Meets Advisors, CS; lists priority areas
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 23: Veteran politician, Satya Pal Malik was sworn-in as 13th Governor of the State today.
J&K High Court Chief Justice, Gita Mittal administered the oath of office to Malik at a simple but impressive function at bedecked sprawling lawns of Raj Bhavan here.
The warrant of appointment of Malik was read out by Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahm-anyam.
Former Chief Ministers, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti; Union Minister of State in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, Speaker J&K Legislative Assembly, Dr Nirmal Singh; MPs; legislators; Heads of Constitutional bodies; Governor’s Advisors, B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and serving and former Judges of the J&K High Court among others attended the oath ceremony.
A poet and author, Malik was previously the Governor of Bihar and Odisha and was appointed J&K Governor by the President of India on August 21.
Born on 24 July 1946 to a family of agriculturists in village, Hisawada, Baghpat (district Meerut) in Uttar Pradesh, Malik after Graduating in science, pursued law degree at Meerut University before joining politics. He also holds a diploma in Parliamentary Affairs from the Institute of Constitutional and Parliam-entary Studies run by Parliament of India.
He is also a poet and author and has written two books on poetry and a political commentary.
Having special interest in history and archaeology, Malik is also known for his social activities including establishing day-care centres for the children of poor labourers.
He has also organised several farmers’ and youth movements during his more than six decades long political career.
Meanwhile, Malik today made it clear that reinforcing good governance and delivering results urgently on the developmental front must be the top most priority of the State administration at all levels to bring J&K back on course. Rapid, people centric development is the need of the hour, he said.
Immediately after assuming office, the Governor convened the first official meeting with his Advisors, B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam at Raj Bhavan here this afternoon and took first-hand appraisal of the functioning of Governor’s Administration.
To ensure a tangible turnaround, Malik enumerated the measures to be taken to give a fresh push to the “Mission on Delivering Development” and “Mission on Good Governance”. He said the State Administration shall have to function with efficiency, speed and accountability and deliver quick results on the ground on developmental and governance fronts. He said the Grievance Redressal mechanism shall have to be further strengthened and expanded to ensure that people see the desired results on the ground within the shortest possible time.
“Focus has to be on working through transparency and consultation to promote a culture of excellence in governance characterized by integrity and highest standards of deliverance,” he said and added that judicious and productive use of resources has to be ensured so that the funds are utilized according to priorities keeping in mind the larger public good and requirement of basic amenities.
The Governor said a clear message shall have to go down the line that the focus should be on development on all fronts and reaching out to the people to meet their basic needs. He prioritized the health, education, Rural development and social welfare sectors for focussed attention.
He called for ensuring that the major development programs and projects and flagship schemes are given a renewed push and completed on time. PMDP projects must be given priority so that projects such as AIIMSs, IIT, IIM, Ring Roads and others are completed on time. Cleaning up the iconic Dal lake must also be given top priority and the lake should be restored to its pristine glory. He said completing all such projects which are hanging fire for quite some time due to varied reasons should be the priority and these projects must be completed within a set timeframe.
Malik called for expanding the scope and import of the Grievance Redressal mechanism. He said grievance redressal should not be limited to the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu alone.
He directed that District Grievance Cells should be urgently opened in all districts under the supervision of Deputy Commissioners. “The concerned Deputy Commissioners will personally hear grievances at least once a week,” he ordered.
The Governor asked the officers to expand their public outreach by conducting frequent field visits and meeting the people on ground in every nook and corner of the State to redress their grievances.
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