Udhampur, Jan 05: Minister for Education, Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo today addressed the One Day Convention of Teachers here, underscoring the pivotal role of teachers in shaping a progressive and enlightened society.

Director School Education Jammu, Naseem Javaid Choudhary; ACR Udhampur, Joint Director School Education Udhampur/Reasi, DSWO Udhampur, CMO Udhampur, CEO Udhampur, other senior officers of Education department and large number of teachers were also present on the occasion.

Speaking to a large gathering of educators, the Minister lauded teachers as the true architects of building progressive society, stating that their contribution goes far beyond classrooms and textbooks. “Teachers play a decisive role in nurturing responsible citizens and strengthening moral and intellectual fabric of society”, she stated.

The Education Minister called upon teachers to adapt to evolving educational challenges and adopt innovative teaching methods to meet the aspirations of the younger generation. She stressed that continuous professional development and value-based education are essential to keep pace with changing times.

Lauding teachers for their contribution to education sector, Minister Sakeena said that under the visionary leadership of then Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the revolutionary step of introducing Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) scheme was initiated which changed the dynamics of school education sector in J&K. She added that due to ReT scheme, students of far-flung areas, who couldn’t afford to move to cities for educational purposes, received education in their respective areas.

She highlighted that the teachers need to be acknowledged for their contribution to the society, adding that the large number of IAS, IPS and JKAS officers have studied from government schools for which their teachers need to acknowledged.

Emphasising the need to reform and strengthen the teacher–student relationship, Sakeena Itoo said that mutual respect, trust and understanding must form the foundation of all educational institutions. She highlighted that some positive reforms need to be initiated for improving student-teacher relationship in educational institutions.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to improving the education sector, Sakeena Itoo assured that sustained efforts are being made by the Government under the leadership of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah to upgrade infrastructure, enhance teaching standards and promote holistic learning across educational institutions of J&K.

Addressing the gathering, Director School Education Jammu said the Government has worked tirelessly from last one year for the development of education sector, particularly the change of Academic session, timely updation of seniority lists, conduct of DPCs and other related issues have been solved and some are under active consideration of the Government.

He highlighted that various reformative steps for the betterment of education sector are under process of the government, which will significantly improve the educational standards across Jammu and Kashmir.

On the occasion, various teachers spoke and lauded the efforts of Government, especially Education Minister for various pathbreaking initiatives in education sector. They expressed gratitude to Minister for various decisions like change in academic session, regularisation of CPWs, posting of Principals and other teachers in various schools which was long pending issue, availability of textbooks in schools, timely updation of seniority lists as well as regular conduct of DPCs at all levels.

The Teachers, on the occasion, also put forth some demands before the Minister like provision of leave salary to teachers at the time of retirement, restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS), withdrawal of teachers from non teaching assignments in other departments like Census, Surveys and others as well as timely disbursement of dues for Mid Day Meal scheme.

On the sidelines of the Convention, the Minister distributed sewing machines among women beneficiaries of Social Welfare department. She also distributed bicycles among school children for their outstanding performance in various National sports championships and academic activities.

Mendhar, Jan 05: A rusted mortar shell was found in a forward village near the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday in Poonch district and was subsequently destroyed in a controlled explosion, officials said.

The mortar shell was noticed lying in an open field by villagers of Upper Ghani in Balnoi area of Mankote sector around 11.15 am, officials said.

They said a police team immediately secured the area and Army experts later destroyed the shell in a controlled explosion without causing any damage.

Poonch, Jan 05: A woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Tehsil Mandi, Poonch, on Monday morning.

Official sources said the deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Asia Kousar, wife of Mohd Jahangir, resident of Jandrola. The circumstances of her death are considered suspicious.

Authorities have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.

Police are conducting inquiries to determine the cause and circumstances surrounding the death, as the investigation progresses. (KNC)

Jammu, Jan 05: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today highlighted the transformative impact of the PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) platform in expediting major developmental projects across J&K, stating that it has emerged as a powerful instrument for resolving long-pending issues and ensuring timely execution of big-ticket initiatives.

Addressing a press briefing, the Chief Secretary underscored the significance of PRAGATI@50, noting that the technology-driven governance mechanism has successfully unlocked several projects that had remained stalled for decades due to inter-departmental bottlenecks and procedural delays.

The press conference was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Information, M. Raju; Director Information, Nitish Rajora; Director, PIB Jammu, Neha Jalali; Joint Director Information Headquarters, Zahoor Ahmad Raina; Joint Director Information Jammu, Deepak Dubey, and other senior officers of the Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR).

Citing the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project as a prime example, the Chief Secretary said that despite being initiated in 1995, the project witnessed minimal progress for nearly 25 years. However, after being taken up under PRAGATI for close monitoring, the project gained substantial momentum due to enhanced inter-departmental coordination and direct intervention at the highest level by the Prime Minister himself.

He informed that all projects with an outlay of more than ₹500 Cr are monitored by the Prime Minister’s Group (PMG) headed by the Cabinet Secretary, while the most critical among them are directly reviewed by the Prime Minister through PRAGATI meetings.

Elaborating further, the Chief Secretary stated that the PMG is currently monitoring 61 projects in Jammu & Kashmir, with a cumulative investment of over ₹4.12 lakh crore, spanning key sectors such as connectivity, energy, and social infrastructure. Out of these, 15 projects with an outlay of ₹69,000 Cr have already been completed, while the remaining projects are at various stages of execution.

He specifically pointed out that 15 major projects in J&K are under direct monitoring of the Prime Minister through the PRAGATI platform, enabling swift resolution of issues related to land acquisition, financial and physical constraints, and ensuring timely and fair compensation to affected families.

Highlighting the high effectiveness of the mechanism, the Chief Secretary revealed that out of 59 issues pertaining to J&K taken up in earlier PRAGATI meetings, 57 have already been resolved on merit, placing the Union Territory among the top performers nationally, supplemented by robust district-level follow-up by the administration.

On the tangible outcomes achieved, he said that six high-impact projects worth approximately ₹53,000 Cr have been completed in Jammu & Kashmir under PRAGATI monitoring. These include the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link, Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project along with its transmission line, AIIMS Jammu, the challenging Banihal stretch of NH-44, and the Alsteng–Kargil–Khaltse–Leh transmission line.

He further informed that nine additional projects being monitored under PRAGATI are progressing at a satisfactory pace. These include the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway Corridor, AIIMS Awantipora, Pakul Dul Hydroelectric Project, 4G mobile connectivity under USOF, and several other energy and connectivity projects across different parts of the UT.

Concluding the briefing, the Chief Secretary reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fully implement the directions issued through the PRAGATI mechanism at the Union Territory level. He emphasized that by leveraging this platform, J&K is poised to sustain the current momentum, ensuring that all developmental initiatives are outcome-oriented and completed within approved deadlines for each of them.