Officials urge residents not to park vehicles along roadside as it hinders snow clearance ops
Waris Fayaz
Baramulla, Dec 18 :
Administration here in North Kashmir’s Baramulla District has put its men and machinery on alert as the Valley braces for a wet spell with light to moderate rain and snow forecast between December 20 and 22.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that over 34 snow-clearance machines of the Mechanical Engineering Department have been kept ready in Baramulla district. “Truck-mounted snow ploughs number around 13, while 15 tractor-mounted machines have been positioned to clear narrow and interior roads across various sectors of the district,” they added.
“Out of the 13 truck-mounted machines, one has been shifted to the Watergam unit, three to Kreeri and two to Sopore, with the remaining kept at the Baramulla control room to cater to its jurisdiction,” officials said, adding, “Similarly, three snow cats have been moved to the Watergam control unit, while two each have been stationed at Kreeri and Sopore, to ensure swift response in upper-reach and difficult terrain areas.”
Assistant Executive Engineer Tanveer Ahmed of the Mechanical Department said the department is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality in case of snowfall, asserting that all machines and field staff have been placed on standby. “Control rooms will remain functional to respond to snow-related emergencies in coordination with civil and police administration,” he added.
Meanwhile, authorities have urged residents not to park vehicles along road sides, saying haphazard parking hampers snow-clearance operations and may delay restoration of traffic during snowfall.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Baramulla has issued a weather advisory, asking people, especially those living in vulnerable and slope-side areas, to avoid unnecessary travel until conditions improve.
People have been advised to contact the District Emergency Operation Centre Baramulla, Emergency Response Support System in Srinagar and Police Control Room Baramulla for any emergency during the advisory period, with the DEOC landline 01952 234343, WhatsApp numbers 7006493646 and 7006921302, ERSS helpline 112 and police control room 9596767768—(KNO)
[12/20, 7:32 AM] Kq Jio: Free ration, LPG cylinder promises to be fulfilled within 6 months: Minister Satish Sharma
Says we will respond to terrorism with tourism, no one will sleep hungry
Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Dec 19 (KNO): Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Satish Sharma on Friday said that no one will sleep hungry in J&K and government will fulfil its promise of free ration and LPG cylinders within the next six months.
Talking to reporters here, Minister Sharma, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “Promises of free ration and gas cylinders will be fulfilled within next six months. Welfare of the poor remains a top priority. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure that all commitments are met.”
The Minister said: “We are peace-loving people. Our message is clear and we will respond to terrorism with tourism. The government will stand by every poor family. No one will sleep hungry and our promises will be fulfilled within the next six months.”
“A comprehensive plan has been put in place to ensure uninterrupted food supplies during the harsh winter months, particularly in snow-bound and high-altitude districts,” the Minister said, adding, “Essential commodities have been dumped across all winter zones. There will be no shortage even during extended highway closures.”
He also shared that the department has initiated the ‘procurement of 20 mobile testing laboratories’ for district-level quality checks. “Each district will have a mobile lab vehicle to monitor ration and food quality. Strict action will follow against adulteration,” he said, referring to recent issues involving raw meat and eggs.
Admitting that resource limitations remain a challenge, the minister said: “We inherited several problems and expectations have multiplied a thousandfold in the past decade. Despite limited funds, we are working with honesty and fairness. Justice will be done.”
On the issue of pending ration cards and split families, Sharma said discrepancies are being addressed. “We have requested the Centre to extend special concessions to J&K given its unique geography. Split families, widows and other deserving groups are genuine cases and we are committed to their inclusion,” he said.
He said the department’s Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) are being streamlined to ensure that posts created are absorbed swiftly. “Many employees have worked hard for years. I will personally ensure justice is done to the first three districts by January,” Sharma said, adding that it was a commitment of the Omar Abdullah government to deliver fairness and merit-based progress.
He also appreciated the Chief Minister’s support and Delhi’s assistance, saying: “Our Chief Minister is positive and determined. Without Delhi’s support, it would have been difficult. We expect liberal funding ahead similar to the progressive aid seen during Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure.”
The minister said coordination with the Punjab government is ongoing to address inter-state food supply issues, which were delayed earlier due to administrative and logistical hurdles.
He said winter sports and tourism are being revived as part of J&K’s broader development vision. “We are introducing downhill cycling, water sports and skiing in Sonmarg. The aim is to turn youth passion into profession and to fight drugs through sports,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s wider developmental approach, Sharma added that the administration is also working on the solarisation of 200 units including shrines, construction of new playfields and supporting tourism-based employment—(KNO)
[12/20, 7:32 AM] Kq Jio: CS assesses cyber security framework implementation across J&K
Sets deadlines for asset inventorization and SDC augmentation
Jammu, Dec 19 (KNO): Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress achieved under the Cyber Security Action Plan being implemented across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Administrative Secretaries of all departments, Inspector General of Police (Crime), Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations, Deputy Director General, NIC, Chief Executive Officer, JaKeGA, and other senior officers concerned.
At the outset, the Chief Secretary undertook a comprehensive review of the initiatives launched to strengthen the cyber security architecture of the UT. He assessed the status of decommissioning of redundant government websites and sought updates on the security audit of departmental portals, installation of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solutions in the offices of Heads of Departments, besides other measures aimed at safeguarding government digital infrastructure against emerging cyber threats.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed the progress of key projects, including augmentation of the State Data Centre (SDC), operationalization of a Mini Security Operations Centre (SOC), adoption of official government e-mail IDs by employees, expansion of Government Drive usage, and capacity-building initiatives undertaken to promote cyber hygiene across departments.
Stressing the need for a holistic and robust protection mechanism for IT assets, the Chief Secretary directed that all concerned Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) to complete the inventorization of IT assets on the e-SAM portal within the next one month to strengthen monitoring and security of government assets.
He further instructed the NIC to prepare a comprehensive action plan within a month for augmenting the capacity of the State Data Centre and implementing additional cyber security measures to make the system foolproof across J&K.
Earlier the IGP, Crime, Sujit Singh apprised the meeting about a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of cyber forensic capabilities at CICE, J&K. He added that the process involves a detailed examination of existing systems, emerging requirements and future-ready initiatives aimed at strengthening cyber forensic infrastructure across the UT.
Singh further apprised that a structured three-phase approach has been adopted for this purpose. The first phase focuses on a thorough evaluation of technical specifications and proposed tools required for the establishment of CICE and Cyber Police Stations.
The second phase involves examination of these tools in the context of emerging cyber threats such as deep fakes, encrypted mobile communications and data breaches. The third phase entails comparative analysis and consultations regarding the latest tools available in the market.
During the meeting, Secretary, Information Technology Department, Dr. Piyush Singla, gave detailed overview of the implementation of cyber security plan in J&K. He informed that the security audit of departmental websites has been completed, and 35 redundant websites have been decommissioned after due consultation with the concerned departments.
He further apprised that EDR and UEM solutions have been successfully deployed across the Civil Secretariat complexes in Jammu and Srinagar, covering nearly 5,100 devices, with an additional 15,000 devices in HoD offices scheduled to be secured by January 2026.
The meeting was also informed that 28 departments have initiated the census of IT assets following nomination of users, while 14 departments have been asked to expedite the process. With regard to the adoption of official government e-mail IDs, it was informed that the user base has reached 1.81 lakh, with about 35,000 users added since May 2025, and 3,500 requests processed since the last review meeting.
Other cyber security initiatives discussed included deployment of 19 honey pots by the department, with CERT-In scheduled to provide training for their effective usage. It was also revealed that the white listing of USB/pen drives remains limited to 30 cases, while the number of Government Drive users has increased to 318 across departments.
CEO, JaKeGA, Mahima Madan, briefed the meeting on key interventions undertaken by the agency, including migration of select applications to the national MeghRaj Cloud, augmentation of the State Data Centre, operationalization of the Mini SOC at Jammu, which is planned to be upgraded into a full-fledged SOC and the phased migration of government websites from IPv4 to IPv6 by the end of the current year.
Emphasizing a proactive and coordinated approach to cyber security, the Chief Secretary underscored that robust digital safety mechanisms are vital for ensuring efficiency, transparency, and reliability in governance. He directed all departments to work in close coordination with the IT Department, plug existing gaps, adopt best cyber security practices, and complete all pending tasks within the stipulated timelines—(KNO)
[12/20, 7:32 AM] Kq Jio: Over 17,000 street vendors benefit under PM SVANidhi in J&K; ₹48 cr disbursed
Raja Syed Rather
Srinagar, Dec 17 (KNO): Nearly 17,000 street vendors in Jammu and Kashmir have benefited from the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme and over ₹48 crore loan disbursed so far, as per the official data tabled in Parliament shows.
In a written reply by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in response to a Lok Sabha question, as said to a news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a total of 17,315 street vendors in Jammu and Kashmir are registered as beneficiaries under this scheme.
The data further reveals that loans amounting to ₹50.83 crore have been approved in favour of these vendors. So far, ₹48.18 crore has already been disbursed, which depicts a high disbursal rate in the Union Territory.
The Ministry said, “Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) play a key role in identifying eligible street vendors through surveys conducted under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, or through verification of applications submitted on the PM SVANidhi portal.”
After the verification is completed, eligible vendors are provided with Certificates of Vending, identity cards or Letters of Recommendation (LoR). Then their loan applications are sent to banks and other lending institutions for approval and disbursement. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) also facilitate vendors through handholding, mobilising applicants and coordinating with banks to ensure loans are released promptly.
For effective implementation of the scheme, the Union Government asked the State and UT administrations, including Jammu and Kashmir, to regularly monitor the performance of ULBs and lending institutions. Pertinently, SVANidhi was introduced to offer affordable working capital loans to street vendors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, to help them restart their businesses and pave a way for self-sufficiency—(KNO)
[12/20, 2:30 PM] Kq Jio: Lieutenant Governor chairs high level review meeting of Subordinate Departments of Home Department
JAMMU, DECEMBER 20: Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level review meeting of Subordinate Departments of Home Department, at Lok Bhavan, Jammu.
The meeting was attended by Shri Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary, Shri Deepak Kumar, Director General of Police, Prisons; Shri Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary Home; Shri Santosh D. Vaidya, Principal Secretary, Finance Department; Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor; Shri Abdul Ghani Mir, Commandant General Home Guards; Shri Alok Kumar, Director Fire and Emergency Services; Brig. Pankaj Chib (Retd), Director Sainik Welfare Department; Shri Om Prakash, Director, Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) and other senior officials.
The meeting discussed the Budget and Expenditure Position of Prisons, Prosecution, Home Guards/CD & SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services, Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Sainik Welfare, and Advisory Board under PSA in BE 2025-26.
The Lieutenant Governor took a comprehensive review of progress achieved under vital ongoing projects including construction of High Security Prison at Mahanpur Kathua; establishment of Cyber Division at FSL Jammu, up-gradation of Cyber Division at FSL Srinagar and construction of Bunkers in Border Districts of J&K.
He directed for expediting the pace of works and strengthening of various wings of the Home Department through coordinated efforts.
The Lieutenant Governor also instructed for sensitization of prison officers and staff and frequent checking and surveillance of prisons across UT of J&K.
[12/20, 7:54 PM] Kq Jio: First FCI Food Grain Freight train to reach Anantnag tomorrow
Umaisar Gull Ganie
Jammu, Dec 20 (KNO): Marking a major boost to food security and logistics in Kashmir, the first-ever food grain freight train of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is set to reach the Anantnag Goods Terminal on Sunday.
The moved is stated to ensure uninterrupted supplies to far-flung areas of the Valley.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the train, dispatched from Ajitwal Railway Station in Firozpur Division, is carrying around 1,384 tonnes of food grains loaded in 21 Bogie covered wagons. The Anantnag Goods Terminal, inaugurated on August 9 this year under the Jammu Division of Northern Railway, has already handled cement rakes and other industrial and mixed goods.
The arrival of the first food grain rake marks another milestone in integrating Kashmir with the national freight network.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Division, Uchit Singhal said the move would ensure an uninterrupted and affordable supply of food grains, especially to remote areas of the Valley.
“Transportation of food grains through railways will be faster and cheaper, directly benefiting farmers and consumers,” he said.
He said that the initiative will strengthen local markets, generate employment, and boost the agricultural economy. “This is a historic achievement and a major step towards meeting the food grain requirements of the Kashmir Valley. It reflects our commitment to railway modernization and regional development,” Singhal said.
He further said that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the railways are planning to expand this service in the future and run more such trains to other parts of Kashmir, which will revolutionize logistics and the supply chain across the Union Territory—(KNO)