Good militants ensured smooth Amarnath Yatra: IG CRPF ‘Not A Single Stone Hurled During Pilgrimage Period’

Srinagar, Aug 20: In disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Inspector General of Central Reserve of Police Force (Operations) Dr B N Ramesh Friday said good elements within the ranks of militants played their role in the conduct of smooth Amarnath Yatra this year.

“If there are good hearted militants they too played their role. They couldn’t create much disturbance this time, perhaps they too had intentions of not doing much this time,” he said addressing a news conference here.

Commending the locals for the smooth conduct of Yatra, Ramesh said not a single incident of stone-pelting was witnessed during the Yatra period this year.

“Not a single stone was hurled on CRPF or any other vehicle.  Although they (youth) carried stones in their hands, but when we appealed they left stones and took decision by their heart and not mind,” he said, adding that prior to the pilgrimage CRPF build atmosphere for conducting smooth Yatra.

Replying to a query on whether CRPF had any plans to reduce the bunkers from the towns of the Valley on the pattern of Srinagar, he said that there are no permanent bunkers in Valley except in summer capital.

He said that the bunkers definitely cause inconvenience and are stumbling block to the return of normalcy, but added that concerned Superintendent of Police has to take decision on their removal.

When asked about the presence of dozens of bunkers in Sopore, Ramesh said that the Apple town is a special case requiring special measures.

“When Abbotabad episode took place on May 2, we were in the town given its sensitivity,” he said.
The CRPF operations chief asserted that they have achieved lot of success in anti-militancy operations during the past few weeks.

“There is our role also in surrender of Basharat commander of Pirpanchal range. We have also recovered cache of arms and ammunition from Pulwama and Tral,” he said.

Ramesh said CRPF would welcome the misguided youth who want to return back to the normal fold of life.”
If they want our assistance, we will assist them,” he said.

Claiming that the force has not committed a single act of human rights violation during the past ten months, Ramesh said that there are strict instructions from Union Home Secretary and Director General CRPF on their sector to safeguard rights.

He also added that they are also modifying rules for the recruitment of Kashmiri youth in CRPF.

Father of Jahad-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdul Aziz

FIRST PERSON

A March For History : August 11, 2008 will remain ingrained in Kashmir’s psyche, the day Kashmiris responded to the blatant economic blockade by right-wing Hindu nationalists in Jammu to break the resolve of a people. Showkat Nanda offers a first person account of how lakhs marched towards Muzzafarabad braving bullets.

The ‘other’ side never seemed so close before. For some, who had left home early that day, coming back didn’t really matter. To reach Muzzafarabad was a ‘matter of minutes’ only if they were given a safe passage. If not, they could face death and they knew it.

In Baramulla the journey began in trucks, buses, cars  and motor bikes. Hundreds marched on foot too. Vehicles were honking. Everyone was celebrating. It was a truly popular rebellion, mobilizing the entire society to protest and build a parallel leadership - the leadership of the people. For the first time in my life, I could see people in control of their own destiny.

Women and children lined the sides of the road; some throwing food packets, water bottles, fruits and biscuits at the marchers, some praying for their safety and a few others trying to synchronize with the roaring slogans of Pindi Pindi, Rawalpindi.

A long serpentine line of about 1000 buses and trucks spread over almost five kilometers, driving through the mountainous terrain near Khadinyar, looked as if people were on a pilgrimage. Faces were jubilant, people were screaming with excitement overtaking each other impatiently.

The moment we took a the blind turn near Chahal,  a small township nearly 20 kms from Baramulla, I could see a crowd of paramilitary soldiers sitting in a similar manner we would sit for a group photograph in our school- the first row resting on their bellies in a typical firing position, their guns pointing directly towards the anticipated marchers. The second row stood on one of their knees using the other one as a resting stand for their guns. The third line of soldiers confidently stood in a standing position as a backup, I suppose.

The road behind them had been dug deep with bulldozers making a big rectangular crater across it. A couple of huge tree trunks had also been placed across the road to prevent vehicles from going further.

The vehicles drove slowly towards the soldiers. People had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. Their sheer number had given them an unshakable confidence.

After all, from Sopore fruit Mandi to this village of Chahl, people had already dared half a dozen paramilitary camps, even braved bullets and cleared hundreds of meters of concertina wire spread at a distance of every five minutes as road blockades. As vehicles and marchers moved forward, a blast on a hill on left side of the highway created a huge ball of cloud ripping off the leaves from the trees. It looked like an IED blast that had already been planted by the forces apparently to intimidate the crowds.

Suddenly, teargas shells  and gunfire rained into the crowd. A bus that was leading the huge procession got hit several times. People fell out of it and scrambled, crawling towards its tyres. They ran for cover amid a dense mixture of tear smoke and dust which almost blocked the sunlight making the whole atmosphere somber and ghostly.

 Some climbed up the hill on the left side of the highway hoping to hide themselves behind huge pine and deodar trees while some others jumped off the road on the right side down the river banks. The atmosphere had turned foggy and there was anger everywhere. The drivers drove backwards but there was hardly anything they could do. It was too difficult to negotiate through an unimaginably long line of vehicles spread over almost five kilometers. They had already crossed the last turn and were straight into the firing line of the soldiers.

A few young men were trying to pull the wounded towards the bus that had already been targeted. People were screaming. Gunfire rattled on.

Inside the buses that stood behind the first one, frightened faces were pressed against the windows. They remained cuddled in their seats. Anyone stepping off the bus risked being shot.

A group of people I was a part of were in the middle of the road trying to look for a cover. We had really no place to hide. The two sides on our left or right were too steep to either climb the hill or jump down the paddy fields near the river banks. But a huge rock on one side of the road stood between us and the soldiers; it actually stood between our survival and death.

There were two of us left of the group - me and a boy who hunkered down behind me sharing the cover of the rock. I don’t know how long we stood there. But we could continuously listen to the rattle of gunfire. Many a time he would try to leave the place lured by his anger to throw stones at the government forces, but every time I held him back . There was no point in trying to be bold. We were, at the most, 30 meters away from the spot where several people had already been hit; bullets tearing though their bellies and chests.

When the firing stopped, I, along with dozens of other people, tried to get close to the spot where the firing had actually taken place. Nobody knew how many marchers had been hit. There was no count really. I could only see a trail of blood and a few pairs of shoes lying on the ground. On the other side, the soldiers remorselessly looked at the protestors collecting the dead and the wounded.

People, while carrying the injured, from the crowd were screaming, “this is my cousin,”…”that’s my friend’s brother”. It looked like a massacre. One of the young men who was hit several times was lying on the floor of a truck. He  shouted, “I want to go home,”. His brother who sat next to him repeated, with tears rolling down his cheeks. “I want to go home too. We will. You just bet we will,”. Half an hour later, on way to Baramulla hospital,  he lost both - the bet and his brother.

Between 2 and 3 p.m, nearly 15 people had been hit with bullets. By the time the dead and the injured had been evacuated, people again decided to march ahead. It was surprising that despite three men already shot dead and dozens wounded, people just didn’t stop. In my life I had never seen people marching directly into a hail of gunfire.

The slogans began roaring again, this time even louder. I could see fearless faces all around me. As hundreds started marching ahead, I heard a series of teargas blasts in quick succession. While I was running for cover, I found people behind me glued to the ground. They didn’t budge an inch. Suddenly, a rumble of gunshots followed. I scanned my body to see if I had been hit. My body was trembling. “This time it’s definitely a massacre”, I thought, because the intensity of the gunfire was enormous.

Minutes later, someone shouted from the crowd, “Sheikh Aziz has been hit with a bullet,”. All of a sudden, hundreds of people stepped out of the vehicles and began shouting “ shaheed ki jo mout hai, woh qaum ki hayat hai’, not knowing that Sheikh was still alive, and talking. Amid a dense cloud of dust and tear smoke, I could faintly see an injured Shiekh Aziz being lifted up into a truck that began racing towards me, dozens clinging to its sides and hundreds chasing it shouting “Sheikh Aziz ka kya farmaan, Kashmir banega Pakistan”.

I couldn’t believe myself. Moments earlier, I had seen him grabbing the hands of two young protestors each on either of his side and heard him saying, “We will march on. Let’s  see how many more will they kill”. Honestly, I hadn’t seen him from so close ever before that. I could see no fear on his face. There was a strange seriousness on it.

What I could hear that moment was the cries of people carrying the dead and the injured. Yells, screams and slogans resonated in the air. Ambulances and trucks carrying the dead and injured raced away from the scene.

Till 5 p.m ,four sessions of targeted firing had passed. Four people had already died. And many more were injured. But still people didn’t give up. As the death toll reached five, rest of the valley was already on fire. In Baramulla town where the injured were initially referred for treatment, the rumors of more than a hundred marchers being killed had already broken backs. The situation had turned riot-like. Bunkers were flattened, vehicles burnt, and every single symbol that even remotely represented the idea of India was razed to the ground.

VEDIO OF 11th August: Muzaffarabad Challo (Come to Muzaffarabad

http://www.kbcchannel.tv/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=125&video_id=95
I came home that day. Emotionally exhausted but grateful - I had survived.

As I sit in my office writing this, I am haunted by a question. How could they shoot people like that. Just watch a crowd march on; sit in a firing position, wait, watch and fire.

About the author: Showkat Nanda is an Assistant Editor with Kashmir Life
More details: Kashmir Life : 
http://www.kashmirlife.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1862:a-march-for-history&catid=69:history&Itemid=211:Vol. No: 3, Issue No: 23, August 20,2011

Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, Editor "Wehdat-e-Milli"

By: Sheikh Gulzaar

e-mail: gulzar@journalist.com, writerasia@in.com

The Special Operation Group of JK Police claimed to have eliminated the " acting chief" of the pro-Pakistan 'AL-Fatha Force' identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Lone @General Mossa' in an counter with the SOG. Even as none of the militant organisation said anything about the man or the incident, some of the some of the journalists here claimed that Mr. Lone was not a militant but "printer, publisher and editor of vernacular weekly " Wehdat-e-Milli". JK Police have recovered  from his person an identity card which described the deceased as "printer, publisher & amp; editor " of the Urdu weekly.

Shaheed Mushtaq A. Lone

Official sources told local newspapers that in reaction militants attacks on joint camp of STF and Ikhwan  between Onta Bhawan and Bilal Colony during the three proceeding nights, Special operation Group , Srinagar laid ambush yesterday evening which as maintained for several hours.Before  five militants passed by the ambush and fell into the trap. A encounter took place between, the two sides during witch, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone @General Moosa" got  killed and all of his accomplices managed to escape from the drag net. One AK -56 rifle and and a pouch   was claimed to have recovered him.

A police press release said that 'Gen Mossa' was functioning as Supreme Cammander of AL-Fatha Force' in  the absence of Tariq Aziz alias Zan-ul-Aabideen. It was further claimed that the top ranking militant had been instrumental in reactivating and re-organizing militancy in Kashmir and Udhampur after the installation of the democratic Government 'Gen. Mossa' was described as a Pakistani trained  militant which attained training in handling of sophisticated weapons and crossed back 1991.Immediately he was made  District Commander of Jehad Force  which ultimately splintered into Al-Fatha Force in 1994", said the release. It adds that 'Mossa' was responsible for various  activities including killings and attacks on Army, STF as also for organizing anti-election campaign in South Kashmir. " The deceased was also involved in killing of 21 Ikwanis, 34 Indian army jawans . He was also  described as "an very important  but 2nd in Command member of  " Shoura-e-Jehad". Yet another statement from the department of Information Department said that Police had recovered " from the pocket of the deceased militant,  Prees Card in the name of Mushtaq Ahmad Lone indicated him as printer, publisher and editor of  "Wehdat-e-Milli."

A senior Information Department official, when contacted, confirmed that according to the records Mushtaq Ahmad Lone son of Mr. Ghulam Mohidin Lone, resident of Pathan Pulwama was the bonfire printer, publisher and editor of the Urdu weekly. A district Magistrate had confirmed the declaration after necessary verification about the   antecedents of the deceased by JK Police and CID. Some journalist said that they knew the deceased as an editor for the last several years and claimed that he had never been militant.

Inspector General of Police , Kashmir Zone, Gpoal Sharma  when contacted, said that Lone was the acting chief of the militant organisation and the same had been " confirmed properly”. Neither any militant organisation  nor the press community here issued any statement about the man or the incident in which he was reported killed. 

About the author: Sheikh Gulzaar is a editor with Writer-South Asia and can be contacted  at:  writerasia@in.com, gulzar@journalist.com

Mailing address: Writer- South Asia, POB 667 Srinagar SGR  J&K 190001 (Via New Delhi-India)

A tribute to Martyar Mushtaq Ahmad Lone by Ed. Sheikh Gulzaar

Mushtaq Ahmad Lone

Obviously we all have some day to leave forever, though one today and the another tomorow. The conception is natural and final.

Long ago, in the same way, a beautiful star was born which with the intensity twinkled, fascinated and got shrouded in the ultima thule of the horizons. Na, Na, the story is not in any way all about a billion year old burnt star of some globular cluster, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) discovered. The star here is our beloved Mushtaq Ahmad Lone who only a year back reached the destination. Whenever the regional history would be rewind, Mushtaq's precious and constructive contribution is certain to remember. And one desiring the unity of the Muslims can find Mushtaq in the pages of history always dreamt in his life of only day to come  when the Muslims would not have slit one another's throat but to exchange their true love. When the brothers have one another's tears to wipe off. Safety of the Muslims, prosperity of the Muslims and the understanding  among the Muslim Nations was  the dream Mushtaq Ahmad Lone wished come true. Whether Sarajevo, Central Asia, Kashmir, palestine, Afghanistan, Libya or Mogadishu the cosmopolitan used to say are the issues of the Muslim world and the body is to feel pain of its severely bruised organs.

Contrary to sweet dreams of his parents the son Mushtaq placed  all worldly advantages aside and  joined  a Holy mission to serve the Muslim cause with the  unique power of his pen. So, besides working for many dailies, Wahdat-e-Milli, an  Urdu Weekly presenting news and views was finally launched. Every  Edition of the News & views. Weekly was fund showering to the bruised healing touch. Rightly  some  one said the sincerer heart has to bleed more. Same  was the case  with the Wahdat-e-Milli Editor. Inspite of the  criticismfrom many  quarters, even the so called intellectual, and  weak financial position  Mushtaq said. was never up his mission  of his life. The Wahdat-e-Milli  turned  from offset to the litho, yet kept pace  with the cruel time. "Off course not money  but my paper gives me  what is not  in everyone's fate. I am blessed by it with the satisfaction. The satisfaction that is very hard to get in one's life ", Mushtaq often said.

The garden of a series of hopes was total shattered when the blossom was mercilessly taken away. Mushtaq Ahmad Lone ws  martyred and the story of a hot burnt star reached to an end. The star would blub the tears of blood if revealed to him all that followed the end of his missionary life of the Wahdat doctrine. Merchants  of the nation and self-styled patrons of the religion detonated  a violent bomb.They campaigned with their dirty ideas against the Martyr' burial in a shrine's vicinity inn the ancestral village of Pathan. In this age of ultra modern civilization they said the imperfect burial according to them was  responsible for a chain of natural deaths of the old people. One  is ashamed when learns about this dirty joke of the century and fears what would happen if the opportunistic westerners would also learn. Let ask this sense less Saint that by acquiring whose calibre he said so?  Does he mean to say  the Muslims vote for the regionalisim? Or if he has an another theory of the earth being under different controls? Mr. Saint, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone never told to make his tomb on the surface and does not need. Because our hearts for the same were occupied at the earliest when Mushtaq Ahmad Lone selected his fore head for:-
Dervaish Khuda Mast Sheriquee Hey Na Garabee Ghar Mera Na Dilli Na Saffahaun Na Samarkand

http://www.facebook.com/Writerasia

11th August Foundation pays tributes to Father of Jehad-e-Kashmir Sheikh Aziz

Srinagar, August 02 (Writer-South Asia) In disputed state of Kashmir, Director of the 11th August Foundation , S. Ashraf has paid rich tributes to the martyred APHC leader, Father of Jehad-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdul Aziz, who was martyred by Indian troops during an anti-India rally in 2008

Horny Goat Weed and male/female sexual problems

Horny Goat Weed

London, Jully 30 : Low libido? You can try out the soft green heart-shaped leaf of the horny goat weed instead of the common anti-impotence pills, for a new study has revealed that it could also rekindle your sexual desire.

Researchers in Italy have based their findings on an experiment involving four plants used as natural aphrodisiacs in traditional cultures.

The active compound of common anti-impotence pills, sildenafil, works by inhibiting an enzyme, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5). Because PDE5 helps control blood flow to the penis, inhibiting PDE5 promotes male erection.

In their study, the researchers tested the four plants in vitro to see how efficient they were inhibiting PDE5. Just one -- Epimedium brevicornum, known as horny goat weed – had an effect, the 'New Scientist' reported. Sildenafil, however, is 80 times more effective at inhibiting PDE5 than icariin.

So, the researchers extracted icariin from the plants, and produced six modified versions of it, which they tested on PDE5 also. "The most efficient of these, compound 5, works as well as Viagra," Mario Dell'Agli of Milan University said.

A drug made from compound 5 could also cause fewer side effects than Viagra, according to them. In addition to PDE5, sildenafil affects other phosphodiesterases, including some that are essential to sight and heart function.

As a result, people having heart problems are not advised to take the drug and patients who do take the drug sometimes suffer disturbances to their eyesight.

Preliminary tests suggest that compound 5 does not affect other phosphodiesterases, meaning it may not have the same side effects as the common anti-impotence pills.

"If people eat horny goat weed, I think it can be beneficial as it contains icariin," Dell'Agli said.

Himalayan Horny Goat Weed available at: jkmpic@gmail.com
Home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Freedom slogans reverberate in SP school Srinagar

Srinagar, July 30 (Writer-South Asia) : In disputed state of Jammu and  Kashmir, pro-freedom slogans reverberated at the SP School in Srinagar, today, during a public meet “Kashmir: The road to peace” organized by the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Analysis (CPA) with the aim to spread awareness about the Kashmir dispute.

The participants mostly youth raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans inside the auditorium of the SP School after coming to know that veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani was not allowed by the National Conference laid authorities to attend the meet due to the curbs on his movement.

The sloganeering left the organizers surprised as they made desperate efforts to persuade the youth. It also disrupted the speech of the  agriculture minister for at least ten minutes.

Ginkgo biloba plants for sale

Ginkgo plants now available in India/Kashmir

Srinagar, Jully 29: The director, Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre JKMPIC, Sheikh Gulzaar planted Ginkgo biloba saplings in JKMPIC, North Kashmir here yesterday on Monday. While taking to media persons on the occasion, he said Ginkgo biloba  is a heritage tree of the country and as such is a protected plant. Until 2007, Ginkgo biloba plantation day was observed on March 21 “World Arboretum Day”. However, keeping in view the magnificent and majestic look and attachment and concern of the people of the country of Kashmir with this tree, Kashmir government decided to observe March 15 of every year as Ginkgo biloba  Plantation Day, since 2009.

The director said another advantage of pre-poning the date from March 21 to March 15 is that longer period for plantation. During last two years 12373 saplings of Ginkgo biloba  have been provided free of cost to the people for plantation in different areas of the country Jammu Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre has established nurseries for propagation of Ginkgo biloba saplings and during current plantation season and 93373 saplings are available for distribution.

Sheikh Gulzaar said that anybody who is interested in plantation of Ginkgo biloba tree can contact the concerned Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre and obtain Ginkgo biloba  plants.

As per the un-authentic data of 1970, about 42000 Ginkgo biloba trees of different age groups and sizes were existing in thecountry . But with the passage of time, turmoil, development programmes and population explosion,Ginkgo biloba  trees have faced the brunt of greed like the forest and other plants had to face.

Under such circumstances, JKMPIC took the serious initiative for raising the Ginkgo biloba saplings for sustained efforts for annual plantation of saplings.

In order to determine the actual number of existing Ginkgo biloba  trees in the Kashmir , a preliminary census was initiated by the Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre from 2002 which was completed in 2009.

Ginkgo biloba Plants Sales office at:
Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR Jammu and Kashmir 190001
Ph: 01933-223705
Mob: 09858986794
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com, iirc@rediffmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) plants for sale

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen needle-like leaves. Member of the mint family Lamiaceae, rosemary is native to the Mediterranean region. One of the oldest recorded herbs in history, rosemary survives well in well-drained sandy and rocky soils.

Rosemary has been found to be a stimulant and a mild analgesic, and used to treat headaches and poor circulation. (For a tonic against headaches, put some sprigs into a teapot; add hot water, strain and serve.)

Rosemary can be used as a disinfectant, as a mouth wash and to treat fever or rheumatism. Externally it can be used in hair lotions; a few drops of rosemary oil massaged into the scalp, can revitalise hair.

Used in this manner, it is supposed to prevent premature baldness.osemary is also said to check dandruff. Rosemary has an old reputation for improving memory, and has been used as a symbol for remembrance (during weddings, war commemorations and funerals) in Europe, probably as a result of this reputation.

Rosemary and its constituents carnosol and ursolic acid have been shown to inhibit the growth of skin tumours and to provide a natural anti-oxidant protection against skin cancer and photo damage.

The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine as a herb; they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements oily foods, such as lamb and fish. A tisane can also be made from them. They are extensively used in cooking, and when burned gives off a distinct mustard smell, which can be used to flavour foods while barbequing. Rosemary also makes a refreshing summer drink.

Though there are many varieties, Rosmarinis officinalis and R. officinalis prostratis are the two basic types. Rosmarinis officinalis commonly refers to the upright varieties of rosemary.

R. officinalis prostratis refers to prostrate or creeping rosemary which, as its name suggests, tends to grow close to the ground. It is an ideal plant for rock gardens and hanging baskets. Both varieties are great for cooking. 

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)  plants are available at: 

Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre-JKMPIC

POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR JK 190001

R&D Plant Introduction Centre at : Sonamarag

Ph: 01933-223705

Mob: 09858986794

e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com

home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Aromatic and Herbal Plantations:Silybum marianum

Silybum marianum seed

Medicinal, herbal and aromatic plants constitute a large segment of the flora, which provide raw materials for use by pharmaceutical, cosmetic, fragrance and flavour industries. They have been used in the country for a long time for their medicinal properties.

India is considered as a treasure house of valuable medicinal and aromatic plant species. It has 15 agro-climatic zones, 47000 different plant species and 15000 medicinal plants. About 2000 native plant species have curative properties and 1300 species are known for their aroma and flavour. The Indian systems of medicines, popularly known as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha drugs are of great demand in the country. It has identified 1500 medicinal plants, of which 500 species are mostly used in the preparation of drugs.

The medicinal plants contribute to cater 80% of the raw materials used in the preparation of drugs. The effectiveness of these drugs mainly depend upon the proper use and sustained availability of genuine raw materials. The domestic market of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy is of the order of Rs. 4000 crores (2000), which is expanding day by day. The Ayurveda drug market alone is of the order of Rs. 3500 crores (2000). Besides this, there is also a growing demand for natural products including items of medicinal value/ pharmaceuticals, food supplements and cosmetics in both domestic and international markets.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests have identified and documented over 9500 plant species considering their importance in the pharmaceutical industry. Out of these, about 65 plants have large and consistent demand in world trade. In terms of market share in production value, India holds the 6th place. India, with its diversified biodiversity, has a tremendous potential and advantage in the export area. India’s export from medicinal and herbal plants is Rs. 446 crores (2000).

Some commercially important Medicinal Plants are:- Aconitum heterophyllum,Saffron cashmerina, Rumex cashmeriana , Zingiber officinale, Emblic indica,  Cuscut, Chirata, Kalmegh, Safed Musali, Ashok, Daruhaldi, Kokum, Sarpgandha, Ashwagandha, Giloe, Kuth, Senna, Reetha, Ginkgo biloba, Kewi, Atees, Gudmar Kutki, Shatavari, Bael, Guggal, Makoy, Tulsi, Bhumi, Amlaki, Isabgol, Mulethi, Vai Vidang, Brahmi, Jatamansi, Patharchur (Coleus), Vatsnabh, Chandan, Kalihari, Pippal, etc.

According to WHO report, over 80% of the world population relies on traditional medicine largely plant based for their primary healthcare needs. The international market of herbal products is estimated to be US $ 62 billion which is poised to grow to US $ 5 trillion by the year 2050. The EXIM bank of India, in its report (1997), has reported that the value of medicinal plants related trade in India is of the order of 5.5 billion US dollars and is growing rapidly.

Further, India presents a great investment and business opportunity in the herbal sector, with the prospects of the country emerging as a global leader in the field. In recent times, there has been an enlightened awareness among the citizens of the country about the natural advantages that this country is endowed with. Herbal Tea is one of the most commonly used aromatic herbs, which has its own importance. It is gaining popularity due to its multipoint effects. The thrust area is to develop the disease-specific herbal tea.

All this proves that India has one of the richest plant medical cultures in the world. There exists innumerable opportunities in the various segments of aromatic, medicinal and herbal plantations. Various efforts, both at the Central and State level, have been actively undertaken to attract significant investments into the sector and promote entrepreneurial activities therein.

Presently, at the national level, 32 Medicinal Plants have been prioritised for development. They have actively formulated schemes and guidelines for financial assistance in different areas of medicinal plants sector covered under Promotional and Commercial schemes applicable both for Government and non-government organizations. (i) Promotional scheme mainly includes survey, conservation, herbal gardens, extension activities, demand-supply studies, R&D, value addition, etc.; and (ii) Commercial scheme mainly includes production of quality planting material, large scale cultivation, post harvest technology studies, innovative marketing mechanism, etc. Further, Regional workshop for creating awareness, discussing uniform monitoring mechanism and sensitising the Principal Investigators of the projects have been organized in six selected places in the country.

Details on multiplication and distribution of  open polinated planting/seed materials of medicinal and aromatic crops at  jkmpic@gmail.com
Write to us at: The Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR J&K 190001
Registered off:-Ist street, Shaheed-e-Azemat Road, Nambalbal, Pampore PPR J&K 192121
R&D (Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre at Sonamarag
Ph: 01933-223705
Mob: 09858986794
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Saffron seeds for sale

Crocus sativus cashmeriana seeds for sale

Reginal Syn: (Cashmerian) Kong, 

(E) Saffron

(H) Kesar,
(Sanskrit) Keshara

(B) Jaran

(G) Kesare

(Marathi) Kunkuma-Kerari

(German/French) Saffron

(Spanish) Azafran
(Duch) Shafran

(Russian) Safuran 

(Japanese) Zafferanon.
Part Used : Leaf, Fruit, Seeds, Plant.
Constituents : Leaves; Coriantrol, Oxalic acid, Calcium, Vit.-C, Carotene, Essential oil, Tannin, Malic acid and Ash.
Action/Uses : Fruit; aromatic, stimulant, carminative, stomachic, antibilious,
refrigerant, tonic, diuretic, aphrodisiac. Leaves; pungent, aromatic.
Used in; Seeds; to correct bad breathe, dyspepsia. Fruit; flatulence,
Price: INR 3500/100 seeds/-per packet

Calibar : 1

G.type : SM-43
More details: JKMPIC-Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre
POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR Jammu and Kashmir 190001
Ph: 01933-223705
Mob: 09858986794
e-mail: jkmpic@gmail.com
home: http://jkmpic.blogspot.com

Fruit plants of Kashmir

Kashmir's Kiwi fruit producers have come out with a sweeter, yellow-fleshe, "gold" Kiwi fruit that has a thinner, less-fuzzy skin under the Aziz brand. Both green and gold, boast high nutrituion density )Vitamin C, minerals potassium, magnesesium), a low glycemic index (ideal for weight control) and loads of other healthful antioxidants. Eat as is or in shakes, salads and, for an unusual flavour boost, drop a few chunks into chicken and meat dishes.

Herb: Kiwi Fruit
Latin name: Actinidia deliciosa
Synonyms : Actinidia chinensis deliciosa
Family : Actinidiaceae (Chinese Gooseberry Family)

NDB No: 09148 (Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion)

Nutrient	Units	1.00 X 1 fruit (2" dia) ------- 69g
Proximates
Water	g	57.32
Energy	kcal	42
Energy	kJ	176
Protein	g	0.79
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.36
Ash	g	0.42
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	10.12
Fiber, total dietary	g	2.1
Sugars, total	g	6.20
Sucrose	g	0.10
Glucose (dextrose)	g	2.84
Fructose	g	3.00
Lactose	g	0.00
Maltose	g	0.13
Galactose	g	0.12
Starch	g	0.00
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	23
Iron, Fe	mg	0.21
Magnesium, Mg	mg	12
Phosphorus, P	mg	23
Potassium, K	mg	215
Sodium, Na	mg	2
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.10
Copper, Cu	mg	0.090
Manganese, Mn	mg	0.068
Selenium, Se	mcg	0.1
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	64.0
Thiamin	mg	0.019
Riboflavin	mg	0.017
Niacin	mg	0.235
Pantothenic acid	mg	0.126
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.043
Folate, total	mcg	17
Folic acid	mcg	0
Folate, food	mcg	17
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	17
Choline, total	mg	5.4
Betaine	mg	0.3
Vitamin B-12	mcg	0.00
Vitamin B-12, added	mcg	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	3
Retinol	mcg	0
Carotene, beta	mcg	36
Carotene, alpha	mcg	0
Cryptoxanthin, beta	mcg	0
Vitamin A, IU	IU	60
Lycopene	mcg	0
Lutein + zeaxanthin	mcg	84
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	mg	1.01
Vitamin E, added	mg	0.00
Tocopherol, beta	mg	0.00
Tocopherol, gamma	mg	0.02
Tocopherol, delta	mg	0.00
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	mcg	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	mcg	27.8
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.020
4:0	g	0.000
6:0	g	0.000
8:0	g	0.000
10:0	g	0.000
12:0	g	0.000
14:0	g	0.000
16:0	g	0.012
18:0	g	0.008
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.032
16:1 undifferentiated	g	0.000
18:1 undifferentiated	g	0.032
20:1	g	0.000
22:1 undifferentiated	g	0.000
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.198
18:2 undifferentiated	g	0.170
18:3 undifferentiated	g	0.029
18:4	g	0.000
20:4 undifferentiated	g	0.000
20:5 n-3 (EPA)	g	0.000
22:5 n-3 (DPA)	g	0.000
22:6 n-3 (DHA)	g	0.000
Cholesterol	mg	0
Amino acids
Tryptophan	g	0.010
Threonine	g	0.032
Isoleucine	g	0.035
Leucine	g	0.046
Lysine	g	0.042
Methionine	g	0.017
Cystine	g	0.021
Phenylalanine	g	0.030
Tyrosine	g	0.023
Valine	g	0.039
Arginine	g	0.056
Histidine	g	0.019
Alanine	g	0.037
Aspartic acid	g	0.087
Glutamic acid	g	0.127
Glycine	g	0.041
Proline	g	0.030
Serine	g	0.037
Other
Alcohol, ethyl	g	0.0
Caffeine	mg	0
Theobromine	mg	0

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22 (2009) 

Medicinal use of Kiwi Fruit : The fruits, stems and roots are diuretic, febrifuge and sedative. They are used in the treatment of stones in the urinary tract, rheumatoid arthralgia, cancers of the liver and oesophagus.

Description of the plant : Plant: Deciduous Climber
Height : 9 m (30 feet)
Flovering : July to August
Scent : Scented Climber
Habitat of the herb : Derived in cultivation from A. chinensis, it is not known in a truly wild situation.
Edible parts of Kiwi Fruit : Fruit - raw or cooked. A delicious flavour, the fruit can be up to 8cm long, it is very juicy when fully ripe and has a refreshing, acid flavour. It contains a number of small seeds, but these are easily eaten with the fruit. Rich in vitamin C. Fresh fruits contain 100 - 420mg vitamin C per 100g and 8 - 14% carbohydrate. Acidity is 1 - 2%, mainly citric acid. The fruit ripens in November and can store for 3 - 4 months. Yields of 8 - 30 tonnes per hectare are possible. Leaves are a famine food.

Other uses of the herb : Paper is made from the bark. If the bark is removed in one piece from near the root and placed in hot ashes, it becomes very hard and can be used as a tube for a pencil.

Propagation of Kiwi Fruit : Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. It is probably best if the seed is given 3 months stratification, either sow it in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in November or as soon as it is received. Fresh seed germinates in 2 - 3 months at 10 C, stored seed can take longer. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When the plants are 30cm or more tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Most seedlings are male. The seedlings are subject to damping off, they must be kept well ventilated. Cuttings of softwood as soon as ready in spring in a frame. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very high percentage. Cuttings of ripe wood, October/November in a frame.

For more details about available planting material:

Chenab Industries

POB: 667 GPO Srinagar SGR J&K 190001

e-mail: cikashmir@gmail.com

home: http://chenabindustries.blogspot.com

Ph: 01933-223705

Mob: 09858986794

Medicinal plants in Kashmir Himalayas

By: Johan Simith 

Sage cashmerina

Growing medicinal herbs can be a great and interesting hobby, that can even gradually turn in a business if one starts to grow these natural remedies in somewhat larger quantities. The science and overall knowledge related to the process of growing medicinal herbs has been studied for years, so you probably shouldn’t have any problems growing these interesting herbal remedies on your own. They are healthy, look nice, and are relatively easy to take care of.

If one wishes to start growing medicinal plants, healthy plants which are grown easily, are a good choice to start with. A reliable supplier or herbalist should probably be able to help you out. One can start growing plants from seeds or from cuttings. No matter which you choose, try to get them from a source which hasn’t already treated it chemically.

It is best to start growing herbs before spring. There are certain guidelines which should help you grow your own herbs. Always use fertile soil. Rich soil will encourage healthy growth of your plants. One must also ensure proper drainage of the plants. Wet and soaked herbs can develop certain fungal infections, which can harm your plants. One should also have in mind that they should also be kept on the south side the your house, garden, or apartment in order for your plants to get the most sunlight. From time to time one needs to repot the medicinal plants so that they could have the room they need to grow.

Luckily, for those of you who are interested in finding out more about medicinal herbs, there are sites online like plantsmedicinal.com, where one can find additional tips on many different medicinal herbs, along with the many different diseases and conditions that they can treat. For more details about cultivation of medicinal plants http://jkmpic.blogspot.com