Facebook Instagram Twitter
Facebook Instagram Twitter
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Home Blog Page 69

2 labourers killed, 1 injured in under-construction flyover, bridge mishaps in Samba, Jammu

By
JKN Author
-
0
2 labourers killed, 1 injured in under-construction flyover, bridge mishaps in Samba, Jammu

Two labourers were killed and one was critically injured in two separate mishaps involving under-construction flyover and Tawi bridge, as part of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway in Samba and Jammu districts on Tuesday.

Two incidents in a single day at two different stretches of under-construction (Delhi–Amritsar–Katra) Expressway raised some serious questions over the safety provisions for labourers engaged even in big-ticket infrastructure projects.

In the first incident, the mishap occurred on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) morning at around 10 am during the installation of a span at an under-construction flyover near Jakh Morh, Vijaypur in Samba district.

During the installation work, the span collapsed and fell down. In the incident, one labourer identified as Gautam Sao, 25, son of Paltan Sao, resident of Ward number 10, Godah, Bihar, died on the spot.

Another labourer namely Bisht Sao, son of Naresh Sao, resident of Bihar, sustained critical injuries. The injured labourer was immediately shifted to Vijaypur hospital for treatment.

Senior Police and NHAI officials immediately rushed to the spot. Police also registered an FIR in this connection and initiated proceedings to ascertain the circumstances that led to collapse.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) project director Jammu Rajiv Kumar, while responding to media queries on the site, said flyover span collapsed at Jakh during minor adjustment (of the span) in which one labourer died. He said Rs 5 lakh compensation was awarded immediately while rest of financial aid will be provided as per the Work Compensation Act after accounting.

However, the labourers, working at the site, demanded that an adequate compensation and pension should be given to the wife of the deceased. They alleged that in the past too such incidents took place but adequate compensation was not given.

In the second incident, one labourer died when a part of fresh concrete slab of the under-construction Tawi bridge, also a part of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, at Sidhra in Jammu outskirts, fell while he was engaged in construction work.

Officials stated that the labourer Budhi Singh, 45, a resident of Ramban sustained critical injuries after he fell from a height at the under-construction Tawi bridge.

Regional Officer NHAI J&K, R S Yadav stated that under the package 18 of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, the work was underway at Tawi bridge.

“Pier of the new bridge was cast a day ago. Work is underway amid traffic congestion. Today an oversized truck hit the shuttering leading to the fall of a part of a fresh concrete slab. In the incident, a labourer sustained injuries and he was immediately rushed to the hospital,” Yadav stated.

He clarified that it was not a bridge collapse incident. “During construction, first pier-casting is done and span launching is undertaken. In this case, it was at the pier-casting stage. It was a fresh concrete slab. It takes at least 28 days to get it stabilised,” he said.     

Later critically injured Budhi Singh, who was rushed to GMC Jammu hospital, was declared “brought dead” there.   

Meanwhile, with regard to the Jakh incident, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Jammu also issued an official statement.

It stated that an unfortunate incident occurred on Tuesday at the construction site of package-15 of the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra (DAK) Expressway, near village Jakh, tehsil Vijaypur in district Samba.

According to NHAI, at the Raya Morh elevated highway project, an elevated structure comprising 14 spans, with each span consisting of 15 segments, is under construction. Of the 14 spans, 10 spans have been successfully launched.

NHAI said the launching work on the 11th span is currently in progress.

It said that during the lifting of the end portion of one of the segments, the segment slipped from the launching machine and fell to the ground.

“Regrettably, one worker lost his life in the untoward incident. NHAI expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved family. The next of kin of the deceased worker shall be appropriately compensated in accordance with the applicable norms,” the official statement read.

It stated that the bridge segments already launched in the 11th span remained intact and all previously launched elevated bridge spans were also intact.

NHAI clarified that reports describing the incident as a collapse of the bridge were incorrect.

“There has been no structural failure of the bridge. NHAI remains firmly committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety in the execution of the project. An expert team is being deputed to the site to examine the incident and review the launching process so that appropriate corrective measures can be implemented and the recurrence of such an incident is prevented,” the statement added.

NHAI also reiterated its commitment to the safe, quality-driven and timely execution of the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway and said that it would continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the highest standards of construction and worker safety.

Greater Kashmir

Urban waste costing J&K’s lakes a heavy price

By
JKN Author
-
0
Urban waste costing J&K’s lakes a heavy price

Srinagar, Aug 26: J&K’s water bodies and fragile aquatic ecosystems are facing a pollution crisis triggered by rapid urban expansion, rising consumption and nearly inexistent waste and sewage infrastructure. 
The recent government audits and proceedings before the National Green Tribunal show that the problem extends far beyond visible garbage.
A recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit found that 50 of 63 test-checked lakes in J&K were being dumped with untreated sewage. Of these, sewage from around 91,000 households, with approximately 4.55 lakh people, was entering 34 lakes. The audit identified 69 specific pollution source points at 29 of these lakes, where waste was getting directly dumped into the water bodies.

In the 63 test-checked lakes, authorities had not assessed water-carrying capacity in any of them, reflecting broader neglect. 
Shockingly, the water budgeting had not been undertaken for 62 of the 63 lakes. 
These lakes had no flushing system, no de-weeding and dredging was being carried out and the lakes and their falling ecosystems were not part of any academic or research pursuits.
The damage is being done in more than one way: the CAG’s assessment found that 518 of 697 natural lakes in J&K had either disappeared or shrunk since 1967. 
Of these, 315 lakes had vanished completely, and the remaining 203 had shrunk in size. 

Of the shrinking lakes, 63 had lost more than half of their area. 
The audit blamed the changes in land use within lakes and their catchments, deforestation, climate change and unregulated human activity for this crisis. 
The catastrophe of J&K’s lakes is a work of Government’s inaction over decades, and people’s apathy towards natural resources, the report aply proves.
The most visible decline remains Dal-Nigeen. 

A J&K Pollution Control Committee assessment placed before the NGT stated that water samples taken from 24 locations in Dal and Nigeen between January and May 2024 had a shocker: only one location conformed to Class B water-quality criteria. 
Class B water quality criteria means that the surface water standards of the location is safe for bathing and swimming. 
The water from entire Dal and Nigeen Lake, as per the report, is not even fit for bathing, let alone cooking and consumption in other forms.
The report further detailed that the biological oxygen demand ranged from 2.1 to 23.5 mg/litre. 

The total coliform levels ranged from 200 to 36,000 CFU/100 ml and faecal coliform from 20 to 2,000 CFU/100 ml. 
The acceptable fecal coliform in water for body contact is fewer than 200 colonies per 100 ml.
J&K generates 1470.3 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily according to data submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the LokSabha. Of this, only 283.5 tonnes is scientifically treated.

Srinagar generates roughly 158.3 MLD of sewage, while the installed treatment capacity of only 67 MLD. 
Even the treatment plants function below capacity or have become defunct. 
In Jammu city, 77.8 MLD of sewage are generated with an installed capacity of 72.6 MLD. 
However, the oversight reports from NGT note that actual functional efficiency is lower.

In J&K, ecosystems and water bodies are getting destroyed due to a mismatch between an expanding urban population and consumption economy. 
Parallelly, the capacity of municipal systems to collect, process and safely dispose-off the resulting waste and wastewater remains primitive.

Greater Kashmir

PM Modi on 10 years of UPI

By
JKN Author
-
0
PM Modi on 10 years of UPI

New Delhi, Aug 25: On completion of a decade of the Unified Payments Interface, Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday hailed it as a major turning point in India’s digital payment journey and said its sheer scale is something every Indian must be proud of.

The UPI was launched on August 25, 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The UPI has emerged as the backbone of India’s digital payments ecosystem and a critical driver of financial inclusion.

“A decade ago, UPI was rolled out, marking a major turning point in India’s digital payments journey. The sheer scale and reach of UPI are something every Indian must be proud of,” Modi said in a post on X.

The prime minister also asked people to share with him their UPI experience and how it impacted the life.

Over a decade of operations, the UPI has demonstrated extraordinary scale and momentum in the country. Annual transaction volume expanded from just 1.78 crore in 2016-17 to over 24,162 crore transactions in 2025-26, representing an almost 13,000 fold surge in transaction volume.

Parallelly, transaction value rose sharply from Rs 0.07 lakh crore in 2016-17 to approximately Rs 314 lakh crore in 2025-26, translating into a more than 4,000 fold increase in transaction value.

The UPI has emerged as one of the most successful pillars of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), providing an interoperable, real-time payments platform that enables seamless peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant transactions through a single application, an official release said on Monday.

Greater Kashmir

As UPI completes 10 years, QR codes and digital payments reshape everyday shopping in Kashmir

By
JKN Author
-
0
As UPI completes 10 years, QR codes and digital payments reshape everyday shopping in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 24: It is early morning in a Kashmir Kandur shop (baker shop). Customers are picking up fresh bread. At the counter, alongside the cash box, sits something that would have seemed unfamiliar here a decade ago — a QR code.

A customer takes out a phone, scans the code, enters the amount and walks away.

There is no exchange of notes, no search for change and, increasingly, no need for the shopkeeper to maintain a running credit entry.

The same scene can be found across Kashmir’s markets.

At grocery shops, mutton outlets, chicken shops, vegetable stores and even small roadside businesses, the small square QR code has become a familiar feature of the counter. In many shops, it is accompanied by a small audio device that announces when a payment has been received.

For Kashmir’s shoppers, the change has been gradual but profound.

A decade ago, everyday shopping largely depended on cash. If a customer did not have enough money, there was always the locality’s shopkeeper’s notebook — a handwritten record of what had been bought on credit and what was still owed.

Today, a mobile phone can do what a wallet once did.

The transformation is closely linked to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which completes 10 years on August 25.

Launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India, UPI has grown from a new payment system into a central part of everyday commerce.

According to the Press Information Bureau, annual UPI transaction volumes have risen nearly 13,000-fold, from 1.78 crore transactions in its first year to more than 24,162 crore transactions in 2025-26.

But in Kashmir’s markets, the impact of UPI is perhaps better understood through aRs 20 purchase than through billions of transactions.

At a Kashmir Kandur shop in Srinagar, shopkeeper Muhammad Shafi said the change in payment habits has been particularly noticeable among younger customers.

“Earlier, almost everyone paid in cash. If someone did not have the exact amount, we had to arrange change or sometimes write the amount in the notebook. Now many customers simply scan the QR code and the payment is done,” he said.

Shafi said digital payments have become part of the routine of running the shop.

“Even for a small purchase, people are comfortable paying through their phones. They don’t think of it as something special anymore,” he said.

The shift is equally visible at grocery stores.

Farooq Ahmad, who runs a grocery shop in Buchpora, said the QR code has become as important to his business as the cash drawer.

“Earlier, cash was everything. People would come with notes and coins, and if they were short of money, they would ask us to put it on credit. Now many customers don’t carry cash at all,” he said.

Ahmad said digital payments have also reduced the problem of small change.

“Sometimes a customer buys something for Rs 47 or Rs 83. Earlier we had to look for change. Now they pay the exact amount,” he said.

At a mutton shop in Srinagar, the weighing scale and butcher’s knife share counter space with another increasingly familiar object — a QR code.

Customer Aijaz Ahmad said he now uses digital payments for purchases that he once would have paid for exclusively in cash.

“Earlier, I would make sure I had cash before going to the market. Now I just carry my phone. Whether I am buying groceries or mutton, I can pay directly,” he said.

The same pattern has emerged at chicken shops.

Bilal Ahmad, a poultry shop owner in Anantnag, said digital payments have become part of the daily routine.

“Customers ask for the QR code almost automatically. They scan it, show the payment confirmation and leave. For us also, it is easier because there is a record of the transaction,” he said.

For shopkeepers, however, one of the most noticeable developments has been the arrival of audio payment devices.

The small speakers, placed near cash counters, announce incoming payments, allowing merchants to confirm transactions without constantly checking their phones.

“When the shop is crowded, I cannot look at the phone after every payment. The audio device tells me immediately that the money has come,” said a shopkeeper in Srinagar.

For consumers, the change is even simpler: carrying less cash.

Greater Kashmir

India-China agree to seek ‘political settlement’ of boundary issue: MEA

By
JKN Author
-
0
India-China agree to seek ‘political settlement’ of boundary issue: MEA

Beijing, Aug 25: India on Tuesday conveyed to China the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for overall bilateral ties as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi focusing on delimitation of the frontier and sustaining work on trans-boundary cooperation.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Doval and Wang had “candid and in-depth” exchange of views on the India-China boundary question and agreed to continue their work in seeking a “political settlement” of the issue in the context of “overall and long-term interests”.

Doval landed in Beijing on Monday on a two-day visit and his trip is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

“The Indian side highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas for the continued development and progress of the bilateral relationship,” it said.

Held under the framework of Special Representatives dialogue, the Doval-Wang talks came weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit to India for the upcoming BRICS summit.

Doval and Wang are the designated Special Representative for the talks.

“Under the strategic guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, and in a constructive and forward-looking spirit, the two Special Representatives had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the India-China boundary question and agreed to continue their work in seeking a political settlement of the boundary question in the context of their overall and long-term interests,” the MEA said.

The Indian embassy in Beijing said the two sides “positively reviewed” the ongoing momentum in bilateral relations in line with the vision of PM Modi and President Xi.

“They discussed ways to further expand bilateral cooperation, maintain stability and ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas, and make progress on boundary delimitation, while sustaining the ongoing work on transboundary cooperation,” it said.

The Special Representatives (SR) dialogue took place amid reports of aggressive military posturing by Chinese troops along the LAC in Upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh.

In his remarks at the meeting, Doval said that normalcy in the ties has been a direct result of both sides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

“I am very happy we are here for the 25th round of talks which are very important, particularly in the wake of the BRICS summit to happen shortly,” he said.

“We meet in keeping with the guidance of our leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, who have given clear and positive direction to our relationship both at Kazan and Tianjin,” Doval said, referring to the meetings the two leaders held on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia in 2024 and the SCO summit in China last year.

Referring to progress made by the two sides in normalising the ties following the eastern Ladakh military standoff, Doval said the bilateral relationship has been steadily returning to normalcy.

“The normalcy we have witnessed in our relationship has been a direct result of both sides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” he said.

“We have extensively talked about it today just to see how to effectively reinforce and further consolidate our efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” he said in an apparent reference to differences over the border and Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet.

Doval also talked about advances made by the two countries in improving people-to-people ties.

“The successful conduct of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra via Nathu La and resumption of our traditional border trade via all the three passes brought tangible benefits for our people, particularly people living in the border areas,” he said.

The MEA said the sides also discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

In his remarks, Wang said the China-India relationship has gone beyond the bilateral scope and taken on global and strategic significance.

“It is important for us to step up communication, to enhance mutual trust, to remove disturbances and overcome obstacles. We need to be good friends that enjoy good neighbourliness and be good partners that contribute to each other’s success,” he said.

Wang also talked about adding new impetus to the ties during the talks with Doval.

“I look forward to continuing to have in-depth exchange of views with you on issues of shared interest to better understand each other and to properly handle the boundary question, to not only maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area but also inject new impetus for the bilateral relationship,” he said.

Wang also said the two sides have stayed in regular communication through diplomatic and military channels on boundary affairs, implementing the guidance of PM Modi and President Xi.

Both Doval and Wang are the designated SRs for the boundary talks mechanism, which was established in 2003 to comprehensively address the dispute of the India-China border spanning 3,488 km.

While success eluded it in resolving the boundary dispute, officials on both sides regard the structured mechanism as a useful tool in addressing the recurring tensions between the two countries on various fronts.

Greater Kashmir

PM Modi chairs 53rd PRAGATI meeting, reviews 6 key infrastructure projects across Railway, Road and Power sectors

By
JKN Author
-
0
PM Modi chairs 53rd PRAGATI meeting, reviews 6 key infrastructure projects across Railway, Road and Power sectors

New Delhi, Aug 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 53rd meeting of PRAGATI, the ICT-enabled, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, at Seva Teerth earlier today.

During the meeting, Prime Minister reviewed six key infrastructure projects across the Railway, Road and Power sectors, spanning nine States with a cumulative cost of more than ₹30,000 crore. The projects, significant for strengthening connectivity, supporting industrial and economic activity and improving public services, were reviewed with particular emphasis on adherence to timelines, inter-agency coordination, resolution of pending issues and expeditious completion.

Prime Minister emphasised that delays in infrastructure projects have consequences beyond cost escalation, as they also postpone the benefits intended for citizens, businesses and the economy. He said that infrastructure projects should be viewed and monitored as an integrated whole, rather than as isolated sections, stretches or packages. He noted that progress in individual packages should ultimately translate into timely completion and operationalisation of the entire project. Ministries and States were therefore asked to adopt an end-to-end approach, and address critical gaps that could delay the overall commissioning and delivery of benefits. He called for fostering a proactive work culture across Ministries and State Governments, with greater ownership at every level of project implementation.

Prime Minister stressed the need to explore common utility corridors for infrastructure services, wherever feasible, particularly while planning major transport and infrastructure projects. He called upon Ministries and States to examine such integrated approaches at the planning stage itself, keeping in view their technical and economic feasibility.

Prime Minister said that speed of execution must be accompanied by uncompromising quality. He called upon Ministries, States and implementing agencies to adopt modern technologies and strengthen quality assurance and supervision at every stage.

While reviewing AgriStack under the Digital Agriculture Mission, Prime Minister emphasised the need to leverage the latest digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to derive greater value from agricultural data. He stressed that the data ecosystem should be effectively utilised across the agricultural value chain, from input planning to processing, enabling more informed interventions, better targeting and data-driven decision-making. He appreciated the efforts of the States and the Central Government in building the AgriStack ecosystem and called for further strengthening its use for delivering better outcomes for farmers.

During the review of cyber fraud cases, including incidents of digital arrest, Prime Minister said that prevention must be strengthened through a sustained focus on training, awareness and education. He stressed the need for continuous and targeted public-awareness campaigns, particularly for senior citizens, youth and other vulnerable sections, to familiarise them with common fraud techniques, warning signs and safe digital practices. He also called for regular capacity-building of personnel involved so that emerging modes of cyber fraud are identified and acted upon swiftly.

Greater Kashmir

Govt to sell onions at Rs 35/kg in Delhi; 1st ‘Kanda Express’ with 800 tn supply to reach on Wednesday

By
JKN Author
-
0
Govt to sell onions at Rs 35/kg in Delhi; 1st ‘Kanda Express’ with 800 tn supply to reach on Wednesday

New Delhi, Aug 25: The government will sell onions at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kg in the national capital, a discount of around 36 per cent from the prevailing average retail price, with the help of 800 tonnes of fresh vegetable supplies reaching here on Wednesday through the first ‘Kanda Express’.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Tuesday said that onions will be retailed via Nafed, NCCF and Kendriya Bhandar stores in the national capital.

Bulk onions are also being transported through dedicated railway rakes to four other centres — Chennai, Ernakulam, Madurai and Guwahati, she said on a social media paltform. The onion being transported to these consuming centres is a buffer stock maintained at Nasik, Maharashtra. The stock is being released to check price rise.

The all-India average retail price of onion has jumped more than 28 per cent in a month to Rs 44.72/kg on August 25, up from Rs 34.80 per kg on July 25. A year ago, the price was Rs 28.67 per kg on the same day, reflecting a sharp 56 per cent increase.

Among major cities, retail onion prices on Tuesday stood at Rs 60 per kg in Chennai (Rs 35 per kg a year ago), Rs 55 per kg in Delhi (Rs 33), Rs 60 per kg in Kolkata (Rs 32/kg), Rs 48 per kg in Mumbai (Rs 32 per kg) and Rs 38 per kg in Ranchi (Rs 25 per kg).

Data maintained by the ministry shows that the average wholesale price was up 63 per cent at Rs 36.73 per kg on August 25, against Rs 22.54 per kg in the year-ago period. In a month, the wholesale prices have risen by 33.5 per cent.

The Kanda Express initiative, aimed at enhancing logistical efficiency for large-scale onion movement, was launched in 2024-25 and has since been scaled up considerably.

In 2024-25, 14 railway rakes carrying nearly 12,000 tonnes of onion buffer stock were dispatched to five cities. In 2025-26, this has expanded to 86 rakes carrying about 88,000 tonnes of onions to 16 major cities across the country.

The onion buffer stock is the Centre’s strategic reserve, built up primarily to cushion the market against price spikes when supplies tighten. The government maintains onion stocks in different producing states as part of the Price Stabilisation Fund scheme.

About 1.21 lakh tonnes of onion buffer has been maintained for 2026.

According to the government, onion availability remains comfortable to meet domestic demand over the coming months, supported by estimated 2025-26 production of 307.37 lakh tonnes, ‘broadly on a par with 307.67 lakh tonnes in the previous year.

Onion prices typically see a seasonal uptick from August-September due to festive demand, weather-related disruptions, supply chain movements, and shifting demand patterns.

Greater Kashmir

New smart technology can make diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease more accessible

By
JKN Author
-
0
New smart technology can make diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease more accessible

New Delhi, Aug 25: A novel smartphone-enabled platform employing afluorescence-responsive tiny molecule as a probe offers a simple, cost-effective, and accessible approach for the detection of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarker amyloid-β (Aβ).

Upon interaction with Aβ, the tiny molecule called TZ-48undergoes changes in fluorescence intensity, which are captured and quantified using a dedicated smartphone application. This enables rapid and user-friendly detection, with potential applications in the screening and staging of AD.

AD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioural impairment. Central to its pathology is the misfolding and aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ), which self-assembles into fibrils and deposits as extracellular plaques that trigger neurotoxic cascades leading to synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration.

The National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) framework identifies Aβ, tau, and neurodegeneration as core biomarkers for definitive AD diagnosis across brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood. Importantly, Aβ pathology is an early and AD-specific biomarker, making Aβ a more reliable diagnostic indicator. Although positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide valuable diagnostic information, their high cost, need for specialized infrastructure, technical expertise, and limited accessibility restrict widespread use. Blood-based assays targeting Aβ and tau, have emerged as promising alternatives, but are expensive and complex. These limitations highlight the need for simple, sensitive, scalable diagnostic platforms capable of early and accurate detection of Aβ for AD diagnosis.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) has emerged as a powerful sensing modality because fluorescence lifetime is largely independent of probe concentration and photobleaching, enabling robust detection of biomarkers and enhancing diagnostic precision.

Scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, have developed a smart fluorescence lifetime-responsive probe that enables highly selective, sensitive, and differential detection of Aβ fibrils (Aβf) through turn-on fluorescence and distinct lifetime signatures.

The probe called TZ-48 published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience exhibits excellent BBB permeability, robust labelling of Aβ plaques in transgenic AD mouse brains, and compatibility with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and FLIM for quantitative mapping of Aβ burden across disease stages. Beyond tissue imaging, TZ-48 enables sensitive detection of Aβ in CSF and blood serum, accurately distinguishing AD from healthy mice.

To facilitate clinical translation, the team of scientists consisting of Krithi K. Bhagavath, Madhu Ramesh, Yogendra Kumar, Sabyasachi Mandal, Hiriyakkanavar Ila and Thimmaiah Govindaraju developed ADxFluor, a smartphone-integrated platform leverages the fluorescence response of TZ-48 for rapid, unbiased quantification of serum Aβ load.

The system combines dual-mode brain imaging, biofluid detection, and smartphone-based quantification of Aβ in biofluids, establishing it along with ADxFluor, a smartphone-integrated platform as a foundation for next-generation smart diagnostics for AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The integration of TZ-48 with the smartphone-based ADxFluor platform further establishes a portable, low-cost, and user-friendly point-of-care diagnostic system, representing a significant technological and translational innovation in AD diagnostics.

Greater Kashmir

Azad condemns rape, murder of minor girl in Chatroo

By
JKN Author
-
0
Azad condemns rape, murder of minor girl in Chatroo

Jammu, Aug 25: Former Chief Minister of J&K, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has strongly condemned the horrific rape and murder of a minor girl from the ST community in Chatroo, Kishtwar, describing the incident as “absolutely horrifying and shameful.”

Azad appreciated the police for swiftly arresting the culprit and said that the accused must face exemplary punishment for the heinous crime.

He said, “The rape & murder of a minor girl from the ST community in Chatroo, Kishtwar, is absolutely horrifying and shameful. I appreciate the police for swiftly arresting the culprit. The culprit deserves exemplary punishment.”

Azad further stressed that society as a whole must take a strong stand against such crimes and said, “Society across the country must rise to the occasion and ensure that people with such dirty mindsets find no place in our society”.

He expressed solidarity with the bereaved family and urged that justice be delivered swiftly and firmly in accordance with law.

Greater Kashmir

DGP reviews security preparedness for Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW), other forthcoming events

By
JKN Author
-
0
DGP reviews security preparedness for Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW), other forthcoming events

Srinagar, Aug 25: Director General of Police (DGP) J&K Nalin Prabhat chaired a security review meeting at PCR Kashmir to assess and further strengthen security arrangements for the upcoming Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) and other forthcoming events across the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, including the Friday following Eid Milad-un-Nabi, Raksha Bandhan, and other events.

The meeting was attended by Spl DGP Coordination J&K, IGP Kashmir Zone, IGP Jammu Zone, all Range DIGs, and all district SSPs/PDs of J&K, SSP PCR Kashmir, AIG (Ct & Int) PHQ, besides other senior officers. Detailed discussions were held on security preparedness, deployment strategy, crowd management, and traffic regulation measures to ensure the safe, peaceful, and smooth conduct of the events.

The DGP stressed heightened vigilance, proactive policing, and foolproof security arrangements, particularly at major shrines, mosques, and other religious places. Special focus was laid on Dargah Hazratbal and other prominent religious sites where nightlong prayers and large congregations are anticipated. Officers were directed to ensure adequate security coverage and close coordination among all field formations for timely response to any emerging situation.

The DGP directed officers to strengthen surveillance at sensitive and vulnerable locations and ensure effective deployment at strategic and high-footfall areas. DGP J&K further directed officers to put in place effective traffic regulation and route management plans around major religious places and along procession routes to facilitate seamless movement of devotees.

The DGP also reviewed arrangements with regard to Raksha Bandhan and passed directions for advance security and traffic arrangements at markets and temples, besides enhancing security and surveillance at prominent religious places.

The meeting concluded with the DGP J&K reiterating that all necessary arrangements must be put in place well in advance to ensure the peaceful, safe, and secure conduct of all forthcoming events across the UT of J&K.

Greater Kashmir

1...686970...1,222Page 69 of 1,222
- Advertisement -
Google search engine

Recent Posts

JK News – Your go-to source for the latest and most reliable news from Jammu & Kashmir!
Contact us: info@jknews.in
Facebook Instagram Twitter

EVEN MORE NEWS

POPULAR CATEGORY

JK News © 2026