Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 25: Governor N N Vohra today said that the People’s Democratic Party-Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in the State is committed to safeguard the special status of the State and informed the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pursuing the sub-continental agenda of peace which will have a positive outcome for normalizing the situation in the State.
Addressing the joint session of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on the first day of five-week budget session that began today, the Governor in his address to joint session said PDP-BJP Government is committed to safeguard the special status of the State. “The State Government is committed to safeguarding the special status which has been accorded to Jammu and Kashmir in the Constitution of India and has been also spelt out in the Agenda of the Alliance which forms the basis of the PDP-BJP Coalition Government,” he said.
Vohra said it augurs well that at the national level, Modi is personally pursuing the sub-continental agenda of peace which will have a positive outcome for normalizing the situation in the State. “The Prime Minister’s bold initiative of reaching out to Pakistan in a bid to establish lasting peace in the region has been welcomed in the State and revived the hope for peace, particularly along the borders where the lives of the people have been shattered. The impact of the Prime Minister’s visit to Lahore and the subsequent bilateral dialogues at different levels have generated hope for our State, which has for long borne the brunt of unstable relations between the two countries,” he said.
Governor said the State Government is committed to pursuing and strengthening the path of peace and dialogue for achieving reconciliation and development. “The State Government is committed to pursuing and strengthening the path of peace and dialogue for achieving reconciliation and development. The people of the State are hopeful that the revived initiatives for the establishment of friendly relations with our western neighbor will have a positive outcome for the restoration of peace and normalcy, particularly for the people residing in the border areas who live in an environment of insecurity and have, over the years, continued to suffer human and economic losses”, he added.
“As a confidence building measure, in collaboration with the Government of India, my Government has been endeavouring to enlarge and upgrade cross-LoC trade. In this context, the infrastructure of the Trade Facilitation Centres has been enhanced, the communication systems have been strengthened and, most importantly, steps to set up the framework of the banking facilities have been recently worked out in consultation with the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India”, Governor said.
Vohra said: “The people of the State are hopeful that the revived initiatives for the establishment of friendly relations with our western neighbor will have a positive outcome for the restoration of peace and normalcy, particularly for the people residing in the border areas who live in an environment of insecurity and have, over the years, continued to suffer human and economic losses”.
“To enhance the dividends of peace, the State Government is working to develop Border Tourism, particularly in the areas of Suchetgarh and Chamliyal. We are hopeful that with the various ongoing initiatives falling in place we shall soon enter an era of normalcy, peace and prosperity, which the people of the State have been yearning for,” Governor said.
Vohra lauded the role of security forces in maintaining law and order and undertaking counter-insurgency operations. “The State Police, alongwith other Security Forces, is playing an important role in maintaining law and order and undertaking counter insurgency operations. Their professionalism, courage and patience merits appreciation. However, incidents like the one which took place the other day in which three of our dedicated Police personnel were killed in a cowardly act, set us back every time we are moving towards normalcy,” he said.
“Besides the need to maintain a constant vigil to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, the Governor urged the civil society to come out strongly, in one voice, against such incidents and “send a clear message that we shall act against any move which is against the interest of our society and the security of the country”, said Governor.
Vohra enlisted various steps taken by the Government to improve the lot of the people particularly in key sectors like education, social welfare, health and tourism. “The Government is engaged in reorienting and upgrading the education system to make it an ‘enabler’ and not merely a ‘certification department’,” he said adding the establishment of institutions of excellence like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) will soon engender a definitive improvement in the quality of professional education in our State.
Governor also mentioned the success achieved by some local entreprenuers. “Already, encouraging reports are coming in about groups of self-assured entrepreneurs succeeding in establishing their own enterprises, particularly in Horticulture, Handicraft, Information Technology and other sectors”.
“The State Government has come out with schemes to match and enhance the endeavours of the young entrepreneurs whose initiatives are already bearing fruit, he said adding skill development is a thrust area for the Government and significant initiatives have already been taken in this regard”, Vohra said.
“As a former civil servant I note, with enormous satisfaction, that a growing number of our talented boys and girls are getting into the All India Civil Services every year. A few years ago one of our boys secured the first position in the country and a few days ago a young lad from Anantnag has secured the 2nd position in the list of those selected for the Indian Administrative Service this year and hope that these outstanding achievements shall inspire many of our youth to strive for similar successes. I take this opportunity of congratulating all those who joined the All India and various Central Services in the recent years and have every reason to expect that the services rendered by them will be recognized and lauded at the national level in the coming years”, Governor said.
Vohra said: “We live in a world of ever increasing competitiveness. If our State has to do well our talented youth must learn to become competitive. To enable the upcoming generation to attain their aspirations the Government is committed to taking all required steps to upgrading and securing excellence in the academic standards of the institutions of higher learning. Side by side, the Government will also take the required administrative and other initiatives to enable our educational institutions to achieve global standards”.
“We live in an age of instant and real time communications and the youth cannot be immunized from varied global influences. Being aware and sensitive to the phenomenon of radicalization, the State Government believes that the revival of our own culture, traditions and practices and enabling our youth to become proud of their heritage would contribute in thwarting unwholesome influences. The Government is actively working in this area to soon bring about a cultural revival in the State”, said Governor.
Vohra said: “While the various initiatives being taken by the Government are envisaged to address the challenges facing the youth in the State, there must not be any doubt that no other course except the provision of efficient, honest and sensitive governance can lead to stopping the alienation of the younger generation”.
Governor said that the Government is engaged in restoring the credibility of systems. “In our democratic framework the effectiveness of Governmental functioning depends upon the efficiency, reliability and credibility of the administrative apparatus. Though burdened with a host of accumulated problems, many of which require basic reforms and not merely quick fix solutions, the PDP-BJP alliance is vigorously engaged in dealing with and restoring the credibility of systems”, he added.
Vohra said that the Government is trying to move away from adhocism in policy making and governance. “A definitive component of the Government’s policy is to move away from adhocism in policy making and, instead, establishing and reinvigorating systems for delivering good governance and efficient delivery of public services”, he added.
Governor said that the government is bringing transparency in the system. “In this context, the establishment of the Public Service Commission, with full membership, and the strengthening of the Service Selection Board have already enhanced the speed and brought in the much needed transparency in the recruitment system. Today, all recruitments are being made only through the established procedures and institutions, and none through the back door”, he added.
“The fast track recruitment policy is being followed for reaching out to the remote and far flung areas where vacancies have remained unfilled for long periods, particularly in the health and education sectors. The written test has been made mandatory for all recruitments and enlistment to Police has been streamlined to ensure that the fittest and the best are admitted to the Force. To eliminate subjectivity, favoritism, nepotism, and patronage in the award of contracts the departments are required to implement e-tendering in letter and spirit”, Vohra said.
“Besides youth, the Government is focusing on the problems faced by the marginalized and vulnerable segments of the society. In the past one year the State Government has taken significant steps to promote welfare measures which are inherent to any caring administrative apparatus. All in all, the various measures which have been taken by the Government are intended to create a safety net for the poorer sections of our society”, Governor said.
Vohra said that Government is securing the future of girl child by providing them financial support. “The Ladli Beti and Aasra schemes are among the examples of this safety net. The State Government is reaching out to provide direct financial support for securing the future of the girl child and of the sole bread winners for providing security to their families in unforeseen eventualities”, he added.
“Needless to say, with a woman as the chief executive of the State there should be no doubt that policy making is on the way to becoming visibly gender sensitive. Already, a range of women centric measures have been enforced, among which there are women Police Stations and women only buses. Surely, more is on the way!” he said.
The Governor said that State Government is planning to set up women entrepreneurship centres to particularly empower women and facilitate their livelihoods.
“To promote the health standards of women and provide basic and critical gynecological care to women every district will have a model Maternity Hospital”, Vohra said.
Governor said that the establishment of AIIMS will visibly upgrade the delivery of health care services in the State. ”It is a matter for great satisfaction that the Government of India has approved the establishment of two AIIMS in our State. Needless to say, the functioning of these two institutions of excellence will visibly upgrade the delivery of health care services in the State”, he said.
“The Government has taken the laudable initiative of implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the State. This step, an improvement over the earlier system, will promote food security in the State, particularly of the less advantaged segments of the society. After the enforcement of NFSA the number of beneficiaries has increased by 20 lakh, from 99 lakh under the erstwhile Public Distribution System to 1.19 crore, thus providing food security to 95% of the total population. Furthermore, the number of souls to be provided rice and wheat at Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg, respectively, has increased five fold, from 13.77 lakh to 74.13 lakh souls. The implementation of NFSA shall provide food security to almost the entire population of the State and particularly benefit those who need it most, and at the lowest price”, he added.
Vohra said: “Till the new food distribution system stabilizes and responds sensitively to the needs of the people, the State Government has taken an important step of introducing a “Food Entitlement Scheme”, as distinct from “Food Safety Scheme”, under which additional ration of 5 kg per soul shall be provided to families with 6 or less members. The cost of this welfare measure will be borne by the State Government from within its own resources.”
Governor said that the State Government is committed to taking various steps for securing efficient use of the available resources. “By changing the Budget classification and accounting, which is now being adopted nationally, the State has saved considerable expenditure and, besides, paved the way for physical monitoring of public expenditure in terms of asset creation”, he added.
“The Government has, as a policy intervention, adopted the convergence of resources approach. Even though this is a recent step, the impact so far has been impressive. For instance, as many as 500 bridges have been constructed in just one year while the remaining bridges under the project will be completed during the current year to provide connectivity to residents, schools, anganwadies, hospitals and other community institutions”, Vohra said.
“The convergence mode has also provided a viable approach to revive many institutions like schools and hospitals which have been lying in a derelict condition for want of upkeep and resources. Other sectors, like flood control, local connectivity and horticulture, are also getting benefitted by this new strategy which has the potential of transforming the rural landscape in the near future”, Governor said.
“Another example of building systems is the manner in which the Government is dealing with the issue of 61,000 casual, adhoc and daily workers. A comprehensive skill development programme is envisaged to be implemented to secure gainful utilization by deploying this large work force in different departments after the process of verification, biometrics and skill profiling of these persons has been completed”, said Vohra.
“The Government considers Aadhar as a crucial lever in building systems. Following the NPR for the unique identification of citizens the Government have been able to enroll 1.09 crore persons out of the total population of 1.25 crore and 82 lakh have already been issued Aadhar cards. This forward step will ensure that, in the coming years, all benefits from the State and the Central Governments to the people shall be directly transferred to the beneficiaries. This will be a very important forward step in the upgradation of the Government’s institutional capacity to efficiently deliver goods, services, utilities and other benefits to its people”, Governor said.
“The Government is committed to effectively implementing the Public Services Guarantee Act which was passed by the previous government. This will empower the people and also make the governmental machinery accountable in every manner”, Vohra said.
“The Prime Minister’s Development Plan for J&K is an initiative and an opportunity to bring about socio-economic development of the State. Underlying the Prime Minister’s Plan is an intermediate strategy of institutional reform, of reconstruction and of sustainable development. A crucial objective of the Plan and its strategy is to systematically build up and enhance the self-help capability of the entire population”, said Governor.
Vohra said that the Government’s top priority in the next two years is to ensure the speedy implementation of the Prime Minister’s Development Plan which will enable the Government to not only respond to any arising natural calamities but also catalyze all round economic growth which will reduce the socio-political vulnerability of the State.
“This fully funded Plan of Rs. 80,000 crore, an aggregate of sectoral initiatives, is to be executed over the next five years. The annual phasing of the Plan will be based on the absorptive capability and the spending capacity of the Government and its implementing agencies. A large part of the relief component has already been distributed to those whose houses had been partially or fully damaged”, Vohra said.
“To accelerate trade and business activity in the State the Government will shortly provide interest subvention, which will generate substantial liquidity support for the revival of the business and trade fraternity. The Government has already received the resources for implementing this important initiative”, Governor said.
Vohra said: “Assistance has been received from the Government of India for providing humanitarian relief to PoK refugees, which has been hanging fire for the past six decades. The modalities for the distribution of this relief are being finalized in consultation with the Government of India. In the case of West Pakistan refugees, which are another serious humanitarian issue, a Committee is presently deliberating on the possible measures which can be provided to the refugees for their sustenance and livelihood support.”
Governor said that the Government is committed to the return and settlement of displaced persons, including the Kashmiri Pandits who are a part of the ethnic diversity and must be rehabilitated in a manner which fully addresses their sense of insecurity.
“The Government is anxious to diversify the sources for financing economic development. Apart from the assistance received from Government of India in the form of the Prime Minister’s Development Plan, which is in the nature of an autonomous injection of Rs 80,000 crore of investment into the system, the Government is working to mobilize private investment to supplement this public expenditure by seeking assistance from multilateral agencies like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency. The Government is also seeking to tap domestic private investments”, Vohra said.
Governor said: “Private investments are needed not only for promoting industry and its allied sectors. A very disconcerting factor, which has severe implications for the economic growth of the State, relates to the declining public investment in the agriculture sector. There is urgent need to reverse this trend and provide incentives for attracting private investments in the agriculture and allied sectors, particularly for the development of horticulture and animal and sheep husbandry.”
“The High Density Mission in Horticulture is potentially a game changer and can be a sweet spot for private investors. My Government is very keen to access clean energy and secure funding which various environmental agencies are providing. This appears the most advantageous route for promoting sustainable development without impairing the ecology and environmental eco-system of our State which is known for its natural beauty and resources”, said Governor.
Vohra said that to preserve our environmental heritage the Government is committed to containing the adverse impact of climate change by implementing the Green India Mission. “We will also seek to create, with the help of the Government of India, three Eco Battalions to help in protecting the ecology and environment of our State”, he added.
Governor said that Government will encourage Public Private Partnership (PPP) to seek private investment. “This should encourage all those who want to invest with the Government or local entrepreneurs in J&K. To begin with, 34 ITIs have been covered under PPP. The Government will explore PPP for the delivery of social services, particularly in the health sector”, he added.
“While the Government will go all out to attract investments by providing an enabling environment and incentives it will ensure that these are in compliance of our existing administrative practices, regulatory norms and constitutional provisions”, said Vohra.
“For strengthening the decentralized system of governance, the Government is committed to soon hold the Municipal elections. This House is fully aware of the reasons why the earlier envisaged election schedule could not be followed. The Government is fully conscious of the need to hold Panchayat elections at the earliest, which are due to be held this year”, Governor said.
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