Modi, Rajnath direct for Panchayat, ULB polls
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that there will be no compromise on terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir but at the same time the dialogue process initiated through Special Representative Dineshwar Sharma would go on for restoration of peace in the troubled Valley.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today cleared the recruitment of 10,000 posts of Special Police Officers (SPOs) in J&K, which he had blocked after complaints from the State BJP leadership and some other quarters about ‘‘regional bias’’ in the recruitment.
These and some other significant announcements on Jammu and Kashmir were conveyed by the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister during separate meetings with Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh in New Delhi this morning.
Modi and Rajnath while reviewing security and political situation in Jammu and Kashmir, directed that the State should encourage stakeholders in the State to join dialogue process initiated by the Centre Government through its Special Representative Dineshwar Sharma. They indicated that more Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) could be taken by the Centre to boost dialogue process in the State.
Rajnath Singh lifted the ban imposed on 10,000 vacancies of SPOs sanctioned by the Union Home Ministry for recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir for “operational purposes’’ to “counter terrorism’’.
The MHA had withheld recruitment process following complaints received from the BJP leadership and other quarters that the State Government has given majority of posts to the Kashmir Valley. Recruitment process for nearly 7,000 SPOs had been completed when it was stopped by the MHA.
However, Dr Nirmal Singh today assured the Union Home Minister of “fair recruitment’’ and “no regional bias’’ after which the Union Home Minister lifted ban and gave go ahead to the State Government on recruitment of the SPOs. Entire salary of the SPOs will be borne by the MHA and reimbursed to the State Government through Security Related Expenditure (SRE).
The Prime Minister reviewed functioning of PDP-BJP coalition Government especially performance of the BJP Ministers in the first-ever Government in Jammu and Kashmir and called upon the Government to initiate “people friendly measures’’ and implement various Centrally Sponsored Schemes in this regard.
Sources said both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were reported to have called for holding much-delayed Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies election in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest to take democracy to the grass root level and give powers to the people to decide on development and other initiatives.
The Home Minister had earlier also directed the J&K Government to hold Panchayat elections in the State after which the Government had set the process in motion for the elections. The Centre Government has blocked various grants running into several hundreds of crores for the State Government for not holding Panchayat and Municipal elections.
While Panchayats had ceased to exist in July 2016, the elected Municipalities had completed their term in March 2010. Since then elections to both the civic bodies haven’t been held.
According to sources, apart from reviewing functioning of first-ever PDP-BJP Government in the State especially performance of the BJP Ministers, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister also discussed security situation in the State especially the Kashmir Valley and situation along frontiers with Pakistan and China.
The Deputy Chief Minister invited Narendra Modi to visit Jammu to lay foundation stone of Tawi River Front in Jammu, which is being developed on the pattern of Sabarmati River Front of Gujarat.
The Prime Minister assured every kind of help to Jammu and Kashmir in making it a developed State.
Dr Nirmal Singh also took up the problems of West Pakistani refugees and Kashmiri Pandit migrants with the Union Home Minister.
Rajnath is reported to have assured Dr Nirmal Singh that steps would be taken shortly for rehabilitation of West Pakistani refugees and Kashmiri Pandit migrants and addressing their issues. Dr Singh described Rohingyas as “threat to security’’ and urged the Home Minister to take steps for their ouster.
An official handout said: Continuing his endeavor to meet the Central leaders and Ministers to project JK’s developmental issues and seek their redressal, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh called on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh today.
While extending his felicitations to the Prime Minister for the recent victory in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat elections, the Deputy Chief Minister said these triumphs are a clear referendum on the policies and programmes of the Central Government and also an endorsement of the leadership of the Prime Minister. He said the people of the country are clearly with the Prime Minister and they have also vindicated the same by reposing their faith in his leadership.
Dr Singh informed the Prime Minister about the recent visits of the Government of India’s Special Representative to J&K. He also gave a brief about the status of various developmental initiatives undertaken in the State and the status of Urban Local Bodies and the Panchayati Raj institutions.
While presenting the book titled ‘The Book of Joy’ containing write-ups by Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams to the Prime Minister, Dr Singh also requested the Prime Minister to lay the foundation of Habitat Centre at Warehouse Jammu and launch the Tawi River Front Project.
Later, the Deputy Chief Minister also called on the Union Home Minister, Mr Rajnath Singh and discussed several issues like construction of community / individual bunkers along the International Border and Line of Control, working out modalities of the package to be given to PoK refugees and also the issues of West Pakistan refugees.
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