Jammu, Jan 25: Lieutenant Governor (LG), Manoj Sinha has extended his heartiest greetings and best wishes to all on the auspicious occasion of 73rd Republic Day.
In his address, the Lt Governor 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.
He paid homage and respect to the great men and freedom fighters of India, who sacrificed their lives for the country.
The Lt Governor observed 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.
He also 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.
In his speech, the LG said that the government is developing J&K as a piece of Indian culture and ethos.
He said that 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.
“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 added.
He reiterated the administration's commitment to promoting local businesses in the real estate sector.
The LG also 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,” he said.
Sinha in his speech also mentioned that in total, a target of investment proposal worth Rs 70,000 crores has been achieved within a year, the Lt Governor added.
Jammu and Kashmir Private Industrial Estate Development Policy has been introduced, he added.
?e also spoke about the massive public outreach program conducted across J&K 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.
Speaking about the employment generation, the LG said that about 11,000 appointments have been made in various government departments in a fair and transparent manner.
He added that 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.
The LG said that as many as 1,37,870 youths have been provided assistance in their entrepreneurial ventures under various self-employment generation schemes and programmes, he added.
He also mentioned 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.
Speaking about administrative reforms, he said no work is being allotted without following tendering process; no bill is passed without geo-tagging and physical verification. 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, said the LG.
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 LG added.
The Lt Governor said J&K has become the first Union Territory/State in the country to have a District Good Governance Index for assessing the efficiency of public delivery system at district level.
He said that participative policy-making in government is being ensured through special initiatives like Awam Ki Awaaz and LG’s Mulaqaat.
About the power sector, the LG said “this year we are going to add capacity of 3,015 MVA to our Power Transmission System. Likewise, in Power Distribution Sector, a capacity of 1286 MVA is being added this year as against the capacity addition of 690 MVA last year, he added.
The LG said that an amount of Rs one lakh crore is being spent on road and tunnel infrastructure. Jammu and Kashmir, which once stood at 10th, 11th position in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), has secured the third rank in the country.
The travel time between Srinagar and Jammu has been reduced from 10 hours to 5 hours. International flights have started between Srinagar and Sharjah. Two new airport terminals are coming up at Jammu and Srinagar. Cargo facility has been provided at Jammu and Srinagar airports for the convenience of the farmers and businessmen. Kashmir will be connected to Kanyakumari through rail network by next year. Work on Light Metro Rail in Jammu and Srinagar city at an estimated cost of Rs 10,599 crore shall start this year. Last year, the Qazigund-Banihal tunnel was made operational for traffic. The work on Z-Morh Tunnel on Srinagar-Sonmarg Road is going on at a brisk pace, which has provided an opportunity to tourists to visit the beautiful place in winters as well. Work on Zojila Tunnel on Srinagar-Leh road has commenced at a cost of Rs 4509 crore, which will be completed by September 2026. With the construction of six-lane Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, the travel time from Delhi to Vaishno Devi will be reduced to six hours only, the Lt Governor further added.