Mehbooba urges people to take advantage of key welfare schemes

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Aug 30: Ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today said the present Government in Jammu and Kashmir has to make a fresh beginning to pull the State out of the “morass” and revive the process of political reconciliation, economic rejuvenation and social emancipation.
“Unfortunately, during the past six years of NC-Congress rule, the State witnessed a virtual dismantling of all the institutions of governance with politico-contractor mafia ruling the roost and looting the exchequer during that dark era. The present Government has to make a fresh beginning to not only pull the state out of the morass but also revive the process of political reconciliation, economic rejuvenation and social emancipation,” Mehbooba said.
She was addressing a day-long convention of the PDP cadre in Shopian district of south Kashmir.
The PDP president said her party’s Governments in 2002 and now has pioneered ground-breaking initiatives on political and developmental front, while NC  had only “exploited” the people with rhetorical slogans.
“PDP-led Government’s have pioneered ground-breaking initiatives on political, economic, developmental and social fronts both in 2002 and 2015. Despite having ruled the state for more than four decades, National Conference (NC) has only exploited the people with rhetorical slogans and has done nothing substantial for the social, economic and political welfare of the State and its people,” she said.
Mehbooba, the Member Parliament from south Kashmir, urged the people to take advantage of the key welfare schemes launched by the Government and exhorted public representatives to ensure that the maximum deserving people get benefitted from these schemes in their respective constituencies.
“The respective public representatives and the party workers should not only ensure effective implementation of the Government’s welfare schemes like ‘Aasra’ and ‘Laadli’ on the ground, but also monitor the same so that the benefits of these pioneering schemes reach as many deserving people,” she said.
She said under ‘Aasra’, all the families including widows and destitute with annual income of below Rs 75000 would get a free insurance cover.
“And in case of the natural or accidental death or disability of the family’s breadwinner, the next of kin would get Rs two lakh while in case of partial disability of the breadwinner, the next of kin would get Rs one lakh,” she said.
Mehbooba said under the ‘Laadli’ scheme, Rs 1000 would be deposited by the Government for 14 years in the account of a girl child born after April 1, 2015 to a family whose annual income is Rs 75000 or below.
“After attaining the age of 21 years, the girl child will get a lump sum amount of Rs 6.50 lakh,” she said.
Referring  to the developmental initiatives taken by the Government that would boost economy of Shopian and its adjoining areas, Mehbooba said while the Roads and Buildings Department has already ordered pre-feasibility study for construction of a tunnel on Mughal Road to provide all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and Jammu via Shopian, Rajouri and Poonch, a new national highway is being developed from Srinagar to Qazigund via Shopian that would further improve the physical connectivity of this apple-rich town with rest of the country making it a hub of economic activity.
She said a new state-of-the-art Fruit Mandi spread over around 300 kanals (15 hectares) of land is being developed at Aglar to boost the post-harvest management and marketing of apple and other fruits grown in the area.

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