Srinagar, July 4: The State Finance Commission has called for re-organization of various government departments to maximize productivity and to make the institutional mechanism of governance effective.

TOURISM
The Commission proposes setting up of Regional Tourism Development and Coordination Council each in Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh with State Tourism Monitoring and Coordination Council, a policy institution at the apex, to restructure the institutional mechanism of the department. The councils would not only fix the development priorities but work for expansion of tourism in different categories like medical, heritage, educational, travel sports and others.

FOREST
 It suggests creation of Forest Monitoring and Coordination Council headed by Principal Secretary Forest to ensure close coordination within different wings of the forest department. It shall exercise overall control of the forest department and function as think-tank for conservation of the sector and its growth.

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
 The Planning and Development Department needs to be re-organized as the secretariat of the State Planning and Development Council (SPDC). The hierarchical reorganization proposed by the Commission includes financial commissioner, principal secretary, commissioner/secretary to government as head with directors economics and statistic for Jammu and Kashmir, director perspective planning (for annual plan/5-year plan), director program evaluation, monitoring and implementation, director area development and scheme projects as other officers.

FINANCE DEPARTMENT
 The Commission proposes re-organization of the department as Financial Commissioner/Principal Secretary/Commissioner Secretary, Directorate of Accounts and Treasuries, Audit and Inspections and Directorates of Resources (finance funds, financial administration and codes) separately for Jammu and Kashmir with Director General as Coordinating Officer.

PARKS, GARDENS AND FLORICULTURE
 Creation of separate and independent directorates for Jammu and Kashmir, with an apex Coordination and Monitoring Council at top, to focus on development in the sector.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
 The Commission has noticed that the existing institutional mechanism was not catering to peoples’ concerns and it needs to be re-organized to ensure service delivery. Therefore, setting up of State Urban Development and Monitoring Council with Principal Secretary/Commissioner Secretary, HUDD as its chairman has been proposed. The body shall be tasked with setting up development policies and monitor works.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS
 Re-organization of Labor and Employment Department and Department of Stationery and Printing and constitution of a Central Purchase and Procurement Board for purchase of quality stationery and other items has been also proposed.
 To minimize public expenditure on transport the panel has proposed re-organization of State Transport Department.
 To cut down the unnecessary expenditure on purchase of fuel for vehicles used by state officials, the panel has suggested constitution of a committee on fuel efficiency and curtailment of vehicles by allocating criterion based entitlement fixed for their use. The commission has remarked that there has been excess use of fuel on official vehicles contrary to the requirements.

MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES
 To manage the services effectively the panel proposes bringing government housing, residential building, other estates, hospitality and protocol under one umbrella and restructuring of departments of Hospitality, Protocol and Estates as Directors, Housing, Residential Buildings and other estates (including Ladakh) for Kashmir, and Jammu respectively and Directors H&P for the two regions.
 A Monitoring Council under the chairmanship of Financial Commissioner/Principal Secretary for monitoring the internal functions of the departments.
 The Commission has noted that Resident Commission in New Delhi and its establishments Mumbai, Chandigarh and Amritsar should liberally function as facilitation centres and upgrade their services to state citizens particularly youth in terms of accommodation and other services.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Jul 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Jul 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Jul 2011 00:00:00 IST