A bench of Justices P Narasimha and Alok Aradhe asked the PIL petitioner advocate N K Goswami to approach the high court, while clarifying that this court was not inclined to entertain the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.

“We are giving you liberty to approach the high court,” the bench said while dismissing the plea.

Goswami has also sought among other things, a statutory cap on coaching hours for school children and a binding Code of Conduct for coaching centres prohibiting the manipulation of success data and the use of topper photographs for misleading advertising etc.

Article 32 grants citizens right to approach Supreme Court directly to enforce their fundamental rights.

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The meeting was attended by SSP Traffic Police, Aijaz Ahmad, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mir Imtiyaz Ul Aziz, CEO DDMA, Aadil Fareed, Chief Planning Officer, Fayaz Ahmad Dar, Superintending Engineer R&B, Tatheer Manzoor, Superintending Engineer, R&B, Shabir Ahmad, Superintending Engineer PHE Hydraulic, Er. Ambreen Anjum, SDM West, Irfan Bahadur, SDM West, Zuber Ahmad, Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Umar Gulzar, Executive Engineer I&FC, Shuja Ahmad, all Tehsildars, Experts and other concerned.

At the outset, the Chairman DDMA emphasized the need for close coordination among all line departments and called for strengthening disaster mitigation measures to effectively tackle any eventuality arising from landslides, cloudbursts and flood-like situations, ensuring a prompt and coordinated response across the district.

The DC directed the Officers to conduct field visits to vulnerable locations, undertake detailed assessments and identify gaps requiring immediate intervention. He instructed the concerned Departments to take all necessary measures to strengthen the embankments along the River Jhelum and other flood-prone areas in the City to minimize risks and safeguard public life and property.

The DC further stressed the need to reinforce disaster mitigation measures along Dachigam Nallah, Gandbal area, Doodganga Nallah and other vulnerable spots in the District. He directed the concerned Departments to carry out need based assessment of these areas and undertake necessary mitigation projects to reduce the vulnerability of these areas and ensure a swift, coordinated and effective response mechanism spanning across various departments.

The meeting also reviewed the preparedness of various Departments, availability of emergency resources and inter-departmental coordination mechanisms to ensure timely response during any natural disaster or emergency.

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The meeting reviewed the functioning of the Mission with focus on integration with Mission YUVA, operationalisation of Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs), qualitative assessment of NRLM institutions, strengthening of Self Help Groups (SHGs), Village Level Organisations (VLOs) and Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), besides preparing a comprehensive roadmap for capacity building and institutional development.

The meeting was attended by Managing Director, J&K Bank; Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department; Commissioner Secretary, School Education Department; Secretary, Labour & Employment Department; Secretary, Rural Development Department; Managing Director, JKRLM; representatives of Kudumbashree National Resource Organisation (NRO), AP-MAS and senior officers of the Mission.

Reviewing the progress of Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs), the Chief Secretary directed that these centres be made functional in all districts at the earliest and developed into vibrant institutions of social mobilization.

He observed that CMTCs should empower women through regular training and sensitization to play a proactive role in promoting sanitation and hygiene, school enrolment, nutrition, immunization, awareness against drug abuse and other important social issues.

 He also asked the department to examine the feasibility of developing these centres into fully functional institutions with dedicated infrastructure and resources under this flagship national mission.

Dulloo further directed the Mission to prepare a structured roadmap for capacity building by creating a pool of master trainers who would subsequently impart training to SHG members at the block level, thereby ensuring sustained institutional strengthening across the Union Territory.

Emphasising convergence with flagship programmes, the Chief Secretary called for close integration of JKRLM with Mission YUVA and the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) so that rural women can access entrepreneurship, skill development and self-employment opportunities available under these initiatives.

He directed the Mission to bring nearly six lakh SHG members under these programmes based on their aptitude and interests, while leveraging the services of YUVA Doots to ensure effective outreach, awareness generation and handholding support for enabling beneficiaries to avail the benefits.

Highlighting the successful collaboration with Kudumbashree, the Chief Secretary stressed the need to expand women-led food outlets across districts while strengthening bookkeeping practices through simplified digital modules to enhance financial management of community enterprises.

He also directed the Mission to further enhance bank linkage of SHGs through successive doses of institutional credit to enable expansion of enterprises and sustainable livelihood generation.

The Chief Secretary further called for an independent qualitative assessment of JKRLM by a reputed national-level institution to evaluate its present capacities, identify gaps and recommend measures for strengthening the Mission’s institutional framework and service delivery.

Reviewing the implementation of the Kudumbashree partnership, the Chief Secretary assessed the progress made in supporting SHGs to establish and successfully manage enterprises, particularly the Food Street Associations (FSAs). While appreciating the achievements made so far, he remarked that the initiative holds tremendous potential and called for intensified efforts to further expand its reach and impact across Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, the Secretary RDD, Aijaz Asad presented a detailed review of the Mission’s achievements and future roadmap, highlighting significant progress in social mobilization, financial inclusion, livelihoods promotion and convergence-driven rural development under the flagship programme.

Presenting the details the Managing Director, JKRLM, Dr. Shubhra Sharma revealed that JKRLM has established a robust community institutional framework across all 20 districts, 285 blocks and 4,291 Gram Panchayats by mobilizing over 8.14 lakh women into 96,595 Self Help Groups, 7,546 Village Organisations and 652 Cluster Level Federations.

It was further divulged that the Mission has extended capitalization support of over ₹532 crore to community institutions and facilitated cumulative bank credit exceeding ₹3,449 crore through nearly 1.46 lakh credit-linked accounts, while maintaining an exceptionally low NPA level of 0.91 per cent, reflecting sound financial discipline among SHGs.

On livelihoods promotion, it was informed that JKRLM currently supports 7.35 lakh Mahila Kisans across 5,255 villages through an extensive network of more than 3,300 Community Resource Persons, including Krishi Sakhis, Pashu Sakhis and Van Sakhis. The Mission has also digitised farmer training through the Daksh Kisan Portal, where over 64,000 farmers have been enrolled and more than 22,000 successfully certified.

Similarly under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP), the Mission has promoted 11,879 enterprises against a target of 14,244, facilitated bank credit for 1,907 enterprises amounting to over ₹21.77 crore, while utilising ₹20.26 crore under the Community Enterprise Fund.

The meeting was further informed that under the Lakhpati Didi Initiative, 2.40 lakh rural women have already achieved Lakhpati status, while the Mission has prepared a phased strategy to create 3.64 lakh Lakhpati Didis by 2029.

The Mission also shared its future strategy, which envisages development of self-reliant Cluster Level Federations, establishment of regional aggregation centres in Jammu and Srinagar for marketing SHG products, formal registration of CLFs as independent legal entities, expansion of institutional credit for enterprises and deeper convergence with Panchayati Raj Institutions to ensure sustainable and inclusive rural development across Jammu and Kashmir.

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The review meeting was attended by ADC Ramban Varunjeet Singh Charak, ACR Shokat Hayat Mattoo, Tehsildar Deep Kumar, while Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Tehsildars of the district participated in the meeting virtually.

During the meeting, threadbare discussions were held on the status of digitization of revenue records, inventory of available revenue records, and progress achieved in their scanning, preservation and digital updation.

The officers highlighted various issues and challenges being faced during the digitization process and disposal of revenue cases.

The District Mentor took note of the issues raised by the officers, clarified their doubts and provided necessary guidance to ensure smooth and timely implementation of the digitization process.

The District Mentor directed all Tehsildars to accord priority to clearing the backlog of mutations and ensure their timely disposal as per the prescribed procedure. He also instructed the revenue officers to promptly address and dispose of grievances related to mutation cases, ensuring transparency and timely delivery of services to the public.

 Emphasizing the need for maintaining an updated inventory of revenue records, the District Mentor impressed upon the concerned officers to ensure that the digitization process is completed in a time-bound manner. He stressed that all issues affecting the digitization and upgradation of records should be identified and resolved promptly.

He further called for close monitoring of progress at the Tehsil level and directed the officers to submit regular updates on the status of digitization, pending mutations and mutation-related grievances for effective review and follow-up.

The Deputy Commissioner, while speaking on the occasion, reiterated that modernization and digitization of revenue records is essential for improving transparency, safeguarding valuable land records and facilitating faster, more efficient and hassle-free delivery of revenue services to the people. He directed the concerned officers to work in close coordination and ensure timely completion of all assigned tasks.

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DIG, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Vikas Gupta; Special Secretary IT, Showkat Mehmood; Additional Secretary IT, Devender Singh Bhau; Deputy Secretary IT, Head SeMT, I/C IT Cell, technical officers, and other departmental officials were also present on the occasion.

Commissioner Secretary IT stated that the newly allotted facility is envisioned to function as a dedicated IT Hub for the Department. He said the expanded infrastructure will support the Department’s growing technical workforce, foster seamless coordination among various functional verticals, and provide the necessary space and resources to meet the evolving technological and digital governance requirements of the Government.

He further added that the facility will strengthen the Department’s capacity to drive innovation, accelerate e-Governance initiatives, and enhance the overall efficiency of technology-driven public service delivery.

Pertinently, the newly allotted space will suffice the Department’s requirement to accommodate officials and technical teams working across various verticals of the Information Technology Department. It will provide a dedicated and collaborative work environment to facilitate efficient project implementation, strengthen digital governance initiatives, and support the Department’s future expansion and capacity-building efforts.

A key feature of the facility will be the establishment of a SOC & NOC (Security Operations Centre & Network Operations Centre). The Centre will serve as a centralized command and monitoring facility for safeguarding the Government’s digital infrastructure and ensuring the seamless operation of critical IT systems. It will enable continuous monitoring of networks, servers, applications, and cybersecurity events, facilitate early detection and response to security incidents, support coordinated incident management, and ensure uninterrupted delivery of digital services. The SOC & NOC will also strengthen cyber resilience, enhance operational efficiency, and provide centralized oversight of the Information Technology Department’s e-Governance infrastructure and mission-critical digital platforms.

The building will also house a state-of-the-art Video Conferencing (VC) Room equipped with modern communication facilities. This facility will be available for use by various Government Departments, subject to prior booking and approval, enabling seamless virtual meetings, reviews, training sessions, and inter-departmental collaboration.

With adequate office space, the new premises will significantly enhance the operational capacity of the Information Technology Department.

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The meeting held extensive deliberations on the festival’s vision, its screening & programming strategy, branding, digital outreach, industry partnerships and international participation.

Director Information & Public Relations Shreya Singhal gave a comprehensive presentation outlining the proposed framework for the inaugural edition of the festival.

Reviewing the proposals, the Chief Minister said the International Film Festival should evolve into a globally recognized cinematic event celebrating storytelling while showcasing Jammu & Kashmir’s breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, artistic traditions and emerging creative talent. He stressed the need to deliver a professionally curated festival of international standards capable of attracting renowned filmmakers, producers, artists and cinema enthusiasts from across the world.

CM Omar Abdullah underlined that the festival must not be viewed merely as a film event but as a defining cultural and economic platform for Jammu & Kashmir. He said it should generate opportunities in tourism, investment, employment and the creative economy while reaffirming J&K’s historic place as India’s preferred destination for film production, creative pursuits and cinematic tourism.

Emphasizing the importance of nurturing the local creative ecosystem, the Chief Minister directed that local filmmakers, writers, directors, actors, cinematographers, technicians, photographers, designers, artisans, craftsmen and other creative professionals be meaningfully integrated with the film festival through exhibitions, facilitating networking opportunities and business engagements.

He further instructed the organizers to facilitate structured interactions between local talent and eminent national and international filmmakers, producers, directors, actors and industry experts through master-class & in-conversation sessions, workshops, panel discussions, mentoring sessions and knowledge-sharing programmes.

Such engagements, he said, would provide aspiring professionals from Jammu & Kashmir with global exposure, technical expertise and industry networks while encouraging innovation and excellence in filmmaking.

The Chief Minister also called for instituting a special segment to recognize distinguished actors, filmmakers, directors, producers, cinematographers, musicians and other cinema personalities who have played a significant role in keeping Jammu & Kashmir’s cinematic legacy alive by creating memorable films in the region over the decades.

Recognizing their contribution, he said, would celebrate Kashmir’s enduring association with Indian cinema while inspiring a renewed partnership between the film industry and Jammu & Kashmir.

Highlighting the festival’s wider developmental potential, the Chief Minister said it should also create meaningful opportunities for local artisans, craftspeople, entrepreneurs, tourism stakeholders, ensuring that the benefits of the event extend well beyond the film fraternity. He directed the concerned departments to make the festival a comprehensive celebration of Jammu & Kashmir’s artistic, cultural and entrepreneurial excellence.

During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on the festival’s branding strategy, global outreach, programming, digital engagement, technical collaborations, venue management, audience experience, promotional campaigns and institutional partnerships. The proposed festival will feature international competition, Indian cinema, documentaries, short films, student films, animation, regional cinema, industry forums, workshops and cultural programmes.

The proposed four-day festival, scheduled to be held in September 2026, will host screenings across multiple venues, offering an immersive experience for filmmakers, delegates and audiences.

The meeting also reviewed proposals for developing a dedicated digital ecosystem, including a festival website and an AI-enabled mobile application to facilitate film submissions, registrations, accreditation, scheduling, audience engagement, media outreach and real-time festival management. Plans for an integrated social media campaign and global promotional strategy also came up for discussion.

Proposals relating to technical partnerships with premier film institutions for festival curation, jury support, capacity building and specialized training for local youth were also deliberated upon. The festival is expected to bring together eminent filmmakers, actors, producers, technicians, film critics and cultural personalities from India and abroad.

Reiterating his vision, the Chief Minister said the International Film Festival should firmly establish Jammu & Kashmir as a world-class destination for cinema while leveraging the opportunities created under the J&K Film Policy to attract greater investment, film productions and creative enterprises. He directed all concerned departments to work in close coordination and ensure timely completion of all preparatory activities for the successful conduct of the inaugural festival.

The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Shailendra Kumar, Commissioner Secretary Information, R Alice Vaz, Commissioner Secretary, Floriculture, Parks and Gardens, Zubair Ahmad, Director Information Shreya Singhal, Joint Director Information, Kashmir, Syed Shahnawaz Bukhari, Joint Director Information, Jammu, Deepak Dubey, senior officers from the Tourism and General Administration Department, representatives of NFDC and other concerned officers.

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Joginder, a resident of Nardani, lost his life on Monday after falling from an electricity pole while attending to a power fault in the Janipur area. His body was brought to the protest site in an ambulance, where grieving family members, relatives and local residents gathered to pay their last respects and seek accountability.

The deceased’s wife, who had been married to Joginder for only two years, was inconsolable as the family demanded a fair investigation into the incident. Protesters urged the authorities to identify those responsible, ensure justice for the bereaved family and provide adequate financial assistance.

The family also raised concerns over the working conditions of daily wager employees in the power department, alleging that workers are often assigned hazardous duties without adequate safety arrangements. They called for stronger safety measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

A heavy police deployment was made at the protest site to maintain law and order. Officials held discussions with the agitating family members and attempted to pacify the protesters. However, the family maintained that their protest would continue until they received assurances of justice.

Traffic remained disrupted for some time outside the SDM office as the road was blocked during the demonstration. Police advised commuters to use alternate routes until the situation returned to normal.

It is pertinent to mention that Joginder was carrying out repair work on an electricity pole in Janipur on Monday when he fell. He was immediately shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Bakshi Nagar, where doctors declared him dead. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

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Senior government officials confirmed that the rumours circulating on various social media platforms regarding the announcement of summer vacations from July 1 have no basis and should be ignored.

Commissioner Secretary, School Education and Higher Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, also confirmed that no decision has been taken yet regarding the commencement of summer vacations.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Education Department said that since the Meteorological Department has forecast wet weather from July 1 onwards, there is no immediate need to announce summer vacations, however, we have kept temporary date for vacations for Kashmir schools from second week of July, of which the date is yet to be finalised.

“Every single day of schooling is important for students, and we must keep that in mind. Considering the wet weather forecast ahead, announcing vacations at this stage is not necessary,” the official said.

The officials further said that the department is tentatively planning summer vacations from the second week of July, though the final dates are yet to be decided after reviewing the weather situation.

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The tunnel, connecting Panthyal with Digdool in Ramban district, is expected to be opened before the starting of Shri Amarnath Yatra.

Constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 846 crore, the tunnel has been developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) as part of the ongoing modernization of the strategically important Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

Speaking on the development, Harish Kunja, Technical Manager, Sarla Project Works Pvt. Ltd., said, “The tunnel would provide a safer, faster and all-weather route by bypassing the vulnerable Khooni Nala and Panthyal stretches, which have long been prone to landslides, shooting stones, flash floods, road accidents and frequent traffic disruptions.”

“For decades, the Khooni Nala and Panthyal sections have remained among the most hazardous stretches of NH-44, particularly during the monsoon season, often leading to prolonged road closures and posing serious risks to commuters. With the commissioning of the new tunnel, these accident-prone sections will be completely bypassed, ensuring smoother and more reliable movement of passenger and freight traffic,” he added.

The project is also expected to significantly facilitate the movement of pilgrims during the upcoming Amarnath Yatra 2026 by reducing travel time, easing congestion and improving safety on the highway.

The completion of the tunnel has been welcomed by local residents, transporters and stakeholders in the tourism sector, who described it as a game-changing infrastructure project.

Besides enhancing road safety, the tunnel is expected to promote tourism, improve trade and commerce and strengthen year-round connectivity between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley.

The commissioning of the AT-03 south bound tunnel marks another important milestone in the ongoing upgradation of NH-44, underscoring the Government’s focus on developing resilient infrastructure and ensuring seamless connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir.

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