13 killed in valley
SRINAGAR, April 7 — Thirteen persons, including six militants and four securitymen, were killed and nine others, wounded while militants made an abortive attempt to blow up a police station in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

10 injured in traders’ strike
SRINAGAR, April 7 — At least 10 persons were injured and several government vehicles damaged in violence as a general strike called by traders in protest against new taxes in the state Budget affected normal life in parts of Jammu and Kashmir today.

NC candidates elected
JAMMU, April 7 — Four of the six ruling National Conference candidates have been declared elected unopposed as members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, an official notification said today.

House passes resolution on
central loans
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, April 7 — The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today passed a resolution demanding that all central loans to the state should be treated as 90 per cent grant-in-aid and 10 per cent loan respectively as was applicable to other special category states.

The resolution was tabled by CPM member M.Y. Tarigami who said the current financial crisis could be resolved to a large extent if the Centre agreed to give retrospective effort to the pattern of funding the state.

Speaking on the resolution, the Finance Minister, Mr Mohd Shafi, traced the genesis of the cash crunch in the state and said the Centre had not fulfilled the commitment made by two former prime ministers for central grant to Jammu and Kashmir. He said that on several occasions, he and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had discussed the issue with the central government, including the Prime Minister, the Union Finance Minister and the Home Minister.

Mr Shafi informed the House that under the special category, the Centre had started giving funds to the state in the shape of 90 per cent grant-in-aid and 10 per cent loan from 1990. The state government had pleaded with the Centre that the scheme should be implemented with effect from 1969.

He said the Centre had agreed in principle to implement it with retrospective effect. "When we approached the Centre last year, we were told that we could raise the matter with the 11th Finance Commission", he said, adding that the commission had made it clear to "us" that since the union government had made no reference to the issue, it was not possible for it to give its verdict on it.

Later, the Centre assured the state that the issue would be discussed by the Union Cabinet. "So far, nothing has been done and the state continues to reel under a financial crisis" he said and explained that if the Centre implemented it with retrospective effect it would automatically result in waiving the central loan of Rs 1,275 crore. The Finance Minister said the state had to pay Rs 620 crore as service charges annually on the central loan and this amount was deducted at the source.

He said the state government had requested the Centre not to deduct over Rs 200 crore at the source which the state was entitled to get under the devolution of the central taxes to the state.

He requested Mr Tarigami to withdraw his resolution. At this stage, the Speaker, Mr Abdul Ahad Vakil, wanted to know from the Finance Minister whether giving 90 per cent grant-in-aid and 10 per cent loan was a constitutional obligation. Mr Shafi said it was not provided in the Constitution, but the pattern had been evolved to help the special category states. The Speaker also pleaded with Mr Tarigami to withdraw his resolution. The BSP member, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, and Mr Dilawar Mir (NC) supported the CPM member saying that the resolution was nothing but a recommendation of the House.

The Finance Minister again intervened and said he did not find any reason for adopting the resolution, but in case the House wanted to do so, it could. The Speaker put the resolution to vote and it was adopted by voice vote.

The Minister of State for Home, Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, informed the House that over 3,233 kanals had been allotted to the Army in the Samba sector in 1960. In reply to a calling attention motion tabled by Mr Som Nath, BSP, the minister said the payment of rent was being made by the Defence Ministry regularly. However, the defence authorities were reluctant to pay the rent for the land which had been encroached upon by civilians and the area encroached by them was over 139 kanals. He said the state government had informed the defence authorities that since the land had been allotted to them they could remove the encroachments and the matter could be looked into by them with the assistance of the Deputy Commissioner.

In reply to another calling attention motion tabled by Mr Sadiq Ali (NC), the Law Minister, Mr P.L. Handoo, informed the House that state agencies involved in the AIDS control programme had screened 11189 blood samples of which 131 had been found to be HIV positive. This meant the rate of HIV positive cases was 4.45 per 1,000 against the national average of 22.73 per 1,000.

He said as per the national guidelines, blood samples from all donors were tested for HIV before transfusion. Since 1993 when the programme was introduced in the state 99607 blood samples had been tested and 154 samples found to be HIV positive.

He had no specific reply when Mr Sadiq Ali said that no samples were tested at blood donation camps. Many blood banks did not have adequate equipment and facilities to conduct HIV tests.

13 killed in valley

SRINAGAR, April 7 (PTI) — Thirteen persons, including six militants and four securitymen, were killed and nine others, wounded while militants made an abortive attempt to blow up a police station in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

Security forces frustrated an attempt of militants to blow up a vital road link while two militants were arrested and another surrendered in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here today.

He said a jawan, Ajay Jedaija of the Rashtriya Rifles, was shot dead by militants near Match Factory in Baramula district of North Kashmir today.

He said three foreign mercenaries and a security jawan were killed and four securitymen wounded in an encounter at Dandi-Surankote village in Poonch district last night.

A light-machine gun, a rocket projectile gun, two AK assault rifles, three pistols, six KG of explosives, 14 grenades, three remote controls and eight magazines were recovered from the militants, he said.

Two foreign mercenaries, identified as Badshah Khan and Pahalwan of the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami outfit, were killed in an encounter at Arpinchilla in the Banihal area of Doda district last night.

The person was killed and a security jawan wounded in the encounter which left four houses damaged.

A hardcore militant of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in an encounter with the police at Goda Colony in the Thana Mandi area of Rajouri district last night, the spokesman said.

A Head Constable, Sarwar Hussain Mirza, was also killed in the encounter and another constable, Satish Kumar, was injured, he said.

He said militants shot dead a teacher at Larkipora in Anantnag district last evening.

One person was killed and four others were injured when an explosion took place in a house at Chelipora-Achabal in Anantnag district yesterday, he said.

Militants made an abortive attempt to blow up Shopian police station in Pulwama district.

10 injured in traders’ strike

SRINAGAR, April 7 (PTI) — At least 10 persons were injured and several government vehicles damaged in violence as a general strike called by traders in protest against new taxes in the state Budget affected normal life in parts of Jammu and Kashmir today.

Shops, banks, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while work in government offices was hit with private buses remaining off the roads. State-owned road transport corporation tried to ply its services but was forced to suspend them following the stoning of buses, which left at least 10 persons injured, official sources said.

Nine government vehicles were damaged in stone-throwing incidents in Srinagar.

NC candidates elected

JAMMU, April 7 (PTI) — Four of the six ruling National Conference (NC) candidates have been declared elected unopposed as members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, an official notification said today.

The winners include Shameema Akhtar (Srinagar), Mr Naseer Khan (Keran-Kupwara), Mr Nizamuddin Khatana (Anantnag) and Mr S. Mohammad Akhlaq Khan (Mendhar-Poonch), a notification issued by Assembly Secretary Iqbal Ganai, who is also the returning officer for the elections, said here.

The election for the remaining two seats of Jammu province would be held on April 10 with the 89 Assembly members voting for them.