Likely to meet more leaders in capital
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 10: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi and discussed with them the issues pertaining to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sinha left for New Delhi last night and will be in the Union Capital tomorrow as well.
He is likely to meet some more Union Ministers and other dignitaries during his stay in the capital.
While there was no official statement issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Government on the meetings Sinha had with Birla and Mandaviya, sources said the Lieutenant Governor is understood to have taken up the issues of health sector of the Union Territory with the Union Minister.
Mandaviya, it may be mentioned, had visited Jammu and Kashmir as part of Public Outreach Programme by nearly 70 Central Ministers in September-October this year which was his first visit to the Union Territory after taking over the Health and Family Welfare Ministry from Dr Harshvardhan.
Several projects of Health and Family Welfare Ministry are presently under execution in Jammu and Kashmir including two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), many Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) etc.
Sources said the Lieutenant Governor is reported to have discussed pace of ongoing projects in health sector with Mansukh Mandaviya and steps being taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Government for their timely completion.
COVID containment measures especially in the wake of Omicron virus are also understood to have figured during the meeting.
Though no Omicron case has been reported in Jammu and Kashmir so far, samples of three foreign travelers including those from Italy and Ireland have been sent to New Delhi for Genome Sequencing as there is no lab in the Union Territory for sequencing.
COVID cases have witnessed minor surge in some districts but situation is well under control as Health authorities have ramped up testing and were also declaring micro-Containment Zones wherever necessary.
Few days back, the Central Government had written to Jammu and Kashmir administration along with other States and Union Territories for taking up measures to contain COVID spread as cases had shown slight surge in some districts.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
