Establishment of Haat, Old Age Home, Nari Niketan in each distt
Deadlines too missed for Farmers Produce Organizations creation
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 26: Industries and Commerce, Social Welfare and Agriculture Production Departments have failed to meet different deadlines fixed by the Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on establishment of Haats, Old Age Homes, Nari Niketan and creation of Farmers Produce Organizations. Most astonishing aspect is that these departments are still not in a position to specify the time-line to translate the decision taken at the highest level into reality.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that while chairing meeting of Committee of Secretaries on March 8, 2022, Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta held deliberations on several important issues of different departments and accordingly fixed different timelines for strict compliance by the concerned Administrative Secretaries.
The Industries and Commerce Department was directed to constitute “Haats” in every district to promote sale of industrial, handloom and handicraft goods within a period of one month. However, Haat has not been established in any district of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir except Jammu and Srinagar cities, sources said.
“The inordinate delay in establishment of Haat in each district is notwithstanding the fact that the same provides a platform for organizing buyer-seller meets thereby creating opportunities for enhancing local business and exports on a permanent basis by connecting local artisans with a multitude of markets”, they further said.
Even Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while inaugurating Jammu Haat in the month of September last year had stated that Haats are very important to empower the local entrepreneurs to build successful businesses by providing high-quality training programs, advisory services and this access will help people achieve economic self-sufficiency through small business development, besides promoting local heritage and tourism.
Similarly, the Chief Secretary had directed the Social Welfare Department to operationalize at least one Child Care Institution, Old Age Home and Nari Niketan in each district by April 1, 2022 and roll out Nasha Mukt J&K in consultation with the Home Department.
“Though the timeline fixed by the Chief Secretary is over yet not even single new Child Care Institution, Old Age Home and Nari Niketan has been established by the Social Welfare Department on the ground that lengthy exercise is required to be carried out before setting up of such institutions”, sources said, adding “now it is claimed that first efforts will be made to establish Child Care Institution and Nari Niketan under the Government of India sponsored scheme and thereafter J&K UT will set up the same in left-over districts from its own resources”.
Moreover, large scale campaign under Nasha Mukt J&K has not been launched across the Union Territory although all educational institutions have started offline classes, sources further informed, adding “the campaign is imperative in view of the fact that drug menace is fast spreading in the length and breadth of Union Territory”.
Likewise, the Agriculture, Animal and Sheep Husbandry and Horticulture Departments were directed to ensure universal distribution of soil health cards to all farmers by May 31, 2022 and create 500 Farmers Produce Organizations in consultation with the Cooperative Department.
“This deadline is also over but the targets have not been met by the concerned authorities”, sources said, adding “in the official circles it is claimed that procedural formalities are being completed to translate the decisions of the Committee of Secretaries into reality”.
Even Tourism Department has also failed to meet the deadline for submission of specific plans for promotion of 75 new tourist destinations, 75 heritage sites and 75 Sufi/religious sites and 75 off-beat trekking. “No doubt some exercise has been conducted by the plans have not been given any practical shape till date”, sources said, adding “if this is the approach of the departments towards the decisions taken in the meeting of Committee of Secretaries what would be the fate of decisions being taken in routine can be easily gauged”.
“If the departments feel that the time-lines were unrealistic then the concerned Administrative Secretaries should have pointed out the same in the meeting itself”, sources said.
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