Dulloo expresses concern over TB incidence in Jammu
*CS fixes deadline of April 8 to devise roadmap
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 17: Union Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), V. Srinivas, who is heading a central task force for achieving compliance reduction and deregulations for J&K including several other States/UTs, today delineated certain priority areas to be focused for reducing overall compliance burden and making deregulations to ensure simplification of Government procedures for its citizens.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo and attended by ACS, Jal Shakti Department; Principal Secretary, Home; Commissioner Secretary, H&UDD; Commissioner Secretary, Forests; Commissioner Secretary, I&C, Secretary, PWD; Secretary, Labour & Employment; Secretary, Law besides other concerned officers.
During the meeting, the Union Secretary while highlighting the significance of this aspect remarked that for the first time Union Secretaries have been tasked to liaison between States/UTs and Central Government for achieving the targets set under this reform programme, being personally overseen by the Prime Minister himself.
He maintained that each of the area deserves proper thought process with making of proposals and giving feedback about their current status and implementation of the identified reforms in a time bound manner. He added that five sections with its own priority and sub-priority areas had been documented for self assessment of each State/UT to give their feedback and plan of implementation. He made out that the last five years had been phenomenal for J&K in implementing several reforms which had been unprecedented in its history.
While elucidating, the Union Secretary said that the first section involving Land Use has its 4 priority and 11 sub-priority areas to be focused upon. He emphasised upon creation of GIS databank for available industrial land and its integration with India Industrial Land Bank.
He revealed that, similarly, the Building and Construction impregnates 4 priority and 4 sub-priority areas. Besides, the Labour section has 6 priority areas and 5 sub-priority areas. In addition, there are 3 overarching priority areas also to be looked into. He urged for taking steps to amend building regulations to reduce land loss in commercial plots besides that of Floor Area Ratio (FAR), parking space, minimum plot area for commercial plots.
Regarding priorities set under Labour section, Srinivas urged the administration to remove prohibitions on women from working in certain ‘hazardous’ industries and allowing them for taking night-time employment in all occupations.
In his remarks, the Chief Secretary reiterated the significance of this reforms oriented programme. He directed for making a roadmap for full implementation of all the relevant reforms by 8th of April this year clearly fixing timelines for each priority area after due consultations with the stakeholders.
He further asked for making analysis about the amendments or changes to be made in rules, regulations for their decriminalization as envisaged here by sticking to these priority areas relevant to us exclusively.
Dulloo also urged the concerned 12 departments to extend full cooperation to the Industries & Commerce Department, which is the Nodal Department, for its implementation in determining the roadmap besides the Law Department for effecting the necessary legal changes as per our priorities.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary chaired a high level meeting to review progress on the TB Mukt campaign launched by the Health Department.
Taking notice of high incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) and increasing cases of Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) TB in Jammu, he termed the situation as a “real cause of concern” and stressed the need for a well structured strategy to tackle the issue effectively.
The Chief Secretary emphasized that the success of the campaign should be reflected in a tangible decline in TB cases on the ground. He sought details regarding the criteria adopted for declaring TB-free Panchayats and called for proper documentation of the gains made through the 100 Day TB Elimination Campaign.
During the meeting, he directed the department to conduct an internal audit to assess the resource requirements based on the district wise incidence of the disease. He asked for deploying additional manpower and medical equipment in high-burden districts while optimising resources in low-incidence areas.
To strengthen the fight against TB, the Chief Secretary underscored the importance of enhancing public awareness about its causes, prevention and cure. He called for intensified screening and testing, particularly among the vulnerable populations. He also reviewed the functioning of Intermediary Reference Labs (IRLs) in Jammu and Srinagar, seeking details on their diagnostic capabilities and the role they play in TB detection.
Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, apprised the meeting of the constitution of expert panel of senior Pulmonologists to study the data available about this disease and analysis of infrastructural or other gaps to be plugged in to effectively deal with this illness.
The Chief Secretary lauded the efforts of the Health Department while emphasizing the need for continued momentum in TB elimination efforts. He reiterated that sustained awareness, timely diagnosis and effective resource allocation are crucial to achieve the goal of a TB-free Jammu & Kashmir.
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