In a significant step toward enhancing direct communication with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday conducted his inaugural public interaction at the Chief Minister’s Public Services and Outreach Office–christened as Raabita. Chief Minister on this occasion said, this office has been established to provide a dedicated platform for addressing public grievances and for building a healthy relationship between the government and citizens.
Sounds music to ears and if a proper follow-up is maintained, will get peoples’ issues resolved besides developing a deep connect between people and the government. But the question remains, how this initiative ensures that ordinary people are getting a chance to connect with the government. Though as many as 15 delegations met the Chief Minister, each representing various social, cultural and professional groups and issues discussed and brought to the notice of the CM centered around economic challenges, cultural preservation, employment concerns and sectoral development, as per an official spokesman, the need is to develop mechanism though which a common citizen can bring his/her issues to the corridors of power. From this initiative, people expect the corridors of power to listen to the common citizens who are neither part of any prominent NGO or other high end social group.
Common people, people on the street, want to be in Raabita with CM. They want to share their issues with the government and get these redressed. They are the ones who are facing the music, they are the ones who have issues, they are the ones who are in trouble. In freezing cold, they want comfortable power and water supply; they want better health facilities and they want better road connectivity.
They also want jobs but they are not naïve to expect government to provide all the jobs instead they want the government to create avenues where they can explore the options of self employment. Jammu and Kashmir has a huge potential in agriculture, horticulture and tourism for job creation. Some innovative policies, in consultation with the unemployed youth could ensure better job opportunities. But the question is, who will interact with these jobless youth. Raabita could be the platform.
Let Chief Minister direct all his MLAs to develop a connect with the youth of their respective constituencies. Let MLAs, recommend two to three youth of their constituencies to be part of Raabita discourse. However, MLAs need to have a clear direction that youth they recommend for interaction should not necessarily be the ones from their own political liking but the ones, even ardent opponents, but with solid, practicable and innovative ideas regarding reformation of J&K. If Raabita remains confined to redundant faces and persons, it will serve none, not the Omar Abdullah government and not the public.