Budgetary allocation for development work in J&K villages

“The aim is to make every village in J&K a model village,” says Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday announced a budgetary allocation for every Panchayat halqa, as he hinted at an economic package for the ailing sectors in the Union Territory (UT) in the coming weeks.

“Every panchayat halqa will get ₹10 lakh for various development works. The officers from the administration will only facilitate these works and everything else will be done by the panchayat members themselves. The aim is to make every village in J&K a model village,” Mr. Sinha said at a press conference in Srinagar.

The allocation comes as J&K embarks on the third phase of “Back to the Village” programme from October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti). “There will be a ‘Public Darbar’ at the divisional and sub-divisional levels across the J&K UT every Wednesday. Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners will listen to the grievances of the people and ensure timely redressal,” he said.

Mr. Sinha said the J&K administration had constituted a committee to suggest a package for the revival of business and other ailing sectors of J&K. “A report of the committee is under consideration with the Government of India and a big announcement is on the cards, likely within a week,” he said.

“It is not that the business of J&K has suffered for the past one year. The fact remains that for the past 15 or 20 years, every sector has suffered losses. The package perhaps will be the first ever and not just cover the ailing business sector but other sectors that have suffered in J&K so far,” he said.

Shopian encounter

The Lt. Governor assured justice in the Shopian encounter, in which three alleged militants were killed on July 18. The families of the dead from Rajouri have claimed that “all the three were civilians and had been missing since July 18.”

“A probe by the administration and the Army is under way. I will ensure that there is no injustice,” Mr. Sinha said.