New medical college to come up in Udhampur

The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council, which met under the chairpersonship of lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, approved the establishment of a new government medical college in Udhampur on Friday. The project is slated to be completed by 2024-25.

An official spokesperson observed that the medical college at Udhampur will improve the doctor-patient ratio in Jammu and Kashmir as the intake capacity of MBBS students will increase by 100 seats. “This will cater to the ever-increasing patient load in the region. The availability of quality medical services at the district headquarters will also reduce the response time for medical emergencies, traumas, minimise inconvenience, decrease infant mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio, and increase life expectancy,” the spokesperson said.

The Union Health Ministry under its centrally-sponsored scheme had earlier sanctioned establishment of two new government medical colleges (GMCs) at Kupwara and Udhampur, for ₹325 crore each, the spokesperson said.

Health dept given charge of two J&K nursing colleges
In another decision, the Jammu and Kashmir health and medical education department was given charge of two nursing colleges in Jammu and Srinagar.

The Administrative Council approved the transfer of the administrative control of the colleges – Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar (Jammu) and MA Road (Srinagar) – that offer bachelor of science (BSc) nursing courses, so that they may receive “sectoral expertise” from the health and medical education department.

After the transfer, the income and expenses of the nursing colleges will be accounted in the budget of the health and medical education department. The two colleges were established in 2016 to alleviate human resource shortage in the health sector and promote women empowerment. The first batch had started in 2019, with the health and medical education department providing the faculty.

Among those who attended the meeting were adviser to the lieutenant governer Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, J&K chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, and principal secretary to the lieutenant governor Nitishwar Kumar.

Schools, roads, buildings to be rededicated to martyrs, eminent persons
Under the central government’s ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav that commemorated 75 years of Independence, the council approved rededication of schools, roads and buildings after martyrs and eminent persons from the UT.

“As a mark of respect and acknowledgement of the exceptional contributions towards the security and development of the Union territory, the identified institutions will be renamed after martyrs and living legends from Jammu and Kashmir,” said the spokesperson.

In Jammu, institutions will be renamed after constables Rajinder Kumar, Raj Kumar, Naseeb Singh, Shamim Ahmed, Raj Kumar, and Jagdev Singh, head constable Raghu Nath, special police officer Jalal Din, sepoy Joginder Singh and havaldar Sartool Singh, who laid down their life for the country.

Similarly, in the valley, institutions will be named after littérateur and educationist Sarwanand Kaul Premi, Reyaz Ahmad Lone, rifleman Mohammad Safeer Khan, para trooper Shabir Ahmad Malik, rifleman Abdul Hameed Chara, head constable Abdul Rashid Kalas, selection-grade constable Ghulam Mustafa Barah, and head constable Sheraz Ahmad.

Nod to banning of unregulated deposit schemes rules
The Administrative Council also approved the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Rules 2022 to protect the interests of depositors.

The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019, puts a ban on the promotion, operation, and advertisement of unregulated deposit schemes, which lead to fraudulent default in the repayment or return of deposit amount on maturity, the spokesman said.

A prize chit or a money circulation scheme is also banned under the provisions of the act, he added. The Jammu and Kashmir Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Rules, 2022, lay out the provisions and scope of powers and duties of the competent authority under the Act; powers vested while conducting investigation or inquiry; powers relating to absconding persons; power to seize properties; power to appoint legal practitioner and others; the power of government to empanel agencies for forensic or digital audit, valuation or sale of assets; valuation reports to be obtained while releasing properties attached; and ceiling for self-help groups. Hindustan Times