New Delhi, Sep 01: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is visiting Jammu on Sunday to review the devastation caused by recent heavy rains, flash floods, landslides, and soil erosion across the region.

As part of his two-day visit that began on August 31, Shah will conduct an aerial survey this morning to assess the damage and ongoing relief operations in the worst-affected areas.

At around 10:45 a.m., the Home Minister will begin an aerial survey of flood-ravaged regions, including Katra, the base camp of the revered Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, and Kishtwar, where cloudbursts and landslides have resulted in significant loss of life and infrastructure.

A large number of people have reportedly lost their lives in these disasters, including many pilgrims of the Machail Mata and Vaishno Devi yatras.

Following the aerial assessment, HM Shah is scheduled to chair a high-level review meeting at Raj Bhawan. The meeting will focus on evaluating the response efforts and accelerating the pace of relief, rescue, and rehabilitation work in the affected districts.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the J&K administration, and security agencies will brief the Home Minister on the status of ongoing operations.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, top bureaucrats, and disaster management officials are expected to present detailed reports on damage assessment, infrastructure loss, and the relief measures being implemented.

A team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs is accompanying Shah throughout the visit.

Shah will focus on relief, rehabilitation, and restoration efforts in the affected areas. The Home Minister may announce decisions related to the restoration of connectivity, rehabilitation efforts, and other matters to support affected communities.

Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah carried out an extensive tour of Ramban and Udhampur districts to assess the widespread devastation caused by recent cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and mudslides, which have severely disrupted life and damaged the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44).

Srinagar, Aug 31: In a significant development, the district education authorities Doda have ordered for uniform dress code for students besides a formal dress for the employees of the education department.

The order in this regard has been issued by Chief Education Officer (CEO) Doda following the instructions received from project director Samagra Shiksha J&K.

As per the order, the directions to adopt a uniform dress code for students were issued by the project Directorate Samagra Shiksha while releasing funds for Uniform Grant (DBT) under Samagra Shiksha and PM Shri schemes for the year 2025026.

“Following the instructions, it has been advised to maintain a uniform dress code across the district,” the order reads.

It reads that a committee was constituted to decide upon the uniform dress code as well, where the committee selected a dress code for students in elementary schools and PM Shri schools, while a particular dress code was selected for students in high and higher secondary schools.

Accordingly, CEO Doda has issued instructions to all the schools and other subordinate offices to adopt a uniform dress code for students.

“All government schools across the district should adopt a uniform dress code in order to maintain uniformity, discipline and a sense of equality among the students,” the order reads.

In this regard, a meeting was held on August 22, 2025, regarding the adoption of a uniform dress code for the students in all the schools, wherein the committee finalised an advisory on a formal dress code for students.

Similarly, a formal dress code has been advised for teaching and non-teaching employees of the department to create a distinct and professional identity for all teaching and non-teaching staff.

“No specific colour has been prescribed for the employees, but formals only shall be worn by the staff. As such, all the staff members of the SED from school, ZEO, and CEO of the district shall preferably wear formal dress during the office and school hours,” the order reads.

As per the order, CEO Doda has imposed a ban on wearing round-neck T-shirts, while the staff members have been asked to wear identity cards during the office hours.

“All the heads will ensure that the dress code for staff shall be complied with with immediate effect. The heads of schools will inform parents in advance about the decision for its implementation in the upcoming academic session,” the order reads.

As the education authorities in Doda district have taken the initiative to adopt the uniform dress code for students and formals for employees from the upcoming academic session, stakeholders seek implementation of the formal dress code for teaching and non-teaching employees of the education department across J&K.

“It will be a good decision to make formal dress mandatory for the teaching faculty besides the non-teaching employees of the education department,” an official told Greater Kashmir.

“Wearing jeans and round T-shirts does not suit a decent profession like teaching,” he said.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) G N Itoo said such decisions are taken at the government level.

“Government has to take a call if they want to make formal dress mandatory for the teachers and non-teaching staff. Such decisions cannot be taken at district level or divisional level,” he said.

Srinagar, Aug 31: Eighteen-year-old Mohsin Ali had been earning accolades ever since he set the Dal Lake ablaze by clinching gold in the 1000 metre kayaking event at the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) held here recently.

On Sunday, Ali became a local hero after receiving a special mention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised the Srinagar boy for his achievement in the 125th edition of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

Organised from August 21 to 23 at the iconic Dal Lake, the KIWSF featured three sporting disciplines – rowing, canoeing, and kayaking – and three demonstration sports events – water skiing, shikara race, and dragon boat race – in which 28 states and eight union territories took part.

Ali now has his sights fixed on the ultimate goal – an Olympic gold.

The 18-year-old’s story is proof that greatness can be found anywhere, even on a single-paddled boat across a glinting lake.

“I was thrilled to speak to the prime minister. His words will work as an encouragement not only for me but for the youth in general, who want to represent the country at the highest stage,” Ali said.

In ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the PM singled out Jammu and Kashmir for two special achievements – holding the water sports event successfully, and the inaugural day-night cricket match in Pulwama.

Modi spoke to Ali and another sportsperson – Odisha’s canoeing champion, Rasmita Sahoo.

The KIWSF was a collaborative initiative of the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), which saw more than 800 participants from across the country, with female athletes almost matching their male counterparts.

While Madhya Pradesh bagged the most medals, Ali’s triumph triggered a renewed interest in water sports in the Union territory. Ali, whose father works as a labourer to support his family of seven, said he was motivated to take up kayaking after seeing shikaras (boats) on Dal Lake.

He attributed his achievement to his coach, Bilquis Mir, a prominent canoeist and kayaker from Srinagar, who became the first Indian woman to serve as a jury member at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

According to Mir, Ali’s triumph is a reflection of the talent present in Jammu and Kashmir.

She also said his victory at the KIWSF motivated new athletes, with 80 youths enrolling in the training programme at the end of the festival.

“It was a moment of pride for all of Jammu and Kashmir that a local boy won gold at the KIWSF. Ali’s performance will surely boost water sports in J-K, more so as he won in a field where most of his competitors had a lot of foreign exposure and access to state-of-the-art facilities,” Mir said.

Talking to Ali, the PM complimented his family and Mir on his success. After PM Modi said the youth of Jammu and Kashmir have so much potential, Ali said, “My dream is to win a medal in the Olympics.”

The PM replied, “Wow! Well done! Look, I got goosebumps just by hearing that from you. When the son of a labourer’s family dreams so big, it means the country is going to progress a lot.”

PM Modi concluded the four-minute conversation by saying, “Really enjoyed talking to you. Please convey my special thanks to your father, because he made your life by working as a labourer. On your father’s words, you worked hard for 10 years without taking any rest. I also congratulate your coach, who worked so hard to train you.”

On Srinagar successfully hosting the water sports event, PM Modi said, “What a special place to organise such a festival. The objective was to make water sports more popular in Jammu and Kashmir. More than 800 athletes from all over India took part in KIWSF. Women athletes were also not far behind… Their participation was almost at par with men.”

The PM also mentioned the Royal Premier League cricket tournament in Pulwama, in which 12 teams from Jammu and Kashmir are taking part.

“Thousands of enthusiasts, especially youth, are enjoying cricket at night in Pulwama. It is truly a sight to behold,” PM Modi said.

Royal Premier League organiser Irfan Ahmad thanked the prime minister for appreciating their efforts, and invited him to the last match of the tournament to be held in September.

Ahmad said the event aims to serve as a healthy outlet for the young people amid increasing unemployment and drug use in the area.

“I am really thankful to the prime minister for taking note of this event. The whole of Kashmir, especially Pulwama, is happy that he talked about it in ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

“The youth are depressed amid growing unemployment, which needs to be addressed. We organised the league to encourage the youth and keep them away from drugs,” Ahmad said, adding that he rented lights from Delhi to facilitate day-night cricket in Pulwama.

CM OMAR HOPES CORPORATE INDIA USES CSR FUNDS TO HELP DEVELOP SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE IN J&K

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday expressed hope that corporate India would play its part by using their CSR funds to help develop sports infrastructure in J&K.

CM Omar’s remarks came as he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the special mention of sportspersons from J&K in the 125th edition of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday.

“Thank you for highlighting the keen interest boys and girls of J&K have for all sports @narendramodi ji. The youth of J&K don’t lack talent or enthusiasm; unfortunately, they lack opportunity and exposure,” Abdullah said in a post on X, adding that the special mention by PM Modi would certainly add to the enthusiasm of the youth. “I hope corporate India will play its part by using their CSR funds to help develop sports infrastructure in J&K.”