Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 20: The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said that State Government’s decision to enhance retirement age of teaching faculties in Universities will ensure availability of faculty in the Medical Colleges of the State which were under severe strain due to shortage of faculty.
“While I was persistently trying to persuade the State Government as Health Minister of the country for the last many years, knowing the difficulties that our Medical Colleges were facing in fulfilling the norms of Medical Council of India (MCI), at last State Government has taken the right step”, he added.
He was addressing the people at Mogul Maidan, Chatroo, Chinghamin Inderwal Constituency on the fourth day of his tour to the Chenab Valley to galvanise public support for his party in upcoming Assembly elections.
Emphasizing that Chenab Valley has tremendous hydro-power potential, Mr Azad said that as Chief Minister, his Government in April 2008 took a landmark decision of laying down the policy framework for the development of Hydro-power in the State which led to the introduction of ‘Tariff-Based Bidding’ for the first time in the setting up of power projects in the State.
He further said that to fast-track the development of power generation and to bring in investment in the power sector of the State in a Joint Venture mode, his Government took the decision to set up Chenab Valley Power Projects Corporation and subsequently MoU in this regard was signed with NHPC by the State Government in October 2008 on the eve of inauguration of Baghliar Hydel Project.
He said that his initiatives have started showing positive result on the ground and, if given an opportunity by the people of the State, he will ensure that visible and substantial results are registered in the shortest possible time.
He said that if elected to power, Congress Party will launch a massive skill development drive under the Skill Development Mission launched by the UPA Government. He said that number of Polytechnics, ITIs and Skill Development Centres have been sanctioned by UPA Government for the State and that he will aim to speed up the building and optimal utilisation of this vital infrastructure for the creating a bright future for our young boys and girls.
Responding to the aspirations of the party workers and people of the area, he stressed the voters to ensure victory of all Congress candidates in the forthcoming Assembly elections so that we can restart the developmental boom in the State and make governance people- friendly and efficient.
Advising Congress Ministers to focus on all the constituencies for the overall development and not to remain confined to their own constituency, he observed that Ministers of the Coalition Government have to be accessible to the people of entire State. “There is one problem when an MLA becomes the Minister; he entirely focusses on his own constituency. But I want our Ministers in the present regime to focus on all areas of state so that the people in general are benefitted,” he said.
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