Srinagar, June 28: The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today launched the Directorate of Rural Sanitation’s “Shubham–Shivam” campaign at Baltal base camp. The Lieutenant Governor said the campaign is a massive step to achieve a sustainable, clean and zero-landfill Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. Along with a slew of eco-innovations, the Lieutenant Governor also unveiled the new website, pilgrimage anthem, logo, and mascot.

“The true backbone of this initiative is our incredible sanitation team. I am grateful for Karmyogi volunteers, whose relentless dedication will keep the base camp and both the tracks clean in the days ahead. They are the real heroes turning our zero-waste vision into reality, preserving the environment and the profound spiritual dignity of the Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

He also stated that all the innovative initiatives of Directorate of Rural Sanitation rest on devotion and discipline, and they must be carried out conscientiously and responsibly by every stakeholder. The Lieutenant Governor said that the vision of Shubham–Shivam sends a clear message to every pilgrim, every langar, and every service provider on this journey that preservation of ecology and all its natural resources are a sacred duty.

“A clean, sustainable, zero landfill Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra is a firm declaration that despite the harshest geographical conditions, ensuring cleanliness is our collective responsibility. An outstanding example of this commitment is the “Trayambakam” mobile application. It is a simple, intuitive, and useful tool through which any pilgrim can send a photo of waste or litter at a location and ensure immediate action.

The circular economy initiatives are also highly commendable. The “Swaha” utensil bank, where steel plates and cups are used against a small security deposit, conveys to every pilgrim that convenience and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

The “Amarnath Seva Cafe” turns waste collection into an act of service and participation. Exchanging collected plastic for tea and snacks is not only a transaction but it signals that true devotion to Baba Barfani manifests through active participation in keeping the pilgrimage clean,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

He also announced the regulatory framework including four way segregation, a complete ban on single use plastic, and prescribed sanitation standards for each langar and camp to lay a strong foundation for environmental protection.

“Directorate of Rural Sanitation’s official logo, featuring Lord Shiva and 34 tridents arranged around him, reminds us that protecting this holy land and its environment is our shared duty. The pilgrimage anthem “Swachhta Dharma Hamara” will surely resonate in pilgrims’ hearts in the same way as Baba’s blessing and the echo of these mountains remain with them long after the journey ends. I extend my best wishes to the thousands of workers who will operate on these difficult routes in the coming days. Let us resolve today that Baba Amarnath’s sacred pilgrimage will be an unparalleled experience for pilgrims from across the country and abroad,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

K.N. Rai, Member, Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board; Nalin Prabhat, DGP J&K; S.J.M.Gillani, Special DG Coordination PHQ; Dr. Mandeep K Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor and CEO Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board; Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Rahul Yadav, Managing Director JKPDCL and Nodal Officer for Baltal Axis; V K Birdi, IGP Kashmir; Jatin Kishore, Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal; Anoo Malhotra, DG Rural Sanitation J&K and other senior officials attended the launch ceremony.

Srinagar, June 28: Dr Karan Singh on Sunday visited the revered shrine of Charar-e-Sharief in central Kashmir along with his daughter, Dr Jyotsna Singh, where he offered a chaadar and a donation.

According to the statement, the shrine’s priest prayed for Dr Singh’s health and well-being and recalled that several generations of his family had visited the shrine. The statement quoted Dr Singh as saying that his father had tied a green ribbon at the shrine while praying for the birth of a son and later returned to untie it after his birth.

Dr Singh expressed happiness over the reconstruction of the shrine, which was destroyed in a fire in 1995, leaving only the sacred grave intact.

Talking to reporters, Dr Singh said that the recent visit of Dr Farooq Abdullah to the Kheer Bhawani shrine and his own visit to Charar-e-Sharief reflected Kashmir’s centuries-old tradition of interfaith harmony and coexistence.

Baltal, June 28: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday visited Amarnath Yatra Base camp at Baltal in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and reviewed the arrangements made for the pilgrimage. At the base camp, the LG interacted with the senior officers of Civil Administration, J&K Police, Central Armed Police Forces and all other stakeholders involved in ensuring best of arrangements for devotees.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a review meeting at the Baltal Base Camp to assess preparations for the upcoming Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. The meeting focused on security arrangements, infrastructure, healthcare, sanitation, transportation, and other essential facilities to ensure the smooth, safe, and hassle-free conduct of the annual pilgrimage.

“Today I visited Baltal base camp and chaired a meeting to review the preparations for the upcoming Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra. Together with senior officials, I examined the infrastructure, security measures, and overall arrangements to ensure that all preparations are complete. I have instructed all the stakeholder departments to make certain that all amenities are in place and that devotees of Lord Shiva are welcomed into an environment that is safe, comfortable, and well-organized. My priority is that every pilgrim can enjoys the spiritual journey and leave with a truly enriching and fulfilling experience. The sacred Yatra is a moment of faith, and shared joy. I want the arrangements to reflect that spirit, ensuring that Teerth Yatris are well cared for,” LG Manoj Sinha said.

Principal Secretary to the LG, Dr Mandeep Kumar Bhandari; Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat; DG Coordination Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gilani; IGP Kashmir, V K Birdi; DIG CKR, Rajiv Panday; Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg; Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Jatin Kishore; SSP Ganderbal Sudhanshu Dhama; Director Health Services Kashmir; besides senior officials of civil and police administration were present.

Notably, Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) and the Jammu and Kashmir Administration has made elaborated arrangements for smooth conduct of Amarnath Yatra including seamless registration, convoy movement, camping facilities, medical facilities, upgrading the tracks, providing power and water supply and mobile phone connectivity.

The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas will commence from July 03.

Srinagar, June 28: Senior ministers of the National Conference-led government in Jammu and Kashmir convened an early-morning press conference on Sunday to directly rebuff accusations of irregular hiring, insisting that the outsourcing system at the centre of the controversy was not of their making, and daring their critics to prove otherwise.

Speaking on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the advisor Nasir Aslam Wani opened the briefing by framing the issue as a matter of public trust. “Many misconceptions have been spread regarding our government’s employment policy,” he said. “It is our duty to clear these misunderstandings because it is our responsibility to ensure that the public receives the correct facts.”

Wani sought to draw a sharp contrast between the current recruitment drive and practices of the past. “Today, we are not witnessing the practices that were common in the past — paper leaks, cancelled selection lists, and other irregularities,” he told reporters. “Those experiences belong to the past.”

The government, he said, had launched a mission to fill nearly 40,000 vacancies through a transparent, merit-based process and expected it to be completed soon.

On the outsourcing controversy specifically, Wani was unequivocal in pointing the finger at the previous PDP administration. “Just as they left us with the consequences of the abrogation of Article 370, the loss of statehood, the division of the erstwhile state into three parts,” he said, “they also left behind this outsourcing system.” He added that the entire outsourcing framework had been put in place between 2015 and 2018, and that all appointments now being questioned were initiated before the 2024 elections. “The same process has simply continued.”

Wani then issued a direct challenge to critics: “If anyone can produce even a single piece of evidence proving that this government has made a backdoor appointment, let them do so.”

Cabinet minister Sakina Itoo took over to explain the operational rationale for outsourcing, describing it as a short-term administrative necessity rather than a recruitment channel. “Outsourced personnel are engaged over and above the sanctioned strength of any department,” she said, offering the example of a hospital that installs an extra X-ray machine but needs a technician immediately. “Patients cannot be made to wait indefinitely while the formal recruitment process takes place.”

Itoo also clarified the procurement process for outsourcing agencies. “These outsourcing agencies are selected through the Government e-Marketplace portal using a transparent tendering process,” she said, adding that renewals and extensions were merely a continuation of policy inherited from the previous government.

Both ministers framed the press conference as a response to what they described as deliberate political point-scoring by the PDP,  a party they accused of criticising a system it had itself designed. “Those making these allegations should know this better than anyone,” Wani said, “because the outsourcing system itself was introduced during their tenure.”