J&K is witnessing a new dawn & moving ahead as an equal society: LG

Jammu, June 20, 2021: In this month’s episode of “Awaam ki Awaaz” radio programme, aired today on all local & primary channels of All India Radio (AIR) stations in the UT, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha acknowledged the tireless contribution of corona warriors and frontline workers and termed them as the embodiment of determination and dedication.

 “With their hard work, they have laid the foundation stone for the future of Jammu and Kashmir. Today, Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a new dawn and is moving ahead as an equal society. The credit goes to these warriors who dedicated themselves to the cause”, he added.

Noting that it was only due to people’s collective efforts the Covid situation in the UT is inching towards normalcy, the Lt Governor cautioned that with utmost sensitivity and responsibility, we all have to follow Covid protocol to keep the dreaded infection at bay.

The Lt Governor said that in the coming days, we have only one objective – to accelerate the economic development of J&K and make it multi-dimensional. He added that working within the tenets of Financial Prudence, Transparency, and Accountability, the J&K government is moving ahead the agenda of all-round development in the region. He further said that the recent announcement of Rs. 12,600 Crore District Capex Budget is historic and is more than double the last year’s Budget of Rs 5134 crores. The Budget has been made by people’s representatives keeping in mind the needs of common man.

“Jammu and Kashmir is full of self-confidence, I hear the echo of self-power among the people”, he added.

Coming down heavily on the recent issue of unwarranted rumours being spread by a few with vested interests, the Lt Governor said that certain elements cannot digest the speedy execution of development works and effective management of Covid-19. We need to reject all such rumours and focus on playing a constructive role. “For the past several decades, such people deliberately misled our young generation for personal gains and deprived them of development dividends. So I humbly request all of you not to pay heed to such rumours”, he added.

On the problem of power outage/cuts in Jammu region, the Lt Governor assured the people that those responsible for their inconvenience shall be made accountable. He further said that we had prepared for winter in Kashmir and its results were visible. For Jammu also, we had made arrangements for providing power to maximum number of people in summer but it was thwarted by some unwanted elements. The inquiry committee will identify such people and take strict action.

He informed that for the last 11 months the administration has been making sincere endeavours to explore the options and to provide as much electricity generated in last 74 years to the people of the UT, in the next 4 years. For this, projects worth Rs. 52,821 Crore have already been approved. He thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister for providing necessary interventions and financial assistance for strengthening the infrastructure of transmission, distribution of electricity in the UT. “115 projects of transmission, distribution have been completed by working at a fast pace, and the remaining 48 projects will be completed by March 2022 next year”, he informed

Expressing his gratitude, the Lt Governor highlighted the contributions of several Corona warriors who, among others, have put their lives at risk for the service of the people.

The Lt Governor quoted the example of dedicated ASHA worker, Ms. Trishla Devi of Kaulpur Village of Samba, who visits around 20 families everyday and checks for covid symptoms and takes the needy to hospital. For last two months, she has been making sure that everyone remains healthy, gets vaccinated, and follows Covid protocol regularly. The Lt Governor directed the concerned authorities to take action on the suggestion of Trishla Devi for holding a monthly medical camp in remote areas of the district. He saluted the grit of all other ASHA workers like Trishla Devi who are a bridge between rural population and the Primary Health Centres.

He also acknowledged the great strides J&K has achieved in Vaccine coverage and how people are discussing J&K model of Vaccination and want to replicate the same in other parts of the country. He said that this is only because of the dedication and toil of our hardworking health workers.

Sh. Zafar Ali, Ms. Meeta and Ms. Najmina of Kullan Primary Health Center in Ganderbal district together have vaccinated more than 12,000 people. For above-45 age group, 100% first dose vaccination has been done in this district. In our second district Shopian, the team of Mohammad Isaq, Riyaz Ahmed, and Sister Afruza in the district hospital has vaccinated 12 to 15 thousand people in the last two months.

The Lt Governor also mentioned about Ms. Nasreen of Purmandal, Samba who is providing vaccine doses to people in far-flung areas.

The pictures from border villages of Gurez have shown us how Ms. Shamshada Bano, Dr. Abu Bakr, Abbas Sheikh and Sarwar are vaccinating people by traversing miles through the snow. Our Corona Warriors in Bandipora- Dr. Jehangir, Ms. Shamima Begum, Ms. Nilofar Jan, and their companions had reached Weyan by walking 18 kms, and due to their hard work, it became the first village in the country to achieve 100% vaccination coverage.

The Lt Governor appreciated the tireless work and service spirit of all health workers Jammu district due to which 100% vaccination has been achieved in the district.

Mentioning the suggestion given by Anganwari worker, Ms. Kiran Bala of R.S Pura regarding supplementary nutrition for the children and transforming Anganwadi Centers as meeting places for the women & Counseling Centers, the Lt Governor assured her that administration will take a proper decision after considering her suggestions.

Referring to the letter of Ms Kausar Jabeen of Pulwama, the Lt Governor said that Sister Kausar has been constantly doing all the work like vaccination, patient care, testing for the past one year, at a local government facility, but despite her noble service she sometimes has to face anger of some patients or their family members. She has also highlighted how she faced a social boycott in her neighborhood owing to a misconception that by working among corona patients in the hospital, she had become a super spreader of the infection.

On this, the Lt Governor urged all the citizens to acknowledge the selfless efforts of health workers and doctors, who are nothing short of the worldly manifestations of our God. They deserve our respect our gratitude, he noted.

Responding to her request of cutting short the long working hours, the Lt Governor said that instructions have been issued to the CMOs to recruit additional staff in all the districts to reduce load on healthcare workers. Its process has also started and very soon a large number of trained manpower will be available in the health sector.

The Lt Governor also mentioned about the Ambulance driver, Sh Mukesh Singh of Hiranagar who suggested for periodic auditing of 108 ambulances so that the First Aid infrastructure is properly maintained and necessary additions to it are also done.

Praising the philanthropic work during the crisis of Corona epidemic, the Lt Governor observed that those who have helped people with the spirit of service to mankind deserve all the praise.

He mentioned about Sh. Raghav Vaidya, a resident of Katra, and his associates who arranged food for more than 200 needy people during the lockdown; Sh Rais Ahmed and his wife Nida Rehman, residents of Srinagar, who arranged 800 meals per day for the Covid positive patients, their attendants and the security staff of the hospitals and are still delivering home cooked food to the needy; Sh Tariq Ahmed of Srinagar who had converted the houseboat as a Floating Ambulance, in which along with First Aid, PPE Kits, he had also installed a Loud-Speaker to inform people about the Corona Protocol; Inspector Sohan Singh of Gadigarh, Jammu, who provided reading material to 5,000 poor children; Dr Shivani, Medical Officer of CHC Lakhanpur, who is serving the patients despite being pregnant for 8 months saying she feels fortunate to have served the country at such a time. Dr. Shivani and our other friends are working on the great ideals of imparting service to the motherland, he added.

The Lt Governor also mentioned about the invaluable contribution of banking personnel, courier delivery agents, sweepers, telemedicine staff, testing and sampling staff, chemists, farmers, and people associated with essential services- vegetables, fruits and milk vendors who have worked in the background and made an incomparable contribution in normalizing the covid situation.

Recalling last month’s ‘Awaam ki Awaaz’ episode, when he spoke about families who lost their loved ones untimely, the Lt Governor said that the Saksham scheme has been launched by the UT administration for them and such families will be looked after with full responsibility. He added that Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has also started a separate scheme named “PM Cares for Children” for the help and empowerment of the children affected by Corona, which will benefit the families of our UT.

He also informed that the system of providing ration to the poor and orphans in Jammu and Kashmir is going on continuously, so that no family remains hungry. “The neglected poor and deprived sections are the focal point of our priority. When the benefits of all the schemes reach the last person standing in the last queue, only then we will be satisfied that the administration is working properly”, he added.

The Lt Governor emphasized that the UT Government has worked by making healthcare of the people a topmost priority and it was possible only with the cooperation of Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Central Government. “We were able to control Corona better than other parts of the country because the administration as well as all the citizens, cooperated and the Team JammuKashmir worked relentlessly on the ground. Not only was the number of oxygen beds increased, but the capacity of 15,000 LMP Oxygen has been enhanced more than three times to 53,000 LPM, which will be added upto 90 thousand LPM in the coming days”, observed the Lt Governor

 “Effective administrative system has brought Jammu and Kashmir to the new threshold of robust health infrastructure. But some shortcomings have also been found in health facilities, which will be corrected at the earliest by a new methodology and effective policy. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards my doctors. Many doctors have served the people with hard work and dedication. But I understand, there are some doctors who probably need to take inspiration from their colleagues”, the Lt Governor added.

Congratulating the farmers for the meaningful changes that have been made in the infrastructure of agriculture and horticulture, the Lt Governor said that a new era is being ushered in this sector.

On the suggestions of Sh. Adnan Ali Khan, a resident of Pinjura village in Shopian, who is selling 15 varieties of apple through online mode, the Lt Governor directed Agriculture Department to promote naturally degradable packaging under a policy and impart training to all the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir in using Bio-degradable packaging. The Lt Governor informed that to make a permanent and efficient system for other youth like Adnan, the government will provide financial help to at least 50,000 aspiring boys and girls this year so that they can become entrepreneurs. The administration has also decided to established a youth club in every panchayat through which they would be connected with creative works, he said.

Responding to the suggestions of Sh. Subash Raina of Bhaderwah regarding sharing of best practices in Horticulture sector, Lt Governor said that despite Corona, the administration has been working diligently in the field of agriculture and horticulture. Investments are being made in a systematic manner in Jammu and Kashmir for High-Density Plantation, Food Processing, Cold Storage and many schemes are being launched for the farmers. In this month only, Liquid Nano Urea has been started by IFFCO for the farmer brothers of the Union Territory, so that there is more produce and the land also remains fertile.

The Lt Governor said that taking cognizance of the adorable video of complaint by Mahira, a little girl from Srinagar for the respected Prime Minister; the School Education Department has made a new policy for the children.

He also remembered 4 year old girl Adha Shakeel who became an unfortunate victim of man-animal Conflict. “While paying tributes to her, the Lt Governor said that by destroying forests for development, we are creating difficulties for the coming generation. Along with the Wildlife Department, it is our collective responsibility to handle man-animal Conflict effectively. Feeling the pain, anguish of Adha’s family, I urge you all to strike a balance between nature and progress”, the Lt Governor said during Awaam ki Awaz.

On the suggestions of an engineering student Shivam Gupta from Poonch regarding disruption in studies, reducing stress, adding co-curriculum activities to online mode, and regarding Optic Fibre Connectivity in villages of J&K and training of teachers for online education suggested by Isha Kavatra, a Guardian from kathua, the Lt Governor said that last year on 28th November, the Administrative council has passed J&K Communication and Connectivity Infrastructure Policy (JKCCIP) under which the mobile and broadband connectivity would be strengthened in whole of J&K.

 “We are also paying close attention to the business, industry, and tourism sectors affected by Corona and decisions would be taken for their convenience. Work will also be done on a war footing to promote the art and culture of Jammu and Kashmir”, said the Lt Governor.

Due to the pandemic, the pace of the new industrial scheme had also stopped. Now efforts will be intensified to take it on the ground in the coming days. In the infrastructure sector, the work of Z-Mode Escape Tunnel has just been completed, which will provide a lot of convenience to the people of Sonamarg. Soon an 8-km long Banihal-Qazigund tunnel will also be commissioned, providing all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Jammu.

Today the Jammu and Kashmir administration has completely transitioned to e-Office, thereby ending the practice of hundreds of years old Durbar Move. Now both the Jammu and Srinagar secretariats can function normally for twelve months. This will save the government Rs 200 crore per year, which will be used for the welfare of the deprived sections, said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor also extended his greetings for the International Day of Yoga. He said that yoga is a science, which has been adopted equally in all religions.

The Lt Governor mentioned about Smt. Swarn Rekha Lata, a yoga teacher from Kendriya Vidyalaya Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, who taught yoga through virtual medium to 3500 students during the lockdown.

Quoting her, the Lt Governor said that many people who were suffering from mental stress have benefited from Yoga. She suggested that yoga should also be included in the school syllabus on the lines of physical education, and books, magazines of the Ministry of AYUSH should also be made available regularly to the students in the school library.

The Lt Governor said that India has a long tradition of yoga, religion, spirituality and there has been a desire for development, progress, and expansion in every person. Our creative, historical, and scientific vision works to awaken our consciousness in times of challenges. During the last 11 months, with the cooperation of all of you, we have not only overcome difficulties, but have also had new achievements by overcoming many obstacles.

The Lt Governor informed that Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council is also running online yoga sessions for the people. Apart from this, following all the Corona protocols, the Sports Council is providing the facility of online coaching to the young players in other sports disciplines as well, which is commendable.

Condemning the disturbing act of the stone pelting on a medical team in Bandipora, the Lt Governor appealed to people to respect all Corona Warriors and get themselves vaccinated as responsible citizens of the society. He added that the most effective and safe way to prevent getting infected by the deadly virus is vaccination and Covid Appropriate Behavior. “By June 30, we have set a target of 100% vaccination in Jammu and Kashmir and I sincerely hope that you will fully help our health workers in this  giving a befitting reply to the elements spreading Vaccine Hesitancy”, concluded the Lt Governor. (PTK)