Chief Secy stresses on empowerment of people
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 15: Maintaining that things will unfold in unimaginable way in the post abrogation of Article 370 under new arrangement in the two UTs of J and K and Ladakh , Union Minister in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh today asked the people not to get misled by disgruntled elements who have lost the way.
Addressing a two -day Regional Conference on Replication of Good Governance Practices in J&K and Ladakh at Conventional Centre here today, Dr Singh lashed out at those who are opposing the abrogation of Article 370 and conversion of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh into two UTs saying the decision has been taken after thorough deliberations.
The Union Minister said that under the new arrangement good work culture will emerge in the UTs and fruits of good governance which will reach to the people of both the UTs. He appealed the people and officers to cooperate with the two LGs of J and K and Ladakh UTs for the new setup established in the erstwhile State of J&K.
He said what happened after August 5 was beyond the imagination of any body. Earlier, people were saying, “this will go and that will go but no body actually knew what will happen and what happened on August 5. “Likewise what will happen in future will also be beyond your imagination”, he added.
Dr Singh further said with the decisive action of Narendra Modi led Government at the Centre, terrorism has been contained in the J&K and it is in last phase now. He said for the first time since 1990, the festival season passed peacefully this year. The Eid festival, Independence Day and Muharram passed peacefully this year otherwise violence was witnessed during festival season since 1990 in the Valley, he added.
Maintaining that this Government is committed to welfare of youth, who constitute 70 percent of the country’s population, Dr Jitendra Singh said “We owe a lot to youth who have been deprived over the years. The youth aspirations are litmus test for us, which is like a flower and it is our duty to allow them to blossom and grow so that we can enjoy its fragrance”, he added.
While unfolding the Narendra Modi Government’s developmental plan for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh UTs, Dr Singh said nine Medical Colleges have been sanctioned for the erstwhile State and out of them three are in his Katuha , Udhampur and Doda Constituency besides there are two AIIMS in J and K. He said, “it is the only UT in the country where there are two AIIMS.”
The Union Minister said, “a new era of development will begin in the State and declared that he has asked the CSIR to set up Food Processing Plant in Ladakh.” “When there is Bamboo Park in North East, why can’t we have Apple Park, Pashmina Park, Cherry Park as well as Bamboo Park in J&K,” he asked?
“I am sure what happened in NE can be replicated here in J&K too”, he added.
Asserting that the Market Intervention Scheme announced by Union Home Minister, for Apple growers of Kashmir has yielded good results, he said there is huge response to the scheme and people from other parts also demand to bring their localities under this scheme.”
He said that good governance means good development. He expressed the hope that under the new dispensation, things will change rapidly in the two UTs for the betterment of the people.
He said the Lt Governor has already announced that 73rd and 74th amendments will be implemented in J and K and regretted that the good governance was not implemented in the erstwhile State earlier as there was no Dowry Act, Child Marriage Act and Right to Education. In the two UTs maximum people were dependent on Government source of livelihood and in J&K Secretariat there were 80 percent people from Kashmir, he added.
The Union Minister said what could be more Azadi than this that 80 percent of the people from Valley were working in Civil Secretariat.
While stressing on creation of work culture in two UTs, Singh said, the J&K as per an author had become the graveyard of reputations. The Modi Government want to bring peripheral states with main states of the country as PM believes that India can be only strong when both arms are strong.”
He also highlighted various public welfare decisions taken by the Modi Government like doing away with age old and obsolete rules which included attestation of certificates by gazetted officers. This Government removed 1500 obsolete rules and process of regional conferences have picked up during Narendra Modi rule, he added.
In a video message, R K Mathur, Lt. Governor, Ladakh said that it is very timely conference as the two UTs are embarking on a new path. He added that we can achieve the target of PM’s mantra of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.’ He expressed happiness that 19 states and 4 UTs are participating in the conference. Their collective learning and collective wisdom will benefit both UTs, he added.
Addressing the conference Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam said after the country got the elected Government in 1947 the concept of good governance expanded in India. Earlier the concept of good governance was used to provide basic facilities to the people, then with the passage of time it touched development and later welfare of the people was considered objective of good governance.
Stressing on empowerment of the people, CS asked the civil servants that they should empower the people so that they deliver themselves. “If you empower the people your role will reduce to some extent”, he added.
He said a civil servant needs to know RPC, CRPC and CPC. The good governance is impossible till bureaucrats and Civil Servants will not skill themselves. He asked Civil Servants to be ready to face new challenges and added that with entrance of E tendering and Information Technology in a big way, the good governance has become easier as real time flow of information has become much faster.
He also stressed on broadening social outlook to promote the growth. “The J&K has unlimited potential and it is upto us to tap the potential”, he said.
The Secretary DoPT and DARPG, Dr C. Chandramouli said that the mantra of the Government is to ‘reform, perform and transform’. He said we need to transform by reforming the existing processes. The purpose of this transformation is to meet the expectations of the people of India. Now, our role is more of a facilitator with maximum governance, minimum Government.
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