73rd Republic Day: Will continue to march ahead with peace, progress, prosperity and ‘people first’ mantra, says LG Sinha

73rd Republic Day: Will continue to march ahead with peace, progress, prosperity and ‘people first’ mantra, says LG Sinha

JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha extended his heartiest greetings and best wishes to all on the auspicious occasion of 73rd Republic Day.
In his address, he said that the Republic Day is the day of introspection, an occasion when every citizen has to remind himself of his duty to protect and further nourish the ideals and achievements of the nation.
Sinha paid homage and respect to the great men and freedom fighters of India, who sacrificed their lives for the country.
“I pay tribute to the jawans and officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and other Central Security Forces, who continue to make supreme sacrifice for unity and integrity of the motherland. While saluting their valor and sacrifices, we should also take a pledge to eradicate terrorism and terror ecosystem perpetuated by the neighbouring country,” said the Lt Governor.
He said that the “central government under the strong and able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the bold and decisive step of breaking the shackles erected in the path of development of Jammu and Kashmir.
“After the historic transformative changes in August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir is poised to become the latest success story among Indian states and a model of socio-economic development for the country. The government is committed to build a strong Jammu and Kashmir and we will continue to march ahead with Mantra of 4 P’s — Peace, Progress, Prosperity and People first. We are determined to ensure every single citizen of UT enjoys prosperous and peaceful life,” he added.
The Lt Governor highlighted the co-existence of various religions enriching and diversifying Jammu and Kashmir’s cultural heritage and making the Union Territory an example of immortal organic composite Indian culture.
Giving details of the reforms made in the last thirty months, the Lt Governor said that government is developing Jammu and Kashmir as the piece of Indian culture and ethos that has the capability to provide opportunity to industries to compete, connect and collaborate with its readily available abundant resources. “ Despite challenges, efforts are underway for turning Jammu and Kashmir into a preferred destination for industrial investment and opportunities”, he added.
“J&K is fast moving towards becoming a powerful and self-reliant Union Territory by improving the standard of living of farmers, youth, women, laborers and every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. The industrial revolution started just a year ago has achieved much more than what the Union Territory had clocked in the last 72 years. After the implementation of new industrial scheme under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Hon’ble Home Minister Amit Shah, investment proposals worth Rs 48,000 crores have been received,” SAID the Lt Governor.
Sinha said that the land use change policy which was a major impediment for the industrial development of the region has been simplified which is likely to attract more investment. However, the people are being misled on this issue too, he said.
The Lt Governor assured the “land owners and farmers that all these changes have been effected with the sole aim of empowering them. There is a section in the society which has always been misleading the people about imaginary issues like demographic change, and on this pretext the most hardworking and needy class of people had been deprived of alienated their own land, or even using it as per their wishes or requirements, he added.
The Lt Governor reiterated Administration’s commitment to promoting local businesses in real estate sector. Jammu and Kashmir recently hosted the first-ever historic Real Estate summit in December 2021, in which investment proposals worth Rs 18,300 crores were finalized.
He highlighted the investments attracted by J&K in the recently concluded Dubai Expo. The Global investors exhibited keen interest in investing in Jammu and Kashmir, and investment proposals worth Rs. 3000 crore were finalized in a short span of two days only.
“In total, a target of investment proposal worth Rs 70,000 crores has been achieved within a year,” Sinha said.
Jammu and Kashmir Private Industrial Estate Development Policy has been introduced, which incorporates mechanisms for Public-Private Partnership in the Industrial Sector.
The Lt Governor spoke about the massive public outreach programme conducted across Jammu and Kashmir with as many as 73 Union Ministers and various Parliamentary Committees visiting all the districts for public interactions and gathering grass-root level feedback on government policies.
Giving details of the government’s efforts in employment generation in the last one and a half year, the Lt Governor said that about 11,000 appointments have been made in various government departments in a fair and transparent manner, which was unprecedented in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. “For the first time, children from the disadvantaged and poor sections have secured jobs on the basis of merit, turning their dreams into reality,” Sinha added.
“Further, 20,323 additional posts at various levels have been identified and referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board for recruitment. Besides, 1850 appointments have been made in J&K Bank at various levels in a fair and transparent manner. As many as 1,37,870 youths have been provided assistance in their entrepreneurial ventures under various self-employment generation schemes and programmes,” he said.
The Lt Governor underscored the initiatives taken for channelizing the enormous potential of our youth and ensuring their participation in the process of governance. 4,500 youth clubs have been set up covering all Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies in the UT through which 63,000 youths have been connected. Playfields have been set up in 4000 Panchayats. More than one and a half dozen job-oriented programs have been started through the dedicated initiative of Mission Youth along-with Skill Development Programmes aimed at their future and sustainable livelihood, he added.
Sinha also highlighted several important reforms undertaken to ensure transparency, accountability in the administration establishing fear-free, corruption-free system of governance besides introducing principles of financial prudence which have revolutionized the project implementation and enhanced financial inclusion and social equity. Every single penny of the government exchequer is now spent on welfare of the people, he said.
“No work is being allotted without following tendering process; no bill is passed without geotagging and physical verification. Project delay which was earlier considered a norm is now a thing of the past. Against 9229 projects completed in 2018 at a cost of Rs. 67,000 crores, around 21,943 projects have been completed at a cost of Rs. 63,000 crore only in the current year. This year, we are hopeful that three-times more projects will be completed,” said the Lt Governor.
BEAMS Empowerment Portal has enabled the access of the common citizen of J&K to monitor any project and expenditure being incurred in their respective area. Information of all 35,000 projects currently implemented is available on this portal, the Lt Governor added.
J&K has become the first Union Territory/State in the country to have District Good Governance Index for assessing the efficiency of public delivery system at district level and fostering transparency and accountability in the basic unit of governance and fulfilling the aspirations of citizens. Best practices are being identified in each district for replication in others, the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor threw light on the efforts made by the government towards building a strong, prosperous and self-reliant society and meeting the needs of the common citizens through people-centric policies.
The Lt Governor expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who are engaged in selfless service to humanity.
The Lt Governor observed that Peace in Jammu and Kashmir is a prerequisite for a vibrant tourism sector, which of late has set new employment and revenue generation records. Between August and November 2021, about 52 lakh tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir. Keeping in view the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations of 75 years of independence, 75 off-beat tourist destinations are being developed in the Union Territory.
Retreating J&K government’s commitment towards the welfare of the people of the tribal community who were neglected by the previous governments, the Lt Governor said while present dispensation trying to give physical shape to their hopes and aspirations, a tiny section is trying hard to provoke and mislead them.
For the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, Tribal community has been vested with forest rights in accordance with the principles of social justice and harmony. “I am apprised of some unpleasant incidents reported against members of the tribal community in respect of which appropriate action shall be taken by the administration, and it will also be ensured that such incidents do not reoccur in future. However, some people are trying to draw political mileage out of these unfortunate incidents too. I also assure my Pahari brothers and sisters that I shall undertake honest steps for the preservation of their culture and holistic development,” the Lt Governor said.
Sinha also spoke about the requisite steps taken in the direction of fulfilling the aspirations of people living in the border areas who are playing a crucial role in national security but have been ignored for decades. Special arrangements for public services delivery in these areas are being ensured through a dedicated administrative mechanism he added.
The Lt Governor underscored the ground-breaking initiatives taken by the government towards empowering the women of J&K. As many as 4.5 lakh women have been made financially independent through Self Help Groups initiative. · Efforts are being made to reach out to the poor, disabled, senior citizens and the last person in the queue. Last year, about 25 lakh people were assisted by the Social Welfare Department. Nine lakh people are being provided various types of pensions. Ladli Beti scheme has covered one lakh beneficiaries through DBT mode with money directly credited to the accounts of eligible beneficiaries. The neighboring country is trying to push the youth of Jammu and Kashmir into the quagmire of drug-addition. However, the government is committed to secure addiction-free Jammu and Kashmir, the Lt Governor observed.
“We are committed to provide justice to the citizens who were forced to leave their homes due to onset of terrorism in 90s. So far, 7312 applications have been received through Kashmir Migrant Portal launched last year for addressing their grievances, out of which 4826 cases have been resolved,” he said.
Highlighting government’s commitment for developing modern sports infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, the Lt Governor said that a new recruitment policy has been introduced for outstanding sportspersons in government jobs.
On this auspicious occasion of Republic Day, people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are in my thoughts and prayers. Every citizen has a very important role in building healthy and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir. We must follow Covid Appropriate Behavior and fight the pandemic with the spirit of a big joint family, the Lt Governor observed.
“Let us take a pledge to fulfill the dreams of those great men who sacrificed everything for the freedom and progress of the country. Let us work for the welfare of the entire humanity with the spirit of social equity where everyone gets the opportunity for prosperity and well-being. We should also ensure optimal utilization of all available resources. We need to march forward to serve the downtrodden sections of the society with the resolution of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas Aur Sabka Prayas”. Let’s take a pledge to build Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat, said the Lt Governor.
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