Srinagar, Aug 13: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday said the government would strike the last nail in the coffin of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir within a year.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that addressing at a function at SKICC where he laid the foundation stone of 25 District Development Council and Block Development Council buildings and inaugurated 1000 Amrit Sarovars across
J&K, he said, “It is our sacred obligation to defend every inch of the motherland and even if we have to sacrifice everything, we should be ready.”
The LG said that some people at the behest of the neighbouring country were trying to create disturbance in J&K.
“The neighboring country which itself is living in misery, can’t do any good to the people of J&K,” he said.
The LG said that many innocent lives had been lost that needed to be stopped now.
“The right time has come to strike the last nail in the coffin of terrorism and its ecosystem. Your younger generation should not face the hardships that their forefathers went through. They should make the nation proud,” he said.
The LG said that the implementation of the 73rd and the 74th constitutional amendments had given a new lease of life to grassroots democracy in J&K.
“We are determined to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of Poorn Swaraj through Gram Swaraj. Devolution of three Fs – Funds, Functions, and Functionaries – truly empowered the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) to fulfill their mandated role,” he said.
The LG said that even though the three-tier system was implemented late in J&K, the union territory had emerged as a great and effective example in this system and today, the step towards institutionalisation of the offices of DDCs and BDCs at Rs 44.92 crore would further strengthen and accentuate the efficiency of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), making it the engine of community development in the future.
He said that the Rural Development Department had approved the construction of 20 DDC and 285 BDC offices with 137 BDC offices being set up in the Kashmir division and 148 BDC offices in the Jammu division.
The LG said that the process of housing construction of all DDC chairpersons had been accelerated.
He also outlined that for effective implementation of developmental plans and policies at the grassroots level, ample resources had been kept at the disposal of the PRIs.
“When the budget of J&K was presented in the Parliament this year, the goal of strengthening good governance and grass root democracy was placed at the top of the list of priorities,” the LG said.
He said that in August 2019, the Prime Minister bestowed J&K with the gift of a new dawn of development and prosperity.
“For 70 years, the socio-economic system of J&K was facing a serious crisis and in the last three years, J&K has achieved great strides in the direction of reducing the gap between villages and cities that had only widened in the last seven decades,” the LG said.
He said thousands of youth in Tral Pulwama paid homage to freedom fighters with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.
On the construction of Amrit Sarovars, the LG said that the J&K administration had been successful in building and rejuvenating Amrit Sarovars within the timelines and much more than the set target under the Mission Amrit Sarovar inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on National Panchayat Day at Panchayat Palli in Bari Brahmna, Samba on April 24, 2022.
“The pace of creation and rejuvenation of water bodies remains quick to fulfill the PM’s vision of 75 Amrit Sarovar in each district,” he said.
Noting that 3444 sites had been identified and work started on 1500 Sarovars and 1000 Sarovars had been completed, the LG expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders and people for realising the vision of Prime Minister in this Amrit Kaal Khand.
Underling that the local tradition and culture identify water as a symbol of purity and life, he said that Amrit Sarovars would create a new environment of economic security and prosperity for the farmers and all those engaged in other activities as these rejuvenated water bodies would act as perennial sources of water for sustaining livelihoods, especially in rural areas.
The LG urged the PRI members to rejuvenate and develop more Amrit Sarovars in their respective districts, besides laying specific emphasis on the responsibility of the PRIs and administrative officers to ensure that rural development was well planned, with a balance of demand and supply and benefits percolating to all sections.
He also highlighted unique initiatives of administration that had revolutionised the public service delivery in J&K and enhanced transparency and accountability in the system.
Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta congratulated the PRI members, members of Self Help Groups, and people for the new initiatives and said that the government was making dedicated efforts for the better present and glorious future of the people of J&K.
Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department Mandeep Kaur in her welcome address threw light on the significance of the new initiatives saying that SHGs had manufactured four lakh flags for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Mohit Gera said that the target of planting 1.5 crore saplings under the Green J&K Drive would go a long way in benefiting the rejuvenation of Amrit Sarovars.