Under the programme’s Nikshay Poshan Yojana component, registered tuberculosis patients are entitled to monthly nutritional support via direct benefit transfer.
Residents said the water body, once known for its clear waters, has increasingly turned into a polluted channel as household waste is dumped into it.
Investigators filed a chargesheet in 2003 after what officials described as a detailed probe, and the matter subsequently proceeded through trial.
The recruitment process, held after nearly a decade, involved a two-stage evaluation – a 100-mark written test followed by a 12-mark viva voce.
Minibuses, buses and many private cabs stayed off the roads as operators protested against the expansion of government-backed “smart city” bus services, which they say are threatening their livelihoods.
Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into a union territory in 2019, with authorities indicating that full statehood would be restored at a later stage.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also expressed sorrow and said the government stood firmly with the victims.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar also conveyed his condolences, describing the incident as tragic and expressing sympathy with the families of the victims.
Army personnel from a Gorkha Rifles battalion, who were en route to a training exercise, spotted the vehicle as it rolled down the hillside and immediately moved in to secure the area and begin rescue operations, an army official said.
The accident occurred near Kaghote in the Ramnagar area of Udhampur district at around 10 am after the driver lost control while negotiating a sharp bend, they said.
