Srinagar: Vice Chairperson (VC) NITI Aayog Suman Bery Wednesday appreciated Jammu and Kashmir’s brisk digital transformation and rankings of administrative units.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that on his visit to J&K, the NITI Aayog vice chairperson reviewed the developmental scenario in J&K to explore thrust areas in presence of Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta and other senior officers to help J&K realise the vision of ‘Viksit J&K @2047’.
During the interactive session, the VC NITI Aayog expressed his appreciation for the best practices that had been implemented in J&K over the past couple of years, which had enhanced the responsiveness and transparency of the administration.
He specifically noted the remarkable digital transformation that has taken place within a span of just two years, enabling the delivery of all services online. Additionally, Bery commended initiatives like the compilation of the District Good Governance Index and rankings of panchayats and blocks based on key developmental parameters, emphasising their significance as noteworthy practices.
He said that NITI Aayog was a platform to share knowledge and good practices among states and union territories to realise the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’.
The VC NITI Aayog said that the institutional and governance dimensions, supported by financial imperatives, were crucial in shaping the country’s future as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that all the programmes devised by J&K were designed to enhance the quality of life for citizens and build trust in governance systems, ultimately fostering the development of a modern society aligned with the aspirational agenda set by the country for itself.
Bery called for adoption of sustainable models of development, gradually reducing reliance on fossil fuels and adopting alternatives to it.
He assured that NITI Aayog would be willing to extend support to J&K and mentioned possible areas of cooperation.
The VC NITI Aayog said that J&K should retain its natural advantages to achieve its aim of being one of the top 50 global tourist destinations.
He also suggested factoring in risks and uncertainties while formulating developmental plans to be future ready.
Bery highlighted the need for promoting organic agriculture and high-density plantations as a way forward.
He highlighted the need for a diversified economy, besides the undisputable strength in tourism and horticulture, as a risk mitigation measure, as brought out by COVID-19 experience.
On the occasion, the chief secretary informed the VV NITI Aayog about the transparency and accountability framework like BEAMS, e-tendering, mandatory administrative approvals and technical sanctions along with physical verification of projects, which had accelerated the pace of development in J&K.
He said that with nearly the same level of capital expenditure, J&K had achieved completion of 10 times more works than what was accomplished prior to 2019.
Mehta said that J&K was shedding all possible constraints to adopt the path that was progressive and improves the quality of lives of the people.
He said that J&K had by now adopted all the laws enacted by the Parliament.
The chief secretary said that J&K had junked all the convoluted thinking to be a competitive entity.
He also apprised the VC NITI Aayog about the landmark developments that J&K had embraced in the shape of ‘Back to Village’, ‘My Town My Pride’, and robust grievances redressal mechanism to bring government at the doorsteps of the people.
Mehta said that the J&K government was well on the path to achieve excellence in every sector.
He said that J&K had not attempted to invent the wheel afresh; instead it had tried to customise the technology adopted elsewhere to rapidly ascend the ladder of development.
The chief secretary said that the LG Manoj Sinha’s administration had made it a focal point to put the interests of the people ahead of everything, which was the sole guiding principle to help it attain new heights of progress with each passing month.
He said that it was the fruit of the vision and direction given by the LG that J&K had completed more than 92,000 works previous year, made all services online, covered entire population under health insurance scheme (PMJAY Sehat), achieved high ranking in road construction under PMGSY, ‘Amrit Sarovar’, ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, SDGs, and dozens of other sectors and schemes rolled out in the country.
Mehta said that the dividends of peace were clearly visible in functioning of schools and colleges, tourist arrivals, sports activities, and developmental momentum.
Later on, the VC NITI Aayog dwelt upon the structure and framework of a UT Institute of Transformation, supported by NITI Aayog, as part of a reimagined planning department of J&K, which would be key to shaping its journey towards a ‘Viksit J&K @2047’.
