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SRINAGAR: The 52nd Annual National Conference of the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSMCON 2025) concluded today here, marking the successful culmination of a three-day event. The conference, organized by the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine of Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar brought together public health experts and professionals from across India.

The event, held from April 11 to 13, saw enthusiastic participation from more than 1,270 delegates, along with 32 co-delegates from all 32 states and Union Territories, including remote regions such as the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The national level conference was inaugurated by Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah in a ceremonial opening that set the tone for an enriching academic discourse. 

He was joined by several key dignitaries, including Dr. Annarao Kulkarni, National President of IAPSM; Dr. Purushottam Giri, Secretary General of IAPSM; Prof. (Dr.) Iffat Hassan Shah, Principal of GMC Srinagar and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Specialties, University of Kashmir; Prof. (Dr.) S. Muhammad Salim Khan, Head of the Department of Community Medicine and Conference Chairman; and Dr. Inaamul Haq, Associate Professor and Organizing Secretary of IAPSMCON 2025.

In his keynote address, Dr. Shah emphasized the importance of integrative healthcare approaches, advocating for the convergence of preventive and curative strategies to build resilient and inclusive health systems. His remarks highlighted the evolving nature of healthcare, calling for a unified vision that places public health at the heart of national development.

Prof. (Dr.) Iffat underlined the critical role played by public health in guiding policy and ensuring community welfare. She commended the efforts of GMC Srinagar in advancing the cause of preventive medicine and fostering a culture of academic excellence and community service.

A poignant moment of the conference came with the posthumous conferment of the Lifetime Achievement Award to the late Prof. Muneer Ahmad Masoodi, a former Head of the Department of Community Medicine at GMC Srinagar. His legacy was honored through the presence of Ms. Zeenat Masoodi, who accepted the award on his behalf.

The academic program commenced with six intensive pre-conference workshops on April 10 at GMC Srinagar, setting the stage for a comprehensive exploration of the conference’s central theme, “Integrative Approaches for Comprehensive Care in One Health”, resonating with the slogan “One Nation, One Health, One World.” 

Over the subsequent days, the event transformed into a vibrant academic forum featuring a remarkable range of sessions, including 11 plenary discussions and 11 keynote addresses from distinguished national and international public health leaders. Scientific engagement was at the forefront of the conference, with a total of 561 presentations spanning award papers, oral presentations, and posters. These sessions unfolded across six parallel venues—five physical halls and one virtual—with select hybrid sessions held in the main auditorium. 

Among the many highlights was the presence of Prof. B.N. Gangadhar, President of the National Medical Commission (NMC), who engaged in critical discussions with health professionals and shared insights on much-needed reforms in the healthcare system and medical education landscape. The closing ceremony, held on today, was graced by Prof. Sachidananda Mohanty, Executive Director of AIIMS Awantipora, who served as the chief guest. In his address, he reaffirmed the indispensable role of public health in nation-building and called for sustained investment in community health and preventive strategies. 

Joining him at the valedictory function were Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmad, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, as guest of honour, along with senior faculty members, department heads, and administrative officers from GMC Srinagar and IAPSM.

As IAPSMCON 2025 came to a close, it left behind a strong message of collaboration, innovation, and a unified commitment to fortifying the future of preventive and social medicine in India. The conference not only celebrated the achievements of the past but also laid a firm foundation for addressing the emerging challenges of healthcare through integrative and inclusive solutions.

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JAMMU: A secret verification conducted by this J&K Anti Corruption Bureau into the source report has revealed that one Bodh Raj S/o ChuniLal, R/o NaterKothian, Muthi Jammu, while posted as District Mineral Officer (DMO) Kathua, has indulged in corrupt practices & acquired benami assets worth crores of rupees, in the name of his family members/relatives, which are disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Accordingly, a case FIR No. 08/2024 U/S 13(1) (b) r/w 13 (2) of PC Act 1988 was registered on 24.08.2024 at P/S ACB Central, J&K, Jammu and investigation was taken up.

2.      During the course of investigation, many evidence were collected which establishes transactions in lakhs of rupee in the accounts of close relatives and friends and accused is being facilitated by his close relatives/ friends in parking money and other investments.

3.      In order to lay hands on incriminating documents and material pertinent to the investigation of the instant case as there is every apprehension and suspicion that important documents/material pertaining to instant case may exist in these premises/ houses of these relatives/ friends.

Accordingly, Search Warrants were obtained from the competent Court of Law and searches were conducted at multiple locations at Jammu and Kathua.

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JAMMU: The second day of the 49th National Conference of Archivists concluded here today with focused discussions on digitalization of archival records, conservation strategies, outreach initiatives and collaborative efforts to strengthen India’s archival infrastructure. The sessions brought together experts, administrators and delegates from across the country to share insights, progress updates and policy innovations in the archival domain.

The day began with a presentation by K.K. Sidha, Director, Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, who highlighted CSR support for archival activities. He explained the kinds of initiatives eligible for CSR funding, how such funds are mobilized and the recent efforts by the J&K government to launch a dedicated CSR policy.

He also detailed current digitalization efforts stating that the entire digitalization process is expected to conclude by November 2025 with an estimated cost of Rs. 25 lakh. He also mentioned that Shri Mata Vaishnav Devi Shrine Board has agreed to donate about 1006 manuscripts to the department. He further introduced the recently launched e-cart facilities aimed at enhancing visitor footfall to museums and empowering specially-abled individuals, orphans, widow and single women through livelihood opportunities.

The next presentation was delivered by Suresh Kumar Gupta, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests who spoke about manuscripts in private possession and the importance of awareness for their preservation and conservation. He stated that over 30,532 manuscripts have been registered by local the individuals, so far.

He proposed awareness campaigns and workshops, open to students and experts alike. He also suggested launching online portals for privately owned manuscripts and archival exhibitions, with the Forest Department pledging full support. Dr. Rajesh Prasad, Assistant Professor at Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi, presented a roadmap for establishing Oral History Archives. He outlined a three-phase approach covering pilot projects, infrastructure, metadata cataloguing, public access and long-term sustainability.

Delegates advised that rather than investing in new equipment at this stage, partnerships should be formed with institutions like Doordarshan and All India Radio, which already possess the necessary technical resources. In a significant acknowledgment of India’s progress, it was mentioned that CBSL, the company responsible for digitalization, has successfully digitalised over 8.5 crore pages in just the last 10 months.

The session proceeded with a presentation by Cloud Mojo Tech, demonstrating the importance of maintaining the health of digital data and proposing automated solutions for routine checks.

The day concluded with updates from states on their digitalization efforts and other matters as well. Tamil Nadu reported 2% digitalization, Maharashtra has tied up with 14 universities for Modi lipi training and has also been allocated 1.5 acre of land for storage purposes, Rajasthan has digitalized 50% of its 1.2 crore pages, Madhya Pradesh 30 lakh of 7 crore pages and Goa, home to India’s oldest archive, dating back to 1595, has digitalised 2 crore pages. Notable progress was also reported from J&K, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha and Punjab.

The event concluded with the signing of an MoU between the Odisha State Archives and the National Archives of India on the Abhilekh Patal Odisha subchapter launched yesterday, paving the way for more collaborative and inclusive archival development across the Country.

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JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today chaired the High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting to assess progress on Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) projects of NABARD taken up across different sectors in the districts of J&K. The meeting besides CGM, NABARD was attended by ACS, Jal Shakti Department; Principal Secretary, APD; Principal Secretary, Finance; DG, Resources; Director, Resources besides other concerned officers.

The Chief Secretary enjoined upon the officers to make concerted efforts for timely completion of all these infrastructure development projects so that new ones are taken up for funding. Dulloo asked the officers to expedite the submission of Project Completion Certificates (PCCs) by the executing agencies as per the set norms to enable release of more funds by the organisation. He called upon the concerned administrative heads to act tough against the officers delaying the same without any plausible reasons.

The Chief Secretary also deliberated with other committee members for leveraging these funds for expansion of rural infrastructure like bridging the gap between command and canal area for augmentation of irrigation facilities across the UT. The meeting also took note of different tranches released by NABARD to different departments including PWD, Jal Shakti, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Horticulture and Health during different departments. It further deliberated over the methodology to squeeze the timeline for raising of infrastructure like bridges and other critical infrastructure works executed through funding extended by the NABARD.

The meeting also discussed about increasing the pace of projects taken up under previous tranches of RDIF and smooth execution of projects under RDIF-XXX. ACS, Jal Shakti Department, Shaleen Kabra, gave a detailed outlook of the projects completed by the Department and those under execution. He also gave his insights about further utilizing these funds for achieving irrigation facilities to the last farm at the tail end besides irrigating thousands of hectares of un-irrigated land in different parts of the UT.

Principal Secretary, APD, Shailendra Kumar, said that the Department is contemplating to further upgrade the Mandi infrastructure through the funds earmarked for development of Horticulture. He made out that such steps coupled with others are going to bring better returns to the farmers in J&K. In his presentation, the Chief General Manager (CGM) NABARD briefed the Chief Secretary on the transformative initiatives aimed at advancing rural infrastructure across the Union Territory (UT).

The presentation spotlighted the achievements and challenges of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), its financial achievements and opportunities ahead. The presentation provided an in-depth analysis of the RIDF’s performance from tranche XXV (2019-20) to tranche XXX (2024-25), showcasing significant strides in rural infrastructure financing.

The meeting was apprised that a total of 1,425 projects were sanctioned with a net RIDF loan of Rs6,246 crore for which disbursement to the tune of Rs3,069 crore, leaving a drawable gap of Rs 2,212 crore, signalling untapped potential for further development. In addition the sanction trends under RIDF with notable peaks such as Rs 1,542 crore sanctioned in RIDF XXVII against an allocation of Rs 800 crore was highlighted during the meeting thereby showing the unflinching commitment of NABARD towards development of rural infrastructure across J&K.

 Giving the departmental breakdown of projects, it was divulged that the Public Works Department (PWD) leads with 1,144 projects sanctioned with a net loan of Rs4,666 crore over the years and disbursements of Rs2,366 crore. Other key departments, including Jal Shakti and Agriculture Production Department, showed varying levels of utilization across these departments.

Moreover, recognizing the limitations of RIDF, such as restricted activities and fund availability, NABARD introduced the Rural Infrastructure Acceleration Scheme (RIAS), a flexible and ambitious financing model designed to fast-track rural development. The same features a loan tenure of up to 20 years with a 5-year moratorium and expanded scope of activities that could be undertaken as that of RIDF.

To further make the expenditure effective the government was encouraged to maintain a ready list of projects for RIDF XXXI, aligned with prior-year normative allocations (₹900 crore for RIDF XXX), to expedite sanctions. The departments were asked to complete the pre-requisites like detailed surveys, cost estimations, and approvals (e.g., forest/land) to ensure timely project implementation.