LG appeals militants to shun violence; promises them help with jobs, entrepreneurship
Launches B2V3 from Shopian on Gandhi Jayanti
Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday appealed to local militants to shun the path of violence and promised to help them with jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
He was speaking after launching the third-phase of the ‘Back to Village’ programme at Shirmal in militancy-hotbed Shopian district in south Kashmir.
Sinha said the people of J&K, especially the youth, want to tread on the path of progress and development and appealed to the “misguided” youth to shun violence and return to the mainstream.
“The government is ready to help with jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities,” he added.
The LG said the administration will work hard to make Jammu and Kashmir one of the most developed union territories in the country.
The administration is committed to make the UT a “role model of development and prosperity”, he said, adding it will empower youth and strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions.
On the occasion, Sinha inaugurated a Youth Recreation Centre and Gujjar & Bakerwal Hostel Library at Shirmal. He also laid the foundation stone of 100 bedded Girls’ Hostel costing Rs 306.34 lakhs and handed-over various certificates and sanction letters to beneficiaries under different departmental schemes.
He also met various public delegations and sought their feedback and views on B2V3 and aspirations of people from different local public representatives.
Sports kits to young sports persons and other assistance to facilitate sports activities, besides three hearing machines and one wheel-chair were distributed among the beneficiaries. He also distributed 81 baby kits among 81 beneficiaries of 27 Panchayat Halqas and 57 school bags were distributed among 57 dropout girls of 27 Panchayat Halqas, who have been motivated to resume their studies, an official press release informed.
Commencing of the third phase of the ‘Back to Village’ programme across Jammu and Kashmir is a perfect way to honour Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, LG Manoj Sinha said.
An apostle of peace and social service, Gandhi’s contributions to the freedom struggle, and promoting the rights and welfare of the oppressed sections of the society have unending imprints on the world history and would continue to inspire the generations to come, Sinha said.
Everyone must follow the path of non-violence, social justice, equality, upliftment of the underprivileged sections of the society, secular traditions and brotherhood shown by the father of the nation for bringing an era of peace and development in the world, he said.
Mahatma Gandhi advocated panchayati raj, a decentralised form of government, the LG said.
Following the Gandhian ideas of ‘gram swaraj’ and Panchayati Raj system, the administration is making “untiring efforts to reach out to the people and including all the stakeholders in the process of decision-making and public policy formulation to bring a positive social and political change in J&K,” he added.
“Back to Village is a unique and ambitious exercise by the administration to reach the doorsteps of the people with responsive, accountable and equitable governance is in its own way promoting values, ideology and philosophy of Gandhi,” according to Sinha.
The programme, which started on Friday, is also seen as a unique effort to strengthen the newly-constituted Panchayats, the LG said. “This practice is the first such attempt at a concentrated and determined developmental push.”
Sinha said the endeavour was as challenging as ambitious — it involved the visit of over 4,000 gazetted officers of the Union territory to each and every Panchayat so that they can be well-versed with the local issues and developmental needs.
It also aims at ensuring that beneficiary-oriented schemes actually reach the last person in the queue, he added.
“It is my advice to every single officer on the ground to work as a changemaker to ensure benefits of governance reach the last man in the queue, so that the desired results, which we are aiming at i.e. development of villages and strengthening of Panchayats must be achieved,” Sinha said.
‘Back to village’ is a novel initiative launched in Jammu and Kashmir to take the governance to grassroots level.
The senior officials are deputed to village level for a few days where they get first-hand account of development needs of these areas so that projects and plans can be formulated for easing the hardships of the people.
Reiterating the government’s commitment for overall development of villages, the LG said that nobody would need to leave one’s village to seek education or livelihood in the near future.
He said that the action-based execution of administrative changes being brought in Jammu & Kashmir would not only pave way for unprecedented development in J&K but also show a new path of development to the entire nation.
Speaking on earlier phases of the Back to Village programme, the LG said that their implementation and results have been reviewed and appropriate changes have been incorporated in B2V3 for better ground results. He said that every Panchayat of the UT has taken up a couple of works projected during B2V1 and B2V2.
On ‘Apple Town’ Shopian, the LG said that officials have been directed to focus on the local apple production and processing with special attention on building storage capacity and other allied activities.
“I have been personally witnessing equitable change at village as well as sub-division level during my last 12 districts tours, and have conducted review meetings to gear up slow paced incomplete works. After inspecting ground implementation of governmental initiatives, directions have been passed with respect to all essential services like power, cooking gas and ration etc. Raj Bhavan helicopter has also been delegated for emergency cases, if needed. People’s cooperation is vital for development, peace and prosperity in the region,” the LG maintained.
He also called upon the youth to take advantage of a “new wave of educational and business reforms being incorporated by the J&K administration”.
He informed that two candidates from every Panchayat are to be identified and assisted by the Special Desk of Jammu & Kashmir Bank. With sufficient handholding, 8500 of such youth would be turned into entrepreneurs. Similarly, sports kits are also being provided to every Panchayat under B2V3, informed the LG.
“A robust Industrial policy is in offing, which will be among one of the best in the country and will prove to be a new model of development, besides providing immense opportunity to youth with special focus on girl empowerment,” the LG said.
He also urged to maintain highest sanitation standards and to install at least two dustbins in every Panchayat for solid and liquid waste management.
Counting achievements under the ongoing activities, the LG highlighted that during the past two Block Diwas, “impressive results have been achieved”.
Around one lakh students have been provided scholarships, more than 25,000 beneficiaries have been provided pensions under Integrated Social Security Scheme, more than 17,000 Kisan Credit Cards delivered, around 4600 beneficiaries, which include widows, senior citizens and specially-abled persons, added under National Social Assistance Scheme and 14,000 works started under 14th FC and MNREGA, he said.
“In these two days, more than 1.5 lakh people participated, 1.43 lakh provided various certificates, revenue papers issued to more than 15,000, around 22,000 ration cards seeded with Aadhar, more than 8,000 families provided benefits of Ayushman Bharat and around 4,000 Universal Health Cards were issued.
“During Awami Muhim, 11,000 grievances out of 24,000 received were resolved on spot. Similar results would be achieved in the future due to the government’s doorstep delivery of governance,” he said.
The LG said there is no dearth of funds as Rs 2.5 crore has already been issued to districts in addition to Rs 10 lakh per Panchayat. Total 54 schemes of the government are giving direction to progress, and prosperity of J&K. Special focus is being laid on 100 percent saturation of all social security and beneficiary-oriented schemes, he said.
“The UT government will not just make announcements, but would genuinely and rationally try to address the problems being faced by the people,” the press release said.
In a major step towards the overall welfare of residents of J&K and facilitating affordable healthcare facilities, the UT government has recently announced the Jammu and Kashmir Health Scheme in order to provide universal health Insurance coverage to all the residents of the Union Territory, the press release said.
In the coming days, said the LG, attention is to be given to animal and sheep husbandry which shall help generate around 50,000 self-employments. Other areas of focus shall be dairy, poultry, fisheries, agriculture and allied sectors, he said.
“Efforts are on to introduce micro-irrigation in J&K. Economic clusters are going to be made to promote village industries. Similarly, local Self-Help Groups, playgrounds and redundant government buildings are also going to be put to use. It shall be my endeavour to rejuvenate the lagging sectors and underdeveloped sections of the society,” he said.
“On my list, completion of languishing projects, road connectivity, delivery of basic amenities is at the top priority. On spot delivery is starting to become a new normal in the UT,” said the LG. He asked the Panchayat people to own B2V programme and appeal to the people to come forward and participate in large numbers to make B2V3 a grand success.
The LG asked all stakeholders and the public to observe social distancing and other preventive measures against COVID-19 while participating in the B2V3. He sought their cooperation in bringing education, health and livelihood opportunities to earlier relegated sections of the society. He also called upon the public to interact and give thorough feedback to visiting officers during B2V3.
The LG assured the public that B2V3 is not a one-time event, but a part of regular grievance redressal mechanism under which senior officers are to address grievances at subdivision level every Wednesday on rotational basis. He also called upon the government officials and functionaries to generate awareness about all these initiatives of the government.
“Small initiatives can bring immense change. We should all take a pledge to realize the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of village development. Welfare and prosperity of common mass, especially the youth is the top priority of the J&K government,” the LG maintained.
Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Power Development and Information; Pandurang K. Pole Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir; Choudhary Mohammad Yasin, Deputy Commissioner, Shopian and other senior officers were present on the occasion.
