SRINAGAR, AUG 19: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the situation in Kishtwar remained grim following the recent cloudburst, with around 70 people still unaccounted for and the chances of finding survivors now minimal.
Speaking to reporters at a day-long Educational Stakeholders Meet on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Challenges and Prospects, held at SKICC, Srinagar, the Chief Minister said rescue teams are working to retrieve as many bodies as possible to hand them over to families for final rites. “After recovery operations, the focus will shift to extending all possible local assistance,” he said.
Omar said during his recent visit to Kishtwar, locals highlighted 3–4 immediate concerns which are now being addressed by the administration.
Clarifying the nature of the disaster, the Chief Minister said that while the Disaster Mitigation Fund had been set up to address threats from glacial lake outbursts, the Kishtwar tragedy was caused by a cloudburst, as confirmed by expert teams. “A team of specialists has been constituted to identify high-risk areas and recommend mitigation strategies,” he added.
Referring to past incidents in Ramban, the Chief Minister acknowledged that both human and material losses had been significant. He said expert inputs are being sought to minimise the scale of damage in future disasters.
On the education front, Omar admitted to deficiencies in infrastructure and teacher availability, particularly in remote areas. He recalled the government’s announcement of modern classrooms and K–12 schools and said a recent workshop was held to chart a roadmap, including 10 actionable recommendations.
Responding to questions on the recent NCERT module that links the Partition to the Congress and Lord Mountbatten, Omar criticised the politicisation of history. “Governments change, but history should not be rewritten for political convenience. Let students learn and decide for themselves what is right or wrong,” he said.
Commenting on criticism of the National Conference’s ongoing signature campaign, Omar remarked, “The job of the opposition is to oppose—they questioned our absence earlier, now they question our presence. Our job is to work for the people.”
On the NDA’s announcement of its vice-presidential candidate, Omar said elections would take place and expressed hope that the INDIA bloc’s candidate would emerge victorious.
Speaking at an event, the Chief Minister reiterated his government’s focus on education and health as pillars of societal development.
“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world,” he quoted Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela, urging all stakeholders to make this their guiding principle.
Organised by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir with support from BalRaksha Bharat and the HCL Foundation, the meet gathered educationists, principals, lecturers, and students from across the region. Omar called upon educators to view postings in far-flung areas as opportunities rather than punishments and stressed the expansion of Hybrid Learning Centres in remote regions to provide quality education.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated a Hybrid Learning Centre at GBHSS Jawahar Nagar connecting 12 schools through live interactive classes and launched 19 educational infrastructure projects worth ₹39.1 crore across Kashmir. He also distributed appointment orders among recruits under SRO-43, RReT, and CPW categories, and launched UDAAN—a multilingual children’s learning material developed by JKSCERT.
Minister for Education SakeenaItoo praised the platform for fostering dialogue on education reforms and highlighted J&K’s commendation at the recent NEP conference in New Delhi. Advisor NasirAslamWani, Secretary Ram Niwas Sharma, and HCL Foundation’s Dr.NidhiPundir also addressed the gathering.
Concluding the meet, the Chief Minister urged participants to present ten actionable recommendations that would serve as a roadmap for enhancing Jammu and Kashmir’s education system.
