Jammu, Aug 30: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is arriving on a two-day visit to Jammu tomorrow, August 31, to assess the situation following unprecedented devastation caused by recent heavy-rains induced flash floods, landslides, and soil erosion across the division, also claiming around 170 lives.

Casualties also included over 130 pilgrims of Machail Mata and Vaishno Devi.

Official sources state that he will reach Jammu late Sunday (August 31) evening at around 9 pm or so. He will straightway go to Raj Bhawan, Jammu, for a night’s halt.

As per his official itinerary, on September 1, 2025, he will first conduct an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas at 10:45 am. Following this, at 11:30 am, he will chair a review meeting on flood relief measures at the Raj Bhawan, Jammu. He is scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Monday afternoon.

“Though, as per the tentative schedule, the VVIP does not have any engagement on August 31, yet a last-minute change cannot be ruled out. He may, as per his discretion, tweak his schedule to accommodate individual or official meetings,” sources pointed out.

In the same breath, the caution that the entire itinerary will be subject to weather conditions remains intact.

Notably, the Meteorological department has predicted heavy to very heavy rains across the Jammu division from August 31 to September 2. Advisory has warned of the possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides, and mudslides as well.

For August 31, there is a forecast of moderate to heavy rainfall over several districts of the Jammu region – Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, and Udhampur.

“On September 1, he may have an aerial survey of Katra and Kishtwar, besides other flood-ravaged areas in the Jammu division, up to 12 noon. Aerial survey will be followed by a review meeting at Raj Bhawan, where an exhaustive assessment of damages will be made. VVIP is scheduled to depart at 2 pm for the Union Capital on Monday (September 1),” they said.

Shah will be accompanied by senior officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). During the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the top brass of the J&K administration, security agencies will brief him about rescue, relief, and restoration works so far.

Rains-induced flash floods, landslides have caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure, including crucial bridges, National Highway stretches, public and private properties, fields, and livestock, thus leading to a growing chorus for the matching central package.

Is there any meeting with local BJP leaders scheduled with the Union Home Minister during his visit?

With this query, when Greater Kashmir contacted the chief spokesperson of J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sunil Sethi, he said, “I can only confirm that he is coming tomorrow evening. There will be senior party leaders going to the technical airport to receive the Union Home Minister. Beyond that, the schedule presently is not with us vis-à-vis any meeting with the party or its senior leaders.”

Earlier, the Home Minister visited the region on May 29 and 30.

Meanwhile, the Vaishnodevi Yatra remained suspended for the fifth day amid persisting inclement weather conditions.

Jammu, Aug 30: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu hosted a three-day master trainers’ training under the Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva (RKJS) programme, facilitated by the Capacity Building Commission (CBC).

The initiative marks another milestone in the Government of India’s large-scale mission to instil Seva Bhaav (spirit of public service) and Svadharma (sense of purpose) among civil servants.

The programme was formally inaugurated by Prof. (Dr) Shakti Kumar Gupta, Executive Director and CEO, AIIMS Jammu, who in his inaugural address deliberated on the ‘Panch Pran’ of the Prime Minister for Viksit Bharat 2047, highlighting the “Char Sankalp” of “Garv”, “Vikas”, “Ekata” and “Kartavya”, which will be realised through the four “Gunas” i.e., “Svadhyaye”, “Rajyakarma”, “Svadharma” and “Sahkaryata.”

The Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva programme, implemented by the Capacity Building Commission, is the largest behavioural training initiative, which aims to cover 7 lakh central government officials.

Through interactive and team-oriented workshops, the programme seeks to equip officials as master trainers who will further cascade the training within their respective departments. This ripple effect is intended to foster a shift in governance—from a process-driven approach to a purpose-driven, citizen-centric mindset.

The programme was smoothly coordinated under the stewardship of Shailender Slathia, Assistant Controller of Examination and Nodal Officer, who ensured its effective execution in close association with the leadership of AIIMS Jammu. Their guidance and encouragement contributed significantly to its success.

Over the course of three days, participants engaged in interactive sessions facilitated by lead trainers from the Capacity Building Commission, including Sanjeev, Shreshtha Bansal, and Anshuman Tiwari.

The discussions and activities revolved around the key learning themes of understanding who a Rashtriya Karmayogi is, expanding the vision of success and fulfilment, creating the Karmayogi moment, and embracing the role of the Rashtriya Karmayogi as a nation builder.

The event on Saturday concluded with a valedictory function, where certificates were distributed to the trained master trainers, recognising their role in carrying forward the mission of citizen-centric governance.

“This training at AIIMS Jammu stands as a testament to the Commission’s vision of building a responsive, empathetic, and service-oriented bureaucracy aligned with the goals of Viksit Bharat @2047,” CEO Dr Gupta said.

Jammu, Aug 30: A fresh spell of moderate to heavy rain is expected on Sunday morning, which could trigger landslides and flash floods in the Jammu region, the Srinagar meteorology centre said.

“A spell of moderate to heavy rain with brief intense showers is most likely at many places over Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri, Reasi, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Samba and Udhampur towards early morning between 4 am and 11 am of August 31,” the Met centre said on X.

It has warned of the possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides at a few vulnerable places.

The weather office asked people to stay away from rivers, nallas and loose structures while remaining updated and alert.

The Union territory has been reeling under a series of heavy rains, cloudbursts and landslides since August 14. So far, at least 130 people have lost their lives and 140 were injured in Jammu, while 32 pilgrims are still missing.

The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district remained suspended for the fifth day on Saturday. As many as 34 pilgrims died when a landslide struck about halfway along the winding 12-km trek route from Katra to the shrine on Tuesday.