Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday launched the Senior Citizens National Helpline – ElderLine 14567 in J&K, at Raj Bhavan here.
On the occasion, the LG also distributed motorized tricycles, prosthetic and other aids worth Rs 3.25 crore to ‘divyangs’ (physically-challenged people) from across the UT.
“ElderLine will serve as a vital support system to comfort the distressed elderly through a dedicated decentralized call center, extending emotional care and support, health services, and other aids to needy senior citizens. This toll-free helpline will fill a crucial gap in the institutionalized elder-care ecosystem in UT,” he added.
It was also informed that the J&K Maintenance and Welfare for Parents and Senior Citizens Rules 2021 have been prepared and will be notified in a few days.
According to an official press release, the LG lauded the efforts of Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) for providing assistance to divyangs of the UT and making it specially-abled inclusive and accessible.
The Social Welfare Department shall be holding Panchayat level assessment camps in association with ALIMCO to identify all those in need of any kind of prosthetic aid and the J&K government shall ensure that all eligible persons are provided with requisite prosthetic and other aids within this year, the press release said.
It said the LG further said that the J&K Social Welfare Department has conducted a survey of those in need of motorized tricycles and all those who are eligible for old-age, widow, and divyang pensions. The UT government shall be attaining saturation in the distribution of these benefits within this year.
He said about 9 lakh people have received funds under different pension schemes. “Another, 2.72 lakh additional people have been added to our pension schemes, and for the first time in the history of UT, pensions have been provided to transgenders.”
He noted that in line with the vision of PM Narendra Modi calling for ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, the UT government is determined to ensure welfare of all sections of the society.
“We are moving towards 100 percent saturation of all 55 public welfare schemes of the Central government so that the benefits reach out to even the last needy person in the society,” the LG asserted.
He said that the J&K government has ensured provision for reservation in jobs for specially-abled persons in the UT. Further, the Social Welfare Department has given reservation benefits to the needy at different levels and now 10 percent reservation in government jobs has been extended to the people living below the poverty line.
In wake of COVID pandemic, SASCM/Saksham scheme has been started by the UT government to provide financial help to the families who have suffered due to pandemic. Under this, the families who have lost their breadwinners will be given a monthly pension of Rs 1000 and special scholarship has been arranged for the children who have become orphaned due to Covid, besides extending benefits of other social welfare schemes to them, the LG added.
The Social Welfare Department has constituted a special cell which will work properly for their help throughout their life, he added.
Innovations combined with superior human capital perfect recipe for better tomorrow: LG
“We aim to take industrial revolution to next level in J&K, making investments today to maximize economic benefits in the future. We are reforming government processes using technology, transforming skill sets of youth through modern centers of innovation, incubation, invention, and training.”
These assertions came from the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today as he addressed the Pan IIT-WOT 2021, a global virtual technology summit organized by Pan IIT Alumni India, through virtual mode at Raj Bhavan here.
Speaking on the occasion, the LG said that, “I believe the power of new innovations combined with superior human capital is the perfect recipe to build a better tomorrow. Innovations will not slow down and the administrative systems, governance will have to put in place a new mechanism for faster adaptability,” he added.
According to an official press release, the LG said that a flourishing innovation ecosystem where producers, service providers, users are on same wavelength will immensely contribute to PM’s dream of making India ‘AtmaNirbhar’ (self-reliant).
“Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi’s mission to make India a hub of innovation and promotion of exponential technologies has made an immense impact in every possible sector. Graduation of India to the elite top 50 countries-club in the 2020 Global Innovation Index is a result of his vision,” he added.
The LG said that “soon we would be sitting in the back seat of a car without the driver in the front seat as drivers-less cars loaded with software, connected through a cell phone with promise of zero accident may replace our old drivers and driving schools.
“Similarly, the days are not far when there won’t be any electricity cable or solar panel. Our windows, glass panels, and roof itself would generate electricity. Maybe within few years, we will have to replace street lights in our cities because innovations in kinetic roads will generate their own energy to provide power,” he added.
The LG observed that “we are witnessing a transformation that could change the concept of a classroom and instead of a human teacher, we have pre-programmed cell-phone teacher”.
He said that the new education apps, modules with the help of artificial intelligence and robotics one fine day would make the teachers obsolete, wherever possible.
The LG also said that there is no doubt that technology is a great enabler but the pace of change also brings challenges for the government.
“We have to accelerate adoption of the technologies that assist us in growth and enable us to serve more citizens with evolving safety tools. We cannot say no to innovations. We have to identify areas where it can be implemented for the better service delivery or to create a better life for the people living in far-flung areas,” the LG added.
He said that the advent of smart and new technological products, “support from the centre under the leadership of our visionary Prime Minister, has provided the state governments a new opportunity to make public service delivery more efficient.”
Recounting some of the major breakthroughs made in the governance front since he took over the charge of Jammu and Kashmir last year in August, the LG said that “with initiatives like e-Office, bringing transparency in the execution of works, and completing the projects hanging in for long in record time, the UT government has paved a solid foundation for the rapid growth of J&K.”
“We have implemented a software module called ‘EMPOWER’ which enables every citizen with a mobile phone to see the work taken up in a particular village, the progress made and the amount of money released by the government. Digitization of government services has truly realized the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s dream of ‘minimum government, maximum governance,” he added.
Mentioning the innovation of a young boy from Srinagar who came out with a smart app that uses AI technology to predict the optimal crop sowing date, the LG said that many of our youngsters in the Union Territory are working on artificial intelligence solutions to improve farm productivity.
Quoting Ray Kurzweil, the LG said that due to explosive power of exponential growth, the 21st century will be equivalent to 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate of progress and organizations have to be able to redefine themselves at a faster and faster pace.
“Technology will overtake technology for sure and engineers, innovators will be able to make a very different world for sure. Public service delivery will become swifter for sure,” LG added.
Giving his best wishes to all the young minds, the LG hoped that hackathon completion tomorrow, may find glimpses of next 10 years.
The LG wished everyone good health and a happy future. He observed that “new hope, fresh enthusiasm, and renewed energy is being seen in J&K because of our successful fight against two waves of the global pandemic and rapid pace of vaccination.”
