Wular Lake to be promoted on tourism map
The tourism department is set to give a major fillip to Wular Lake in the state’s tourism map and bring it at par with famed destinations like Dal Lake, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, etc. The department recently organised the Wular Festival here. It spans across 200 sq km. According to state tourism secretary Sarmad Hafeez, like Dal, Wular too is integral to Kashmiri identity while being one of the most beautiful and biggest freshwater lakes in Asia with tremendous tourism potential. The lake is known for water chestnuts and lotus stem. Initially, roadside utilities and public facilities will be upgraded.
Govt acts tough over teachers’ unwarranted absence
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has gone tough against teachers over the matter of unwarranted absence from their responsibilities. The government has sacked at least eight teachers of different government schools this month after they were found absent from their responsibilities. The teachers have been accused of habitual absence from responsibilities and remaining away from their legitimate duties despite reminders. The Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) in eight separate orders has ordered the sacking of eight government teachers so far. The government has terminated the services of these eight teachers by invoking of Article 113 of J&K Civil Services Rules (Volume I) of 1956 read and Rule 30 (VII) of J&K CCA Rules 1956.
After Jammu, CAT bench opens in Srinagar
A separate Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) bench has been set up in Srinagar to deal exclusively with service matters of government employees in the Valley. The CAT bench was inaugurated by Union Minister of State PMO Dr Jitendra Singh. Previously, a new CAT bench at Jammu began functioning in June 8, 2020. The jurisdiction of Jammu Bench of CAT extends up to 10 districts of Jammu region and Leh district of UT Ladakh while jurisdiction of Srinagar Bench extends up to 10 districts of Kashmir region and Kargil district of Ladakh.
Employee-friendly reforms on the cards
The Jammu and Kashmir administration mulls employee-friendly reforms in the Union Territory. According to a circular issued by state Commissioner/Secretary Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, the government contemplates introduction of reforms for easing government-employee relations, which chiefly includes e-filing of Property Returns and APRs. It stated that updated and correct information/data of employees is fundamental for successful implementation of these reforms. Subsequently, all administrative secretaries and HoDs have been directed to ensure updation of data.