JAMMU, DECEMBER 30: Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha on Tuesday unveiled J&K Bank’s Wall and Table Calendars for the year 2026, at Lok Bhavan.
The Wall Calendar for 2026 is themed “Rivers of J&K and Ladakh”, while the Table Calendar showcases the region’s “Historic Places”, reflecting the diversity of human heritage and natural wonders of UT of Jammu & Kashmir and UT of Ladakh.
The Lieutenant Governor appreciated the J&K Bank for selecting unique themes which will raise awareness about preserving ancient monuments, archaeological sites and traditions for future generations. He said society must come together to safeguard these priceless treasures. The Lieutenant Governor also emphasised on protecting earth’s vital ecosystems. He said rivers in J&K UT are source of fresh water and they are also ensuring food security and supporting biodiversity conservation. The Lieutenant Governor called for community efforts to protect rivers and water bodies to build resilience against climate impacts in the future. Shri Amitava Chatterjee, Managing Director and CEO, Jammu & Kashmir Bank Limited briefed that the 2026 edition of J&K Bank’s calendars honour the rivers that sustain life across the regions and the historic sites that define their shared legacy.
The calendar also features important public welfare initiatives such as Mission YUVA and PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, alongside J&K Bank’s key products including Housing Loan, Car Loan, Personal Consumption Loan and Online Account Opening, reinforcing the Bank’s role as a development partner and facilitator of people’s aspirations.
Shri Santosh D.Vaidya, Principal Secretary, Finance Department; Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor; Shri Sudhir Gupta, Executive Director, Shri Sunit Kumar and Shri Imtiyaz Ahmad, Chief General Managers J&K Bank attended the unveiling ceremony.
JAMMU, DECEMBER 24: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today extended warm greetings to the people celebrating Christmas in Jammu and Kashmir and across the world.
Describing Christmas as a festival symbolising peace, love and compassion, the Chief Minister said that the teachings of Jesus Christ continue to inspire humanity to uphold the values of kindness, forgiveness and harmony.
“Christmas is not merely a celebration; it is a reaffirmation of our shared values of harmony and mutual respect, where people from all communities come together in a spirit of unity,” he said.
The Chief Minister highlighted the rich secular ethos and age-old tradition of brotherhood in Jammu and Kashmir, and urged people to mark the occasion by extending support to the less privileged so that everyone can partake in the joy of the festival.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wished peace, prosperity and happiness to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and prayed for a future marked by greater harmony and goodwill.
JAMMU, DECEMBER 24: The Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha has extended his heartiest greetings to the people on the joyous occasion of Christmas.
In a message, the Lieutenant Governor said, “On the joyous occasion of Christmas, I convey my warm greetings to the people. I hope that this occasion of festivity ushers in love and harmony amongst the people.
The festival, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, serves as a reminder to embrace Lord Christ’s teachings of love, compassion, and forgiveness in our daily lives. This auspicious occasion inspires us to renew our commitment towards the welfare of each other for a prosperous future for all.
May the spirit of Christmas encourage us to help those in need and bring peace, prosperity and happiness to all”.
JAMMU, DECEMBER 22: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today released a coffee-table book titled ‘Samnvay’, which showcases the digital transformative journey of Jammu and Kashmir and documents the key projects and technological contributions of the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) in J&K.
The launch event was attended by Minister for Science & Technology and Information Technology Satish Sharma; Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani; Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department Shantmanu; Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta; Commissioner Secretary GAD/Information M. Raju; Secretary IT Piyush Singla; Special Director BISAG-N; Secretary School Education; CEO JKeGA, and other senior officers.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister lauded BISAG-N for crafting practical, innovative solutions to complex governance challenges in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that many of these solutions have relevance beyond J&K. He said J&K’s unique geography and climatic conditions necessitate a strong push towards digitisation, as technology enables uniform delivery of public services irrespective of location. “Digitising governance and services ensures that people of Jammu and Kashmir receive the same quality of service, whether they live or work in remote areas or urban centres,” the Chief Minister observed.
Calling Samnvay a comprehensive snapshot of this cooperation, the Chief Minister said the publication offers an overview of how technology-driven interventions have supported administrative efficiency and service delivery.
Thanking the Director General of BISAG-N and his entire team for their sustained efforts, CM Omar Abdullah expressed hope that Samnvay would be the first of many such publications documenting future projects and milestones, as the Government of Jammu and Kashmir continues to leverage technology for better governance in the months and years ahead.
Administers Polio drops to toddlers, children at Gandhinagar Hospital
JAMMU, DECEMBER 21: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo kick-started the Pulse Polio Campaign across Jammu and Kashmir from Jammu by inaugurating National Immunization Day (Polio Day) at Government Hospital Gandhinagar here today.
The campaign was inaugurated by Health Minister while personally administering Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) drops to toddlers and children, symbolically marking the beginning of campaign across Jammu and Kashmir and symbolizing the commitment of the Government towards safeguarding the health of future generations.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Sakeena emphasized on the critical role of routine immunization and community participation in maintaining J&K’s polio-free status. She urged parents and guardians to actively cooperate with healthcare workers and ensure that every child receives the life-saving polio vaccine during the campaign. “To ensure administration of Polio drops to child under this campaign is very important responsibility for both parents and not just mother”, the Minister stated.
The Minister reiterated the Government’s unwavering resolve to protect child health and to sustain India’s Polio-Free status through sustained vigilance and robust immunization efforts. She emphasized that no child under five years of age should be left unvaccinated, and called for active participation from parents, frontline health workers, community leaders and all stakeholders to ensure universal coverage.
The Minister highlighted that the Health department is working efficiently under this campaign and achieved polio free status for J&K. She lauded the efforts of frontline health workers, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, volunteers, and district health teams for their tireless dedication in reaching every household, including those in far-flung and vulnerable areas.
“Going to far-flung areas and giving these two drops to children there is very challenging, but our frontline staff delivered on that efficiently”, she said.
The Minister further highlighted that the department has established around 11000 booths across J&K, involving almost 42000 healthcare workers and around 20 lakh children will be administered Polio drops during the campaign.
She added that special immunization booths, mobile teams, and house-to-house visits have been put in place across all districts to cover every eligible child, besides robust monitoring mechanisms have also been established to ensure effective implementation of the campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Vikram Randhawa said that National Immunization Day (Polio) Campaign forms a key component of the government’s public health strategy to protect future generations and strengthen disease prevention measures across Jammu and Kashmir. He called upon all the parents, public and responsible citizens to contribute towards this campaign.
The MLA also lauded the continuous efforts of Health Minister, Sakeena Itoo for bringing improvements in healthcare infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir.
In his address, Secretary Health, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed said that this day is very important for maintaining the status of Polio free India, which our country achieved in the year 2014. He called upon the parents and public to actively participate in this campaign. He further said that the department has established around 11,000 booths for the administration of Polio drops to the children across Jammu and Kashmir.
CEO State Health Agency, Ananth Dwivedi; Mission Director ICDS, Sajad Hussain Ganai; Commissioner Food and Drug Administration, Smita Sethi; Director Family Welfare and Immunization, Dr. Poonam Sethi; Director Health Services Jammu, Dr. Abdul Hamid Zargar; doctors, paramedical staff, healthcare professionals and large number of locals and children were also present on the occasion.
Pertinently, the Pulse Polio Campaign 2025 across Jammu & Kashmir is being conducted on a massive scale, with 10,893 vaccination booths established across the Union Territory. A total of 42,564 health workers and volunteers have been deployed to ensure smooth implementation of the programme. To cover children on the move, 256 transit vaccination points and 520 mobile teams have been established. Through these extensive arrangements, the campaign aims to administer Oral Polio Vaccine to approximately 20 lakh children under five years of age across J&K, ensuring that no child is missed and the Polio-Free status of the region is sustained.
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.
JAMMU, DECEMBER 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired the 52nd meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board (J&KHB) at the Civil Secretariat here, where detailed deliberations were held on key policy and administrative matters.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department Mandeep Kaur, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Director General Codes and Director General Budget, Managing Director, J&K Housing Board while as other senior officers posted outside Jammu participated through video conference.
The Board reviewed the minutes of the 51st meeting of the Board of Directors held on June 28, 2024 and action taken on the decisions.
During the meeting, the Board considered several agenda points, including proposals for development of a Mass Housing Colony at Birpur in Tehsil Bari Brahmana, District Samba, and construction of housing facilities on 41 Kanal 05 Marlas of land at Bhalwal, Jammu.
The Board also held detailed discussions on implementation of the J&K Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, 2022 through the J&K Housing Board, engaging of legal counsel for court cases and filing of appeals before the Hon’ble High Court in various matters, and budgetary proposals for the financial years 2024–25 and 2025–26.
Chairing the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasized timely execution of housing projects, transparency in decision-making and strict monitoring of timelines.
He directed that certain agenda items be reconsidered and revised to ensure greater financial prudence, technical soundness and long-term public benefit before being taken up for final decision.
He further directed the Housing Board to fast-track project implementation, adopt modern project management practices and ensure that affordable, safe and quality housing is delivered to the people, particularly to middle and lower income groups, emphasizing that projects to provide affordable housing for all sections of the society is the essential purpose for which J&K Housing Board has been established.
The Chief Minister also stressed rationalization of institutional structures, strengthening of financial discipline and enhanced coordination among departments to make the Housing Board more efficient and citizen-centric.
JAMMU, DECEMBER 08: Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha on Monday interacted with veterans of Armed Forces at Lok Bhavan Jammu.
He expressed gratitude to the Armed Forces and paid tributes to the martyrs. He stated that the nation will always remain indebted to the sacrifices made by the soldiers.
The Lieutenant Governor made generous contributions towards the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund. He said the Armed Forces Flag Day, which was observed on 07th December 2025, reminds the citizens of the nation that the well-being of the Armed Forces Personnel is the collective responsibility of the nation and every individual must contribute to support the Armed Forces who safeguard the integrity of the Nation. The Lieutenant Governor appealed to the people to contribute towards the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund. He said that the fund will be used in the welfare of service personnel, their families, and ex-servicemen and their families.
Brig. Pankaj Chib (Retd), Director Sainik Welfare Department; Shri Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary, Home; veterans and officials of Sainik Welfare Department including Col BS Sambyal, (Retd.), Col Manjit Singh Bhau (Retd.) Wg Cdr Tirath Singh (Retd.), Capt (IN) Kapil Sharma (Retd.), Shri Tanvir Singh, Shri Pawan Anand, Shri Jagbir Singh, Shri Subash Chander and Ms Anshu Dogra were present.
RAJOURI, DECEMBER 06: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, today conducted an extensive visit to Nowshera division to review the progress on various major development projects being executed across key sectors.
The Deputy Chief Minister assessed the status of works taken up by PWD (R&B), PMGSY and the Education sector. He emphasized timely completion and adherence to quality benchmarks in all ongoing projects.
Issues pertaining to the Forest sector were also discussed, with directions issued for addressing the pending matters in a time-bound manner.
The Deputy Chief Minister, later, inspected the ongoing works at the PWD Dak Bungalow Nowshera and reviewed the progress on construction of the Sub-District Hospital (SDH) building. He instructed the concerned executing agencies to fast-track the remaining works and ensure that facilities are made operational at the earliest.
During his visit to SDH Nowshera, the Dy CM interacted with the patients and staff to assess service delivery. He directed the health functionaries to maintain high standards of patient care.
Surinder Choudhary also reviewed the works being executed under the Rural Development Department (RDD). He assessed the progress on projects being executed by BRO, reiterating the importance of connectivity and rural infrastructure in overall development.
The Deputy Chief Minister was accompanied by SE PWD (R&B), ACD, DFO besides other district and sectoral officers.
Promises transparency, simplified process in compassionate appointments
JAMMU, DECEMBER 03: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today reiterated his government’s commitment to clearing the backlog of compassionate appointments under SRO-43 and the Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme (RAS-2022), assuring that all necessary relaxations would be granted wherever required to simplify and make the entire process fully transparent.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a function organised at the Convention Centre here where he handed over appointment orders to candidates under SRO-43 and RAS-2022, besides issuing regularisation orders to Contingent Paid Workers (CPWs) of the School Education Department.
The event was attended by Minister Sakina Itoo, Minister Satish Sharma, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Commissioner Secretary GAD M. Raju, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Secretary School Education Ram Nivas, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Rakesh Minhas, and a large gathering of beneficiaries and family members.
In his address, the Chief Minister, who is the Minister in charge of the General Administration Department, assured the beneficiaries that the government is determined to clear the backlog of cases under SRO-43 and RAS-2022.
“As far as the orders of SRO-43 are concerned, I assure you that we will try our best to dispose of the pending cases. We will grant relaxation in cases as per the norms and make this process as transparent as possible,” the Chief Minister said.
Expressing deep empathy with families who approach the government during their most difficult hours, the Chief Minister stressed that compassionate appointments are not acts of favour but rightful entitlements under an established policy.
“On behalf of the government, our only effort is to help you in this difficult time. You should not feel that you are alone or that no one stands with you. If the government supports you in your moment of helplessness, this is not a favour—this is your right.”
Speaking about the long-pending cases of CPWs and their regularisation, the Chief Minister said
“For CPWs, this day carries a different meaning. As Sakina Sahiba has already mentioned, we will do our best to regularise CPW and issue orders. For those under RAS and SRO-43, I know many of you have suffered a lot to reach here. And I apologise to you for that.”
Regarding delay in processing of SRO 43/ RAS cases, he said
“This should not happen. When there is a government system, it should work automatically. I assure you—we will simplify the procedure further. We will reduce the difficulties you face. Since I hold the GAD portfolio myself, I will personally ensure that bottlenecks are removed.”
The Chief Minister said delivering these orders is a matter of duty, not generosity.
“If we increase your problems during this difficult time, we fail in our duty. These compassionate jobs are your right, and delivering them is our responsibility. If you had to wait long, I apologise for that. But I promise we will do everything possible to make the process easier.”
He urged the newly appointed beneficiaries to shoulder their responsibilities with sincerity and dedication.
“A heavy responsibility has come your way, perhaps earlier than expected. Do your best to fulfil it. We will always stand with you to make your work easier. If you face any difficulty, do not hesitate to knock on my door—I am always there for you.”
The Chief Minister added that more regularisation orders for CPWs would soon be issued by the Education Department under the supervision of Minister for Education, Sakina Itoo.
Speaking on the occasion, Sakina Itoo said that the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has accorded top priority to clearing SRO-43 and RAS-2022 cases to ensure long-pending grievances are addressed.
She noted that many deserving candidates had been waiting for nearly a decade.
“After around 10 years of struggle, the deserving candidates finally received their due under the present government,” she said.
The Minister added that the regularisation of CPWs aligns with the government’s broader vision of extending relief to those who have devoted precious years of service to the School Education Department.
