Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: Large number of people failed to avail the benefit of special camps for voters organized in the length and breadth of the State today on the directions of Election Commission of India due to absence of Booth Level Officers and non-availability of forms and voter lists.
In some camps, either Booth Level Officers were not available or reached late in the afternoon thereby depriving the people of the final opportunity of getting their names enrolled in the voter lists. In many other camps, even the forms for carrying out necessary correction in the voter list were not available.
Those voters, who had got their names enrolled in the lists in the recent past, could not find their names in the voter lists shown to them at these special camps.
Reports said that in ITI Akhnoor, where the special camp for voters was organized, the Booth Level Officer was not available and the people were forced to wait for hours together. Though late in the afternoon, an official reached the camp but he expressed his inability to help the people in the absence of required data.
Thereafter, the people were told to visit the camp at Town Hall, Akhnoor where they submitted applications for inclusion of their names in the voter lists. However, they could not get any satisfactory reply whether the voter lists would be updated and they would be able to cast votes during the Lok Sabha elections.
Similarly, in Higher Secondary School, Channi Himmat, Booth Level Officer failed to provide Form 6, which is required to be filled for necessary correction in the names. After sometime, the people again visited the camp and submitted the Form 6, which they had to purchase by making payment of Rs 6 per form.
When some people sought to know why their names were not in the list for which they had even submitted the applications in a similar camp held some months back, the BLO failed to give any satisfactory reply.
Meanwhile, several voters, who tried to locate their names in the voter list available on the website of State Election Department, were not able to get any information.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 9: Former Sadr-e-Riyasat and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Karan Singh has expressed his concern over the neglect of rich Dogra heritage sites in Jammu and other parts of the State and said that adequate attention is not being given for their preservation.
Addressing large gathering in the 109th Annual General Meeting of the Dogra Sadar Sabha at Dogra Hall here today, Dr Singh congratulated Sabha president Gulchain Singh Charak and other members of the DSS for carrying on struggle for the Dogra cause and also maintaining communal harmony and brotherhood under this banner. He recalled that this organization which was established during the times of Maharaja Partap Singh is still flourishing and working for the cause of the community.
Dr Singh expressed his strong resentment over the slow pace of wok on the Royal Mubarak Mandi Heritage site, neglect of Bahu Fort and other heritage sites of the State. He said that despite sanctioning of huge funds by the Union Government for Mubarak Mandi no much progress has been witnessed.
Mr Charak also addressed the huge gathering and highlighted the achievements of the Sabha and its struggle for the preservation of heritage sites. He alleged that State Government was not serious in the preservation work and very slow pace of work has been witnessed despite huge funding by the Centre. He congratulated the members of the Shakha Sabha from various units including Reasi, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kathua, Doda etc who had arrived here in large number on the occasion.
The other speakers including Naresh Gupta and Jahagir Mir-MLCs and Maj Gen ( Retd) G S Jamwal also expressed their serious concern over the poor development. They said some people were trying to sabotage the project and even they were now hell bent to change the name of Peer Kho, Bahu Fort Gandola project. They warned such elements to desist from such provocative steps.
Meanwhile, several resolutions were passed by the members of the DSS in the AGM held under the chairmanship of G S Charak. The first resolution pertained to preservation of Dogra heritage and culture, start of full fledged Duggar channel from Jammu Doordarshan, development of tourist resorts of Jammu region, Tawi beautification projects including artificial lake and Gandola project.
It was also resolved that Darbar Move practice be stopped by creating separate secretariat at Jammu which will save crores of rupees of the Government. It was strongly supported by all the members. To curb the practice of land grabbing around Jammu city, resolution of the problem of refugees of 1947, 65 and 71 besides displaced persons of West Pakistan and border people from Jammu region, enhancement of remuneration of Numberdars and Chowkidras and proper investigation in BOPEE scam and severest punishment to the accused who played with the career of shining students. Dr Neelkand Sharma, J S Babli, Sardar Singh, Prem Sagar Gupta, Nissar Massiah, Gambhir Dev Singh, Satpal Sadotra and others were also present.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: Finance Department today strongly defended its stand on the issues of strict observance of financial discipline in Government spending, particularly observance of the provisions of J&K FRBM Act.
The methodology adopted by the Finance Department in calculating fiscal deficit and the net outstanding debt is fully in accordance with the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission which were subsequently incorporated in the J&K FRBM Act. The House of Legislature and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will be looking into the variations reported in the media in due course.
The spokesman also clarified that the Principal Accountant General (PAG), had presented two Reports on the February 12, 2014 but the third Report was given only on February 28, 2014. The Finance Department lost no time in obtaining the approval of Governor which is mandatory under the Constitution and thereafter sent the notices for laying all the three Reports before the House on March 3, 2014 which was the next available working day for the Legislature (the March 1 & 2, 2014 being the off day for the legislative Assembly).
All the three Reports were accordingly laid before the House on March 4, 2014.
As far as the concerns of rising expenditure on Salaries, Pensions, Cost of Purchase of Electrical Energy etc are concerned, the Government has fully explained the position before the House during the Budget Session expressing its concerns and explaining several innovative measures which have been initiated by the Government for the first time in tackling them. On the other hand, the unprecedented improvements in tax collections of the Government have been widely acclaimed at several levels including successive CAG reports.
The official spokesman further added that there is no question of transferring the plan funds for the non plan items as every single item of plan expenditure is being monitored by the Planning Commission of India and plan funds are released in installments by the Ministry of Finance on the verification of Planning Commission.
Similarly, there is no question of over-borrowing because there are multiple checks on loans and open market borrowings of the State in the Planning Commission and the Union Finance Ministry which finally authorizes lifting of loans through the approved mechanism of Reserve Bank of India and the final check is exercised by the State’s House of Legislature keeping in view the ceilings prescribed under the J&K FRBM Act.
It has been the un-equivocal stand of the Government that it has met the prescribed fiscal targets year after year. In fact, its achievements have been slightly better than the corresponding year wise ceilings.
The CAG’s report for the year under reference 2012-13, clearly shows that the net outstanding debt to GSDP ratio has been well below the prescribed limits. The question of accumulation of debt liabilities for the posterity , therefore, does not arise.