J&K’s first budget will lay foundation for next 5-years
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said his government would make attempts to live up to the expectations of the people but all issues cannot be addressed in one go.
“I know people have expectations (from us) and it will be our endeavour to live up to those. But you should also realise that people have given us five years’ time (mandate). It cannot be that all the demands can be fulfilled in the first budget itself.
“A good start will be made and we will try to lay a foundation on which we will continue to build upon for the next five years and resolve the problems and demands of the people,” Abdullah told reporters here.
Asked about the brigade commander-level flag meeting between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control in Poonch district on Friday, the chief minister called it a good move to ease tension.
“The aim of the flag meeting was to decrease tension without using any force,” he said.
India and Pakistan on Friday held the flag meeting in an effort to ease tension after several recent incidents of cross-border firing and an IED attack.
The meeting, which started around 11 am and laster for 75 minutes, took place in the Chakkan-Da-Bagh crossing point area wherein both sides highlighted the need to maintain peace along the borders.
Earlier, addressing a gathering on the 18th CII Annual Tourism Summit, in the national capital, Omar Abdullah asked the people associated with industries and other businesses to give suggestions and inputs to him for the upcoming budget.
“If there are inputs or suggestions you would like to give to make your lives easier as entrepreneurs, as industrialists, as investors and business people, then this is the time to do it.”
He said, “This is the time when we are now sitting down to actually write the budget that I will have to read out in the Assembly on March 7.”
“Right now, we are operating on a blank slate. You have nothing really to judge me by. Whatever I have is what I inherited four months ago. Now, it is the time when I start to put my stamp of this elected government on the policy, on the framework and on the way forward,” he said.
“This is the point from which my assessment time starts. Therefore, I request the people interested to give me your suggestions and inputs,” he said while assuring that none of them (suggestions) will go unread and unconsidered. “Those that we can begin with implementing immediately within the current framework that we have, I assure you we will.”
Pertinently, the Chief Minister held pre-budget consultations with public representatives, traders, business community and others across Jammu and Kashmir.
The pre-budget consultations concluded in Kashmir on February 13 while in Jammu it concluded yesterday. The Chief Minister had stated that these consultations were must too understand the priorities of public.
