J&K Governor, Satya Pal Malik today sought personal intervention of the Prime Minister, NarendraModi, for accelerating the development in Jammu and Kashmir, which he said is imperative for putting the state on the path of peace, progress and prosperity.
Addressing the 5th meeting of the Governing Council of NITIAayog, Malik highlighted the key initiatives undertaken by his administrationduring the last one year in the state.
He said there was a need for giving further impetus to thedevelopment process in the state for which he urged the government of India toprovide liberal financial support, an official handout said.
Highlighting some of the key initiatives undertaken, sincethe state was brought under Governor’s rule on 20 June 2018, followed byPresident’s rule on 20 December 2018, the Governor said among the majorachievements has been the empowerment of people through peaceful Panchayat andULB elections held in November- December after a gap of over 7 years. “Despiteboycott calls and threats, people came out in large numbers to vote and overallturnover was 74% without any loss of life,” he said.
The Governor said the state government has introducednecessary amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act to strengthenthe institution of Panchayats and given them more powers. In order to furtherthis effort, he said, the state government is organising a weeklong “Back tothe Village” programme from 20 to 27 June 2019.
“All gazetted officers will stay in a Panchayat for two daysand will connect with Panchayat representatives, see how government servicesare being delivered and understand local needs. This is a first in J&K, weare new to this,” he said and added that the enthusiasm all around “gives ushope that the future is bright for grassroots democracy in the state.”
The Governor said that equitable development of all regionsis a priority for the Government. “While Elevated High Speed Rail Corridors andtwo satellite townships will be developed in Jammu and Srinagar, theaspirations of Ladakh have been fulfilled through creation of a separatedivision, a University and empowerment of the Hill Councils. Kargil will soonhave a full fledged commercial airport like Leh,” he said.
The Governor said the state too has been taking its owninitiatives. “The number of colleges in the state has been increased from 98 to200, while the number of MBBS seats has been doubled in one year from 500 toover 1000, probably a first for any state. Many new facilities are coming upand the state is expected to be a hub for medical tourism in future.”
On infrastructure, the Governor said that J&K has hadover Rs 6000 crore of languishing projects, some pending for over 20 years.”The state government has set up a Jammu & Kashmir InfrastructureDevelopment Finance Corporation (JKIDFC) and raised Rs 8000 crore of loans tofund these languishing projects in 18 months. The initiative has been noted asa best practice by the NITI Aayog,” he said.
The Governor said that J&K has risen remarkably in theAspirational district rankings. “A year ago, Kupwara was at the bottom. Thishas been done mainly by gearing up the administrative system to deliverresults. The worst performing state in Swachh Bharat in February 2018 , J&Kwas declared ODF state in September 2018 along with others. The J&K won anational award of Rs 100 crore for implementing Saubhagya scheme ahead oftime.”
The Governor said, “In Ayushman Bharat, J&K has thelargest percentage of Gold Cards issued. J&K has among the best healthcaresystems in the country. NITI Aayog has ranked J&K as the second best statein the overall improvement among aspirational districts over the last year andBaramulla is ranked as the second best district overall. All this is being donein the most difficult circumstances.”
ON FLOOD SITUATION
The Governor said that the State Government is taking allnecessary steps to ensure that September-2014 like flood situation is notrepeated in the State.
He said a project has been initiated for dredging of theWular Lake and the Jhelum for which he requested the Central Government to fundits share for the Wular, the Dal and the Jhelum Phase 2 projects which willsave Srinagar and other parts of the Valley from future floods.
The Governor said that State has also undertaken a programmefor 100% piped drinking water supply to the entire state by 2021 for which herequested liberal financial support from Government of India. “This will makeJ&K the first State in the country to have 100% piped water supply,” hesaid.
Governor said that state has witnessed good snowfall thisyear followed by frequent rains. He said that flexibility in SDRF norms isneeded to permit more than 10% of funds to be used for equipment as J&Krequires more number of snow clearance and flood relief equipment. “There is ahuge backlog of MGNREGA receipts from GoI which is causing stress in thesystem. Further, J&K had a special dispensation by which Land Acquisitioncost was included in PMGSY projects. J&K would like that continue,” heaccording to an official statement, said.
ON AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE SECTORS
On agriculture and horticulture sectors, the Governor saidthat doubling the farmers’ income in the State can be achieved through focus onhorticulture and animal husbandry.
He said J&K is a top producer of quality apple, saffronand walnuts and many other fruits. “However, J&K is badly placed in thesupply chain with extremely limited cold storages, logistics facilities,grading and packing plants, export infrastructure and even good mandis,” hesaid, while seeking greater central assistance in supporting horticulture,logistics, and other areas.
NATIONAL HIGHWAY/CONNECTIVITY
The Governor said that the National Highway from Jammu toSrinagar has been a source of great inconvenience. “Positioning of officersfrom NHAI on the site fulltime is essential to avoid disruptions and ensure alltime connectivity to valley and Ladakh.”
He said further the international airport at Srinagar shouldbe brought on the international route map.
INVESTMENT SUMMIT
Governor said that J&K is organising first everinvestment summit later this year and preparations are in full swing for thisincluding setting up of two world class IT Parks.
The Governor said that J&K depends a lot on the Centrefor its development needs. “The massive Rs 80,000 crore PMDP for J&K hasbeen a boon for the state. In the last one year, the implementation of PMDPprojects has speeded up phenomenally. Roads, bridges, flyovers, hospitals,educational institutions, and skill and livelihood programmes are moving aheadrapidly. There is an air of expectation among the people” he added.
FIGHT AGAINST MILITANCY
The Governor said that J&K is a front line state in thefight against militancy and sought all support in this regard.
He said that a scheme such as Special Central Assistance(SCA) given to Left Wing Extremism (LWE) districts will be of great help toJ&K in its fight against militancy and to fill critical gaps.
Governor said that last year there was incident free ShriAmarnathjiYatra. With the help of Central Government, we are hopeful to have apeaceful Yatra this year as well.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
In his concluding remarks, the Governor observed that lastone year has demonstrated that good governance and development are possible andcan go hand in hand in J&K. The rule of law has been established. Guilty andthe corrupt are being held accountable and brought to book. The time has nowcome to reach out to “our youth with the active support of the government ofIndia. The state government will work with the central government to ensurethat people of J&K reap the benefits of great economic future, which thecountry is poised for in the next 5 years.”