Jammu: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said his administration is committed to implementing the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments related to local bodies and will encourage actual development initiatives instead of “mere announcements”.
He made the remarks during a “Jan Abhiyan” event in Akhnoor on the outskirts of Jammu where he addressed a gathering and interacted with the public to obtain a first-hand assessment of socio-economic development in the area and the speed of on-spot public grievance redressal.
“The government is committed to the implementation of 73rd and 74th amendments in letter and spirit,” he said.
Sinha also said his vision of development is based on realistic planning backed by financial and technical aspects, and that the present government would encourage actual development initiatives instead of mere announcements.
“Jan Abhiyan is a mechanism to ensure on-spot redressal of public grievances. It is a step towards bringing governance to people’s doorstep for efficient public service delivery,” he said.
Interacting with local beneficiaries of various schemes as well as field staff of different departments, the Lt Governor took stock of progress achieved under various social assistance and welfare schemes being provided to the people in the block.
He emphasized that every possible effort should be made to address the grievances submitted by people on the spot and if, in any case, the issue cannot be resolved immediately, it should be ensured that the same is addressed before the subsequent ‘Block Diwas’.
Jammu Deputy Commissioner Sushma Chauhan briefed Sinha about the coverage of beneficiaries under various schemes in the block and the status of public grievances redressed in the ongoing Jan Abhiyan.
The Lt Governor reiterated the commitment of the government to ensure a people-centric good governance structure across Jammu and Kashmir wherein the primary focus is to make the administration more sensitive, accountable and responsive to the issues and grievances of the public.
While assuring the people that all their genuine issues would now be considered and addressed on merit in a time-bound manner, he said his administration is in the process of devising an institutional mechanism to involve Panchayati Raj Institutions and the local public for formulation of development plans based on the immediate needs, facilitating the on-spot resolution of local issues and efficient use of available resources for achieving meaningful milestones on the developmental and socio-economic front.
On the Back to Village (B2V) programme, the Lt Governor said the government has already issued directions for ensuring the execution of at least two works in every panchayat.
Highlighting the role of panchayats in deciding the priority of projects in their jurisdiction, Sinha said all panchayats of the union territory are free to utilise funds under the 14th finance commission, rural job scheme MGNREGA, and an additional amount of Rs 10 lakh according to the needs and demands of the local population.
Highlighting the benefits of the recently announced Jammu and Kashmir Health Scheme, the Lt Governor said it is one-of-a-kind initiative that provides universal health insurance to all the residents of the union territory regardless of their socio-economic status.
LG approves regularisation, promotion of over 550 police officers
Srinagar, Sep 23: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha approved regularisation and promotion of over 550 officers at the level of SP and DySP on Wednesday, putting to rest the decades-old seniority disputes and resultant litigations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sinha said it is “our collective responsibility” to address the issue of career progression of police personnel and well-being of their families.
The exercise, started by former Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu, has finally paved the way for smooth career progression of the gazetted cadre of J&K Police, officials said.
“The government has regularised and promoted more than 550 officers at the level of SP and DySP, and granted and predated selection grade of Dy SP in favour of more than 300 officers, including serving officers,” an official spokesperson said.
While officers were promoted to the rank of SPs and DySPs, they were only getting benefits as inspectors in absence of regularisation of their promotions.
Sinha said J&K Police officials have been at the forefront of the battle against militancy, displaying exemplary courage and ensuring a secure environment. But the police department had been besotted with seniority disputes for a long time, he added.
Congratulating the officers, Sinha lauded the effort of the Home department and said efficiency and good governance is the key to execute reforms on vital fronts.
“We are proud of our police force. They have always shown the highest professionalism and the greatest perseverance in handling cross-border terrorism and making a concerted effort in maintaining peace in Jammu and Kashmir. I strongly feel that it’s our collective responsibility to address the issue of career progression, well-being of police, and welfare of their families,” the Lt Governor said.
In the current round, more than 550 officers whose regularization/promotion was pending from different dates since 2007 at the level of SP and at the level of Dy. SP, have been regularized/promoted, as also selection grade of Dy. SP has been granted/predated in respect of more than 300 officers, an official press release informed.
It said this includes nearly 440 serving SPs and Dy. SPs. The retired officers will also benefit from pay fixation. These figures need to be seen in the backdrop of a total of 268 SP level and 575 Dy. SP level posts (including reserves). This exercise has led to the regularisation of all the officiating SPs and completing the groundwork for finalising the seniority list at the level of Dy. SP right up to the present date.
