Jammu and Kashmir: Governor Satya Pal Malik addresses meeting of NITI Aayog

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday addressedthe 5th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog and sought personalintervention of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accelerating thedevelopment in the State which is imperative for putting the State on the pathof peace, progress and prosperity. 

Addressing the 5th meeting of the Governing Council of NITIAayog, Governor highlighted the key initiatives undertaken during the last oneyear. He said there was a need for giving further impetus to the developmentprocess in the State for which the Government of India was requested to provideliberal financial support.

   

Highlighting some of the key initiatives undertaken, eversince the State was brought under Governor’s rule on June, 20 2018, followed byPresident’s rule on December, 20, 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. Theturnover was 74% without any loss of life.

The State Government has introduced necessary amendments inthe Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act to strengthen the institution ofPanchayats and given them more powers. In order to further this effort,Governor said that the State Government is organising a week long “Back to theVillage” programme from 20th to 27th June 2019. All gazetted officers will stayin a Panchayat for two days. They will connect with Panchayat representatives,see how government services are being delivered and understand local needs.”This is a first in J&K. We are new to this. “The enthusiasm all aroundgives us hope that the future is bright for grassroots democracy in the state”,Governor observed.

Governor said that equitable development of all regions is apriority for the Government. While Elevated High Speed Rail Corridors and twosatellite townships will be developed in Jammu and Srinagar, the aspirations ofLadakh have been fulfilled through creation of a separate division, aUniversity and empowerment of the Hill Councils. Kargil will soon have a fullfledged commercial airport like Leh, he said.

Governor said that 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 up.The State is expected to be a hub for medical tourism in future. 

On infrastructure, Governor said that J&K has had overRs 6000 crore of languishing projects, some pending for over 20 years. TheState Government has set up a Jammu & Kashmir Infrastructure DevelopmentFinance Corporation (JKIDFC) and raised Rs. 8000 crore of loans to fund theselanguishing projects in 18 months. The initiative has been noted as a bestpractice by the NITI Aayog, he said.

Governor said that J&K has risen remarkably in theAspirational district rankings. A year ago, Kupwara was at the bottom. This hasbeen done mainly by gearing up the administrative system to deliver results.The worst performing state in Swachh Bharat in February 2018 i.e. J&K, wasdeclared ODF in September 2018 along with others. J&K won a national awardof Rs 100 crore for implementing Saubhagya ahead of time.

In Ayushman Bharat, J&K has the largest percentage ofGold Cards issued. J&K has among the best healthcare systems in thecountry. NITI Aayog has ranked J&K as the second best state in the overallimprovement among aspirational districts over the last year and Baramulla isranked as the second best district overall. All this is being done in the mostdifficult circumstances, he said.

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 ofWular Lake and Jhelum for which he requested the Central Government to fund itsshare for the Wular, Dal and Jhelum Phase 2 projects which will save Srinagarand other parts of the Valley from future floods.

Governor said that State has also undertaken a programme for100% 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.

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”, hesaid.

On agriculture and horticulture sector, the Governor saidthat doubling the farmer’s income in the State can be achieved through focus onhorticulture and animal husbandry. He said J&K is a top producer of qualityapple, saffron and walnuts and many other fruits. However, J&K is badlyplaced in the supply chain with extremely limited cold storages, logisticsfacilities, grading and packing plants, export infrastructure and even goodmandis for which Governor sought greater central assistance in supportingHorticulture, logistics, and other areas.

Governor said that the National Highway from Jammu toSrinagar has been a source of great inconvenience. Positioning of Officers fromNHAI on the site-fulltime is essential to avoid disruptions and ensure all timeconnectivity to valley and Ladakh. Further, he said that the internationalairport at Srinagar should be brought on the international route map.

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.

Governor said that J&K depends a lot on the Centre forits development needs. “The massive Rs 80,000 crore PMDP for J&K has been aboon for the state. In the last one year, the implementation of PMDP projectshas speeded up phenomenally. Roads, bridges, flyovers, hospitals, educationalinstitutions, and skill and livelihood programmes are moving ahead rapidly.There is an air of expectation among the people” he added.

Governor said that J&K is a front line State in thefight against militancy and sought all support in this regard. He said that ascheme such as Special Central Assistance (SCA) given to Left Wing Extremism(LWE) districts will be of great help to J&K in its fight against militancyand to fill critical gaps.

Governor said that last year there was incident free ShriAmarnathji Yatra. With the help of Central Government, we are hopeful to have apeaceful Yatra this year as well.

In his concluding remarks, Governor observed that last oneyear has demonstrated that good governance and development are possible and cango 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.

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