Says Constitutional Provisions To Provide Equal Rights To People Being Implemented
Srinagar- Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha said on Tuesday that Jammu & Kashmir and its people were deprived of the development for seven decades and that the constitutional provisions to provide equal rights to common people are now being implemented on the ground.
“We have kept the aspirations of people at the heart of government policies and schemes, and we are committed to ensure financial inclusion and that the last man in the queue receives equal opportunity. Under PM’s guidance, our aim is to make development a powerful people’s movement in J&K,” Sinha said.
He made these remarks while presiding over the UT-level event in connection with Garib Kalyan Sammelan, held here at SKICC, an official spokesperson said.
He said that the LG expressed gratitude to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on behalf of the people of J&K, for connecting the UT of J&K to the mainstream of development and ensuring progress, social equality and social justice for all.
“It is a matter of great pride that in eight years of PM Narendra Modi’s good governance, the people-centric policies have empowered the most disadvantaged sections of our society,” the LG said.
According to the spokesperson, the LG termed ‘Garib Kalyan Sammelan’ as a significant initiative to highlight the stories of positive change in the lives of common citizens.
Sinha, he said, maintained that the last eight years have witnessed a record growth, and it was ensured that the fruits of growth are equitably distributed for social inclusion, education, health, rural development, agriculture and improving rural and urban infrastructure.
“Under the guidance of PM, accelerated development and transformation is taking place across the UT of J&K. Increased allocations for Rural infrastructure and Rural health have reduced the inequalities and gap between urban and rural areas,” Sinha said.
The LG, he said, also stated that Jammu & Kashmir and its people were deprived of the development for seven decades.
“Now, the Constitutional provisions to provide equal rights to common people are being implemented on the ground,” he said.
“We have kept the aspirations of people at the heart of government policies and schemes, and we are committed to ensure financial inclusion and that the last man in the queue receives equal opportunity. Under PM’s guidance, our aim is to make development a powerful people’s movement in J&K,” he added.
Highlighting the progress achieved in various welfare schemes, the LG, as per the spokesperson said that the government machinery at all levels is working with greater dedication and commitment.
“The speed of execution of projects and saturation of schemes has increased five times as compared to what the government used to achieve earlier,” the LG said.
“J&K has performed better in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Rural and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban. Farmer-centric reforms introduced by the government in the last three years have increased the income of the farmers of J&K manifold. The UT of J&K is now among the top five States/UTs in terms of farmers’ income with a monthly income of Rs 18,918 per farmer. We have also achieved notable success in our endeavour to end malnutrition in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Similarly, the LG said that 2.7 lakh beneficiaries were covered under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana till last financial year and more than Rs 107 crores have been distributed among them.
“In the current financial year till April 2022, 5458 beneficiaries were linked to the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and an amount of Rs 2 crore 76 lakh has been directly transferred to their account,” Sinha said.
“Rural sanitation coverage in Jammu and Kashmir is another sector where, as a result of the efforts of the central government, we have registered remarkable progress with 100% saturation. Jammu and Kashmir has performed well in the Swachh Bharat Urban Abhiyan. Today, 100% of waste is being collected from every household and by November this year, we will also be successful in processing 60 to 70 % of the waste. Further, an amount of Rs 648 crore has been sanctioned for waste management in all 78 urban local bodies,” he added.
Speaking on the achievements registered under Jal Jeevan Mission, the LG, according to the spokesperson said the UT Government is working on a mission mode to achieve the ambitious goal of 100% piped water (Har Ghar Nal se Jal).
“We have achieved 57.82% household coverage achieved so far, which is much higher than the national average of 49.23%. Today we have succeeded in providing tap water connection to 10.61 lakh households. Apart from two districts- Ganderbal and Srinagar, all rural schools, Anganwadi centers and hospitals have also been connected with tap water connections,” the LG said.
“J&K has secured 8th position in Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme implementation. Similarly, the UT has secured second rank in the list of Union Territories and Small States under the Prime Minister’s SVANidhi Program. Under the scheme, the government is providing assistance to 24,000 street vendors and to-date, loan has been disbursed to 14,078 beneficiaries,” he added.
The spokesperson said that the LG also stated that J&K has also improved the ranking under MUDRA Yojana which has enabled enable small traders to start new businesses or to expand the existing ones.
“Altogether more than 2.62 lakh accounts have been opened, and Rs 5696 crore has been disbursed to small and micro-entrepreneurs under the scheme. Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, more than 5.47 lakh metric tonnes of food grains have been distributed till last month,” Sinha said.
“Sectors like Health, Infrastructure, Road Connectivity and Industries have witnessed a massive transformation in the last three years,” he added.
The LG, according to the spokesperson said that J&K has now become one of the leading States/UTs in the healthcare sector and medical education. He said that two AIIMS, two cancer institutes, seven new medical colleges, 15 new nursing colleges, and thousands of health and wellness centers, besides universal health insurance coverage for up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat-SEHAT without any discrimination have ensured Affordable and accessible healthcare to all segments of society of J&K.
“At present 69.60 lakh beneficiaries are registered under Ayushman Bharat-SEHAT and about 76% of the families have at least one beneficiary registered,” the LG said.
“Earlier, only six km of road was constructed daily in Jammu and Kashmir, but today we are building 20 km of road every day. J&K has improved its ranking to fourth position in the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana,” he added.
The LG, according to the spokesperson also observed that industrial development in J&K could not take a leap as only Rs 15,000 crores worth investment was received since Independence till last year.
“Under the guidance of Prime Minister, within one year, industrial investment of Rs 38,000 crore was approved in the UT and it will increase to Rs 75,000 crore in the coming days,” the LG said.
“North India’s first Industrial Biotech Park at Kathua has been inaugurated recently and within a year a similar park will be ready in Handwara which will provide support to start ups and other industries in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Pertinently, ‘Garib Kalyan Sammelan’ marks the completion of eight years of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the office, the spokesperson said. He said that PM also released the 11th installment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. An amount of around Rs 21,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families was disbursed.
To mark the occasion at the UT level, the Lt Governor inaugurated 100 Amrit Sarovar sites and Grih Pravesh Programme for 27,000 Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Grameen) beneficiaries.
Calls For Setting New Benchmarks In Curbing Corruption
Sinha urged the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the General Administration Department (GAD) to adopt anti-corruption measures and preventive actions using the latest technologies, and work in collaboration to set new benchmarks in curbing corrupt practices.
The LG made these remarks after inaugurating the additional office block of ACB Headquarters here on Tuesday, an official spokesperson said.
Sinha, he said, congratulated the entire team of ACB and said that the new building would not only add infrastructural space for the working of ACB but also displays the resolve of the UT government for zero tolerance towards corruption.
“Anti Corruption Bureau is working tirelessly to prevent and investigate corruption-related matters and ensure transparency in the governance system, besides taking various measures to deal effectively with the menace of corruption,” the LG said.
“Grievance redressal and preventive mechanism have added a new dimension to the vigilance work to curb malpractices. Initiatives like Satark Nagrik application and Departmental Vigilance Officers portal are playing a key role in the effective and right dissemination of information to all stakeholders, and have led to better vigilance work,” he added.
The LG, according to the spokesperson also said that the vigilance clearance has become online in which GAD/ ACB has issued more than 30,000 vigilance clearances since June, 2021.
He said that the LG also urged the Anti Corruption Bureau and General Administration Department to adopt anti-corruption measures and preventive actions using the latest technologies, and work in collaboration to set new benchmarks in curbing corrupt practices.
Principal Secretary to the Government, GAD, Manoj Kumar Diwedi, Director General of police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and Director, ACB, Anand Jain also spoke on the occasion.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 9.04 crores, the work on the building was completed in a short span of 23 months. The infrastructure comprises of 39 rooms including Director’s Chamber in addition to Conferencing Hall with AV facilities, waiting Lounge, VIP Lounge, Dining Hall, Help Desk, Canteen, two meeting halls and a common kitchen.
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