Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Dec 22: The India Today State’s 2013 Award Conclave was held on December 20 in New Delhi where awards were given to top-performing Indian States in various categories.
J&K State bagged the award for best improvement in infrastructure in the Big States category. The Commissioner Secretary Roads and Buildings J&K Government, Tanveer Jahan and Chief Executive Officer of Economic Reconstruction Agency, Tahseen Mustafa received the award on behalf of the State Government. The award was given by Union Minister for Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh.
The award comes in recognition of a slew of infrastructure projects that were launched by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in various sectors ranging from roads, irrigation, agriculture, water-supply, rural and urban development, bridges, hydroelectric power, horticulture, health and education. Pertinently the State has launched power-projects with a potential of adding 1,750 Megawatts to the State’s power portfolio, which stands at around 700 Megawatts today.
The Government, through the Public Services Guarantee Act – a widely acclaimed and historic legislation – has ensured time-bound delivery of 70 important public services to every citizen of the State, besides brining transparency in the State’s governance through the J&K Right to Information Act of 2009 – an Act hailed as a stronger, more stringent legislation than the Central Act.
Initiatives to bring transparency and accountability have aided the State Government’s initiatives in adding to the infrastructure portfolio of the State.
The Chief Minister, while welcoming the award for most improvement in infrastructure has said that this award recognizes the performance of the NC-Congress Coalition Government in ushering Jammu & Kashmir into a corrective era of growth, economic self-reliance and prosperity and the efforts of the Government to bring J&K at par with the most developed States in India.a
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