National

UDHAMPUR, OCTOBER 05: The District Election Authority Udhampur conducted a training program for Pre-Counting/scanning of ETPBS for AROs, Supervisors and Assistants under the supervision of District Election Officer Udhampur Saloni Rai, here at Conference Hall DC Office Complex, Udhampur.

During the training session, participants had the opportunity to address their doubts and clarify key aspects of the scanning/pre-counting procedures of ETPBS. Emphasis was placed on the importance of adhering to a transparent, diligent and unbiased approach throughout the counting process, ensuring that every legitimate vote is accurately accounted for.

The Returning Officers also highlighted the necessity of strict compliance with the guidelines set forth by the Election Commission of India. They reiterated the importance of accuracy and vigilance in maintaining the integrity of the election process.

Returning Officers briefed the participants on their specific roles and responsibilities, ensuring that all are well-prepared to carry out their tasks smoothly and efficiently.

POONCH, OCTOBER 05: District Election Officer (DEO) Poonch, Vikas Kundal chaired a meeting today to finalize the security and logistical arrangements for the counting of votes scheduled on October 8.

The meeting was attended by key officials, including SSP Mumtaz Ahmad, ADC Mustafa Malik, ACR, SDM Mendhar, Returning Officers (ROs) of Haveli, Surankote, and Mendhar, SDPO Mendhar and representatives from various security agencies.

DEO emphasized the need for flawless coordination among all departments to ensure that the counting process is conducted in a secure and transparent manner. The counting will be held at the Dina Nath Rafiq Memorial Model Higher Secondary School (Girls), Poonch, for all three Assembly Constituencies.

SSP Mumtaz Ahmad briefed the DEO on the comprehensive security plan, which includes multi-layered security at the counting centre, checkpoints at key locations, and adequate deployment of police personnel to maintain order. Representatives from various security agencies also assured their full cooperation, pledging to keep the area under close surveillance throughout the day. Only authorized personnel will be allowed inside the centre, in accordance with strict guidelines set by the Election Commission.

As part of the broader preparations, a robust three-tier security system has been arranged for the counting centre in Poonch. Authorities have completed all necessary preparations to ensure that the counting proceeds smoothly and securely.

Infrastructure and safety arrangements have also been put in place, including basic amenities like washrooms and drinking water, fire safety precautions, and the presence of medical teams on standby for any emergencies on the counting day.

JAMMU, OCTOBER 05: Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, today chaired a meeting to review the preparedness and preventive measures for Dengue in districts of Jammu Division.

Director Health Services, Jammu, Director ULB, Deputy Commissioners, CMOs, State Malarialogist, representatives of municipalities and concerned attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed the ongoing efforts, preparedness and measures for prevention and minimizing the cases of Dengue.

Director Health Services, Jammu apprised the Divisional Commissioner on the yearly comparison and monthly trends of the District wise Dengue cases. He further informed about the teams of Doctors, Logistics, equipment and medical stocks deployed in the areas with Dengue cases.

The Div Com directed the concerned district officials for monitoring the situation and submit daily report of the trend of cases especially from the hotspot areas.

He further asked to intensify the fogging for disinfecting the areas with Dengue cases and conducting house to house spraying activities.

The Div Com called for rigorous awareness campaigns on Dengue and its prevention with prime focus on market areas, residential colonies and dwellings. “It should be ensured there is no water stagnation anywhere while drains, nallahs should be cleaned for proper flow”, he said.

The Div Com also sought the details of preparedness of GMCs and hospitals for treatments of Dengue patients. District Administrations and CMOs were asked to take the private hospitals onboard to keep them prepared for treating the Dengue cases.

The Div Com directed the concerned officials to also focus cleanliness and disinfectant fogging drives in Industrial areas and places with high movement of people.

KATHUA, OCTOBER 04: In a demonstration of best electoral practices, the District Election Office Kathua has implemented robust measures to ensure transparency and accountability in the post-poll process for all six Assembly segments in the district. The Government Degree College (Boys) Kathua, designated as the Counting Centre, is now a model of transparency with the provision of live CCTV surveillance monitoring all strong rooms where Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are securely stored following the polling on October 1st.

To further uphold these standards, the District Election Office has set up a dedicated, 24/7 Control Room inside the college. This facility, accessible to election agents and authorized representatives of contesting candidates, provides live feeds from the CCTV cameras installed in the strong rooms.

In addition to real-time monitoring, election agents and candidates are permitted regular visits to the strong rooms, ensuring concerns are addressed promptly and minimizing any apprehensions.

For the convenience of those involved, the Control Room has been equipped with necessary amenities, including fans, drinking water, and Wi-Fi. Duty magistrates are present round-the-clock to ensure that all protocols are strictly followed and to resolve any issues immediately, thereby reinforcing the integrity of the electoral process.

JAMMU, OCTOBER 4: In a significant initiative to enhance worker welfare, Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, convened a meeting today to review the action plan focused on providing benefits of various schemes to workers registered on the e-Shram portal.

Present in the meeting were Secretary, Labour and Employment; Principal Secretary, PDD; Commissioner Secretary, IT; Secretary, Tribal Affairs; MD, JKRLM; Labour Commissioner; representatives from NIC and other concerned officers.

The Chief Secretary enquired about saturation of ration cards among registered workers. He emphasized the need for issuance of ration cards to all eligible workers, directing the department to identify and fill existing gaps in coverage. This move is expected to bolster food security for many workers who may currently lack access to essential resources, he asserted.

In a bid to enhance the efficacy of these initiatives, the Chief Secretary instructed all concerned departments to designate Nodal Officers of their department. These officers will be responsible for ensuring that the benefits of all schemes are effectively communicated and delivered to registered workers. He also emphasized the importance of identifying eligible families for their comprehensive coverage.

Dulloo called upon the departments such as Social Welfare, Health, and School Education to work in collaboration to facilitate these workers with their respective departmental schemes. He underscored the need for an integrated approach towards worker welfare, ensuring that all relevant sectors contribute to the wellbeing of registered workers.

The Secretary informed the Chief Secretary that the department is actively collaborating with the Social Welfare Department to roll out various social security schemes for the registered workers. This partnership aims to provide a robust support system, ensuring that workers receive the benefits they are entitled to, he added.

Earlier, the Secretary delivered a comprehensive presentation detailing the current statistics on registered un-organised workers and their distribution across different sectors. He outlined the eligibility criteria for registration and highlighted the sectors covered under the e-Shram initiative, underscoring the government’s commitment towards supporting labourers in diverse fields across different departments.

SRINAGAR OCTOBER 04: In connection with upcoming Urs of the revered saint Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani (RA), the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Dr. Khalid Hussain Malik today visited the Shrine of Dastgeer Sahib at Khanyar to take stock of the arrangements made for smooth observance of the Urs.

During the visit, the ADC took a detailed review of the arrangements being made at the Shrine by different Departments for the annual Urs observation.

On the occasion, the ADC also interacted with the Shrine Management and sought details about the requirements for the Urs

The Senior Officers of Police and line Departments who accompanied the ADC on the occasion briefed him about the arrangements their respective Departments are making to ensure smooth observance of the Urs.

The ADC stressed the Officers and other stakeholders to ensure all requisite facilities and arrangements are made available for devotees well in advance.

BARAMULLA, OCTOBER 04: Ahead of the counting day for General Elections to Assembly Elections 2024 on October 8, District Election Officer (DEO) Baramulla, Minga Sherpa today conducted a thorough inspection of the designated counting center at the indoor sports stadium in Baramulla.

During the visit, the DEO reviewed the arrangements and facilities at counting centers for all seven Assembly constituencies, viz. 07-Sopore, 08-Rafiabad, 09-Uri, 10-Baramulla, 11-Gulmarg, 12-Wagoora Kreeri and 13-Pattan.

The inspection was carried out to ensure that all facilities at the counting center are meticulously planned and put in place, guaranteeing a smooth and transparent counting process.

Meanwhile, the DEO inspected the physical infrastructure and security infrastructure, including the barricading for a hassle-free counting process, the provision of IT and communication systems, and proper spacing arrangements for contesting candidates and their agents.

During the visit, the DEO directed the heads of the respective departments to ensure round-the-clock availability of power supply, health facilities, implementation of fire-safety measures, drinking water, and other facilities, all aimed at ensuring a smooth counting process with no hassle.

Meanwhile, the DEO instructed the District Information Officer to establish a media center at the counting facility for media persons, which will thereby ensure the seamless release of information about vote counting to the press.

The DEO stressed on all the officers for the strict adherence to the guidelines of the Election Commission of India to uphold the integrity and fairness of the counting process.

SRINAGAR OCTOBER 04:- Ahead of Counting of votes of Eight 8 Assembly Constituencies of Srinagar District for General Elections to Legislative Assembly-2024, the District Election Officer(DEO) Srinagar, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat today visited SKICC-Centaur to review the arrangements being made for the seamless Counting process.

The DEO also took stock of the security measures made in and around the Counting Centres.

During the visit, the DEO along with the concerned Officer took a thorough inspection of the arrangements with regard to the preparations made in and around the counting centres for a smooth and well organized counting process.

The DEO also finalized the surveillance & security measures, seating arrangements, transporting of EVMs and the technical setup at the Counting Halls to ensure transparency, accuracy and the timely announcement of counting results.

On the occasion, the DEO gave directions to the Officers of different line Departments for ensuring uninterrupted power supply, adequate water supply, proper Internet facility, Media management, entry passes and other necessary measures to be put in place ahead of Counting.

While interacting with the Officers at the venue, the DEO stressed on ensuring seamless arrangements and facilities in place for counting centres, strong rooms, CCTV links and training of manpower for upholding the sanctity and integrity of the democratic ethos.

The DEO emphasized that the counting process will be done as per ECI guidelines under video recording.

The EVMs are presently kept under three-layer security cordon in strong rooms at SKICC-Centaur, after the voting process was completed on September 25, 2024.

Pertinent to mention that Counting of votes for all Eight Assembly Constituencies of Srinagar District is scheduled on (Tuesday) October 08, 2024 at designated Counting Halls at SKICC-Centaur.

Returning Officers, various Nodal Officer, Deputy District Election Officer Srinagar and other concerned accompanied the DEO during the visit.

SHOPIAN, OCTOBER 04: The District Election Officer (DEO) Shopian, Mohammad Shahid Saleem Dar today chaired a meeting of officers at Mini Secretariat Shopian in order to review necessary arrangements being put in place for counting of votes, scheduled on October 8.

The DEO took appraisal of department wise duties and responsibilities fixed for each department. He also took stock of all arrangements including magisterial duties, seating arrangements, establishment of media centres, help desks and other arrangements for the hassle free counting process.

He called for exhibiting the optimal coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders for the efficient culmination of counting.

The DEO instructed concerned officers to follow all procedures of Election Commission guidelines while performing their duties and instructed for expediting the preparedness level.

ADC, Zakir Hussain Faaz, Returning Officers of Shopian and Zainapora and other nodal officers attended the meeting.

JAMMU, OCTOBER 4: In a first of its kind initiative, the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museum, J&K under the supervision of its Director, Kuldeep Krishan Sidha, on Friday facilitated an extensive visit of children of Ved Mandir Bal Niketan, Orphanage Ambphala, to Dogra Art Museum Jammu to acquaint them with the rich cultural heritage of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Department organized this special visit for nearly 50 children along with their staff. The children were taken for a guided tour of various galleries of the Museum to make them aware about history and significance of various artifacts.

During the visit, the students engaged with interactive displays, asked curious questions and learned about the significance of each exhibit. This visit aimed to broaden the student’s horizon, spark their curiosity and inspire their imagination and acquaint them with their culture and history.

On the occasion, the Director urged the students to be ambassadors for making their friends aware about our Art, Culture and Heritage.

While speaking on the occasion, the Director emphasised the importance of Museums for the future generations, as repositories of rich cultural heritage.

The event was conceived under the guidance of Principal Secretary, Culture, Suresh Kumar Gupta and executed by the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, J&K through Assistant Director, Dr. Sangeeta Sharma and Curator, Dogra Art Museum, Jammu, Mukul Magotra.