Weather Update for Jammu & Kashmir: December 20, 2024

The Meteorological Centre, Srinagar, has issued the following weather forecast for Jammu and Kashmir, along with important advisories for travelers and residents.

Forecast

20th December

• Predicted to have generally dry weather conditions.

IAF Agniveervayu Recruitment 2024: Notification Released, Registration Starts January 7

21st-22nd December

• Generally cloudy skies are expected.
• Very light snowfall is anticipated over a few higher reaches of North Kashmir, particularly during the night of 21st December and the morning of 22nd December.

23rd-26th December

• The weather will remain generally dry.

27th-28th December

• Generally cloudy conditions are forecasted.
• Light rain and light snowfall are likely over the higher reaches, especially from the late afternoon of 27th December to the forenoon of 28th December.

IPPB Recruitment 2024: 68 Specialist Officer Posts Available, Submit Applications Before Deadline

29th-30th December

• Generally dry weather will prevail.

31st December

• Generally cloudy skies are expected with light snowfall at a few higher reaches.

Advisory ⚠

1. Temperature Trends
   • A slight rise in minimum temperatures (approximately 2°C) is expected over the next two days.
   • Post-26th December, temperatures are likely to fall again by 2-3°C.
   • Cold wave conditions are expected to persist in isolated places.
2. Travel and Safety
   • Fresh snowfall, sub-freezing temperatures, and icy road conditions are expected over key passes and higher reaches.
   • Tourists, travelers, and transporters are strongly advised to adhere to administrative and traffic advisories to avoid inconvenience.

Stay prepared for the upcoming weather conditions and ensure necessary precautions, especially in snow-prone areas. For further updates, follow the official advisories issued by the MET Centre, Srinagar.

J&K Government Winds Up SEBCC: Rising Reservations and RBA Debates Leave Open Merit Quota at 35%

Nearly 80 proposals were under examination

Some representations sought doing away with RBA category

JAMMU: The Government has formally wound up Jammu and Kashmir Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission (SEBCC) leaving the task of exclusion or inclusion of backward areas based on the criteria unfinished. There was also a demand for lowering RBA percentage from 10 to enhance Open Merit quota which has hardly been left to 35 percent in the Union Territory.

Official sources told the Excelsior that extended term of the Commission ended yesterday and it hasn’t been granted any further extension. The Panel headed by Retired High Court Judge Justice GD Sharma and comprising Rup Lal Bharti, Retired IFS officer and Munir Khan, Retired IPS officer, has formally been wound up, they said.

Excelsior had earlier exclusively reported that the Commission which was set up in March 2020 may not get further extension.

“As many as 80 proposals were under examination of the Panel for inclusion of the areas as backward. At the same time, the Commission members toured many existing areas which were listed in RBA category but had developed over the time and could be excluded from the list,” the officials said.

There were some representations with the Commission that the RBA category didn’t exist in most of the States and Union Territories and this should be done away with especially after the Government granted eight percent reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Previously, there was no reservation given to the OBCs in Jammu and Kashmir but four percent reservation had been granted to Other Social Castes (OSCs). The Modi 2.0 Government passed a bill in the Parliament in February this year granting reservations to the OBCs for the first time in the UT.

Till sometime back, there was 20 percent reservation given to the RBA category but it was subsequently brought down to 10. Even there was question mark on 10 percent reservation under RBA category on the ground that previous Government functionaries got included their ancestral villages in the backward category list to avail benefits of reservations for their kids. Moreover, the RBA category existed mainly in J&K.

The Commission had tenure of four years and nine months getting one after the other extensions from the Government.

Recently, Omar Abdullah Government set up Cabinet Sub Committee on reservations comprising three Ministers including Sakina Itoo, Satish Sharma and Javed Rana. The Committee was set up amid uproar that only 35 percent quota was left for the Open Category.

Inclusion of Pahari Ethnic tribe, Paddari tribe, Koli & Gadda Brahmins in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category was also recommended by the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission.

After the Government raised reservation under Scheduled Tribes (ST) category to 20 and granted eight percent quota to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the reservation in Open Merit category has come down to 40 percent. However, if horizontal reservation for Ex-Servicemen (6 percent) and Persons with Disabilities (4 percent) and some reserved category people opting for Open Merit is taken into account, the Open Merit vacancies further come down to around 35 percent.

While STs already had 10 percent reservation, the Government granted another 10 percent reservation to Pahari Ethnic Tribe, Paddari Tribe, Koli & Gadda Brahmans taking total reservation under ST category to 20 percent. Previous four percent reservations under Other Social Castes (OSCs) was abolished and eight percent reservation was given to the OBCs. Besides, there is eight percent reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs), 10 percent to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), four percent to the people living on International Border/Line of Control and 10 percent to RBA.

Parched J&K: Deficit rainfall rises to 78 % since Oct 2024, Shopian tops with 96%

Cold wave sweeps Kashmir, Sgr records season’s coldest night at minus 6.0 degree Celsius, MeT predicts erratic weather till Dec 31

Srinagar, Dec 19 (KNO): With the no forecast of a major weather activity till the end of this month, the deficit rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir has increased to 78 per cent during the last two and a half months with South Kashmir’s Shopian topping the list with 96 per cent deficiency from October 01, 2024 to December 18, 2024.

According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), J&K is witnessing an increase in the deficit rainfall with each passing week as the prolonged dry spell has continued for the last two months at multiple places.

The deficiency increases at a time when the cold wave has tightened its grip across Kashmir where the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar has recorded the coldest night of the season at minus 6.0 degree Celsius.

Gulmarg, a famous ski-resort, recorded a low of minus 5.0 degree Celsius.

In Pahalgam, the mercury settled at minus 6.8 degree Celsius while in Qazigund, a gateway of Kashmir, it settled at minus 7.0 degree Celsius. North Kashmir’s Kupwara recorded a low of minus 6.2 degree Celsius while Kokernag in South Kashmir recorded a minimum temperature of 5.3 degree Celsius.

Meanwhile, the deficit precipitation has gone further up to 75 per cent across Jammu and Kashmir from October 01, 2024 to December 19, 2024. Against the normal precipitation of 97.1mm, J&K has recorded a rainfall of 21 mm during the period.

The highest deficit has been recorded in Shopian with 96 per cent followed by Poonch with 95 per cent while Kulgam and Budgam have recorded a deficit rainfall of 94 per cent and 90 per cent respectively.

Srinagar has recorded a deficit rainfall of 87 per cent. However, Samba is the only place across J&K where above normal rainfall has been recorded as against the normal precipitation of 41.76 mm, the station has recorded a precipitation of 47 mm during the period.

Kupwara, has recorded a deficit rainfall of 41 per cent during the period, the data reads.

Moreover, the weather is expected to remain dry for the next 24 hours while light snowfall is expected over a few higher reaches on December 21 and 22, Director Meteorological department (MeT) said.

From December 23 to 24, a dry weather condition is expected in J&K followed by a light snowfall over higher reaches towards 27th late evening or night to 28th forenoon, he said, adding that the weather would remain generally dry on December 29 &30.

He added that the light snow is also expected at a few higher reaches on December 31st.

Furthermore, the MeT in its advisory has said that the cold wave is expected to continue at isolated to scattered places.

In view of fresh snowfall, sub-freezing temperature & icy conditions over roads of important passes and higher reaches, the tourists, travelers and transporters are advised to follow administration and traffic advisory—(KNO)

Alarming rise in heart attacks due to stress, pollution, say cardiologists

Advise maintaining blood pressure, cholesterol levels, regular exercise

Srinagar, Dec 19 (KNO): Stress and pollution are significant contributors to heart attacks worldwide, though often overlooked, according to cardiologists.

Dr Irfan, a cardiologist at Government Medical College Srinagar, speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure, elevated heart rates, and the release of stress hormones like cortisol, all of which strain the cardiovascular system.

He said that during winters in Kashmir, people struggle to earn a livelihood due to a lack of work opportunities, which leads to stress and increases the risk of heart attacks.

Dr Irfan said air pollution is another major contributor to heart attacks, adding that around 20 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths are due to air pollution.

“Apart from fine particulate matter, exposure to pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide can exacerbate heart conditions,” he said, adding that implementing flexible work hours and reducing workloads can help alleviate job-related stress, while regular exercise improves mood and reduces stress levels.

Dr Murtaza, another cardiologist, advised people to use air purifiers and ensure proper ventilation to reduce indoor pollutants. He said that urban areas are more polluted, and people should limit outdoor activities while adopting a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Doctors called for keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control. They advised people with underlying health conditions to adhere to prescribed medications. Avoiding smoking and staying physically active were also stressed as measures to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

The doctors said that air quality in Kashmir has been deteriorating over the past few years due to the increasing number of vehicles, construction activities, brick kilns, cement production and other factors that emit pollutants, which have polluted the air.

“This could be contributing to a rise in the number of heart attack cases in the valley,” they said. “There is an urgent need to control air pollution to reduce the number of heart attack cases in the community and save precious human lives.”

The cardiologists also observed that heart attack cases are more than double in winter compared to summer in Kashmir—(KNO)