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J&K CM Omar Defends 6.83% Power Tariff Hike, Says 200 Free Units Scheme Separate

Srinagar, Aug 24 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday defended the 6.83 per cent increase in electricity tariffs, saying his government had never promised that power rates would not be revised and maintained that the hike was necessitated by losses in the power sector.

Omar said the tariff revision had no bearing on the government’s electoral commitment to provide 200 units of free electricity to the poorest households, adding that the scheme would be implemented through solar panels.

“We said that we will give 200 units to the poorest people for free,” he said while speaking to reporters.

The chief minister said the free power scheme and the tariff revision were two separate issues and assured that eligible beneficiaries would continue to receive the promised free electricity.

“We are not celebrating by increasing the rate of electricity. This was our helplessness,” Omar said, defending the decision.

He said the government was taking measures to bring down losses in the electricity sector, which, he added, would help reduce the need for tariff increases in the future.

Responding to criticism from the BJP, Omar said those opposing the latest hike should also take into account tariff increases during previous governments.

He claimed that electricity rates had risen by more than 14 per cent during the BJP’s period of rule and referred to a 15 per cent increase four years ago.

Omar also cited inflation, fuel prices and the rising cost of goods while justifying the latest revision, saying the increase had been kept within manageable limits.

The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has approved an average 6.83 per cent increase in electricity tariffs in Jammu and Kashmir. The revised rates will come into effect from September 1.

The tariff hike has been opposed by the BJP, PDP and Apni Party, which have demanded its withdrawal.(NVI)

Manipur: Active RPF/PLA Cadre Held With Arms, 737 Ammunition Rounds

Imphal, Aug 24 (NVI): An active cadre of the proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF)/People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was arrested during a search operation in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Monday, officials said.

The operation was conducted by CDO-Kakching at Kiyamgei Awang Leikai under Irilbung police station, during which the cadre, identified as 35-year-old Nameirakpam Sanju Meitei alias Nganba, was apprehended from his residence, they said.

According to officials, a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from his possession.

The seized items included one AK rifle, one SMG carbine, nine magazines of different types, 737 rounds of ammunition of different calibres, three bulletproof plates and three bulletproof jackets.

Further investigation into the case is underway, officials said.(NVI)

EOW Kashmir arrests man wanted in Rs 2 crore investment fraud case

Srinagar, Aug 24 (NVI): The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Kashmir of the Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir has arrested a man wanted in connection with an alleged Rs 2 crore investment fraud case after a year-long search, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Junaid-Ul-Islam, son of Nazir Ahmad Baba and a resident of Charar-e-Sharief in Budgam district, was arrested from Mangammanapalya in Bengaluru, they said.

The arrest was carried out in compliance with a warrant issued by the court of the 4th Additional Munsiff Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, officials said.

Junaid-Ul-Islam was wanted in FIR No. 07/2025 registered under Section 420 RPC at Police Station EOW Kashmir and had allegedly been evading arrest for nearly a year.

According to the EOW, a preliminary inquiry prima facie established allegations of cheating and financial fraud against the accused.

He allegedly collected around Rs 2 crore from several individuals by portraying himself as an investor associated with an e-commerce company and promising monthly returns of 10 per cent, officials said.

After receiving the money through multiple bank accounts, he allegedly failed to fulfil his commitments and became unresponsive, they said.

The investigation prima facie indicates that the accused dishonestly obtained substantial amounts of money by promising unusually high returns, thereby attracting provisions related to cheating, officials said.

Further investigation into the case is underway.

The EOW has advised people to exercise caution while dealing with investment schemes promising unusually high or guaranteed returns and to verify the credentials of individuals and companies before investing their money.

It also urged people to report suspected financial fraud to the concerned authorities promptly.(NVI)

J&K CM reviews plan to upgrade 714 high schools into K-12 institutions

Srinagar, Aug 24 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday chaired a review meeting of the School Education Department at the Civil Secretariat here and discussed measures to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the higher secondary level.

The meeting also reviewed the phased plan to upgrade 714 high schools into K-12 composite schools, with particular focus on requirements related to teaching and non-teaching staff, infrastructure, laboratories and other essential facilities, an official statement said.

The proposed upgradation is aimed at ensuring continuity in school education and expanding access to Classes XI and XII, particularly in areas where such facilities remain limited.

The initiative is also expected to help reduce the dropout rate among students following completion of Class 10 by providing higher secondary education within the same school system, the statement said.

The government is working on a phased approach for the upgradation, keeping in view the requirements of staff and infrastructure at the identified schools.

The move is expected to strengthen the school education infrastructure and improve access to higher secondary education, particularly for students in underserved areas of Jammu and Kashmir.(NVI)

From tomorrow, limit on mobile phone connections will come into play

Effect of EMFs emitted by mobiles can be reduced using Envirochip: Study
Representative image

New Delhi, Aug 23 (NVI): From tomorrow (August 24), telecom operators will start using the photograph of mobile phone subscribers to ascertain how many connections each individual has.

According to an order of the Department of Telecom (DoT), an individual cannot possess more than 9 mobile phone connections, meaning SIM cards, across all operators and all circles in the country.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North-East, the limit is 6 mobile phone connections.

If the number of connections possessed by an individual exceeds 9, the “numbers acquired at the later date will be disconnected” first.

Subscribers, who have hit the ceiling on mobile connections in their name, will be prevented from buying any more SIM cards by the telecom operators.

The DoT will put a photo of each subscriber, who has reached the limit, on its Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)—the system that tracks how many connections a person holds across companies and circles.

Under the circular, “a representative image of the photo of each such subscriber who has already touched the prescribed limit for mobile connections in his name would be made available on DIP” from August 23.

Operators have been told to “download all such images on daily basis so that such subscribers could be prevented from crossing the prescribed limit”.

When someone who has reached the cap tries for a fresh connection, the operator must tell him “that he already has maximum number of mobile connections permitted to an individual and accordingly, a new mobile connection cannot be provided to him”.

In the first phase, the check may run a day after enrolment, in a catch-up mode.

Companies have to build it into the sign-up process and run it in real time by 30 November.

Till then, the circular says, “any mobile connection activated beyond the prescribed limit for a day shall be immediately suspended till resolution of the issue”.

The circular issued by the DoT on August 17 is that pilot, now dated and mandatory.

The report listed other telecom-side steps around it.

They include keeping point-of-sale and SIM supply-chain data on the DIP traceable for investigators, SIM-binding by messaging apps so that access is tied to the SIM in the device, finishing all subscriber verification within two months, and blocking international calls that fake Indian caller IDs. (NVI)

J&K LG Sinha meets Amit Shah in New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 23 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here on Sunday evening, officials said.

The meeting is understood to have focused on key issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir, including the Union Territory’s security situation and development-related matters, they said.

The meeting came hours after Sinha met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital.

Further details of the meeting were not immediately available.(NVI)

Search operation in J&K’s Reasi forests continues for 10th day

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Shivam Bakshi

Reasi, Aug 23 (NVI): A joint search operation in the forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district continued for the 10th consecutive day on Sunday following reports of suspicious movement, officials said.

Personnel of the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police have been conducting intensive combing operations in the forested areas since the reports were received on August 14, they said.

The security forces have maintained heightened vigilance and are carrying out searches to verify the inputs and ensure the safety and security of the area, officials said.

The operation was continuing in the forest areas amid efforts by the joint teams to thoroughly sanitise the terrain, they added.(NVI)

NIA, Bihar STF arrest absconding accused in AK-47 case

(Representational Image)

New Delhi, Aug 23 (NVI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a joint operation with the Bihar STF, has arrested another absconding accused in a case related to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle and live ammunition in Bihar, an official statement said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Karamullah, a resident of Saran district, was arrested from Saran on Saturday, August 22, in connection with NIA case RC-11/2024/NIA/DLI.

According to the NIA, Karamullah had allegedly conspired with other accused to smuggle sophisticated prohibited-bore weapons from Nagaland to Bihar with the intention of disrupting public peace and endangering national security.

The case was initially registered by Fakuli police station in Muzaffarpur on May 7, 2024, following the recovery of an AK-47 rifle fitted with a lens and live ammunition from Murghatiya Bridge. Four persons were arrested in the case at the time.

The NIA subsequently filed three supplementary chargesheets against several accused, including Vikash Kumar, Satyam Kumar, Devmani Rai, Ahmad Ansari, Manjoor Khan and Kundan Kumar alias Kundan Bhagat.

Another accused, Bhairaw Tripathi, a resident of Sahebganj in Muzaffarpur, was arrested from the district on August 19, the agency said.

Further investigation in the case is underway, the NIA said.(NVI)

Two POCSO accused escape from Central Jail Srinagar, lookout notices issued

Srinagar, Aug 23 (NVI): Police have issued lookout notices for two persons accused in separate POCSO cases after they allegedly escaped from Central Jail Srinagar, officials said on Sunday.

A senior police officer confirmed the incident and said the two accused, lodged in the jail in connection with separate cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, had fled from the prison.

According to lookout notices issued by Kashmir Zone Police, Mukhtar Ahmad Gujjar, son of Mohammad Rafiq Gujjar and a resident of Sanglan Chittergul in Anantnag, is wanted in connection with a case registered at Soura police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act.

The second accused, Farman Khan, son of Abdul Gani Khan and a resident of Sadanpora Ragistan, is wanted in connection with a case registered at Lar police station under relevant provisions of the BNS and Sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act, the notices said.

Police have appealed to the public to provide any information that could help trace and apprehend the two accused.

Information leading to their arrest will be suitably rewarded, police said, adding that anyone having information about their whereabouts can contact the nearest police station or dial 112.

Efforts to trace the escaped accused are underway.(NVI)

Balochistan: BLA kills 16 Pakistani soldiers, injured 13

Balochistan
Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOQ) of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Quetta, Aug 23 (NVI) Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) today claimed to have killed 16 Pakistani soldiers and injured 13 in an attack in Balochistan.

The BLA fighters destroyed an armored vehicle in an IED blast, targeting a convoy of the occupying army in the Khadkoocha area of Mastung yesterday, its spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said.

Another armored vehicle and accompanying vehicles were ambushed.

“In this severe attack, 13 personnel of the occupying army were killed and more than 10 others injured,” he said.

BLA’s Special Tactical Operations Squad (STOS) was part of this operation, he added.

Meanwhile, today in the Hairabad area of Turbat, BLA fighters targeted a convoy and security personnel of the occupying army, resulting in three enemy personnel killed and three others injured.

Additionally, BLA fighters conducted eight more operations across Nushki, Kalat, Kharan, Washuk, Zehri, and Chagai. (NVI)

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