Centre sanctions Rs 14 crore for sports in J&K

Vartha Bharati | 12-06-2018 | 19:43:00 IST

New Delhi, June 12: The Centre on Tuesday sanctioned Rs 14.30 crore to promote block level sports in Jammu and Kashmir.

The amount has been sanctioned under the 'Khelo India' scheme by the Union Sports Ministry.

Implementation of this scheme was announced by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his visit to the state on June 7 and 8.

A Home Ministry statement said an amount of Rs 10 lakh per block will be spent under the scheme in all the 143 blocks of 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The Central grant will be used to provide soft support in terms of coaches, equipments, consumables, technical support, organising competitions including boarding and lodging facilities and travelling expenses for the participants," said the statement.

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Next round of Iran-US negotiations expected soon: Pak's Defence Minister

13-04-2026 ¦ 13-04-2026 IST

Representational Image (Gemini)

Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.

Asif made these remarks on Monday, a day after the Islamabad talks failed to clinch a deal.

The 21-hour talks between the US and Iran on Saturday were the first of their kind since 1979 due to the involvement of top-level officials from both sides. The two sides, however, failed to secure a lasting peace deal to end hostilities following their talks in Pakistan over the weekend.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament House, Asif said there had been a sense of satisfaction after the talks that there were no negative developments so far.

“Only positive progress has been observed,” he said, indicating that the ongoing diplomatic efforts were moving in a constructive direction.

The next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, he added.

The Express Tribune reported that responding to a question about whether Pakistan would play a decisive role in shaping the region’s future, Asif said that ultimate decisions rest with Allah.

Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad, said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".

Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Iran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions."

Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.

The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.