J&K Bank’s UPI services down, customers aghast

Bank, through SMS, promises to restore services ‘as soon as possible’

Srinagar, Jul 30 (KNO): Jammu & Kashmir Bank has come under criticism from its customers as its UPI servers have been down since Monday, causing widespread inconvenience to users dependent on these services for everyday transactions.

In a message addressed to its customers, J&K Bank stated: “Due to an issue with the partner network, our UPI/IMPS services are currently impacted and shall be restored as soon as possible. Inconvenience caused is regretted.”

According to the details obtained by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the service disruption has left many customers struggling to manage their financial activities.

Imran Ahmed, a shopkeeper, expressed his frustration, saying, I depend on UPI payments for my business operations. Since the outage, I haven’t been able to process transactions, which is severely impacting my sales.”

Asma Bhat, a student, shared her concerns, saying, “I needed to transfer money for my college fees, but with the UPI service down, I’m facing unnecessary delays. It’s very stressful.”

Similarly, Zahoor Mir, who frequently shops online, said he had an online order ready for payment, but the outage has made it impossible to complete the transaction. “It’s extremely inconvenient,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rouf Tramboo, President of the Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK), speaking to KNO, said that they also faced problems due to the UPI servers being down.

“As the tourist footfall is good in Jammu and Kashmir, we also face issues. Our travel agents as well as tourists also face problems, and we too wish it must be restored soon,” Tramboo said—(KNO)

NCDC alumni secure teaching positions after MONTESSORI TRAINING

Srinagar, 30 July: Eight more National Child Development Council (NCDC) alumni have successfully secured placements as teachers in various schools, following their completion of Montessori Teacher Training Courses from NCDC.

The newly placed alumni include Deepa V (74th Batch), Anila E Jose (71st Batch), Anuja Antony (61st Batch), Arya P S (57th Batch), Archana Vinod Nair (62nd Batch), Remya R G (68th Batch), Shana Sherin (56th Batch), and Minnu S Kumar (68th Batch).

They pursued their courses under the guidance of faculty in-charges Rahmath Salam, Bindu S, Shakkila Wahab, Rahima Rahim, and Sheeba P K.

According to an NCDC spokesperson, seats are still available for the Montessori Teacher Training Program, which offers global certification and a job-oriented curriculum. Interested candidates can contact +919846808283 or visit NCDC’s official website (https://ncdconline.g/course/) for more information on the course and enrollment details.

Notably, National Child Development Council (NCDC) is an autonomous national child welfare organization, established to promote the welfare of women and children, besides ensuring education of children in India.

Kashmir: Jewellers witness 15% increase in sales after Govt slashes duty cut on gold

Srinagar, Jul 30: The duty cut in Gold has brought smiles on the faces of Jewellers in Kashmir as the sales in the markets here have increased in the past few days, bringing much-needed relief to the jewellers and delighting customers with more affordable prices.

The jewellers associated with gold and silver trade in Kashmir said that they are witnessing a surge in their sales.

President Gold Jewellers Association Kashmir, Bashir Ahmad while speaking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said that prior to the slashing of custom duty on gold, the sales were extremely low, with a nearly 90% decline.

“There is some happiness now on our faces, it used to be gloomy as our sales were almost 90% down,” he said, adding that since the slash in custom duty on gold, they are witnessing a spike in daily gold sales by 10-15 per cent, and are further anticipating more spike in the coming months.

He, however, added that people have some confusion with regard to the prices, saying that the labour charges are to be included during the purchase of gold items.

Notably, the Government of India last week slashed import duties on gold to 6% from 15%, a move stakeholders said could lift retail demand.

Since the duty cut, customers in Kashmir have been flocking to jewellery stores to buy gold at reduced rates, with many opting for heavier pieces of jewellery that were previously out of reach when gold prices hit a record high of Rs 74,000 per 10 grams earlier this month.

Gold prices further dipped on Tuesday by Rs 950 to Rs 71,050 per 10 grams, compared to Rs 72,000 per 10 grams.

Gold with 99.5 per cent purity saw a more significant drop of Rs 1,650, settling at Rs 70,700 per 10 grams, down from Rs 72,350 per 10 grams on Saturday—(KNO)

Primary Schools to Resume Classes Tomorrow: Div Com Kashmir

Srinagar, July 30: The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, VK Bidhuri, on Tuesday said that primary schools will resume normal operations from tomorrow.

Speaking to Kashmir Dot Com, Bidhuri emphasized the importance of education, stating, “Education is crucial, and continuous learning is a priority.”

The return to regular schooling for primary classes is a good step towards ensuring that students receive the education they need, he said.

Earlier, in view of the persistent heat wave prevailing in the valley, classwork for students up to the Primary level in both Government and Recognized Private Schools were suspended on 29th and 30th July 2024.–(KDC)