In the politics of Jammu and Kashmir there is more than what meets the eye. Sometimes contradictory situations are created which defy logic. A State that is ravaged by two and a half decades of insurgency, turmoil and disruption of law and order, is expected to grab even the smallest opportunity of development if it comes its way in any form, particularly if development pertains to rural areas of the State which are still backward.
In these columns we have very often raised the issue of non-implementation or non-completion of many Centrally sponsored schemes by the State administration despite repeated reminders from the concerned Central ministries. The Central Government has invariably provided funds for implementation of these schemes. This has been a recurring phenomenon in the State and nothing concrete has been done at the administrative level to reverse the situation. Be it the schemes related to social welfare, village development, education, health, sanitation or other areas, the deficit syndrome has always been there and we have been highlighting it whenever occasion arose.
One such matter that should be an eye opener has come to our notice. It reflects utter non seriousness of the elected representatives of the people of the State in furthering the interests of rural population. On October 11, coinciding with the birthday of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. The basic objective of the scheme is to keep the soul of rural India alive while providing its people with quality access to basic amenities and opportunities to enable them to shape their own destiny. Members of the Parliament are required to identify one Gram Panchayat in their respective constituencies to be taken up immediately for implementation of the scheme and members of Rajya Sabha are required to identify a Gram Panchayat from a district of their choice. First Gram Panchayat would be brought under the scheme by 2016, three more by 2019 and five of them by 2024. This is a comprehensive scheme and the parameters of development are much wider and far reaching than what may be supposed. Apart from physical development of the village, there is provision for a wide range of social interaction that would ultimately change the entire life style of the villagers and bring them at par with other developed parts of the country. In fact this is a measure that moves beyond the normal practice of bringing development to rural India.
Now with Prime Minister having launched the scheme, the concerned Central ministry took up the matter with all States providing them with broad outlines of the State and entreating them to set up State Empowerment Committees that would not only provide the necessary instructions but also monitor the progress of the scheme. The case with the State of Jammu and Kashmir is that out of 10 members of the Parliament, 6 in Lok Sabha and 4 in Rajya Sabha, only three MPs have so far identified the Gram Panchayats and initiated implementation of the scheme. Seven of them including one BJP member have not moved their finger not to speak of identifying the Gram Panchayat.
Why they have not done so is anybody’s guess. The three MPs who have identified the Gram Panchayats are Dr. Jitendra Singh (BJP), Thupstan Chhewang of Khaltsi bloc in Leh (BJP) and G.N. Ratanpuri, Rajya Sabha member (NC). Seven of the rest who include Mehbooba Mufti of PDP, Saif-ud-Din Soz and Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress and Jugal Kishore Sharma of BJP, have not identified any Gram Panchayat. This apart, the role of the State administration in pursuing the scheme and translating it into practice is elusive. The Central ministry has sent three urgent letters asking State Government to constitute the State Empowerment Committee. But there is little response from the State Government. Is it on the behest of the MPs concerned or the higher ups in the Government that the State has not attached any significance to the proposals of the Central Government.
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