‘All governments worked on this': Mehbooba Mufti welcomes train to Kashmir, credits collective effort
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) president
Mehbooba Mufti
on Friday welcomed the arrival of the train to Kashmir, calling it a significant milestone achieved through the combined efforts of successive governments over four decades.
Speaking to reporters, Mufti acknowledged the role of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
in completing the ambitious project, which began with the Jammu-Udhampur railway link under former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1983.
'We welcome the train. The work had been on for the past 40 years, ever since Indira Gandhi started the Jammu-Udhampur railway link in 1983,' PTI quoted Mufti.
'All governments have worked on this project, and Modi has completed it.
It was very difficult, but he has done it, and people are happy with it,' Mufti added.
Responding to the prime minister's speech in Katra earlier in the day, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was pleased by Modi's acknowledgment of the Kashmiri people's firm rejection of terrorism, particularly in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
'I am also happy that Modi has acknowledged the stand taken by the people of Kashmir against terrorism after the Pahalgam attack.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Promoções imperdíveis de voos baratos
Voos | Anúncios de Pesquisa
Saiba Mais
Undo
He appreciated Adil Shah, who laid down his life while saving a tourist. This is who Kashiris are,' she said.
However, Mufti expressed concern over the spate of arrests in the Valley following the attack, questioning the Centre's justification for detaining large numbers of youths, often without formal charges.
'It is my humble request to the government to review these arrests,' she said.
She also called for the release of the detained Kashmiri people on the occasion of Eid.
'When you admit that Kashmiris are peace-loving people, these people should be released on the eve of Eid. Those who do not have any serious charges against them or those who have been detained only on suspicion.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
30 minutes ago
- The Print
Railway services merger caused ‘acute shortage' of specialised officers, affected ops & safety—Centre
In its reply to the Central Administrative Tribunal, a copy of which ThePrint has accessed, the government has now admitted that the 2020 reform caused much confusion over how to recruit officers to the new, united service. Only four years later, the Centre made a U-turn on the reform, and last year, de-linked the Indian Railways Management Service (IRMS) into civil and engineering services and divided them further into sub-cadres. In March this year, 40 service officers in the railways challenged the 2024 decision before the Central Administrative Tribunal. New Delhi: The Modi government's ambitious 2020 reform, merging the eight railway services into one united Indian Railways Management Service, caused an 'acute shortage of specialised manpower' in the railways, 'negatively impacting train operations and safety', the Centre has officially admitted for the first time. In 2022, the government decided to recruit IRMS officers through the Civil Service Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). However, it soon became clear that the 'mandate of the Union Cabinet was not being fulfilled' through the process, the government has said in its reply. Both in 2022 and 2023, the number of candidates with specialised engineering skills required in the railways was 125 per year. However, only 46 and 45 skilled officers were recruited in 2022 and 2023, respectively, according to the government reply. 'This gap in the required specialised manpower was negatively impacting train operations and safety,' the government has now said. It admitted that it soon realised that the 'recruitment of IRMS cadre only through UPSC (CSE) would not serve the purpose for specialised technical needs for railways as an organisation, which was the basic premise mentioned in the Union Cabinet decision, dt. 24.12.2019'. 'No reversal of reform' The government, however, has not reversed the 2019 Cabinet decision, it has claimed. According to its reply, the government took a policy decision to address the issue of a shortage of technical service officers by recruiting technical and non-technical service officers separately through UPSC to the unified new service as created by the Union Cabinet, i.e., the IRMS. The move, the government reply said, would offer equal opportunities to officers in both categories in their career progression. Since 2025, the government has been recruiting officers separately through engineering and non-engineering exams. The exam for the latter is the Civil Service Exam, taken for recruitment for other civil services, such as IAS and IPS. The engineering and non-engineering services have been further divided into subcadres of traffic, accounts, personnel, civil, electrical, mechanical, signal, telecommunications and stores. Railway service officers opposed to the government's U-turn have maintained that the sub-cadres render the 2019 Cabinet decision meaningless, effectively splitting up the railways again into eight different services. However, in its response, the government has said that the division into sub-cadres 'will enable the officers to acquire specialisation in a particular functional area of the railways'. The specialisation will further be honed during their service in the sub-cadre, giving them 'an all-round perspective'. The same does not in any way affect the career progression of officers, as contended by the complainants, the government has said. 'The only purpose behind this is to enable the officers to acquire specialisation in a particular functional area of the railways, as they remain an inherent member of the unified, new service, i.e., IRMS, governed by a single Recruitment Rules.' Further, the officers recruited from 2025 onwards will 'exercise such option[s] for specialisation at the time of their recruitment itself', the government has said. The government has further noted that having sub-cadres within the same service does not amount to the fragmentation of the service, as some officers have alleged. The government has so far not allotted any one of the three sub-cadres of civil services—traffic, accounts, and personnel—to the probationers recruited through the 2022 and 2023 exams. However, since the probationers will continue to serve in the IRMS only, that will not impact their career prospects, the government has further stated. Based on its claim that it had not infringed on any statutory or legal rights of the applicants, the government said, 'The applicants have no cause of action to maintain the application under reply.' Confusion persists There is still no clarity among officers about the fate of their service. According to sources in the railways, an officer of the Indian Railways Traffic Service is tipped to become Railway Board Member (Finance)—a break from the tradition of having only officers of the Indian Railways Accounts Service hold the finance-related position. Similarly, a few months ago, an engineering service officer was appointed Railway Board Member (Operations and Business Development)—a position hitherto always held by an Indian Railways Traffic Service officer. 'If they have created sub-cadres again, why are they appointing officers from outside their respective domains at the highest levels?' asked an officer. 'You now have a situation where, for example, at the lower levels, you have officers who have served in the accounts sub-cadre throughout their careers, but the member heading that sub-cadre will not be from accounts,' the officer said. 'There is utter confusion at the level of policy-making in the railways.' (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Facing a shortage, Modi govt tweaks empanelment criteria to attract more IAS officers to Centre
The Print
30 minutes ago
- The Print
Eid celebrated across Kashmir; CM, Mufti offer prayers at Hazratbal
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were among those who offered the prayers at Hazratbal. The biggest such assembly was at the Hazratbal Shrine, where over 40,000 people gathered for prayers, they said. Srinagar, Jun 17 (PTI) Eid-ul-Adha was celebrated across Kashmir on Saturday with people gathering at mosques in large numbers to offer prayers, officials said here. Smaller gatherings were reported at all Muslim places of worship across the valley, except for the historic Jamia Masjid in the old city, as the authorities refused permission to hold prayers at Eidgah. Thousands of sheep, goats and other animals were sacrificed across the valley as per tradition, they said. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha greeted the Muslim community on the occasion. 'Let's reiterate our resolve to strengthen the foundations of unity, harmony & brotherhood and work with love and compassion for the well-being of all. May this festival spread peace & bring prosperity to all,' the Lt Governor said in a post on X. A police official said Eid prayers passed off peacefully, and there was no report of any untoward incident. Leaders of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir also extended Eid greetings to the people. PTI MIJ AMJ AMJ AMJ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
HC directs govt to revise ASO seniority list based on appointment date
1 2 Cuttack: Orissa high court has directed the state govt to revise the seniority list of assistant section officers (ASOs)in the Odisha Secretariat Service, impacting hundreds of employees. The vacation bench's verdict settles a long-standing dispute concerning seniority among two batches of ASOs — direct recruits appointed through two separate advertisements and between promotees and direct recruits. Further, the verdict brings clarity to service-related disputes that lingered for years while providing relief to employees who were appointed earlier but placed lower in the final gradation list of ASOs published on June 11, 2020. A total of 10 writ petitions were clubbed together for hearing, categorised into two groups. The first group, comprising seven petitions, involved a dispute between two sets of direct recruits: one recruited under Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC)'s advertisement no. 06 dated May 14, 2015, for ST category candidates (140), and another (811) under advertisement no. 08 of Oct 6, 2012. The second group of three petitions involved disputes between promotees and direct recruits. The HC noted that although advertisement no. 6 was issued earlier, appointments from the list were delayed until Oct 2016 due to legal hurdles and administrative delays. In contrast, candidates under the 2015 advertisement were appointed earlier — on Jan 27 and May 18, 2016. In the judgment on June 3, the vacation bench of Justice B P Routray upheld the principle that seniority in govt service should be based on the actual date of appointment, not the date of the recruitment advertisement or recommendation — unless a rule explicitly states otherwise. Justice Routray ruled that ASOs appointed earlier in 2016 under advertisement no. 6 must be placed above those appointed later in the same year under advertisement no. 8 in the final gradation list published on June 11, 2020. Justice Routray further ruled that promotees must be treated as en-bloc seniors to the direct recruits of the same calendar year. Accordingly, Justice Routray ordered the home department to revise the ASO gradation list in line with the HC's directives, ensuring that seniority reflects the actual date of appointment. The judgment reinforced a key service jurisprudence, "He who is appointed earlier, ranks earlier. " Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
