Excelsior Correspondent
WACHI, Aug 7: Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah today announced that the Government would shortly announce reduction in the power charges and create more employment opportunities for the youth. He also declared that all 659 administration units, approved by the Government, will be made functional by September this year.
Addressing a workers meeting for Wachi Assembly constituency at village Chatrigam, Omar said the Government will continue to take welfare measures for the people including reduction in electricity tariff. He assured the people that a decision on reduction in power tariff would be taken soon by the Government.
Omar said the Government would also create more avenues for the unemployed youths in the State in line with its record of last five and half years. He added that the Government would also look into some possible relief measures for the people under debt of Kissan Credit Cards and extend support to common fruit growers.
The Chief Minister announced that all 659 administrative units approved in Jammu and Kashmir would be made functional by September this year.
Asserting that PDP was obsessed with impetuously opposing every single people-friendly measure or initiative taken by his Government due to their petty political and partisan considerations, Omar said the PDP had opposed the creation of Shopian district when Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Chief Minister and tried their best to make sure that Shopian didn’t become a district.
“The PDP had also opposed the creation of Ganderbal, Bandipora and Kulgam districts. Then they also opposed the Rehabilitation Policy for the youth who wanted to come back from across the LoC. When we announced another historic decision of ‘decentralization of power’ exercise in the shape of New Administrative Units – they opposed it too by spreading `lies and canards’ through their propagandists who masquerade as experts.
“Then once we took out a formal order announcing the creation of these units, they called this a mere formal order on paper. Today the biggest answer in the face of this propaganda by PDP is that just a few days back we have started the process of manning and making functional every single New Administrative Unit in the State and by September my Government will make very new Unit fully functional”, the NC working president said.
He said the PDP had at a point of time harbored plans to stigmatize the youth who had crossed the Line of Control and exploit them for political dividends after branding them as “surrendered militants” who would have been forced to surrender in Army camps in front of cameras had this Government not persisted and implemented the Rehabilitation Policy against all odds.
Omar said that this was the precise reason why PDP voted against the NC-supported Rehabilitation Resolution in the State Assembly with a `complete lack of concern’ for these youngsters and their families.
The Chief Minister said that both PDP as well as certain sections of the security force leadership were opposed to the idea of the Rehabilitation Policy.
“Both Mufti Sayeed and some elements in the security forces wanted these young men to come with weapons and surrender at Army camps near the LoC after which pictures would be taken of them and they would be branded as surrendered militants in press statements – stigmatizing them in the society and making them vulnerable to be exploited and used for political dividends. This was unacceptable to National Conference and I ensured that these youth come back with utmost dignity and today out of the nearly 400 youth who have returned, around 16 youth belonged to Wachi Constituency alone,” he added.
The NC working president said that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Chief Minister started distributing SRO-43 cheques that were processed during the Dr Farooq Abdullah Government to bask in self-projection.
“Mufti Sayeed after becoming the Chief Minister started handing out cheques of relief and compensation that were normally handed over to deserving people by Deputy Commissioners and other concerned officers. He did this for the cameras and created the ‘healing touch’ myth after taking pictures with awardees of SRO-43 and humiliating them in the process by lifting the veil of secrecy over such affairs.
“While PDP’s Machiavellian political strategies might have helped them in the short-term and harmed us in the short-term to, I pray that we are never afflicted with this disease of exploiting the misery and agony of people for photo-ops and media coverage”, Omar added
He said the National Conference candidate from Wachi, MLC Showkat Hussain Ganai was a “dynamic, dedicated and sincere young political leader”, who had worked very hard for the people of Wachi. “In Showkat you have a strong and sincere voice, who as MLC represented the issues of Wachi in particular and Shopian district in general without any personal considerations or interests”.
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