Kathua: Government is just a facilitator while it is the public participation which actually accelerates the developmental processes.
This was stated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha as he participated in the Block Diwas at Hiranagar, Kathua to take a firsthand appraisal and review the effectiveness of this platform in redressal of public grievances, and to assess the on-ground coverage under various government services and welfare schemes.
On the occasion, the LG also e-inaugurated four water supply schemes worth Rs 7.52 cr, besides other developmental projects costing Rs 90 lakhs.
At the outset, the LG inspected the stalls displayed by various departments, and enquired about the grievances received and the measures taken by the respective departments for their redressal.
Speaking on the significance of Block Diwas, the LG, according rto an official press release observed that the aim of the public outreach initiative is to address the day-to-day grievances and issues of the people by making the public welfare services of various departments available at one place.
He asked the concerned officers to be well-versed with all the welfare schemes and put in their best efforts to mitigate the problems of people, and be sensitive to their issues.
“Strict action shall be taken against officials not attending to public grievances,” he asserted.
The LG said that the government is putting untiring efforts to remove all difficulties and making services & welfare schemes easily accessible to citizens. “Government is working on the mission mode to ensure availability of basic necessities viz. roads, drinking water and electricity, to every citizen of the UT, besides working earnestly towards bringing substantial Industrial Investment, promotion of tourism and creating employment avenues for youth. We are committed to ensure 100 percent saturation of all farmers’ welfare, social security and beneficiary-oriented schemes so that the benefits of such schemes reach to every eligible beneficiary. Besides, providing better livelihood to farmers by tapping the vast potential of the agriculture and horticulture sector in J&K is the focused area of the government,” the LG maintained.
He also observed that the government is sensitive towards the issues of farmers and population living in border areas. Their issues would be resolved on priority. Various farm-centric initiatives have been taken by the government, several laws have been relaxed wherein farmers can now avail benefits from different government-sponsored welfare schemes and programmes which were previously not available owing to restrictive enactments, said the LG.
High density plantation is now a reality in Jammu region also. Now, any farmer can develop orchards and can go for High density plantation irrespective of their land holding. Youth would be given every possible assistance and handholding to become successful entrepreneurs, he added.
The LG said that a number of initiatives have been launched and many others are in pipeline for overall development in every village and block of the UT.
Referring to the release of 50 percent revenue and capital outlay, the LG said that it is for the first time that funds have been released on the very 1st day of the financial year.
“The recently approved highest-ever budget of Rs.1,08,621 crore for the Union Territory witnessed a quantum jump in the allocation of budget in all sectors, including PWD(R&B), Power, PHE, Tourism etc,” he added.
Emphasizing on empowering and strengthening the grassroots democratic setup, the LG underscored that functions, functionaries, finance, and framework help operate a Panchayat effectively.
“I assure that every Panchayat will get Rs 1 crore for development purposes, which will be double from the previous allocation. All remaining Panchayats will get Panchayat Bhavans at the earliest,” maintained the LG.
A provision of Rs 10 crore has been kept for every DDC, besides funds are being allocated to Panchayats and Blocks, he added.
DDC members and PRI representatives who were present on the occasion expressed their gratitude towards the LG-led administration for empowering the 3-tier Panchayati Raj system in J&K, the press release said. They also extended their full support and cooperation to the gGovernment’s efforts for complete grassroots development in the UT.
DDC Chairperson Kathua, Col Mahan Singh and DDC Vice-Chairperson, Raghunandan Singh spoke on the occasion and thanked the government for being sensitive to the hopes and aspirations of the people, besides apprising the LG about the developmental needs and public issues of the region.
While addressing the issues and demands of the area projected by the public representatives present there, the LG directed the Deputy Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive development plan addressing the urgent developmental needs of the region so that necessary measures can be taken in this direction.
He further directed the concerned officers for speeding up the process of distribution of Golden cards under SEHAT scheme.
Underlining the importance of ‘Jan Bhagidari’ (public participation), the LG termed the government as a facilitator to the people. He said that people and the public representatives must themselves decide what development should be done in their area on the basis of their needs and requirements, and monitor the execution of the work.
On employment generation, the LG said that the new industrial development scheme of Rs 28,400 cr would generate more employment. “We are also expecting to bring in investment of Rs 20,000 cr-Rs 25000 cr in coming two years. 24,000 posts are being filled through the accelerated recruitment process.”
Terming transparency, accountability, and responsiveness as the core objective of the government, the LG said that regular review and monitoring of the progress of development works is being done at all administrative levels. Now people can also monitor the utilisation of funds and the execution of development works, he added.
All the departments have been directed to make their respective e-office functional at the earliest for establishing paperless and minimum human interface governance, the LG said.
To address the issue of water supply in the area, the LG said that 100 percent saturation under ‘Har Ghar Nal se Jal’ in 13 districts of the UT would be completed this year.
Underscoring the measures being undertaken for meeting the developmental aspirations of the people, the LG observed that dry port and cold storage being established in Kathua would give fillip to the socio-economic development of the region, besides generating substantial employment for the local youth.
He also noted that, recently 12 villages of Hiranagar tehsil and five villages of Marheen tehsil have been declared as border villages taking the total to 90 villages (51 in Hiranagar and 39 in Marheen).
Later, the LG handed over various certificates and sanction letters to beneficiaries under different departmental schemes as a token of service delivery to be ensured by the government in such camps regularly.
Hearing Aid, Financial Aid under Marriage Assistance Scheme, Pass books under Ladli Beti scheme, Micro debit cards, Tablet computers to meritorious girls and teachers, Schools bags were provided to the beneficiaries on the occasion.
The LG also handed over the keys of subsidized Laser Land Leveler and Combine Harvester to the beneficiaries.
The projects which were e-inaugurated today included Water Supply Scheme Gadyal at Panchayat Gadyal, Block Hiranagar costing Rs 1.15 cr; Water Supply Scheme, Kore Quasba at Panchayat Kore Quasba, Block Hiranagar, costing Rs 2.16 cr; Water Supply Scheme, Kheri Maltha at Panchayat Kheri Maltha, Block Dinga-Amb costing Rs 1.88 cr; Water Supply Scheme, Satoora at Panchayat Satoora, at the cost of Rs 2.33 cr; CFC building of RDD under BADP Model Village Scheme at Kore Punnu, Marheen worth Rs 50 lakhs besides, Upgradation of Government High School in Marheen done at the cost of Rs 40 lakhs.
