Srinagar: Local officials in Kargil have urged the Center to start civil flights, saying connectivity is severely affected in winter when surface routes are closed.Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC) Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) Mohammad Jafar Akhoon and Ladakh MP Mohammad Hanifa raised this demand in a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday.“Air connectivity will boost tourism and will be of great help to the army personnel. Soldiers lose three to four days of leave while traveling from Leh and waiting to move on,” Akhoon said. He said the lack of direct flights was deterring countless potential visitors.Akhoon stressed that air connectivity is vital for the region, whose people now have to travel five to eight hours by road to reach the nearest airports in Leh and Srinagar.“There is no doubt that the Zojila tunnel will improve road connectivity, but Kargil still needs a dedicated air link. Small aircraft operate in many areas of the Northeast. Flights from Kargil to New Delhi and from Kargil to Srinagar can start with small aircraft from the existing (defense) runways. This could pave the way for full air connectivity and a full-fledged civilian airport,” Akhoon said.In talks with Shah, Akhoon and Hanifa also stressed on expediting five hydroelectric projects and demanded two new districts of Sanku and Shakar-Chiktan. “These are among the most populous and oldest subdivisions in Kargil and meet all the necessary criteria for the creation of districts,” Akhoon said.Both of these should be included in the upcoming notification regarding five new districts announced by the Union Home Ministry in August 2024. These are Ladakh, Zanskar and Dras in Kargil, and Sham, Nubra and Changthang in Leh.Akhoon and Hanifa also demanded a 200-bed hospital for Kargil to ease the pressure on the existing 100-bed district facility, engineering colleges and an agricultural university. Another major demand was for a dedicated India Reserve Battalion (IRB) for Kargil to strengthen law and order and provide jobs.Akhoon said Home Minister Shah’s response to the demands, including air connectivity, was “very positive”.

New Delhi: Raymond Group Chairman and Managing Director Gautam Hari Singhania suffered minor injuries when a speedboat carrying tourists capsized in the Maldives early Friday, while two Indians, including rally driver Hari Singh, are feared missing and a search operation is underway.Singhania was among seven people aboard the ship which capsized near Wee Felidhu. He was then rescued and brought back to Mumbai, where he is recovering, his spokesperson confirmed.“Gautam Singhania suffered minor injuries following an unfortunate accident. He is recovering under proper care in Mumbai,” the spokesperson said.“We thank you for your well wishes and pray for the well-being of our affected friends,” the spokesperson said.According to reports from Maldives, the speedboat was carrying two women from the United Kingdom and Russia as well as five Indian men. Police said five people were swept into the sea, including a Russian woman and four Indian men.Two Indian nationals, including rally driver Hari Singh, are also among the missing, while efforts are on to trace them.As the investigation into the incident continues, officials have launched a search operation in the area.

New Delhi: The Union Education Ministry will launch a nationwide campaign to identify and enroll out-of-school children and dropouts through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as part of efforts to achieve 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) from pre-school to secondary level by 2030.Data from the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24 shows that nearly 2 crore children in the age group of 14-18 are not going to school. About 11% of children from classes III to VIII remain out of school, while more than 50 lakh students fail board examinations every year.Officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy said open schooling will be used to bring such children back into the education system, especially those who are unable to attend regular schools due to economic, social or geographical reasons. NIOS offers flexible admission, multiple attempts to qualify the exam, on-demand exams and professional courses with recognized certification at par with other boards.The ministry will work with states and union territories to identify out-of-school children using district-level survey data and enroll them through targeted outreach. A program called “NIOS Mitra” will be launched to support this effort. Trained facilitators will identify children, counsel families and assist with enrollment and academic guidance, focusing on marginalized and disadvantaged groups.To improve access, the ministry plans to expand the network of NIOS centres. Currently, NIOS operates more than 10,800 study and examination centers across the country. The government aims to set up at least one center in every block.PM SHRI Schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Government Senior Secondary Schools will be used as NIOS centers to support enrollment and examinations.

It rained in parts of Punjab and Haryana on Friday, causing temperatures to drop below normal limits.It rained throughout the day in Chandigarh for the second consecutive day and the rain caused a huge drop in mercury here. According to the Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature here fell to 18.8 degrees Celsius, which is ten degrees less than normal.Other places in both the states that received rain included Ambala, Panchkula, Narnaul, Rohtak, Mohali, Patiala and Rupnagar.On Thursday too, it rained at many places in Punjab and Haryana, causing a sharp drop in the temperature. On Friday, a huge drop was again recorded in the maximum temperature.Amritsar in Punjab recorded a maximum temperature of 23.7 degrees Celsius, which is four degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in Ludhiana was recorded at 21.6 degrees, which is seven degrees below normal.The maximum temperature in Patiala was recorded at 20.3 degrees Celsius, which is nine degrees below normal.In Haryana, Ambala recorded a maximum temperature of 18.5 degrees Celsius, ten degrees below the normal limit.The maximum temperature in Hisar was recorded at 22.2 degrees Celsius, which is seven degrees below normal.The maximum temperature in Karnal was 22.2 degrees, which is six degrees below normal.

New Delhi: India on Friday delivered a 2.5-tonne consignment of medical supplies and equipment to Kabul after a deadly airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in the Afghan capital killed more than 400 people.The Foreign Ministry said the shipment contained emergency medicines, medical disposables, kits and equipment to aid in the treatment and recovery of those injured in the March 16 attack.“India stands in solidarity with the Afghan people and will continue to provide all possible humanitarian assistance during this difficult time,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. An airstrike on a major drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late Monday night reportedly destroyed significant parts of the 2,000-bed complex. Local officials said at least 400 people were killed and about 250 were injured. At around 9:00 pm (local time), loud explosions were heard and plumes of smoke were visible from the surrounding Shahr-e-Nawa and Wazir Akbar Khan districts. This incident has happened amid increased tension on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Afghanistan in response to cross-border attacks allegedly carried out by terrorists sheltered by the Taliban government. Meanwhile, Afghan officials have described these incursions as a violation of their sovereignty, with senior leaders stressing the duty of all citizens to defend the nation.

New Delhi: The Uttarakhand High Court on Friday ordered ban on Mohammed Deepak and refused to quash the FIR against him. The case pertains to a gym owner protesting against Bajrang Dal members harassing a Muslim shopkeeper.“It’s part of the investigation. Don’t be sensitive.” [sensationalise]. I will stop you from making any statement on social media. Right now, I am stopping you because you are an accused facing investigation. I’m stopping you right now. Do not make any statement on social media. This is my strict instruction to you,” the Bar and Bench quoted Justice Thapliyal as saying.“The petitioner is under investigation and in such circumstances, he (Kumar) cannot pray for police protection. There is no question of creating suspicion on the investigating agency. He has to hope and believe that his life will be protected. Nevertheless, he can approach the competent authority (the police, if necessary) for protection,” the court order said.The court, hearing Kumar’s plea to quash the FIR on Thursday, took exception to the unreasonable requests in the petition, including the demand for police protection and action against officers over alleged “biased” conduct.The court said that these arguments appear to be an attempt to put pressure on the investigation and draw unnecessary attention to the case. It also questioned the petitioner’s request for police protection, noting that he himself is a “suspected accused”.The court on Tuesday directed the state authorities to file a status report on the action taken on all the FIRs related to the incident. One such FIR has been registered against Deepak Kumar on charges including rioting, causing hurt and intentional insult with intent to disturb peace in connection with an incident that took place on January 26 in Kotdwar. Kumar is accused of clashing with Bajrang Dal members because they objected to Vakeel Ahmed, a Muslim shopkeeper, naming his shop as “Baba”. A video of the altercation later circulated widely on social media. Kumar has moved the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR.