Jammu, Jan 21: Director Census Operations (DCO) and Director Citizen Registration (DCR), Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Amit Sharma said

Inaugurating a three-day training programme at Jammu for officers of the Directorate of Census Operations, Sharma shared several unique features of the upcoming Census 2027 and a detailed outline about the first phase of House Listing Operations (HLO) and Housing Census – Census 2027 to be conducted in J&K and Ladakh.

During the inaugural address, he said that nodal officers for each district would be designated from amongst the best trainees only, and hence, the level of understanding should be such that queries should be addressed from all possible quarters at the ground level by them.

Sharma said that this three-day training should be the strongest foundation for the successful conduct for Census 2027, which would be the first Census through digital means after independence.

He reiterated that it was a golden opportunity for achieving the goal of establishing ‘Census as a Service’ and encouraged all trainees to give 100 percent effort towards learning all concepts thoroughly to disseminate them further to the J&K administration officers, charge officers, and field functionaries as it is.

Sharma directed the trainees to take full benefit of the intensive training received by the two national trainers, who are currently serving as Joint Director and Deputy Director here, and whom they should ask and clarify all possible doubts and queries.

Earlier, he was welcomed by Joint Director Arun Kumar and Deputy Director Manmeet Singh Loomba in the presence of all senior officers of the directorate.

They thanked Sharma for taking several positive and visible initiatives in the directorate since his joining in J&K and Ladakh, and conducting several acts which are critical during the peaking time of Census 2027.

Jammu, Jan 21: Apni Party on Wednesday held a protest demonstration against unscheduled power cuts amid bone-chilling cold in Jammu, outside the office premises of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL).

The protest was led by Provincial Secretary and President, Trade Union, Apni Party, Ajaz Kazmi. Party leaders, including Provincial, District Presidents, and separate Wings participated in the demonstration, highlighting the plight of the general public. The protesters raised slogans in support of their demands, urging the authorities to address the power crisis in Jammu.

Addressing the peacefully protesting party leaders and workers, Ajaz Kazmi said that the electricity crisis has deepened in Jammu during the winter season, and that the JPDCL has failed to address public concerns despite consumers paying their electricity charges on a regular basis.

“The JPDCL hardly addresses the genuine concerns of the people,” he claimed. Later, Ajaz Kazmi, along with other party leaders, met the Chief Engineer of JPDCL at his office and submitted a memorandum of demands. After hearing them patiently, the Chief Engineer assured the delegation that their concerns would be looked into.

Pertinently, the memorandum sought the attention of the JPDCL towards frequent unscheduled power cuts in several residential colonies. These outages have severely affected normal life and have also disrupted the drinking water supply system due to the non-functioning of water pump stations.

During night and early morning hours, Jammu often plunges into darkness, he said, adding that this situation has left students preparing for various competitive examinations in great difficulty. The JPDCL was urged to ensure uninterrupted and adequate electricity supply to residential areas as well as water pump stations so that normal life is not adversely affected. Furthermore, it was demanded that the capacity of transformers be enhanced to prevent overloading and frequent load shedding in various areas. The replacement of burnt or damaged transformers should be expedited. Consumer care contact numbers should be widely publicised, and prompt responses must be ensured, as a majority of the public remains unaware of these facilities. The memorandum also demanded that the JPDCL ensure electricity supply to consumers who regularly pay their bills and that no consumer is harassed on one pretext or another.

Jammu, Jan 21: Union Minister of State in PMO and Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday directed that “Kaladi”, the GI-tagged traditional dairy product of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, be upscaled for wider food applications and recipes, while strictly preserving its original flavour, texture, and nutritional identity.

The Minister said that the focus should be on value addition and enhancement of shelf life, enabling Kaladi to reach national and international markets under the Government’s “One District One Product” (ODOP) initiative.

Dr Jitendra emphasised that any scientific intervention must be carefully calibrated so that nutrition, taste, and native character were not compromised. He said that limited shelf life was the biggest constraint in expanding Kaladi beyond local markets and said that improving shelf life through scientific validation, proper packaging, and processing, without altering its core properties, was essential for marketability and export potential.

The Minister also highlighted the scope for food recipe diversification, including fresh consumption, functional forms and alternative culinary applications, provided the traditional milky flavour, mouthfeel, and stretchable texture of Kaladi are retained.

He stressed that Kaladi’s uniqueness, often referred to as the “mozzarella of Jammu”, must remain intact even while exploring scalable formats.

During the meeting, Dr Jitendra interacted with the Directors of CSIR-Central Food Technology Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), Mysuru, Dr Giridhar Parvatam, and CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, and directed them to jointly work on nutrient profiling, characterisation, value addition, and shelf-life enhancement of Kaladi.

The Minister asked the two premier CSIR laboratories to collaborate closely and provide initial observations within weeks, with a comprehensive outcome expected within six months.

It was noted that Kaladi, traditionally prepared from raw full-fat milk using whey water as a coagulant, gained economic importance after receiving the GI tag, improving livelihoods and employment opportunities for local communities, particularly rural youth.

However, its short shelf life of a few days, especially under non-refrigerated conditions, remained a major bottleneck for wider distribution.

Dr Jitendra said that the project would also involve documenting traditional methods followed in different regions of Jammu and Kashmir and scientifically identifying a common, industry-friendly process suitable for scale-up.

Nutrient profiling and flavour validation will be integral to ensure consumer acceptance and regulatory validation.

The Union Minister further directed that technologies from India’s pioneering food technology institution, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru, one of the country’s most advanced and premier food research institutes, be leveraged for this initiative.

He referred to CFTRI’s recent success where food technologies developed for millet-based products have been adopted by leading global food chains, and said that similar scientific approaches and options may be explored for Kaladi, wherever feasible.

Dr Jitendra said the initiative aligned with the Government’s vision of linking science, technology, and traditional products to strengthen local economies. He expressed confidence that once shelf life and value addition challenges were addressed, Kaladi could be promoted well beyond Jammu & Kashmir, fetching better returns for farmers and artisanal producers, while showcasing the richness of Dogra cuisine on national and global platforms.