Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 14: Asserting that IIM was announced in 2015 for Jammu alone, NPP chairman and former minister Harshdev Singh has questioned as to how and when has the provision for an out campus in Kashmir been incorporated within the same proposal.
Singh in a statement pointed out that announcement for IIM for Jammu was made during Union Budget session in 2015 without any mention having been made for Kashmir campus in the said proposal. He claimed that PM’s package of Rs 80,000 crore announced in Nov, 2015 further made a provision of Rs 1000 crore for IIM for Jammu alone. He, however, expressed his dismay that when the final approval was given by the competent authority, the said IIM grant stood divided with an out campus to be established in Kashmir also. He said though people of Jammu did not oppose IIM for Kashmir but the part diversion of funds originally meant for Jammu IIM to Kashmir was highly obnoxious and unacceptable.
Lamenting the appeasement policy persistently followed by Centre and State Govt towards Kashmir, Harshdev said that Jammu was still being taken for granted even by the BJP-PDP Govt. He said that even the present Govt’s extreme love for a highly pampered Kashmir became evident from the present episode when it announced IIM out campus for Kashmir without any prior deliberations and without any demand having ever emanated from Kashmir region for the same.
NPP leader pointed out that when Rs 2100 crore AIIMS was announced for Kashmir, the GoI as well as the State Govt refused to entertain the grievance of Jammuites until a full scale agitation was launched with the BJP DyCM even going to the extent of making a statement that no one can snatch AIIMS from Kashmir. He said that similar was the situation when Central University was announced for Kashmir and the people of Jammu region had to take to streets.
Seeking the establishment of full fledged IIM in Jammu and utilization of the entire Rs 1000 crore grant in Jammu, Singh said that Kashmir could be given a separate IIM if the Centre and State Govt were so particular. He also called for reservation of a fixed number of seats in IIM Jammu for local students.
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