Category: BUSINESS

Constitutes ADC headed Task Force to formulate the Action Plan

SRINAGAR MAY 25: In order to ensure smooth plying of traffic in Batamaloo area and facilitate the passengers, a meeting was held today under the Chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad here at Conference Hall of the DC Office Complex.

Vice Chairman, Srinagar Development Authority, Haris Ahmad Handoo, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shabir Ahmad, Regional Transport Officer, Kashmir, Syed Shahnawaz Bukhari, SP Traffic Tariq Ahmad, Chief Planning officer, Mohammad YAseen Lone, Superintending Engineer R&B, Sajad Naqeeb, Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Raies Ahmad Bhat, SDM, West, Primroze Bashir, Tehsildar Headquarter, and other officers.

The meeting was held in light of the High Court directions regarding the representations of the various Unions of the Batamaloo Bus Stand.

At the outset, a detailed discussion was held related to the concerns raised by the Traders Association Batamaloo including problems being faced by wholesalers/distributors in supplying goods to dealers and intervention required for smooth movement of vehicles for supply of essential goods in the local markets, besides decongest the area and ensure smooth flow of traffic movement of pedestrians.

The Traders also demanded for designating a particular area for parking/stand of commercial vehicles in the area to facilitate the local wholesale traders and commuters visiting the market/Bus Stand which has been shifted to Parimpora few years back.

The Deputy Commissioner gave a patient hearing to the members of the trade delegation and assured them that they will look into the matter based on the directions of the High Court and will come out with a solution in order to improve the transportation facility in Batamaloo area so that local traders, commuters and public in general don’t face any difficulties.

On the occasion, the DC asked the Team headed by ADC to explore possibilities for addressing the issues of the Traders. He asked the officers to conduct field visits to the area and draft some pragmatic plan at the earliest.

SRINAGAR, MAY 24: With an aim to display the richness of arts & crafts reflecting the Jammu & Kashmir’s bountiful culture ,through their skills & art Jammu Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) Umeed market place & a Millet cafe put up in SKICC wowed the G20 delegates during the G20 summit held in Kashmir.

From exploring the mouth watering delicacies of Millet prepared by Umeed women to shopping for authentic handicraft of J&K from the Umeed marketplace, the foreign delegates were all praises for the warm hospitality of Jammu &Kashmir.

JKRLM’s core belief & objective is to empower women by providing them avenues of livelihood and at Umeed marketplace festive atmosphere celebrating women power was witnessed wherein the different livelihoods like Handicrafts, Willow Wicker items, Black cumin, Honey, value added products, Papermachie, Traditional Pottery, Basholi Paintings and other captivating items apart from this a separate “Millet Cafe” for foreign delegates was also set up at SKICC here.

Eight women entrepreneurs from Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) set up their vibrant stalls at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) to showcase their unique products and captivate the attention of G20 delegates, Whereas 12 SHG members were seen serving the mouth watering Millet based delicacies.

Delegates applauded the craft of Kashmiri women. The delegates were very happy to see the Umeed market place which had some agricultural produce (Saffron, Lavender) value added products (Soaps, Chabhri Binna) apart from the handicraft products made by women. These products were made by the self-help groups working under JKRLM throughout Jammu and Kashmir.

Explaining the purpose of the Umeed market place & Millet hub, Mission Director JKRLM, Indu Kanwal Chib stated, “Setting up the Umeed market place Millet Hub and Millet Cafe in SKICC was to give an exposure of international standard to the SHG women and reinforcing the spirit of strength & resilience.

To ensure authenticity, each showcased merchandise was affixed with a brochure that provided detailed information about the product. The participating women, hailing from different districts across J&K have been meticulously trained and empowered by JKRLM to become self-reliant.

G20 platform provided a golden opportunity for these women to showcase their talent and enabled the delegates to immerse themselves in the richness of traditional varieties of J&K, she added.

Under the leadership of Commissioner Secretary Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Mandeep Kaur, JKRLM has taken various transformational steps like SARAS and now G20 being one of the few.

Mission Director JKRLM said that Commissioner Secretary has inculcated creativity and market essence in SHG women participating in this event which otherwise also have been part of quite a learning process, Mission Director said.

Adding further she said that Under the Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, JKRLM has touched new heights, the SHG products are available one e- commerce sites like Meesho further JKRLM has also ventured into service sector by collaborating with OYO for homestays.

The progressive journey of SHGs is a representation of transformation wherein JKRLM has ventured out in the past two years to fill up the marketing gaps and connect the buyers directly with SHGs. With the focus of JKRLM at overall development of Rural Women and continued training and exposure, it made it’s presence at G20 platform to showcase and sale the SHG made products, she maintained.

The positive vibes and the response from the Delegates towards the SHG women market has really added to the morale of the women, She said.

Talking about the Millet cafe put up for the Delegates during G20 ,she said that year 2023 is being celebrated as the International Year of Millets. G20 is giving us a big stage to promote millet as a source of nutrition and livelihood. Women of the Self-Help Group are managing everything, and we are promoting this as an opportunity to earn livelihood.

There is an inspiring story behind each piece. From delicate hand-woven wicker baskets to Basholi Art, the range of products on display represented the rich cultural heritage of the Jammu and Kashmir ,”the Mission Director said.

This is my first time participating at such a grand international platform. I had never thought in my life about it ,I thank Department for giving me this opportunity to witness such a great event ,one of the SHG member from Jammu said.

JKRLM would like to thank LG Sh Manoj Sinha to have always encouraged Rural SHG women and given a chance to the Department to participate in such an important global event.

Distt Admin committed to raising the living standard of people: Dr Sehrish

BARAMULLA, MAY 22: In order to boost the growth of agriculture in Baramulla district, the District Development Commissioner (DDC) Baramulla, Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar today inaugurated Honey Processing Cum Bottling Plant and Hi Tech Polygreen House under Aspirational District Programme at Agriculture Extension Office Baramulla, here.

The processing and bottling plant, setup with award money at a cost of Rs 11.19 lakhs is the first of its kind in the district and has the capacity to process and filter honey on a daily basis.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sehrish said that the plant will provide service to farmers on a no profit basis. She informed that the district has a large number of beekeepers with an annual production of 800 qtls of raw honey. The plant will now enable the farmers to sell their honey as a marketable product and augment their incomes, she added.

Elaborating further, the DDC remarked that the much needed plant will help in processing, filtering and bottling of honey thereby making its sale to a large extent.

After launching Varmul Honey Brand, the DDC said that the District Administration is committed to introduce the brand at National and International level. She also asserted that similar profit oriented initiatives will be taken up in other areas also so that the plant will open many avenues for the farmers to market their products at large scale.

Later, the DDC inaugurated the 7th Hi- Tech Polygreen House set up at an estimated cost of Rs. 5 lakhs.

After inaugurating the polyhouse, the DDC highlighted the importance of Hi-tech poly houses and said that to explore the potential in the vegetable sector hi-tech poly green houses will play a remarkable role.

She said that the Agriculture department has established hi-tech poly green houses in the district to ensure round the year availability of seedlings of different vegetable crops to the farming community.

Dr Sehrish also highlighted the importance of integrated farming and asked the farmers to diversify their agriculture operations.

The DDC further added that the District Administration is committed to raising the living standards of people. She assured that the District Administration will provide all the technical assistance to the farming community to comprehensively perform their agriculture activities.

Joint Director Planning, Mohammad Yousuf Rather and Chief Agriculture officer, Yadvinder Singh besides others concerned were present on the occasion.

SRINAGAR, MAY 12: To celebrate the International year of Millets and get benefitted out of it, a fifteen-day training programme on development of millet-based products organised by Jammu Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) concluded successfully here at Institute of Hotel management (IHM) Rajbagh today.
The training programme was organised by JKRLM in association with Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN). A total of 12 SHG members have undergone for the said training programme.
The training was imparted to the participant by renowned Chef Yaseen and his team of expert Master Chefs of Institute of Hotel Management Rajbhagh.
While interacting with the SHG members Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Mandeep Kaur highlighted the importance of Millet as staple diet and said JKRLM is not only promoting cultivation of Millets but also skilling the SHG members on preparation of different recipes amongst the SHG members. Slowly but steadily, people will re-adopt the Millet in their diets.
She said that in addition to promote healthy eating, the training programme aimed to raise awareness about the environmental benefits of millets. Millets require much less water and fertilizer than other grains, making them a more sustainable option for farmers and the environment.
Speaking on the occasion Mission Director Jammu Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission, Indu Kanwal Chib said that as the year 2023, is being celebrated as International year of Millets as staple diet, we at JKRLM wish to involve more and more women into our farm livelihood vertical as Krishi Sakhies and Mahila Kissans.
During the training programme the members were imparted training on innovative recipes in Millet based products apart from learning about the nutritional benefits of Millets, she added.
She thanked Principal IHM, Shabir Ahmad for facilitating such a training programme & making this training programme a success.
It is to mention here that Millets are small-grained, nutrient-rich cereals that have been a staple food for millions of people around the world for centuries. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in millets as a sustainable and healthy alternative to rice and wheat, and many innovative millet-based products have been developed.

KDM-30 released for cultivation in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttara Khand, Assam, Meghalaya, Ladakh and Manipur

Srinagar, May 5 : Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir-developed hybrid maize variety has been released recently at the national level for cultivation in the cold climatic Northern Hill Zone of the country.
Cold resistant early maturing high yield maize composite, KDM-30, suitable for cultivation in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Ladakh and Manipur, was recently released in the 66th Annual Maize Workshop held at GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.
“The variety (KDM-30) performs better than the best national check, Vijay with 13% more grain yield and moderate resistance to diseases and pests like Turcicum Leaf Blight and Maizw Stem Borer,” said Dr Zahoor Ahmad Dar, associate director at the SKUAST-K’s Dryland Agriculture Research Station (DARS), Rangreth, Budgam.
Dar, who was leading the team of scientists involved in developing this cold-resistant maize variety, said KDM-30, besides being highly cold tolerant, gives more yield and better disease protection than Vijay, which is considered the best maize variety in the country.
The maize composite is derived from materials obtained from international and national nurseries, which were subsequently hybridized with the local material to incorporate uniqueness like cold tolerance, early maturity, and high grain quality.
The variety possesses a high level of carotenoids as well as the unique expression of cold-tolerance-regulated enzymes at the molecular level. The KDM-30 is going to replace Kishen Ganga-1 (KG-1) variety in high-altitude areas of the Northern Hill Zone (up to 2500m amsl) and can be a potential candidate to serve in cold arid Ladakh Region as a dual-purpose crop where it has been initially evaluated for grain-to-grain maturity in native cropping window.
While congratulating Dr Zahoor Ahmad Dar and his team for developing the high-yield maize variety, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, directed upscaling seed production and utilizing rain-fed ecologies for grain and fodder production to sustain the dairy and poultry industry.

SRINAGAR, MAY 06: The Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri on Saturday inaugurated two-day painting exhibition at Government Arts Emporium Srinagar.
On the inaugural day, visitors had the chance to view and appreciate the paintings created by Iftikhar Wani and Er. Shazia Basharat. The exhibition features a diverse range of artwork, showcasing the talent and creativity of the participating artists.
The opening reception was well-attended, with visitors enjoying the creative work and meeting the artists behind the artwork.
Speaking on the occasion, the Div Com said that the event is a celebration of our city’s natural beauty and cultural heritage, and we are delighted to see so many people come out to support our local artists.
The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir has dedicated its services to bringing painting out of the studio into open-air settings to bridge gap between artists and the masses through the department’s ‘Know Your Artisan’ initiative post recognition of Srinagar as the UNESCO’s Creative City in the field of Craft and Folk Art.
The exhibition holds a special corner to portray various scenes of Shehr e Khaas (Srinagar City) by Iftikhar Wani.
The works in this exhibition represent the many unique ways artists can interpret a similar scene and be inspired by their relationship to the environment and we are thrilled with the success of our Exhibition event, said the Director Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir.
Exhibitions of the same magnitude shall be continued to highlight the artisans of the valley, said an official.
The exhibition showcasing various master pieces of the artists are on display which is open for the general public to highlight the works of the artists.
On the occasion, Director Handicrafts & Handloom thanked the Divisional Administration and all stakeholders who are supporting and promoting the local artisans at global level and also appreciated the role of media who have been prominent in promoting the arts and crafts of the valley.

Anantnag, May 5: The Jammu & Kashmir Bank under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative has provided a battery operated e-Rikshaw to the South Campus, University of Kashmir.

Zonal Head, Anantnag Mr. Khursheed Muzaffar handed over the keys of 4+1 seater E-Rikshaw to Director, South Campus, Prof Mukhtar Ahmad Khanday at a small function held at South Campus, Anantnag.

The E-Rikshaw will cater to the needs of specially-abled students and female staff of the Campus.

The function was attended by faculty members, officers of the Campus, and a team of officials and officers from J&K Bank.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Mukhtar Khanday expressed his gratitude to J&K Bank for acceding to the request of dedicating a battery operated E-Rikshaw to South Campus.

He further said that South Campus will try to further build a strong relationship with J&K Bank and promote entrepreneurship and help the campus in various economic initiatives.

He said that under the National Green Corps programme launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, the Campus is mulling collaborating with the JK Bank to make South Campus a Green and Carbon-Free Campus.

Dr Khanday requested the Bank authorities to support the campus students by providing bus service in future under the CSR scheme.

Zonal Head, Mr. Khursheed Muzaffar while speaking on the occasion said that J&K Bank is happy to provide financial services to University of Kashmir and its students to excel in the field of education. He said that J&K Bank will try to come up to the expectations of the employees and students of the varsity in terms of providing them educational loans and other facilities to carry out their academic and research activities. He agreed to the request of South Campus for an MoU to strengthen the relation with JK Bank.

Earlier, Dr Mohammad Iqbal Bhat, Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics, presented a brief account of the South Campus and later delivered a formal vote of thanks.

SRINAGAR, APRIL 25: J&K Bank today received an award from Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) for its outstanding contribution towards housing sector of the country under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) – Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) through various innovative initiatives.

The Bank’s General Manager (C&CB) Narjay Gupta received the award at the hands of Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Manoj Joshi in presence of Chairman & Managing Director (HUDCO) Kuldip Narayan, Bank’s Zonal Head (Delhi) Rakesh Magotra, HUDCO’s board of directors and other dignitaries during HUDCO’s 53rd Foundation Day Celebrations held today in New Delhi.

The function was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep S. Puri.

Commenting upon the felicitation, MD & CEO, Baldev Prakash said, “It is an honour for the entire J&K Bank Family to be felicitated at such a prestigious national platform for our contribution towards country’s housing sector under Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY)-U that envisaged ease-of-living through a pucca house to all urban dwellers.”

“Such an acknowledgement will further boost our efforts as we continue to serve the weaker and vulnerable sections of society through more such effective financial interventions”, he added.

Earlier, in a communication to Bank, Chairman & MD (HUDCO) Kuldip Narayan expressed his deep appreciation for J&K Bank’s outstanding contribution towards housing sector under PMAY-CLSS through its different innovative initiatives.

SRINAGAR, APRIL 21: The Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri today inaugurated a four month long Exhibition at Kashmir Haat Srinagar.

The Exhibition will bring a diverse range of activates including Magic Shows, amusement activates, handicraft and Handloom products and food courts and much more.

The Event has been purposely started on the eve of Eid so as to attract a maximum footfall especially the Gaming zones that have been set for children.

The bid for the current season has been won by the SHARMA BROTHERS for a record amount, and It is for the first time that revenue of such extent has been generated from the Haat area.

The Div Com emphasized that such type of activates should be replicated at other spots in the Srinagar city.

Director Handicrafts & Handloom Kashmir Mahmood Ahmad Shah gave a detailed brief about the activates the Department is planning to organize in the coming months at the Kashmir Haat area.

BARAMULLA, APRIL 11: Dr. Hina Shafi Bhat, Vice Chairperson J&K Khadi & Village Industries Board presided over an awareness camp at the CFC of Pattan Embroidery Cluster Tilgam here.

The progarmme was organised by Diamond Khadi Gramudhyog Sangh, Implementing Agency of the said cluster and was also attended by Public representatives from the cluster area, large number of artisans and stakeholders. Besides, senior officers from Board, SDM Pattan, Tehsildar Pattan and Senior officers from Technical Agency (Craft Development Institute Srinagar) also attended the programme. 

While giving the presentation on the aims, objectives and expected impact of the establishment of the said cluster, the officers from Technical Agency informed that cluster is being established with assistance of Rs. 221.85 and its CFC shall be equipped with facilities like Tracing, Dyeing, Washing, Calendering, Fabrication and Raw Material Bank. 

 It was further informed that with the establishment of this cluster, the product mix shall be enhanced, product design shall be improved; besides upgradation in skills of artisans etc. thus making the products customer savvy and attractive thereby enhancing the earnings of artisans, raising the profit margin.  

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Hina  underscored the need for coordinated and synchronised efforts from stakeholders to ensure target oriented and objective implementation of the said cluster.

She said that the establishment of Cluster will empower the artisans and other stake holders by way of providing them all the facilities under one roof which shall in turn boost the products and also improve the economic condition of the artisans.

The Vice Chairperson emphasized that there is an urgent need for adoption of cluster approach to revive the traditional crafts and activities.