With Parliament approving a six-month extension of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union government has initiated a three-pronged strategy to improve political and economic environment in the state, say officials.
The Centre’s priority areas in the state are: winingpeople’s trust in the administrative system, isolating militant and separatistoutfits, and strengthening the panchayat system, they said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state on June26-27. Top officials, who attended the meetings Shah held during his visit,said they are expecting radical changes at all levels in the state in comingdays.
“The Home Minister has given clear instructions toencourage transparency in administration and to deal sternly with cases ofcorruption,” an official told PTI, requesting anonymity.
Top security and civil administration officials saidexpeditious efforts are being put in to make the administration accountable,keeping in view the priorities of the new government at the Centre.
Unnecessary departments are being shelved and seniorofficials are being asked to establish direct contact with common masses.
Senior officials believe that the success offirst-of-its-kind “Back to Village” programme reflects people’s trustin the administration.
Top officials from the Army, Central Reserve Police Force,Jammu Kashmir Police and Border Security Force said that with the help of confidence-buildingmeasures, they have managed to eliminate the fear from people’s mind to a largeextent.
“For the first time in the past few years, we arewitnessing a reverse trend in recruitment of locals by militantorganisations,” said a top security official.
As many as 26 youths, who were missing from their villagesand were believed to have joined militant organisations, were traced and handedover to their respective families, officials said.
They said that such campaign by the army and other securityagencies in South Kashmir, which is the worst hit region in the state, has hada positive impact on the locals.
It has happened for the first time that there was nomilitancy related incident or a bandh call by separatist organisations during avisit by a Union home minister in the state, they said.
Officials believe that President’s Rule has facilitatedbetter coordination among different security agencies.
The Governor’s Rule was imposed in the state in June lastyear when the then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had to resign after the BJPpulled the plug on the BJP-PDP coalition government.
As per the constitution of the state, Jammu and Kashmircannot be under the Governor’s Rule for more than six months. Hence,President’s Rule was imposed in December 2018, which was extended for sixmonths last week after Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha gave its approval.
Sources said that besides directing officials to improvingthe security and administrative arrangement in the state, the Centre has alsoasked them attach priority to development works at the panchayat level.
Elections in around 4,300 panchayats in the state were heldin November last year.
A top official in the administration said that they areexpecting that Rs 4,000 crore will be allocated to panchayats in the Unionbudget and that it will give a boost to development works at the grassrootslevel.
Top officials in the state say that after formation of a newgovernment in New Delhi, the attitude of people associated with politicalparties and those in the administration has changed.
This has rekindled the hope of a change in work culture atall levels of adminstration and strengthened the possibilities of cooperationfrom the common people, they said.