Will meet PM, LG, CM shortly; dont worry about foreign advisories, India enough for us; Kashmir belongs to countrys people: ChayaKS News Desk Srinagar, May 12: The Kashmir hoteliers on Monday said a big announcement will be made in the tourism sector soon and that they will soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.Addressing a press conference here, prominent hotelier and president of Hoteliers Club Kashmir, Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya said there is a good news that 32 airports have started functioning again and the people of Kashmir, like other parts of India, are happy with the decision as it will mark a beginning of tourist arrival again.We are expecting a flow of tourists again. Many families are dependent on the tourism sector. We appeal to the people across India to visit Kashmir again, he said.He added that the sector has witnessed huge losses, but none of the employees have been fired by the hoteliers or others so far, as everyone is hopeful of resumption in tourism activities.Time is the best healer. The situation has improved and they (tourists) will come to the Valley again to enjoy. Kashmir is theirs and they are ours, he said while replying to a query.When asked about the arrival of tourists again following the Pahalgam tragedy that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead, Chaya said they will meet the Lieutenant Governor soon and a big announcement will be made by him and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah."I cant share the details at present, but you will be informed of it shortly. We will also meet the Prime Minister soon; his voice is strong for the whole nation," he said.He clarified that advisories have been issued by America and not India.India is enough for us, he said, adding that the reply to the Pahalgam carnage has been given and there was no issue now that could deter the tourists from visiting Kashmir.Pertinently, the tourist footfall declined in the valley following the Pahalgam killings on April 22, 2025. The tour operators had reported cancellation of bookings, which affected the tourism sector. (KNO)
KS News DeskSrinagar, May 6: Jammu and Kashmir Bank, which crossed the Rs 2,000-crore profit mark in fiscal year 2024-25, aims to cross the Rs 5,000 crore profit milestone by 2030, its Managing Director and CEO Amitava Chatterjee has said.Chatterjee emphasized on the need for the bank to focus more on supporting the agriculture sector, while expanding its footprints in the rest of the country as part of its diversification plan."The vision or aspiration of the bank is to cross Rs 5,000 crore profit by 2030. So that will be our way forward. Yes, we have increased the net profit by Rs 300-400 crore in the last fiscal. Obviously we would like to increase it by Rs 500 crore next year, but the ultimate vision is to cross Rs 5,000 crore by 2030," Chatterjee told PTI. He said the bank has been raising the bar each passing year by posting record profits for the past three financial years. For the full 2024-25 fiscal, the bank reported nearly an 18 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 2,082.46 crore, compared to Rs 1,767.27 crore reported for FY 2023-24. Chatterjee said, the bank is one of the main pillars of supporting the local economy, besides the government. "We need to continuously support the local economy and we need to support the agriculture sector much more than what we have been able to do in the past," he said, adding "on the agriculture front, we are now focusing more on investment credit".Commenting on the revision of MSME criteria, he said it is likely that the Jammu and Kashmir region will come up with new units in the small and medium sector. "There is another very good scheme, YUVA, being introduced by the government. It also gives us a very good opportunity to support 3.5 lakh youth of the region to get into some new kind of a business. Within this state, we are well placed to support the people and we are going to do that," he noted. Chatterjee said, while the bank has a strong presence in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union territories, it has a significant presence in the rest of the country as well."... We are present in 20 other states of the country. This gives us an opportunity of diversification. While we are very focused and positive in our growth strategy in the two union territories, we will also try to diversify our portfolio to the other parts of the country," he said. (PTI)
Srinagar, Jan 24: The Handicrafts and Handloom Department Kashmir on Friday urged stakeholders associated with craft sector to gain access to new and contemporary designs created in the Design Studio of the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT) here.The initiative is aimed to further strengthen foothold in country and overseas markets,Apart from hand-knotted rugs, the Design Studio is also offering new designs for Kani and Sozni-embroidered Pashmina Shawls and Stoles, which are in tune with the buyers demand in the international market.In a handout issued here, Director IICT Zubair Ahmad said that the Design Studio in the Institute is well-equipped with the latest software and expert designers for creating new and contemporary designs, catering to the prevalent demand at the global level."The software has made creation of contemporary carpet and shawl designs easier, as compared to the traditional and archaic way of design development that used to consume months together for a group of persons, he said.Offering contemporary designs on nominal charges, Director IICT advised the concerned stakeholders to visit IICT premises at Nowshera, for a firsthand exposure experience."Recently, we have sold new Kani shawl and carpet designs to various business houses, which will surely boost sale of their products in overseas market. Zubair further said that as many as 2,687 carpet and 473 Kani shawl designs have been developed by IICT so far. Most of these designs have been provided to the handicraft stakeholders in the form of computerised design scripts, locally known as Taleem, on nominal charges, he added.
'Results likely to get delayed in absence of Chairman' Jammu, Jan 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) on Wednesday said the result of the class 10th examinations will be declared soon after the appointment of the Chairman of the Board. The statement comes amid the uncertainty about the declaration of the results by JKBOSE. In an official handout issued here, JKBOSE has advised students not to pay heed to fake links and websites announcing declaration of class 10 results. "Result of class 10th will be declared within few days soon after the appointment of new Chairman," the statement reads. The JKBOSE has stated that the results of annual examination of class 10 of Kashmir valley and winter zone areas of Jammu Division are almost ready. "But its approval by Result Declaration Committee headed by BOSE Chairman is a pre- requisite before its declaration. In absence of the Chairman the results are likely to get a little delayed," it reads. The JKBOSE officials have advised the students to wait for the formal declaration on the official website of the Board- www.jkbose.nic.in. "Students should not get misled by scamesters and fake narratives circulated by some mischievous elements, whose sole aim is to create confusion in the innocent student community," the statement reads.
Suhail Khan Baramulla, Jan 6: A young aerospace engineer from Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district is proving that dedication and ambition can propel one to global heights. Munaf-ul-Raquib who holds a B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering, has gained international recognition for his research on black holes and cosmology. Munaf-ul-Raquib revealed that his paper on the thermodynamics of black holes was recently published in the International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). “About a year ago, I conducted research on the gravity of black holes and cosmology, which has now been published in IJSR,” he said. He said that since his research was published in the international journal, he has been receiving opportunities from various countries to participate in research dialogues. Raquib added that in the coming months he is scheduled to participate in international conferences in Paris on April 16 and later in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Sopore aerospace engineer noted that he is also participating in various conferences across different countries. Speaking about his research, Munaf-ul-Raquib addressed a fundamental paradox in astrophysics: how black holes can appear to violate thermodynamic laws, particularly concerning entropy.“If we observe a black hole, it seems to contradict thermodynamic principles,” he said. Using the frameworks of Anti-de Sitter space (AdS) and Conformal Field Theory (CFT), Raqeeb’s research proposes a theoretical model that reconciles black hole mechanics with thermodynamics. “In this paper, I have explained how a black hole can function without violating thermodynamic laws,” he said. He described the achievement as both personal and symbolic. “It is a proud moment for me to represent my state, especially Sopore, on an international platform,” he said. Raqeeb shared that Astrophysics was his childhood dream, and his grandfather encouraged me immensely. "After my grandfather passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic, my parents continued to champion my aspirations. My parents left no stone unturned in helping me pursue my dreams,” he said. He said that his academic path included taking the JEE and later the AME CET entrance exams, through which he secured a seat in aerospace engineering at the Nasik Research Centre. “My parents not only supported me morally but also created an environment where I could pursue my dreams freely,” he said. He emphasized the role of family in nurturing talent. “Just as my parents supported me, it is the responsibility of all parents to help their children follow their dreams.” “Young people should avoid wrong practices. They must dream of a beautiful tomorrow but work hard today to make their parents proud,” he further added.
Srinagar, Jan 8: The University of Kashmir (KU) has made the biometric attendance mandatory for the students of its affiliated colleges from Academic session 2026-27. The development comes in wake of the complaints about the thin attendance of the students in various private B.Ed colleges affiliated with the Kashmir University. A circular in this regard has been issued by the Assistant Registrar Dean Colleges Development Council (DCDC) of the University. "All the Chairpersons and Principals of private affiliated colleges of the University of Kashmir are hereby informed that biometric attendance for all the enrolled students and staff has been made mandatory from the year 2026-27," the KU circular reads. The Principals of all the affiliated colleges have been directed to install biometric attendance machines in their respective institutions on or before the commencement of the Academic year 2026-27 under intimation to the Dean College Development Council of the University. "The college shall also ensure proper upkeep, maintenance, and systematic preservation of all biometric attendance records for future reference and verification," it reads. The Colleges have been directed to comply with this directive "without fail." The move comes in wake of the inspections conducted last year by the DCDC of KU in various B.Ed colleges where most of the students were found absent. An official said that there were complaints about the poor attendance of the students in B.Ed colleges. "The students do not attend their B.Ed classes regularly which defeats the purpose of the course," the official said. Earlier, DCDC of KU earlier barred the B.Ed students to appear in teh semester exams for falling short of attendance. The decision was taken in wake of the surprise inspection conducted by Dean College Development Council (DCDC) in various B.Ed colleges of Kashmir in June-July month of 2025 and several students were found absent from the classes. Following this, the students were directed to attend supplementary classes to complete the recommended attendance for appearing in their exams. Also, the exam of these students was deferred by few months.
Srinagar, Jan 8: The Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has pulled up the officers vested with the powers of Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) as their additional assignment, for indulging in administrative works, beyond their domain. As per the order issued by the Director School Education Kashmir Naseer Ahmad Wani, the officers having additional DDO powers, have been reprimanded for going beyond their role of duties. "It has come to the notice of the DSEK that many officers of the department vested with DDOs powers are affecting transfers and doing administrative works having no authority to do so," the order reads. As per the order, all these DDOs holding charge in additional capacity have been asked to utilise the powers for the purpose of drawing and disbursing salary and other financial matters within the limits of the authority. "The officers shall not exercise any administrative powers particularly with respect to the transfer of staff," it reads. The DSEK has warned of disciplinary action in case of violation of the order by any officers. "Any deviation from the instant order shall be viewed seriously and invite disciplinary action," it reads.
KS News Desk Srinagar, Jan 7: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said that growing depression and frustration among youth is pushing them towards taking the wrong steps. She said this while referring to the recent Red Fort blast incident. Mehbooba Mufti while speaking at a function marking the 10th death anniversary of her father and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mehbooba said the younger generation is grappling with uncertainty and lack of opportunities, which is having serious social consequences. Overcome with emotion during her address, Mehbooba Mufti broke down while remembering her father, describing him as a statesman who believed in peace, courage and people-centric politics. “On the 10th death anniversary of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Sahab, we honour a leader whose legacy of reconciliation, courage and commitment to the people continues to inspire us,” she said. She reiterated the need to address the concerns of youth and restore hope, stating that only meaningful engagement and inclusive politics can prevent alienation. (KNC)
