LG hints at major biz support package

JAMMU: Asserting that businesses and other sectors in Jammu and Kashmir have been suffering losses since past 15 to 20 years, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said that a massive financial support package, unprecedented in magnitude, will be announced as soon as within a week.
Addressing a press conference at Raj Bhawan’s Auditorium, the Lt Governor remarked that the administration is committed to give transparent and people centric governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking the queries of reporters in a first, Sinha asserted that regional discrimination in administration will not be tolerated at any level, as he vowed to use technology to curb the menace of corruption.
Sinha also assured that justice will be done for the families of the three youths from Rajouri who are believed to have been killed in an alleged fake encounter in Shopian.
The LG was interacting with the media on the forthcoming launch of 'Back To Village -- Three' (B2V3) in the union territory.
Sinha said in the previous editions of the Back to Village a lot of work has been done “... We have put all the works in the public domain and want people to give us feedback on these works," he said.
He said Rs 10 lakh have been released to each of the over 4,000 panchayats in the union territory for immediate use in the local areas. "The panchayats can decide on what to use these funds."
Sinha said as part of transparent and responsive governance, it has been decided that every Wednesday the district level officers will be conducting public hearings at sub-divisional level.
"If there are three sub divisions in a district, the DC and SP will be attending the public hearing at one Sub division while Additional DC and Additional SP will be doing the same in another sub division and likewise. The next week these officers will rotate the sub divisions.This is being done on an experimental basis and if successful, we want to take it to the block level," he added.
When asked about government’s support to ailing business in Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha said that a committee constituted to suggest a package for the revival of business and other ailing sectors of J&K has submitted its report which is under consideration of the Government of India and a big announcement about a massive financial package will be made within a week.
"A package will be announced soon for Jammu and Kashmir, (the magnitude of) which has never been before," he said, adding the businesses in the union territory had suffered over the past 15 to 20 years.
“It is not that the business of J&K has suffered for the past one year or so but the fact remains that since past 15 or 20 years, every sector has suffered losses. The package would perhaps be the first of its kind and would not just cover the ailing business sector but other sectors that have suffered in J&K so far,” he said.
Sinha also stressed that he will not tolerate regional discrimination in administration at any level in Jammu and Kashmir.
"There is zero tolerance for discrimination between Kashmir and Jammu or dividing the union territory on any basis. It will not be tolerated at any level -- be it at the level of chief secretary or the LG -- as long as I am here," Sinha told.
He also said the administration will use technology to weed out corruption from government offices.
"Where there is man (manual work), there is corruption. We will be using maximum technology for ensuring transparency in government," he added.
Sinha also assured that justice will be done for the families of the three youths from Rajouri who are believed to have been killed in an alleged fake encounter on July 18 in Amshipora area of Shopian.
"The Army has ordered its own inquiry and the administration is doing its own probe. I want to assure that justice will be done," he said.
Pertinently, on September 11, three Rajouri families wrote to LG Sinha for his personal intervention regarding Amshipora incident as according to them, there “was an unnecessary delay in probing the incident.”
Three youth namely Arbar Ahmad, Imtiyaz Ahmad and Abrar Ahmad who left home on 17 July were allegedly killed in an encounter at Amshipora, Shopian on 18 July and after losing contact for several days, families lodged missing report at concerned police station.
Later families demanded DNA sampling after which samples of 6 members of three families were taken on 13 August, however, even after passage of one month since DNA samples were taken, families along with others are waiting for DNA report. Army had been stating that it had ordered a court of inquiry and proceedings were going on to find out whether there was any lapse. Police have been also probing the incident at its own level.
Earlier, the LG spoke on the forthcoming launch of 'Back To Village -- Three' (B2V3) in the union territory for taking the governance to the doorsteps of the common masses. He said the B2V3 will be launched on the Gandhi Jayanti, but a 20-day awareness campaign about the programme was already underway in all the 20 districts of the union territory.
“We have planned the 3rd version of the programme Back to Village–3 B2V3 from October 2nd to 12th and it shall be far more advanced, action packed and ambitious than its predecessors. It shall be an action programme in order to build on and resolve the issues raised earlier,” the Lt Governor said.
Enumerating the salient features of the pre-B2V-3 programme, Lt Governor Sinha said that during the Jan Sunwai Abhiyan (Awami Sunwai Muhim) phase, a Block Diwas (Youm-e-Block) shall be organised in every block/sub division headquarter on every Wednesday of a week when all departmental functionaries shall be available at a notified place with all supporting staff and equipment to ensure immediate on the spot disposal of applications and redressal of grievances.
“Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police and senior district officers to personally visit each block/sub divisional headquarters over the three-week Jan Abhiyan(Awami Muhim)period (September 10 to October 1, 2020) and public hearing daily from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 am for 5 days a week by DCs and SPs,,” he said. The Lt Governor further stressed on to address public grievances religiously and visit all subdivisions on rotational basis by DCs, SPs and designated Additional Deputy Commissioners and Additional Superintendents of Police for larger reach of the Jan Abhiyan.
The Lt Governor directed all administrative secretaries to visit their allotted districts and review the Muhim and guide the DCs.
“As part of Unnat Gram Abhiyan (Dehi Taraqiyati Muhim)- B2V1/B2V2 demands shall be prioritised for execution. It shall be ensured that at least 2 major works identified as demands/ priorities during B2V1/B2V2 are completed before October 2, 2020. Over Rs 400 crore have already been authorised for the same,” he noted.
The Lt Governor elucidated that the 21 day action packed Jan Abhiyan shall culminate into a 10 day B2V-3 programme where the experiences and achievements of the preceding weeks shall be collated. As in B2V1 and B2V2, over 4200 officers will visit each and every Panchayat but this time they will assess the action taken on B2V1 and B2V2 issues and progress during the Awami Muhim or Jan Abhiyan.
“To my mind, this flagship practice is the first such attempt at a concentrated and determined developmental push” the Lt Governor said and further added: “I am confident that this unique effort shall earn the respect of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and that it will be remembered for long as a unique and sincere effort of the government to reach out to the door steps of the people.”
Later, the Lieutenant Governor issued various necessary directions to all the Deputy Commissioners for the smooth and successful conduct of the flagship programs, through Video conferencing from Raj Bhavan.
The Lt Governor maintained that the government is committed to empower villages. He directed the DCs to ensure that people themselves decide and government machinery acts as a facilitator in the overall developmental process.
The Lt Governor exhorted that people should not face any difficulty in accessing the services of the government. The Lt Governor also set the timeline of September 30, 2020 for saturation of individual beneficiaries of all Centrally Sponsored Social Assistance and Welfare schemes.