News Kashmir Magazine

Promoting Golf Tourism in Kashmir
Golf has been seen as royal game in which a player strikes a small ball with various clubs from a series of starting points (teeing grounds) into a series of holes on a course. The player who holes his ball in the fewest strokes wins.Jammu and Kashmir especially the Kashmir valley has amazing potential in terms of world class golf courses to be a global destination of this game .
Appreciating the five-day golf tournament organised jointly by Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Jammu and Kashmir Tourism at Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC) in Srinagar, India’s top golfer Jyoti Randhawa recently said that it was a good step towards promoting golf tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Honey Baisoya of Delhi and Khalin Joshi of Bengaluru emerged joint leaders after the second round of the J&K Open at the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar.
A six-time winner on the PGTI, Honey (67-69) went error-free for the second straight day and made three successive birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th while making pars on all the other holes. His second round three-under 69 took his total to eight-under 136.
One hopes we will see continued efforts from all the stakeholders to promote golf tourism in Kashmir .

But on ground already, Golf tourism is picking up in Kashmir with hundreds of golf lovers visiting the picturesque Valley to play the sport in the shades of mountains.
Kashmir has three international-standard gold courses.

Saffron Spice Promotion
Saffron is among  the costliest spice of the world . It is a very precious spice grown in Kashmir .
Saffron grown in Kashmir has multiple health benefits .It is also used for sleep problems (insomnia), cancer, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), intestinal gas (flatulence), depression, Alzheimer’s disease, fright, shock, spitting up blood (hemoptysis), pain, heartburn, and dry skin. Women use saffron for menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).In a welcome Development ,the government is giving much needed support to the saffron sector of Kashmir .
Under the Union Government’s public outreach programme, the Union Minister of State for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan had a detailed visit to Indian International Trade Saffron Spice Park, Pampore today where he inspected various departments of the processing unit.

As per a statement in addition to the Stigma Separation Center, the minister also inspected the drawing, grading, packing and E-Auction Centers at the park.

On the occasion, the Minister said that the Central Government is ready to provide all possible help and support to the farmers. With the existence of Spice Park, the income out of saffron production of growers has doubled. Center will provide all kind of facilities and assistance to the farmers that will make the lives of our farmers prosperous, he added.

Chauhan met various stakeholders, including Fruit growers, NRLM beneficiaries, Youth, Sports, Traders Association, Industrial Unit Holders and listened to their issues. The delegations put forth their demands and projected many other issues of public concern.

The union minister also spoke to delegations, who presented grievances before the Minister. They were assured that the government will take up the issues on priority to resolve the legitimate demands of these delegations.It is a good development that all important Saffron spice of Kashmir is getting well needed attention.

Reopening educational institutions

The global Pandemic of Coronavirus has killed millions of people and infected crores. Economies across the globe have been wrecked badly.But one of the worst hit sector has been Education, as millions of students are since more than one year and half throughout world staying away from schools due to pandemic.  Although the online classes have been started but that mode of education has limited efficiency and can’t match real school experience.Now in a positive development, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that the decision to reopen the colleges and universities in Kashmir this month is being deliberated upon by the administration with ensuring of prior covid jabs to students above 18 before it. 
LG Sinha said to reporters on the sidelines of a function at SKICC that they are thinking about reopening of colleges and universities in Kashmir this month after administering covid jabs to students above 18 years old. He said that the administration is already aware about the demands of parents to reopen the schools. 
He further said that regarding the reopening of schools, both primary and secondary, the decision would be taken after the unlocking of colleges and universities. 
Meanwhile, More students in the country  have stepped inside a classroom for the first time in nearly 18 months, as authorities give the green light to partially reopen more schools despite apprehension from some parents and signs that infections are picking up again.

Schools and colleges in at least six more states of India will reopen gradually with health measures in place throughout September.One hopes our education institutions open soon so that our kids once again see bright prospect of education .

Challenging times for Scientists 

The current times of pandemic have been challenging for one and all . Millions have died and crores infected , the economies across the globe have been brought to grinding halt . The people are frustrated beyond a point as they are virtually feeling locked . Scientists too have been challenged by this tricky virus that continues its havoc despite vaccination also taking place .Recently, the Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu  called upon scientists to come up with out-of-the-box solutions to address challenges faced by mankind from climate change to agriculture to health and medicine.
As per an official communique while addressing scientists and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) at Bengaluru, the Vice President urged scientists to strive for achieving excellence and to innovate for improving the lives of the people. “Purpose of science is to make people’s lives happy, healthy and comfortable”, he reiterated.
Stressing that scientific research should be relevant to society, he said, in this context, translational research assumes importance. He lauded JNCASR for having generated over 300 patents and for promoting the establishment of a few startups based on indigenous inventions.We are hopeful that Science would continue its inventions and overcome tough times for humanity in form of virus to global climate change .It is well known fact science is the backbone for the progress and technological advancement of any country.Also it may be noted  the Vice President referred to India’s huge demographic dividend and said the need of the hour is to inculcate scientific temper from a young age and to promote world-class scientific research that addresses societal problems.In nutshell, scientists continue to remain hopes for global peace and prosperity in every challenge .

Kashmir’s Papier-mâche sector deserves attention
Kashmiri papier-mâché is a handicraft of Kashmir that has rich history and legacy . It  was brought by Muslims saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia in the 14th century to medieval India. It is based primarily on paper pulp, and is a richly decorated, colourful artifact; generally in the form of vases, bowls, or cups (with and without metal rims), boxes, trays, bases of lamps, and many other small objects. These are made in homes, and workshops, in Srinagar, and other parts of the Kashmir Valley, and are marketed primarily within India, although there is a significant international market.The product is protected under the Geographic Indication Act 1999 of Government of India, and was registered by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks during the period from April 2011 to March 2012 under the title “Kashmir Paper Machie”.The artisans associated with the Papier-mâche sector are facing many problems as they are earning very less , with market voices saying there daily wages are not even half of that a daily laborer . At one time the sector of Papier-mâche was one of the highest paying sectors of Kashmir.As a result of very less opportunities and no bright future the new generation is not taking up the rich craft of Papier-mâche which is a worrying sign .
Artisans state that The art is now vanishing from Kashmir. This has become a part-time activity due to less remuneration and no attention from the government side.
Militancy, a flood, the pandemic — Kashmir’s ancient art of papier-mâché is at its lowest ebb now, and deserves all the more Government attention.

Content Enrichment of the Text Books 

Content enrichment in text books has been one of the main issues faced by our education system. In a positive development recently, the Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar few days back  inaugurated a two day workshop on Content Enrichment of Textbooks developed by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) at SKICC .
Addressing the workshop, Advisor Bhatnagar highlighted that the education system needs a thoughtful change with the advent of National Education Policy (NEP)-2020. He added that the NEP-2020 aims at the reconfiguration of Primary and Secondary school education in all aspects from foundational stage to secondary stage with focus on Equitable and inclusive education for all and therefore it’s effective implementation will refurbish the whole education sector across J&K.

Remarking that the education system is the main pillar of progress and development of the nation, Advisor Bhatnagar remarked that education and training have been part of the society from times immemorial and with the evolving society and world, there is dire need for the upgradation of the educational system also.In his keynote address, Principal Secretary SED, said that with the advent of NEP-2020 education sector will see a progressive development across the nation. He added that the textbooks need constant evolution and there is a need for enhancing regional content in textbooks.

In her welcome address, Chairperson JKBOSE gave an overview of SCERT-JK and highlighted the importance of the workshop and the need for enriching the content in textbooks of JKBOSE.One hopes that in this day and age of stiff competition the text books in our part of the world would be much richer quality vise and provide best knowledge to our students .

Enhancing Livestock Sector of Jammu and Kashmir
Livestock is becoming an important industry for entire world .Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha recently inaugurated the first-ever “Vishal Pashudhan Vyapar Mela” at Sports Stadium, Hiranagar in Kathua district.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor welcomed the farmers from other states to the mega Livestock Trade Fair.

The first of its kind event in the UT will provide a major fillip to the Animal Husbandry sector with an additional source of income to the farmers. It is an effort on the part of the government towards providing a single platform for sale/purchase of high-quality livestock breeds that will strengthen J&K’s Dairy sector, besides exploiting the full potential of J&K in milk, fodder & mutton production, to cut down imports and bridge the demand and supply gap in the poultry sector, and generating employment by attracting new entrepreneurs, observed the Lt Governor.The Mela will facilitate doubling the income of farmers through the adoption of best practices, genetic up-gradation of milch animals, latest technical interventions and proper management of high-quality breeds of milch animals. Further, the hardships faced by farmers in the cumbersome purchase process of high-quality breeds from the adjoining states and their transportation to the destination district of UT of J&K will be eliminated as high-quality breeds of cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, etc. from neighboring states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh etc. shall be displayed for sale & purchase, said the Lt Governor.

In addition, the related machinery of latest technology pertaining to Animal & Sheep Husbandry sectors including fodder management shall also be displayed and made available for the farmers and dairy entrepreneurs. One hopes Continuous efforts are made to upgrade the livestock industry of Jammu and Kashmir.

Digital Villages in Jammu and Kashmir

Digital Villages in Jammu and KashmirThe wheels of development in Jammu and Kashmir got a new era of life with the government setting up many digital Villages. To ensure swift and efficient governance the need of going digital is paramount .

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj SinhaAfter inaugurating 44 digital village centres in Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha  said that a new era of development has rightly started in the Union Territory, which has taken a giant leap towards inclusive development.
“A new era of development has rightly started in Jammu and Kashmir, and we have taken a giant leap towards inclusive development. Today, 44 panchayats, 40 blocks have been dedicated to the people in the form of Digital Village Centres and arrangements have been made to reach out with all the online schemes of the government,” said Sinha.
He further stated that the initiative will enable the government to disseminate its programme and policies through a readily available system.
Digital Village will have one-stop service solution for the village area citizens, providing them with quality services like telemedicine, financial services, internet connectivity and other Government-to-Citizen (G2C) and Business-to-Consumers (B2C) services which are easily accessible at an affordable price around the year .
One hopes that era of development would get a new kick due to these steps of villages going digital .

Third Wave Coronavirus Calls For Precautions

As a global Pandemic Coronavirus has destroyed the world . Millions have died and crores got infected due to Coronavirus in the world . Economies have been ravaged in different parts of the world and we saw the pain caused by Coronavirus in second wave in India destroying many families and people gasping for oxygen .
We in Jammu and Kashmir need to be cautious about looming third wave of Coronavirus.
Following decrease in number of positive cases with each passing day and less number of admission of Covid patients in hospitals, the effect of second wave of Covid-19 has diminished to a large extent, however this has also resulted in lowering of guard against Covid by the masses which can pose serious threat and lay the base for predicted third wave, warn experts.
As per a statement issued to a local news agency  while throwing light on the current Covid-19 scenario here, Professor and Head, Community Medicine, GMC, Srinagar, Dr Mohammad Saleem Khan few days back said that the decrease in Covid positive cases and the number of covid deaths is an encouraging indication of winning the fight against Second Covid Wave.
Dr Saleem however cautioned that the decline of second wave has resulted in non-seriousness among people towards Covid Appropriate Behavior, adherence to SOPs particularly wearing of masks and physical distancing, adding that such behaviour poses serious threat of third wave of Coronavirus.
We hope that consisting the gravity of the situation all the people in Jammu and Kashmir will do Covid vaccination and follow necessary SOPs so that third wave does not prove dangerous .