Akshay Azad

Akshay Azad Since decades the family of Farzoola Mohammad (50) had been camping at village Kullian in RS Pura sector during rainy season. The family would rent a small tract of land and stay there for at least two-three months. But this year the landlord returned the advance amount to Farzoola, refusing to rent out his land without citing any reasons. Farzool’s predicament is shared by several other nomads across Hindu-majority areas in Jammu region. Something has suddenly changed for the nomadic Gujjar and Bakerwal communities after the sensational rape and murder of an eight-year-old Bakerwal child came to light in Kathua in January 2018. Amid calls of economic boycott of pastoral nomadic communities, several tribal families have reportedly started migrating to other states. The call followed the charge-sheet filed by the Crime Branch, claiming that the girl was brutally murdered to instil fear among the nomadic communities and dislodge them from the village where ...

Attempt to adjust some blue-eyed candidates, allege aspirants Akshay Azad Jammu, Aug 22: The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission has shortlisted mostly non NET/SLET or Ph.D qualified candidates for the posts of Assistant Professors in Information Technology subject, which is in total violation of University Grants Commission regulations regarding minimum eligibility for AP posts. Though JKPSC has reportedly taken the excuse that NET or SLET is not being conducted in the IT subject so candidates with only PG have been shortlisted but experts have out-rightly rejected these ‘hollow’ pleas. The experts have argued that NET or SLET is also not being conducted in Zoology, Botany, Biotechnology subject but the candidates have to appear in NET/SLET in the allied subject Life Sciences as per the UGC guidelines. Similarly those who have qualified M.Sc in IT have to appear in NET in their allied subject which is Computer Sciences. They further argued that even Grad...

Being outsiders in Jammu and Kashmir, most of the migrant labourers living in city slums remain untouchable for the government and it’s welfare schemes Akshay Azad Jammu, August 12: Even though Modi government has spent billions on advertisement of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) in the past over three years, it has failed to change sanitary and cleanliness conditions prevailing in slums in and around the city of temples. The country wide sanitation campaign seems to be non-existent for over 400 families of Maratha slum colony. In the absence of a drainage system, the colony resembles a proverbial stink hole. With the onset of rainy season, the sewage water has been overflowing onto the lanes and is seeping into shanties. The downpour often brings water-logging, providing breeding ground for various insects and worms, threatening water borne diseases. The colony located near Jammu Railway Station is house to daily wage earning migrant labourers mostly fro...