Ganderbal, May 11: Nearly 90 sheep and goats belonging to a nomadic family from Rajouri district reportedly died after a lightning strike during the intervening night in a high-altitude forest area of Poshkar Kangan in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, officials and locals said on Monday.

The incident occurred in the Dhana Dok area of Poshkar, a remote grazing belt frequented by migratory tribal families during the summer season.

The livestock reportedly belonged to nomads identified as Mohmmad Yaseen Bijran and Abdul Majeed Bijran, sons of Khan Mohammad Bijran and residents of Sunderbani area of Rajouri district.

Locals said the area witnessed intense weather activity during the night, following which dozens of animals were found dead in the pasture on Monday morning. Preliminary reports suggested that lightning may have struck the flock during the storm.

The incident has caused massive financial loss to the affected family, whose livelihood primarily depends on livestock rearing and seasonal migration to upper reaches for grazing.

Police and local authorities were informed about the incident, who assessed the exact scale of the damage.

Such incidents are not uncommon in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir during the summer migration season when nomadic families move with their livestock to alpine pastures vulnerable to sudden weather changes, thunderstorms, and lightning activity. [KNT]

The All J&K Shia Association (AJKSA), in collaboration with J&K SDRF organised a Volunteer Training & Disaster Management Programme at Jamia Imam Jaffar Sadiq (AS), Sumbal, with participation of youth volunteers from different areas.

The programme was held under an initiative of AJKSA President Molvi Imran Ansari to prepare and train youth in every district of Jammu & Kashmir so they can provide immediate assistance during emergencies and also support authorities and rescue agencies whenever required, said a press release.

During the training sessions, SDRF officials provided practical demonstrations and awareness regarding disaster response, emergency rescue techniques, first aid, evacuation procedures, flood response, and coordination during natural and man-made disasters.

Volunteers were also educated about the importance of community preparedness and quick response during critical situations.

Speaking about the initiative, the organisers stated that trained local volunteers can play an important role during accidents, floods, fires, and other emergencies by reaching affected people quickly and assisting administration and rescue teams on the ground.

The programme received positive response from participants, who appreciated the effort to involve youth in humanitarian and public service activities.

It was further announced that similar training programmes will soon be organised in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam, and Baramulla. Special disaster management and volunteer training sessions for female participants will also be conducted in the coming phase of the initiative. The organisers thanked J&K SDRF officials, volunteers, and all participants for their cooperation and contribution towards the successful conduct of the programme.

Srinagar, May 10: Chairman CII J&K Iqram Ali Shafiee said the Confederation of Indian Industry collaborated with the Tourism Department to organise the golf carnival on a larger scale and attract participants from across the country.

“The idea was to bring golfers and high-net-worth individuals from different parts of India to Kashmir so that the tourism sector here gets a boost,” he said.

He said Kashmir already possesses world-class golf courses but there is a need to further explore and utilise their tourism potential.

“CII has always supported tourism promotion in Jammu & Kashmir. We have organised tourism summits and continue to support the government’s initiatives,” he added.

On golf becoming more accessible to youth, Iqram Ali said more schools in Kashmir are now encouraging students to take up the sport and youngsters are increasingly showing interest in golf.

“Golf is now open to everyone. You can see many young players and local children participating and learning the sport,” he said.

Baramulla, May 10: Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Baramulla, Javid Hassan Baig, on Sunday, expressed concern over the disproportionate Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) in government schools and said that a school in Baramulla has 12 teachers for 16 students.

He said there was a lack of accountability in the system, and the schools were suffering due to irrational teacher deployment in the Baramulla district.

He was speaking at a seminar on the anti-drug campaign, Nasha Mukht Abhiyan, organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum (JKTF) at Dak Bungalow, Baramulla.

MLA Javid Hassan Baig said there were schools in the district with more teachers than students, while many institutions elsewhere remained understaffed.

“In the Baramulla zone, there is a 6:1 ratio of PTR. There are six children for one teacher. One school has 12 teachers for 16 students, but nobody is willing to move where they are actually needed,” MLA Baramulla said.

The MLA said the problem was rooted in administrative failure and the absence of accountability in the education sector.

“In the name of infrastructure, we have built schools where there are no children. There is no accountability in the system,” he said.

Baig further said that the fight against drug abuse could not succeed without broader social and institutional reforms, particularly in education and family structures.

He said moral and social “training” was more important than mere acquisition of knowledge.

“The real issue is not knowledge or technology. The real issue is training,” he said and stressed the role of parents, teachers and religious leaders in shaping children.

Referring to rising drug addiction in J&K, MLA Javid Baig claimed that around 13 lakh people across J&K UT were involved in substance abuse.

“Punitive measures alone would not solve the crisis. You cannot end drugs only through jails and law-and-order measures. Character building is necessary for it,” he said.

The MLA also expressed concern over the unchecked influence of mobile phones and social media on young people.

“People want to save children from drugs, but not from this mobile. This box (Mobile) today contains the world’s filth,” he said.

Baig said that teachers must treat education as a mission rather than a government job and called for empowering educators to rebuild society.

“Teachers should be given confidence and responsibility in shaping society. Tell them (teachers) we have to make Jammu and Kashmir an exemplary state. It will happen within years,” he said.

MLA Baig, however, praised missionary institutions like Saint Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Baramulla for their historical contribution to education in Kashmir.

“Early schools were founded with a reformative spirit rather than commercial motives. They came from outside and imparted education to the community here,” Baig said.

He however, castigated the teachers for not being ready to move to the places where their services are actually required.

“If you are transferred from main town to the peripheries, you use your influence of forums to cancel the transfer. You are not ready to serve the community where it is actually required,” he said.

He further called for a collective social movement against drug abuse and said the campaign had to involve families, schools, religious institutions and the government alike.

“This war against drugs is not only the government’s responsibility. In every situation, we have to join hands and have to succeed,” he added.