Srinagar, July 31 (IANS) J&K Lt Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha on Wednesday addressed the Certificate Award Ceremony marking the recognition of Srinagar as a ‘World Craft City’ by the World Crafts Council (WCC).

Srinagar is the 4th city in India to receive the prestigious title of ‘World Craft City’. The Certificate Award Ceremony was attended by World Crafts Council President Sa’ad Hani Al-Qaddumi and other prominent personalities of the Council.

L-G congratulated the people, artisans, craftspeople and all stakeholder departments on the momentous occasion.

“Truly delighted to see Srinagar being awarded the certificate of ‘World Craft City’ by World Crafts Council (WCC). It’s a great honour for the ancient city known for its priceless cultural and artistic heritage. It will go a long way to preserve and promote J&K’s crafts and craftsmanship,” he said.

He appreciated the World Crafts Council for its endeavours to inspire and promote the artistic traditions of the cities across the world.

“J&K is proud to have an inclusive cultural ecosystem, which always inspired the weavers and craftspeople. I believe in honouring the Srinagar city, the World Crafts Council has also honoured the 5000-year rich Indian civilisation which kept alive creative traditions and always promoted gifted artisans for their ingenuity and craftsmanship,” he observed.

He said that he wanted to see Jammu and Srinagar becoming the best art cities of India and also highlighted the efforts of the UT Administration to preserve and promote the unique cultural and artistic heritage of Jammu Kashmir and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the artisans and craftspeople of J&K.

“Jammu Kashmir is known as a Crown Jewel of India not only because of its geographical position but also because of its quest for spiritual wisdom and its ageless Indian cultural assets, which can be witnessed in the infinite variety of creative products,” he said.

He said that the administration is giving greater attention to the training of a young generation of craftspeople so they can be part of this traditional occupation.

“I am sure the recognition of Srinagar now as ‘World Craft City’ will not only provide a new identity to Srinagar in the global market but craftsmanship will re-establish its position as a prestigious occupation,” the L-G said.

Sa’ad Hani Al-Qaddumi, President of World Crafts Council International, congratulated the J&K administration on the recognition of Srinagar as a ‘World Craft City’.

“Srinagar has joined the well-deserved ranks amongst the craft cities across the world,” he said.

On the occasion, the L-G also released a publication depicting the 60-year journey of the World Crafts Council.

–IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, July 31 (IANS) Hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the Centre had alerted the Kerala government on July 23, warning of possible danger in and around Wayanad, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refuted the claim but sought to play down the issue, saying it was no time for a blame game.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the disaster has reached 205 and around 200 continue to be missing, even as search efforts continue amid the heavy rains in the affected areas on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to the media here, Vijayan stressed that the need of the hour is not to engage in a blame game, while terming parts of what the Union Home Minister said as true and parts as untrue.

“I do not wish to engage in a blame game now as the people in Wayanad are going through untold misery on account of the massive landslide, but the fact of the matter is that there were predictions that came out and they never mentioned a red alert in the affected area. In fact, the red alert came on Tuesday at 6 a.m., when the tragedy occurred several hours before,” he said.

“The IMD had predicted rains to the tune of 115 mm to 204 mm rains at the affected areas, but actually in the first 24 hours, there was 200 mm and in the next 24 hours, 372 mm rains came down making it a staggering 572 mm in 48 hours, much more than predicted. So with these being the facts, I wish to state, that this is not the time for wrangling,” Vijayan added.

The Chief Minister also said that there was no prediction of landslides from the Geological Survey of India and when these came, the tragedy had already taken place.

“Then there was an alert from the Central Water Commission and it said that from July 23 to 29, not for one single day … of the two rivers which got swollen, there was no mention at all. What was said in the Parliament is not true,” he said, adding that there was a mention that the NDRF was sent early, “but the fact is we asked for it”.

“The need of the hour is climate change disasters have to be dealt with seriously and let us not engage in a blame game… people are in tragedy, let us soothe them,” he said.

Vijayan said about 1,200 rescue officials from various agencies are presently at work in the four worst-affected landslide areas of Wayanad district — Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil, and Pothukalu.

“These areas, for all practical purposes, have been completely destroyed. The rescue teams have so far rescued 1,592 people and now there are 8,017 people in 82 relief camps. 201 people were treated in hospitals and now there are 90 under treatment. The rescue efforts are continuing and tribal families are being moved… for those not willing to move, food will be given. Medical facilities are being extended in a big way, with medical professionals from the private and cooperative sectors having joined the state government health officials,” he said.

Vijayan said in most of the affected areas, the electric power lines have been restored and the state electricity board has suffered a loss of Rs 3 crore.

–IANS

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Chennai, July 31 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said that the state is fully prepared to give more assistance to Kerala in the wake of the devastation caused by the landslide in Wayanad.

“I again spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured him of more assistance to tackle the situation arising out of the Wayanad landslide, which has led to the loss of several lives,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the Kerala Chief Minister has informed him that due to the enormity of the devastation, the government is unable to assess the extent of the damage.

“Tamil Nadu government has already deployed a team led by two IAS officers and provided an assistance of Rs 5 crore,” the Chief Minister told media persons in Kolathur.

Stalin was in Kolathur to distribute assistance to the people of his constituency.

When asked about the casteist remarks made against Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, Stalin said this is not the ‘time to talk about such issues’.

On Tuesday, massive landslides occurred at Churalpara in Kerala’s Wayanad at around 2 a.m.

The area was cut off, but the local people and a team of rescuers were engaged in locating the missing people in the area, which had been ripped into two.

The death toll has touched 184 while 225 people are reported missing while around 7,000 people have been housed in around 50 relief camps.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) In a major development, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has cancelled the provisional candidature of IAS Probationary Officer Puja Khedkar and has permanently barred her from all future examinations/selections, as per an official announcement on Wednesday.

The move came after the UPSC scrutinised available records of Puja Khedkar and found her guilty of violating the Civil Services Examinations-2022 (CSE-2022), and showcause notice issued to her on July 18.

She was directed to submit her reply to the showcause notice by July 25, which was extended till July 30, 3.30 p.m., but she again sought time till August 4, “to gather the necessary documents” for her response.

Among other things, the showcause notice had sought her response for fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limits provided for the CSE by faking her identity, and has also lodged an FIR against her with the Delhi Police.

The UPSC made it categorically clear to Puja Khedkar that July 30 would be her last and final opportunity with no further time extensions allowed, but she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed deadline.

“It was also conveyed to her in unequivocal terms that if no response was received by the aforesaid date/time, the UPSC would take further action without entertaining any further reference from her,” said the UPSC.

After examining all the available records, the UPSC has held her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 rules, her provisional candidature as IAS has been cancelled, and she has been debarred permanently from all the future UPSC exams/selections.

Earlier on July 19, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, had ordered cancellation of Puja Khedkar’s field training in Pune and later in Washim districts of Maharashtra.

She was also directed to report back to the LBSNAA by July 23, but till that date, failed to go there. She faces multiple inquiries and investigations both in Maharashtra and at the Centre for various actions.

–IANS

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Jaipur, 31 July (IANS) Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde took oath as Governor of Rajasthan at Raj Bhawan on Wednesday.

Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava administered the oath to Governor Bagde.

After taking the oath, Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde was presented with a guard of honour at Raj Bhawan.

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani, Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, Premchand Bairwa, union ministers, state ministers, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully and other public representatives, judges, senior officers of administration and police, along with many dignitaries were present.

Bagde was Maharashtra BJP president in 2004 and a six-time MLA from the same state.

He has a deep interest in rural development and has also contributed to women’s empowerment.

–IANS

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