News Kashmir Magazine

Cancer is one of the deadliest disease facing humanity with its advanced stages virtually still having no effective treatment available despite strides in medical technology. The need to make the treatment of cancer disease affordable is burning one indeed.

In a related development, Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu has asked policy makers to put in efforts to make cancer treatment affordable. Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the new State Cancer Institute Block at Kidwai Cancer Institute, Bengaluru in Karnataka , he expressed concern over the rising cost of cancer treatment. Governor of Karnataka, Shri Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy and other dignitaries were present at the venue.

Vice President called for strengthening of preventive, curative and palliative care programmes at national and regional levels to combat the rising incidence of cancer.

No doubt, huge investments are needed for trained man power and equipment necessary for offering optimal treatment, but the government should explore various policy alternatives that would make cancer treatment affordable, he said.

The Vice President asked doctors to establish a regular communication with the patients, especially in a dreaded disease like cancer. Patients and their families need comfort. They need palliative care and more importantly kind words that make the pain bearable, he said.

Empathy and patience, care and compassion are qualities that can infuse hope in the hearts of patients and calm the troubled minds of the families, he said.

The Vice President stressed on the need to create greater awareness on the dangers of pollution, obesity, harmful use of tobacco, betel nuts and alcohol, leading sedentary lifestyle, eating junk and other foods linked to cancer. It is also equally important to take up periodic screening of people, especially those at risk of developing cancer.

 

Ground pulse is that we need to establish cancer units for early detection, diagnosis, treatment and to provide palliative care in rural areas where about 70 per cent of our population resides.

This week was quite sensational for the Jammu and Kashmir State .Nobody had thought that PDP BJP Government would end in such jiffy. ON 19 JUNE 2018,  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to pull out of the alliance with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Described by the political pundits as  The ‘unholy’ alliance was formed on 1st March 2015 led by Late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. On January 2016, following the demise of Mufti her daughter Mehbooba Mufti took charge of the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav made the surprise announcement after the party high command summoned its Jammu and Kashmir ministers for emergency consultations in New Delhi. A few hours later, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti submitted her resignation to Governor N N Vohra amid a swirl of political activity in Srinagar and New Delhi. Consequently Governor Rule was imposed in the state.

 

The December 2014 assembly election, which recorded one of the highest voter turnouts in Jammu and Kashmir, led to PDP emerging as the single largest party with 28 seats, BJP 25, National Conference 15 and Congress 12.

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“I am not shocked. We didn’t do this alliance for power. This alliance had a bigger motive- unilateral ceasefire, PM’s visit to Pakistan, withdrawal of cases against 11,000 youth are some of the objectives we achieved,” said Mehbooba Mufti while addressing a presser here at his residence.

Earlier, immediately after the press conference of Ram Madhav, Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said here that the BJP had committed a “Himalayan blunder” by forming a government with the PDP..

Certainly on political paradigms we witnessed no less than a shocker in the state.

The killing of two cops in a brutal manner at South Kashmir district of Pulwama has angered entire Kashmir with condemnations pouring in from different quarters .  It is worth mentioning here that in a painful and heart-wrenching  episode on eve of holy night Shab e Qadar, two policemen were killed on Tuesday in a militant attack in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The militants launched an attack on the police guards at the Pulwama court complex.

“Two policemen were killed and one was injured in this attack. The militants escaped with the service rifles of the victims,” the police said.

Official sources stated that a group of militants opened fire upon the police post resulting in on spot death of two security guards and injury to another at Takiya Wagam opposite to Government Degree College Pulwama near Barpora Kareemabad.

Masses opinion was that the killing of two policeman on the blessed and respected night of Shab e Qadr is highly unfortunate and condemnable and it is clearly an act of cowardice to kill someone after prayers in sleep. From online to real world the heinous act was condemned . All the voices of sanity showed Solidarity with the families of policemen who were killed in Pulwama during the holy night and described the act as senseless act of violence . Such cycles of violence only go on to inflict huge pain on poor families of Kashmir who are shattered due to loss of their near and dear ones  .

One hopes sanity prevails on all sides and such unfortunate acts are not repeated .

Dialogue is the ultimate solution of all conflicts and the violence hit Kashmir is craving for talks, peace, negotiations and dialogue. In a significant development in this regard on 7 June Thursday, 218 ,Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh during his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir addressed a press conference at Srinagar . Addressing the media at SKICC, Shri Singh said that the government is open for talks with anyone but they should be right-minded people in order to restore peace and tranquility in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Central Government’s special representative has visited the state 11 times. He appealed to all the sections of the society to introspect and come forward to help the Centre as well as State Government in bringing normalcy in Jammu & Kashmir. Recognizing the role of media, he requested for its support in this noble endeavor towards peace and development.

Pointing out towards the various elements hell-bent to spoil the future of the innocent youth, Home Minister appealed not to play with their future. These youth are not only children of Jammu and Kashmir but also of the whole country. Keeping this in mind, the government withdrew cases of first time offenders involved in Stone-pelting.

With bloodshed getting reduced to great extent during Ramadan month many are hoping that separatists, militants too will respond.

Pertinently, Home Minister Rajnath Sigh  said that the suspension of offensive operations against the militants in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan was keeping in view the interests of ordinary people of Jammu and Kashmir. He lauded the role of the security agencies who have executed their responsibilities professionally and with patience amidst provocations.

Undoubtedly one hopes positivity generated due to dialogue offer is strengthened and  sustained.

Media is an important institution of a civilized society and a prosperous nation. Currently as we would like to quote a famous quote – “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses” – Malcolm

In democratic societies Media is considered the fourth pillar of the state in these societies .Media is without doubt  the most powerful means of communication. It helps in cheering the right things on right time. It gives a real exposure to the mass audience about what is right or wrong. Even though media is linked with spreading fake news like a fire, but on the safe side, it helps a lot to inform us about the realities as well. The globe is moving towards progress in every walk of life. But when we look towards societies, it feels as if something is still absent. Money, power, lust, etc., is the wish of every human being to attain.

Media has a constructive role to play for the society as Media has unmistakably played an significant role in order to center on the social and political issues in approximately every age. It is the reality that in most of the eras, media were not being given free and fair chances to explore the issues of society more openly than it is being given now; but in the conflict ridden zones like Kashmir media continues to face the wrath from different sections for its objectivity. We all need to play our  role in building a constructive society via allowing press freedom.

Realities of time call on the stakeholders to ensure freedom of press  and let media play a role for building a great society.

Youth is the season of hope, but in Kashmir over the past three decades the youth have been worst hit due to violence and turmoil. In Kashmir  Young people are not given opportunities to prove themselves claiming that they are not equipped with experience to participate actively in shaping society.

 

As a matter of fact, Youth have bore the most horrible brunt of violence and bloodshed on account of lingering conflict. Killings, uncertainties, strikes have made youth of Kashmir to be at the receiving end.

The main issue faced by youth are violent circumstances, Unemployment and lack of political space. Infact unemployment is one of the serious problems faced by the youth of Kashmir. The unemployment in Kashmir is characterized by lack of opportunities ,  constant underemployment or disguised unemployment. The lack of private sector in Kashmir is making things worse for the youth unemployment problem is turning out to be disastrous for the healthy growth of society and overall life of youth . Unemployment on  youth of Kashmir on a large scale has resorted to multiple drawbacks – youth are resorting to drug addiction, violent tendencies . Unemployment is also one of the main reasons behind the rising mental stress and   suicides in the Valley of Kashmir

Democracy is the buzz word for our political system and Youth are its important constituent. The lack of political space among the youth in Kashmir is undoubtedly  among the prominent reasons of youth being pushed to wall as youth neither find any room for themselves  in mainstream nor separatist polity. Dynasty politics and its upper hand in mainstream polity of the state is a matter of great concern and a contributing factor in pushing youth to wall, according to ground pulse.

Time has come to address the youth issues .

A historic ordinance to tackle sexual crimes against children has been approved by the Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra that will go long way in crushing brutal crimes.  Few days back, Governor N. N. Vohra has promulgated the Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 and the Jammu and Kashmir Protection of Children from Sexual Violence Ordinance, 2018.It comes in backdrop of  rise   in violence against women in general and sexual violence in particular in various parts of the country, including the State of J&K, need was felt to carry out certain amendments in the Criminal Laws (the Ranbir Penal Code, Samvat, 1989; the Code of Criminal Procedure, Samvat, 1989; and the Evidence Act, Samvat, 1977) on the analogy of   the amendments made in the Central Criminal Law in 2018, said an official spokesman.

The Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 seeks to amend: (i) the Ranbir Penal Code, Samvat, 1989; (ii) the Code of Criminal Procedure Samvat 1989; and (iii) the Evidence Act, Samvat, 1977.

The ordinance is being seen as path breaker and is generating positive vibes .

The salient features of the aforesaid Ordinance include:

Committing rape on a woman under sixteen years of age has been made punishable with rigorous imprisonment for twenty years and may extend to life sentence, which shall mean remainder of that person’s natural life. Committing rape on a woman under twelve years of age has been made punishable with death sentence.

Gang Rape on a woman under sixteen years of age has been made punishable with imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life

Gang Rape on woman under twelve years of age has been made punishable with death sentence .Investigation in such cases is to be completed within a period of two months

Trial to be completed within six months and reasons for any delay shall need to be communicated to the High Court.It has been provided that no Bail shall be granted without hearing the Public Prosecutor.

In Nutshell, in curbing the heinous crimes against children especially girls this legislation is seen as a historic measure by all voices of sanity in unison.

Forests which are also known as the Green Gold of any concerned region are vital to our existence. The decreasing forest cover due to human greed and development projects carved is making world pay a big price in form of rising temperatures and ecological imbalance.

Kashmir is famous  world over for its natural beauty. It is often called paradise on earth. Kashmir has unique gift of nature in form of its great gorgeous forests, which are throughout the year lush green and add dazzling dimensions to the natural beauty of Kashmir . But for quiet long time now, the green gold of Kashmir has been vandalized and the situation continues to remain bleak.

 

 

 

Famous for its lush green forests, the Kashmir valley is slowly losing its green cover as there is no stopping the haphazard and illegal cutting of trees and timber smuggling. Several reports from ground zero indicate that the green gold in Kashmir is openly being plundered by vested interests and the authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to the forests.

 

 

 

On account of ruthless cutting of forests, “Global warming” appears to have taken a toll on the climate patterns in Kashmir valley which has been experiencing a decline in snowfall and rise in temperature, a reality which even weather scientists have found.

 

On the other side of the spectrum , the last 3-4 decades have see massive  devastation of forests in almost every country, apart from for a few exceptions, mainly in the continent of Europe. Now, there are two kinds of countries: one, that have reversed the trend of deforestation, and, second, that be in this world with the sorry reality of declining forest cover. Sadly, we belong to the second category. The impact of deforestation is visibly destructive for us.

The need of the hour is for all the stakeholders to brainstorm in a collective manner and save the fragile forest cover of Kashmir from further destruction

In a recent important political development, the induction of Kathua MLA Rajiv Jastrotia of  BJP  as a minister in the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet during the reshuffle has triggered a fresh controversy with sane voices expressing anguish, raising question over his participation in a rally to favor the accused in Kathua minor’s rape and murder case for which BJP earlier forced two of its stalwarts to quit the state cabinet.

Even the profreedom camp who usually do not comment on cabinet reshuffles condemned the move. The joint resistance leadership of separatists JRL said that inducting another organizer of the Pro rapist rallies Ravinder Jasrotia into the government clearly shows that BJP does not believe in deviating from its politics of polarization and appeasement of certain communities for votes, even on a basic human issue like this, which is not surprising. It just reinforces the fact of how helpless the local collaborators, the PDP are and how shameless they can be to stay on for the sake of chair. It also indicates how much justice can be expected for Kathua child  from a system run by such people.

Whileas on the otherhand, Reacting sharply to the elevation of “pro-rapist” MLA Kathua Rajiv Jasrotia, who had hosted a pro rapist rally in Kathua, into state Cabinet, the Kashmir Economic Alliance Chairperson Haji Muhammad Yasin Khan said his forums would boycott events where ever Jasrotia is invited as a guest.

Pertinently, Khan who also heads the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation said it was unfortunate that to be in power the ruling PDP was rubbing shoulders with pro-rapist faces, who want release of gangsters involved in gang-rape and murdered an eight year old girl.

Undoubtedly this move has created lot of anger and resentment.

In a landmark and unprecedented decision by the Judiciary , Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, a former chairman of Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE), was on Wednesday sentenced to 16 years in prison and fined Rs 1 crore in the multi-crore cash-for-paper scam.
Sajad Ahmad Bhat, who brokered between Peer and students, was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined Rs 50 lakh by special anti-corruption judge Kashmir Yash Paul Bourney.

Two other persons who were part of the deals, Muhammad Amin Ganai and Suhail Ahmad, were sentenced to five and three years each under various offences. The sentences would run consecutively. Each of them was fined Rs 25 lakh recoverable from their assets.
Haroon Rashid Lone and Shabir Ahmad Dar, who are also part of the scam, will serve consecutively sentences of three years each and pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each.
On the otherhand, Senior advocate Bashir Ahmad Bashir said that the judgment is unprecedented.
Pertinently, Of the total 54 accused persons in the case, 46 have been convicted and eight acquitted. Among the convicts are students and their parents who have been sentenced to one year and six years respectively.
The court said fine imposed on Peer should be recovered from his assets.
Peer was sentenced under four different offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and various provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code, carrying a sentence of five, three, seven and one year, which will run consecutively.
The broker, Sajjad Ahmad, would serve sentences of five and seven years consecutively. The fine of Rs 50 lakh should be recovered from the sale of his movable or immovable assets, the court said.
The court said that parents and guardians named Bilal Ahmad Vaid, Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Lone, Muhammed Yousuf Dar, Bashir Ahmad Dar, Abdul Qadir Rather, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Farooq Ahmad Shah, Muhammed Shafi Bandh, Muhammed Iqbal Reshi, Fida Hussain, Muhammed Amin Mir, Altaf Hussain Shah, Jan Muhammed Dar, Mushtaq Ahmed Kenu, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, Abdul Hamid Bhat, Bashir Ahmad Tantray, Dar Praveen, and Dr Sabina are sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of three years for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and RPC. They were fined Rs 5 lakh each.
The parents and guardians will also serve three years for fraud. Further  The court said that the case “would have not seen the light of day” if it were not for former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court MM Kumar’s “unrelenting tirade against delays and arrears in general and corruption in particular with deep sense of responsibility to the cause of justice”.
“Without the intervention of lord chief justice this case would not have been investigated and tried with so much of seriousness and promptitude,” the court said.
The court also hailed inspector Syed Afaq’s efforts for not only “cracking the scam but also remaining available during the trial”.
“I also need to put on record my whole hearted appreciation for the excellent legal support extended by the learned counsels,” the court said

Definitely this historic judgment on BOPEE Scandal is worth applauds and will serve deterrent against corrupt elements.