Minister of State for Power, Shabir Ahmad Khan today said that the work on 37.5 MW Parnai Hydro Electric Project on Suran river is expected to start during the current year after completion of bidding process by May, 2012.

Mr Khan further said that project will be completed at an estimated cost of ` 483 crore. The project is scheduled to be completed within 4 years. A number of financial institutions like PFC, REC, HUDCO, J&K Bank

No fresh taxes except on tobacco products y VAT on cooking gas, fertilisers goes y Sops for IT, science,

Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather today presented a "zero deficit" budget for 2012-13. Except proposing a hike on tobacco products and liquor, the Finance Minister announced various sops for the common man in the Rs 33,853-crore annual budget. He also projected the state’s economic growth at 7.5 per cent for next fiscal.

The snow leopard, a species never seen earlier in any Kashmir region outside of Kishtwar, has now been spotted and photographed in Kargil, site of conflict with Pakistan 12 years ago. “For us it is great news,’’ said Ameen Ahmad, senior coordinator of WWF-India, a field team of which captured images of the endangered animal with sophisticated, infrared camera traps. “Earlier, we were not sure whether there are any snow leopards in that region as the area has witnessed long hostilities.” Aishwarya Maheshwari, who heads the field team and is now in Leh, was equally enthusiastic.

Jammu: With peace in the Kargil sector, snow leopards are again seen in the area. Due to the Kargil War in 1999, most of the wildlife species, including snow leopards, had abandoned their habitats in Kargil. However, with the improvement in the situation, a big cat with two cubs had been spotted in the area.
Earlier, locals claimed that they had seen the animal, though there was no evidence of the presence of the big cat, post-Kargil War.

Three hundred and eighty three people have lost their lives across the state due to floods since 2009 till date.
The major loss of life has taken place in Ladakh region followed by Jammu and the Kashmir. In Ladakh
259 people have died due to floods, 257 people from Leh while two from Kargil.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said self-reliance in power generation was imperative to ensure comprehensive development, especially in the far-flung and remote areas of the state.

“We have to be self-reliant in power generation to meet our requirements for ensuring comprehensive development, particularly for far-flung and remote areas of the state,” Omar said after laying the foundation of three power projects and inaugurating the fourth in Leh and Kargil districts of the Ladakh region.

SRINAGAR: The Governor, N. N. Vohra, today said that Jammu and Kashmir has vast potential in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and fruit processing industry to generate large scale economic and employment opportunities.

Blocked roads and sub-zero temperatures in Himachal affect normal life
Winter chill returned on Sunday in most of the northern States as the cold wave pushed mercury to record lows in Shimla and Pahalgam and claimed two more lives in Uttar Pradesh.

Two more persons died -one each from Hardoi and Deoria - in Uttar Pradesh, taking the death toll in the State this winter to 132, officials said.

Srinagar: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah has said 20,000 MW will be generated from solar energy in the state in the next 10 years.

He said possibilities to produce more power from water and wind energy to minimise the huge expenditure on the exploitation of conventional sources of energy would also be explored.

Even as India and Pakistan are at loggerheads over the Kishanganga hydro power project in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indus Commissioners of both countries on Monday looked set to resolve the differences over two other hydro-power projects in J-K.