two years, Airtel has rolled out AI-powered, tech-led safeguards like spam- call warnings and malicious link-blocking to stop frauds at the source. While it has succeeded in its efforts to reduce fraud on its network to a great extent, fraudsters have continued to exploit human vulnerabilities through impersonation and social engineering. This breakthrough feature designed to protect mobile phone users is yet another step to protect its customers from digital fraud. This solution is already live in Haryana and Airtel will roll it out to 100 percent of its customers over the next two weeks.