AC enhances ex-gratia relief for local defence personnel

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chairing Administrative Council meeting at Srinagar on Wednesday.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chairing Administrative Council meeting at Srinagar on Wednesday.

Rajouri gets 100-bedded MCH hospital

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, July 6: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, today approved the enhancement of ex-gratia relief to the next-of-kin of defence force personnel, hailing from J&K, who attain martyrdom either in or outside J&K.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor attended the meeting.
The Administrative Council approved the enhancement of ex-gratia relief from Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs in favour of NoK of those defence personnel who hail from J&K and attain martyrdom within the territorial jurisdiction of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
Similarly, the Administrative Council also sanctioned ex-gratia relief of Rs. 25 lakhs in favour of NoK of those defence personnel hailing from Jammu & Kashmir, who attain martyrdom in consequence of official duties outside J&K/ within the country.
These provisions will be made effective from 01.02.2022 and will remove the disparity between relief provisions in J&K and other States/UTs. The decision will also boost the morale of the soldiers who hail from J&K and are serving in adverse weather and terrain conditions.
Meanwhile, Administrative Council also accorded administrative approval to the proposal of the Jammu Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (JMRDA) for improvement/ upgradation of the road network and allied infrastructure at Transport Nagar, Narwal, Jammu.
The Administrative Council approved the improvement/upgradation of the road network and allied infrastructure at Transport Nagar, Narwal, Jammu at an estimated cost of Rs. 33.57 crore. The project will be completed in 12 months.
The Transport Nagar area is visited by approximately by 1-1.25 lakh commuters daily, besides hosting a parking area for 150 buses with passenger shed and booking counters. Besides, there are 1685 shops, 96 warehouses/ godowns & offices / public corporations in the area.
The project aims at decongesting the area, facilitating users in hassle-free movement, and improving the economic/commercial activities by providing proper facilities both in terms of road/drain network and other amenities.
The improvement/upgradation works will include laying of thick bituminous macadamization; surface drainage; factory-made chamfered concrete paver blocks; and internal roads of 7.50 Mtr width including intersection of major roads, over lean concrete, cement concrete, and RCC drain along the sides of major roads.
Currently, the area is in a very dilapidated condition due to an incremental increase in traffic causing damage to road surface creating large potholes and hampering smooth plying of vehicles and conduct of day to day business activities.
The Administrative Council also today approved proposal of Health and Medical Education Department to construct a 100-bedded Mother & Child Health Care Hospital at Lamberi Rajouri,
The sanctioned hospital will be constructed under National Health Mission (NHM) at an estimated cost of Rs. 47.232 crore and will be completed by 2024-25.
The new 100 bedded Mother & Child Care Hospital will be equipped with facilities for emergency ward, OPD, IPD and operation theatres. Apart from MCH services, the hospital will also provide general healthcare and accidental services to the common masses besides serving the emergent health needs of tourists & pilgrims.
Being centrally placed, the MCH will serve a large population of Rajouri and Poonch districts and will also serve as accidental hospital on the Jammu-Poonch National Highway. It will be an important focal medical health centre for the populace of Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote and adjoining villages, besides serving as a referral health facility for various PHCs like Lamberi, Seri, Garan and Sub Centres like Kheri, Patrari, Hanjana, Dandesar etc.
The Administrative Council approved up-gradation of the 30-bedded Community Health Centre at Billawar, Kathua to a 100- bedded Sub-District Hospital at an estimated cost of Rs. 28.18 crore. The project will be completed in financial year 2023-24.
The project will strengthen the healthcare services of the area and help increase life expectancy and decrease IMR/ MMR in the region, besides meeting the long pending demand of the common masses of Billawar, Kathua. It will also create more employment opportunities both for operationalization of the project and by way of development of additional support services.