Atinder Singh
With the recent poll debacle proving to be an eye opener to the national conference party, CM Omar Abdullah has entered into an introspection mode and has realised that merely rousing the layman’s blood in the name of various stinking and stalled political matters like the article 370, trying to tarnish Modi in the name of communalism and patting his own back on the issue of creation of new administrative units having zero economic feasibility won’t do any good in fetching the people’s verdict. This thought became crystal clear with the defeat of NC patron Farooq Abdullah at the hands of PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag.
Therefore it is pretty clear to Jenab Omar Abdullah that it is this time to get connected to the layman in any possible way for NC to prevent the same blizzard from hitting them again and sweeping them off the State legislative assembly as well. So, in this regard NC has launched some corrective measures like lifting the ban on SMS from a prepaid SIM card in the wake of disturbances of 2010 and the scrapping of the new recruitment policy. The coalition has also green signalled the mega solar power projects in Leh and Ladakh for harvesting the solar potential in these areas. The difference, while introducing the reforms this time, is that NC is not boasting about these reforms as it did in case of new administrative units giving us a signal that don’t be too happy, these are just parting sops ahead of the assembly elections. And these sops are yet not economically feasible.
The planning commission of India over the past few years, many a time stemmed the funds going into the power projects going on in the State as these projects every time crossed the deadline set for their completion. This has stalled their completion and in this utterly incompetent scenario what is the point in launching new projects like the two 5000 MW and 2500 MW projects in Leh and Kargil respectively when the previous ones are facing shortage of funds. And as far as the new recruitment policy is concerned, yes there has been a widespread apprehension within the youth of the State regarding the salaries offered in the Government sector of the State but in a condition where the State coffers are dry, the scrapping of the new recruitment policy and opening up of new B.ED colleges and filling up of more Government vacancies with contractual faculty will prove to be detrimental to the weak economy.
Our State this year, had a budget of nearly 40000 crore rupees of which a staggering 35000 crore rupees was the revenue expenditure. That is, of the total sum nearly 85% is already being dispatched as salaries of the employees, pensions, purchasing electricity and interest payments. Leaving aside only a mere 3000 crore for the annual planned expenditure that is used in the development works across the State and in the education department. And yet worse is that, of this budget we get 53% from the planning commission as aid on the behalf of centre for developmental works. But the receipts of the State have been so poor that this aid is being used to meet the revenue demands of the State. The planning commission is being hoodwinked in this way. Now, of the left over 3000 crores for development works, it is very difficult to brook a cut for anything else. Now with the scrapping of the new recruitment policy, a huge chunk of this money will be plonked into the salaries of the employees yet again and it is going to prove detrimental for the development projects of the State.
So, in this way this cake by the NC to the people of J&K is going to be fatal to the digestive system of this State. NC should understand that these parting sops are too late to be offered now and they are in fact meddling with the economic condition of the State as well and will certainly prove to be a headache for the Government which sits next year.
So in a way, these economically unfeasible changes will provide no help and in fact prove out to be noxious to NC-Cong led coalition only. So it is the time not to lay fingers on anyone for the poll debacle, forget the decimation and to introspect no doubt for sure, but actions should be taken with care otherwise this Government would be eyeing its complete wipe out in the upcoming legislative assembly elections at the hands of the PDP and of course Modi powered BJP for sure.
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