Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Apr 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assured Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed that Centre will extend full support to funding of flood- affected people in the State and restoration of public infrastructure.
The assurance was given during a 30-minute meeting Modi had with Sayeed when they discussed a host of issues including implementation of Common Minimum Programme(CMP) of the PDP-BJP alliance in the State.
Centre is yet to take a call on a Cabinet proposal sent by the previous Omar Abdullah Government seeking a package of Rs 44,000 crore for relief and rehabilitation of victims of the State affected by the floods in September last year.
Modi and Sayeed also reviewed the overall political and developmental scenario in the State.
The meeting also comes in the backdrop of a possible Union Cabinet expansion amid speculation that PDP President Mehbooba Mufti may be inducted.
During the meeting, the first with Modi here after Sayeed took over as the Chief Minister on March 1, he sought immediate attention of the Centre on rehabilitation of the flood victims and restoration of infrastructure, a State Government spokesman said in a statement.
Modi told Sayeed that the State will get Centre’s full support in funding of flood-affected people and restoration of public infrastructure, the spokesman said.
Sayeed also discussed with Modi the issue of bringing transparency in the system and improving governance in the state.
Implementation of the Common Minimum Programme of the PDP-BJP Government in J&K came up during the talks.
Modi also enquired about the recent flood-like situation from Sayeed.
The Chief Minister informed the Prime Minister about the prompt response of the State administration in dealing with the situation that had arisen due to continuous rains. He also thanked the Prime Minister for quickly responding to the State Government’s request for deputing NDRF teams to facilitate the State administration.
On the issue of rehabilitation of victims and restoration of infrastructure, the Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to take care of the population distressed by the floods of September 2014.
Later, Sayeed met Home Minister Rajnath Singh where the Chief Minister was told to provide land for composite townships for Kashmiri Pandits.
Sayeed assured the Union Home Minister that the State Government will acquire and provide land at the earliest for composite townships in the Valley, a Home Ministry statement said.
Describing his discussions with Sayeed as “good”, Singh said “….We have discussed a range of issues related to the development of the State.”
Sayeed later told reporters that he discussed several issues including the political situation in the State and how to implement CMP.
“I met the Prime Minister first and then the Union Home Minister and discussed the present political situation, peace process, action against corruption, development of the State, flood situation etc.
“We have also discussed how to implement the CMP. People of Jammu and Kashmir have given us a large mandate. We want to make Jammu and Kashmir an island of peace again,” he said.
During the meeting with the Home Minister, the issues of Home Guards, remuneration for Special Police Officers (SPOs), ex-gratia relief for damage and casualty during cross-border firing and issues relating to security-related expenditure also came up in detail.
The Home Minister mentioned that people have great expectations from the Centre and the coalition Government in the State and that the NDA Government would ensure that all possible assistance is provided to utilise the full potential of the alliance both in the area of security and welfare of the people.
Singh told the Chief Minister that the proposal of the State Government for enhanced remuneration to SPOs is being pursued by the Ministry.
The issue of raising of Indian Reserve Battalions for Jammu and Kashmir and effective utilization of State Police was also discussed in the meeting, the statement said.
Jammu and Kashmir Government will acquire and provide land at the earliest for composite townships for displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants in the Valley, Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed told Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Sayeed was told by the Home Minister that he should provide land for the Kashmiri Pandits, who had to leave the Valley in the wake of militancy more than two decades back.
Singh had written a letter to the previous Omar Abdullah Government which was followed by another communication to State Governor N N Vohra asking for identification of land for such migrants.
At present, there are about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country, who have moved from the Valley to Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the country after the state was rocked by militancy in 1989.
The BJP-PDP alliance in the State has mentioned rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in their Common Minimum Programme.
The Home Minister asked Sayeed to provide land in the State for composite townships for Kashmiri Pandits and the Chief Minister “assured the Union Home Minister that the State Government will acquire and provide land at the earliest,” an official statement said.
During the budget for 2015-16, Rs 580 crore has been earmarked by the Centre for rehabilitation of migrants.
In his meeting with the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Mufti Sayeed raised the issue of shortage of food-grains in J&K and requested for allocating ration to the State as per Census of 2011.
The Chief Minister urged the Union Minister for allotting food-grains on the basis of ‘No-Profit No-Loss’, which is reflected in the Common Minimum Programme of the Coalition Government in the State. Presently, the ration is distributed in J&K on the basis of 2001 Census.
Ram Vilas Paswan assured the Chief Minister that he will expeditiously pursue the matter of allocating food-grains to State as per 2011 Census.
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