The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly is scheduled to take up seven government bills for consideration and passage on Tuesday, including proposed legislation aimed at easing business regulations, amending municipal laws and rationalising certain offences. According to the Assembly’s list of business for Sept. 29, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will move the bills for consideration and, where listed, passage. Among the key proposals is the Jammu and Kashmir Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living Bill, 2026, which seeks to replace permission-based controls with rule-based governance and facilitate investment, employment and long-term economic growth in the union territory. The…
Author: KO Web Desk
Government Middle School Harkarpora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district is operating from three rooms and two temporary tents after its three-room school building was dismantled in 2024. The building was declared unsafe, leaving more than 160 students with limited classroom space. The school has 163 students and a staff strength of six, according to details available with Kashmir Outlook. Following the demolition of the old building, the school now has three rooms and two temporary tents arranged by the Tourism Department. The tents, each measuring about 12 feet by 24 feet, are being used to accommodate students from multiple…
At least five people were killed and several others injured after a passenger vehicle plunged into the Kishanganga River on Seemari Road in the Karnah area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Monday, officials said. A top police officer told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that five persons have died in the accident, while several others sustained injuries. “The injured have been shifted to nearby health facilities for treatment, while rescue teams and local volunteers are engaged in the ongoing rescue operation at the accident site,” he said. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of…
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference MLA Saif-ud-Din Bhat, who represents the Khan Sahib Assembly constituency, is set to seek permission to introduce a private member’s bill proposing a regulatory framework for digital news publishers and social media news channels operating in or from the Union territory. The proposed legislation, listed as L.A. Private Members’ Bill No. 62 of 2026, seeks to provide for the registration, recognition, accreditation and “responsible functioning” of digital news publishers and social media news channels. The bill proposes a technology-enabled framework aimed at increasing transparency over ownership and editorial responsibility. It also seeks to establish mechanisms…
Jammu and Kashmir legislator and Awami Ittehad Party leader Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad is set to introduce a private members’ bill seeking a complete prohibition on cigarettes, tobacco and tobacco-containing products across the Union Territory. The proposed legislation seeks to ban the sale, purchase, manufacture, storage, carriage, distribution, advertisement and consumption of cigarettes, tobacco and tobacco-containing products in Jammu and Kashmir. Listed as Private Members’ Bill No. 18 of 2026, the bill is scheduled for introduction in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday. The document does not specify an enforcement mechanism or penalties under the proposed legislation. Khursheed, MLA…
PDP legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para is set to introduce a private members’ bill in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking a broader framework for women’s health, reproductive care, nutrition and education. The proposed legislation covers women, adolescent girls and young women and seeks to ensure access to menstrual hygiene products and reproductive health information. It also proposes measures for the early detection and management of menstrual disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome and other reproductive health conditions. The bill seeks to strengthen maternal and child healthcare while supporting girls and young women in continuing and completing their education. It also…
Jammu and Kashmir MLA and PDP leader Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi is set to introduce a private members’ bill seeking a one-time waiver of outstanding electricity dues for households in specified low-income categories. The proposed legislation seeks to waive the principal amount of unpaid electricity bills for consumers covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, Priority Households under the National Food Security Act, 2013, and the Below Poverty Line category. The bill, listed as Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Private Members’ Bill No. 26 of 2026, is scheduled for introduction in the Assembly on Monday. Mehdi is also listed to introduce…
Two major recruiting agencies, Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) collected over Rs 82 crore as examination and application fees from job aspirants in two years, according to government data. It reveals that JKPSC collected Rs 15,00,99,000, while JKSSB collected Rs 67,44,41,800 during the period. The government, said the examination and application fees are utilised to partly meet the expenditure incurred in the recruitment process. It said the expenditure includes administrative, technical and logistical costs, scrutiny and processing of applications, conduct of examinations, engagement of examination centres and manpower, preparation and…
Properties worth over Rs 7 crore, linked to drug trafficking and militant activities, have been attached under the NDPS and UAPA Acts in Srinagar, police said on Saturday. Legal action has been taken against four immovable properties collectively valued at approximately Rs 7.11 crore under the provisions of the NDPS Act and UAPA, a police spokesperson said. He said the action is a part of police’s sustained crackdown against drug trafficking, militant-related activities and their financial networks. According to the spokesperson, Zakura police station attached a residential house along with land at Bilal Colony, Zakura, valued at approximately Rs 2.5…
Iran has proposed a seven-day roadmap to end the war, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi telling reporters that Tehran is ready to begin implementing the plan as soon as the United States agrees to it. Araghchi detailed the proposal to reporters outside the UN Security Council on Friday, saying it would also restart stalled talks with the US on Iran’s nuclear programme. “The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” he said. In comments cited by Al Jazeera, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the door to diplomacy with Iran “has been open…