The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs of Rajya Sabha, comprising 31 members drawn from both Houses of the Parliament and functioning under the chairmanship of former Home Minister P Chidambaram, has submitted its report on J&K to the Home Ministry. The comprehensive report has taken into account various aspects related to developmental works, rehabilitation projects for internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants, security scenario and above all the implementation part of Prime Minister’s Developmental Programme (PMDP) for the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It has to be recollected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his official visit to Kashmir on November 7, 2015, had announced a package of Rs. 80,000 crore as the Developmental Package for the State of Jammu and Kashmir. In the course of announcement of the package, the Prime Minister had said that he was eager to see J&K a developed, progressive and modern State with a changed life style of the masses of people.
In its report, the Parliamentary Panel has expressed reservations on rather lackadaisical attitude of the State Government towards implementation of various projects it had undertaken as detailed in the PMDP but funded by the Union Government. Many of these schemes taken in hand by the Government have not been completed nor has any time frame been set forth for their completion. The Panel recommends that all projects need to be conditioned by time frame so that people do not feel dejected and dismayed. The Panel has observed that the PMDP had envisaged 3000 jobs for the displaced people from the valley but so far only 400 jobs have been provided. The Rs. 80,000 crore rupees envisaged construction of 6000 transit accommodations for the displaced persons from Kashmir valley but so far only 400 such transit accommodations have been built. The package envisaged one time settlement of 36,384 families from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Chhamb Displaced Persons, rehabilitation of Jammu migrants and raising of 5 new Indian Reserve Battalions etc. None of these projects have come up.
Touching upon security scenario in the State and especially in the valley, the Panel has made some forthright observations which the Home Ministry will have to take note of. It has asked the Home Ministry to take all possible steps to curb sedition and contain stone pelting youths who are also attempting to attack military establishments. The report has said that law and order situation is a matter of deep concern and the Home Ministry should take all measures to ensure that law and order is strictly enforced in the State and especially in the valley which has seen four month long strike last summer.
We highly appreciate the contents of the report of the Parliamentary Panel. The State Government has lagged behind in delivering the goods. The money is available, areas of development are identified, expertise and guidelines are made available and still the Government of the State is unable to complete any of the projects it has taken in hand. What type justice is meted out to the lakhs of displaced persons from the valley that are languishing in camps in Jammu whose youth have been waiting for last nine years for employment under PMDP and now have no hope as they have become overage for employment in the Government. If the State Government had identified 17 departments where vacancies exist, why were not recruitments made when funds were available.
The more significant areas that should have been addressed on priority basis, too, have become victims of lethargy and neglect of state authorities. There is nothing visible on the ground that could be called the result of the huge developmental programme announced by the Prime Minister. The question is what are the reasons that the State Government is neither making serious efforts nor expressing its concern for developmental woks that would change the life of the people? If the Union Government does not want to hold the State Government answerable for spending or not spending the funds provided by the Centre, people will think that Modi Government is adopting the same policy which previous Governments have been adopting over a number of decades. The Centre has to hold the State Government accountable and should seek the details of utilization of part of funds expended so far from the 80,000 crore package called PMDP
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