News Kashmir Magazine

G20 in Srinagar 

The wait is over. Historic G20 meet on Tourism has Kickstarted in Srinagar.  It is the biggest event of Kashmir history since the independence from British in 1947. The mood is over the moon. Tourism stakeholders are expecting that this meet would be great game changer for people of Kashmir, Tourism advisories issued would be now things of past.  Both foreign and domestic tourists will flood Kashmir.

The revival of  Tourism since past two years signals perfect stage for the G20 Tourism summit in Kashmir. 

India has taken up the chairmanship of the G20, an organisation of wealthy global economies. The organising committee has taken on the duty of allocating time and opportunities among selected areas throughout the country, with the primary goal of highlighting its potential. This project aims to highlight India’s inherent diversity, embracing both geographical and cultural features, as per a report published in International Centre for Peace Studies.

The pulse on ground zero is that burning problems of youth like unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir would get swift solutions as conduct of G20 meet would lead long lasting impressions on the place.

Perfect changes are happening . The Kashmir valley has seen a significant increase in investment in recent months.

Notably, the Emaar enterprise, a business organisation based in the United Arab Emirates, has initiated building a commercial tower in the city centre, thereby generating a job market for the local young. 

As a matter of fact, 

The third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting  being held at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Center (SKICC) from May 22 to 24. The first Working Group meeting was held in February at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The second meeting was held from April 1 to 3 in Siliguri, West Bengal.

Srinagar has been decked like a bride for the G20 meeting. The Interior and exterior of the venue are being reworked to suit the theme of the meeting. 

People are with sigh of relief stating that G20 meet changes face of Kashmir towards betterment forever.

Heatwaves in India edit

Heatwaves in India are going to cause havoc and we are witnessing this during this summer season in many parts of the country. 

Nearly 90% of India is in a “danger zone” from heatwave impact and almost all of Delhi is at the risk of severe heatwave impacts, which is not reflected in its recent state action plan for climate change, says a study published on April 19 in the peer-reviewed PLOS Climate.

The impacts of global warming are thus visible for everyone to see.

On April 16, 13 people attending a public function died of heat stroke in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. While February and March saw record-setting temperatures, deaths have been reported even when the temperatures were not sky-rocketing and people were exposed to extreme humidity.

A heatwave is defined as a period of unusually hot weather with above-normal temperatures that typically last three or more days.

In India, heatwaves are generally experienced during the March-June period and on average, two or three heatwave event occur every season.

Heatwaves are predominantly observed over two areas — central and northwest India and coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Climate change and global warming, current research suggests, have increased the probability of heatwaves in the past three decades.

The study, by Ramit Debnath at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and colleagues, also suggested that heatwaves, made more likely by climate change, may impede India’s progress toward achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

India has committed to achieving 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) such as eliminating poverty, promoting good health and well-being, and decent work and economic growth.

One hopes we as a nation are able to arrest the drastic impacts of these ugly heatwaves in India .

Big boost to Rural Development 

Rural Development is the heart of progress of country.

a big boost to rural employment, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 19 Captive Employers and provide them the target to train and provide gainful employment to 31,067 rural poor youths under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) with minimum salary of 10000/per month for the minimum period of 6 months.

Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shri Giriraj Singh will be the Chief Guest at the MoU signing ceremony in New Delhi tomorrow. On the occasion, he will also distribute appointment letters to few candidates who had got similar training under the DDU-GKY and placed with captive employers.

Based on the direction of Shri Giriraj Singh, MoRD launched the Captive employment Guidelines under DDUGKY to ensure that the candidates are trained as per the industry requirement and employed. The Captive Employment model allows the employer to select the rural youths, skill & deploy them in one of its own establishment/sister-concern/subsidiaries.

The RTD (Recruit, Train & Deploy) model has been developed to address the needs of the Industry on one hand and ensuring sustainable placement for rural youth on the another hand. The model will be a win-win situation for Industry, Government & Rural Poor Youth. Industry will be able to provide more hands-on training at the job site itself as per its requirement while Government will ensure longer placements (Minimum six months) for rural poor youth candidates.

The Captive Employment Guidelines will increase the direct involvement of the industry due to the benefits provided to the industries for encouraging them to participate in the DDU-GKY program thereby ensuring the large quantity employment for rural youths. Few of the Benefits provided to the Captive Employers are: Top Most Priority in target allocation, Waiver of Performance Bank Guarantee, Waiver of Quality Appraisal Process and Fees, Due Diligence of Training Centre and few other mandates of DDU-GKY to ease the operations for industries, MoU with MoRD for the period of 3 Years, Industry to also get Trained Manpower on Work which may reduce wear and tear, better performance, training cost from Government. 

India a nation having most of its population in rural areas this is cherishing Development.

Decline in moral values in Kashmir 

Morality is the heartbeat of a lively society. The presence of strong moral values is deemed to prevent that society from series of crimes and shocking episodes. The morale fabric of Kashmir has been dwindling at an fast pace. As a result, drug menace and prostitution like vices are showing an abnormal spurt. 

In another Shocking news, Srinagar Police busted a sex Racket in Nowgam area of central Kashmir’s Srinagar district just few days back .

Police said the racket was busted during the investigation in Chanapora sex racket case. 

“ In continuation of the investigation of the recently unearthed prostitution racket in Bagh- e-Mehtab, the Srinagar police busted another prostitution racket in the Nowgam area, in which three persons running the racket have been arrested on spot including one woman,” a police statement said.

The Police identified the main kingpin as Shabir Mir and his wife Shazia Mir of Charlipora Nowgam, and Adil Gulzar of Soura. 

 One sex worker, a local girl and two clients Nazir Ahmad Malla and Irshad Ahmad Dar- both residents of Narbal, Investigation is on and more such raids are expected to be made in the coming days, Police said in a statement.

The police asked the general public once again to verify the identity of their tenants with the local police station and install CCTVS in their properties.

It requested people should report any immoral & illegal activity notice to the nearest police station or at the women helpline. 

The need of the hour is that both society and Government join hands to arrest the trend of decline in moral values in Kashmir.

Major feat for grasroot governance in JK

Grassroots Government is of vital importance for any place.  Jammu and Kashmir region is seeing grassroots governance in full flow after many years.

In one of the largest reformative measures started few months back, J&K Administration has nearly completed appointing about 10000 educated and young persons belonging to different villages of the UT on the significant grassroots level posts of Lumbedars and Village Guards (Chowkidars).

As a matter of fact, the information was revealed in a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta and attended by DG, CID; Commissioner Secretary GAD; Commissioner Secretary IT & Information; Divisional Commissioners; Secretary PD&MD; Secretary, Revenue and all Deputy Commissioners of the UT either physically or virtually.

Dr Mehta applauded both the Divisional and District Administration for achieving this feat in a record time. He impressed upon the authorities to ensure that a training schedule is framed for these youngsters in order to sensitize them about their vital role as the grassroots level, frontline workers who have to work for the welfare and well-being of their villages.

He enjoined upon them that all these youngsters deserves to be given due respect and recognition as they would act as a bridge between the common masses and higher authorities. He advised them to create a WhatsApp group of these basic workers so that there is continuous communication between them and the District and Divisional Administration.

One hopes grassroots governance in Jammu and Kashmir would continue to thrive.

Improving education in Kashmir 

Education is the cornerstone of development. Jammu and Kashmir academic scenarios needed a much overhaul to make it reformative.

The pathbreaking interventions and concrete efforts by the government are transforming the educational scenario of Jammu and Kashmir.

The School Education Department has taken up several initiatives like reducing dropout ratio, increasing enrolment rate and others.

The whole nation is witnessing significant transformation in the education system with implementation of new National Education Policy. The policy has put special emphasis on engagement and involvement in both classroom as well as field study.

Notably, Mentorship Programme: Student Teacher Engagement for Educational Reinforcement (STEER) will revolutionize the school education system by identifying learning gaps and understanding the constraints being faced by the children, their capabilities besides providing the teachers an opportunity to bring changes in their teaching methods.

It is great development that 

Under this mentorship program, more than 21,000 schools have been covered and five lakh students have been mapped. Moreover, 40,000 teachers have been trained to mentor the students in 1:10 ratio.

Further, efforts are being made to improve the quality of school education and employment-oriented higher education through

the National Education Policy. Necessary changes have been made in the education system to cater to the human resource requirement of the fourth industrial revolution and digital economy of the twenty-first century.

Under the policy, Higher Education Council will ensure that colleges and universities become hub of research and innovation and contribute in developing a highly skilled national human capital.

The need of the hour is to make the education system of Jammu and Kashmir more sync with the needs of present times.

International Women’s Day 2023

The International Women’s Day marked every year on 8 March is an important celebration.

International Women’s Day, also known as IWD for short, grew out of the labour movement to become a recognised annual event by the United Nations (UN).

The seeds of it were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. A year later, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day.

The idea to make the day international came from a woman called Clara Zetkin, communist activist and advocate for women’s rights. She suggested the idea in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. There were 100 women there, from 17 countries, and they agreed on her suggestion unanimously.

It was first celebrated in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The centenary was celebrated in 2011, so this year we’re technically celebrating the 111th International Women’s Day.

The theme of this year’s women’s day is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. It is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), i.e. “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.

Keeping the theme of this year in mind, we need to bear in mind that 37% of women do not use the internet. 259 million fewer women have access to the Internet than men, even though they account for nearly half the world’s population.

If women are unable to access the Internet and do not feel safe online, they are unable to develop the necessary digital skills to engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields By 2050, 75% of jobs will be related to STEM areas. Yet today, women hold just 22% of positions in artificial intelligence, to name just one.

Lead Poisoning 

Lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body, often over months or years. Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems. Children younger than 6 years are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can severely affect mental and physical development. At very high levels, lead poisoning can be fatal.

Lead poisoning is not a new concern. For more than a century, scientists have been aware that the naturally occurring metal has no biological function that can benefit the human body, but can cause devastating physical and developmental impacts.

However, despite the awareness, lead toxicity continues to be a public health concern. Half the children in India report high blood lead levels, reveals a 2020 report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Pure Earth, a US-based environmental health non-profit. The report says 275 million children in India record blood lead levels of beyond the tolerable limit of 5 µg/dL. Of these, 64.3 million children’s blood lead levels exceed 10 µg/dL.

Adults are also affected by lead toxicity. In July 2022, Union government think tank NITI Aayog and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) conducted a meta analysis of 89 datasets from 36 studies between 1970 and 2014; its results validate the UNICEF-Pure Earth report.

In terms of average blood lead levels among the population, some 23 states exceed the 5 µg/dL margin; levels in the remaining 13 states and Union Territories cannot be determined as there is a lack of research and screening mechanisms to collect data.

We need to bear in mind that Lead in the body is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones, where it accumulates over time. Human exposure is usually assessed through the measurement of lead in blood.

Lead in bone is released into blood during pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing fetus.

There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects.

Historic 2023 Budget 

Hidtoric 2023 Union Budget was announced recently. 

 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her fifth Budget today (February 1, 2023). This is the last full-fledged budget of the second Narendra Modi government ahead of the general elections in 2024.

Tabling the Budget 2023, FM Sitharaman said: “This is the first budget in Amrit Kaal, this budget hopes to build on the foundation laid in previous budget and the blueprint laid for India@100, we envision a prosperous and inclusive India in which the fruits of development reach all.”

“The Indian economy is on the right track, heading to a bright future. Our focus on reforms and sound policies resulting in Jan Bhagidari helped us in trying times, our rising global profile is due to several accomplishments,” she added.

The highlights of Budget include : 

The Indian economy is on the right track, heading to a bright future. Our focus on reforms and sound policies resulting in Jan Bhagidari helped us in trying times, our rising global profile is due to several accomplishments,” said FN Nirmala Sitharaman.

“The world has recognized India as a bright star, our growth for current year is estimated at 7.0%, this is the highest among all major economies, in spite of massive global slowdown caused by pandemic and the war”.

7 Priorities of Budget 2023- Inclusive development, Reachinglast mile, Infrastructure and investment, unleashing potential, Green growth,Youth Power, Financial Sector and Finance Minister.

Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture to be built as open source, open standard, interoperable public good. Will enable inclusive farmer-centric solutions & help improved access to farm inputs, market intel, support for agri industry, startups.

One hopes that Union Budget 2023 proves a good omen for the country .

India World Leader in Population

India is the largest democracy of world.

According to projections from the World Population Review (WPR), India’s population was 141.7 crore as of the end of 2022. That’s a little more than 50 lakh more than the 141.2 crore declared by China on January 17, when there was the first fall since the 1960s, according to official announcements.

India, a country where 50 percent of the population is under 30, is anticipated to have the world’s fastest-growing major economy. The milestone was supposed to be reached later this year, according to the UN. According to WPR, India’s population increased to 142.3 crore people as of January 18. WPR predicts that, though India’s population growth has slowed, it will still climb until at least 2050.

The most recent figure for India is 142.8 crore, according to a different estimate from the research platform Macrotrends. After postponing population surveys due to pandemic disruptions in 2021, the nation did not release its once-every-ten-year census statistics.

On the otherhand, The country has made huge strides in improving energy access, but needs to continue to develop the energy network and diversify its fuel mix.

The country’s path to decarbonization could be a net-positive one if it turns to low- and no-emissions technologies.

Also considering our growing population, The Indian economy is likely to reach the $26 trillion mark by 2047, the 100th year of the country’s independence, according to an EY report. 

It also said that the per capita income is also expected to increase to $15,000, putting the country among the ranks of developed economies.

The hope on ground is that we control rising population and also look into means of giving quality life to entire population.