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Govt spent Rs 565 cr without budgetary provision: CAG
Mufti takes Cong to task for ignoring panchayats
Omar defends harsh power cuts in J&K
Centre unhappy with NRHM implementation in J-K
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State gets just Rs 71 lakh from courier agencies in 3 years
PDP workers gear up for Mehbooba’s Rajouri visit
Maulana Azad regional campus in Budgam soon
Govt mulls road between Dachigam, Tarsar Marsar
Clear teachers’ pending salary bills, orders VC
Conference held to popularise Urdu
Mild quake in parts of J-K
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Govt spent Rs 565 cr without budgetary provision: CAG
Jammu, April 15 “As per the Budget Manual, expenditure should not be incurred on a scheme or service without provision of funds. It was, however, noticed that expenditure of Rs 565.42 crore was incurred in 64 major heads of accounts without any provision in the original estimates and supplementary demand and without any re-appropriation to this effect”, the CAG report pointed out. The report found that this expenditure, Rs 141.64 crore more than previous fiscal, was incurred without any budgetary provision. An expenditure of Rs 423.78 crore was incurred in 49 major heads of accounts without any provision in original estimates for the year 2009-10. Giving details, the report said the highest expenditure was Rs 144.43 crore in Public Works Department (PWD), followed by Rs 87.70 crore in Social Welfare Department, Rs 77.33 crore in Health and Medical Education Department and Rs 32.38 in Planing and Development Department. This was followed by Rs 31.53 crore in Power Development Department, Rs 26.42 crore in Rural Development Department, Rs 25.69 crore in Industries and Commerce Department and Rs 23.50 crore in Agriculture Department. The report found that the state government had also failed to surrender Rs 3,762.45 crore in 42 cases of budgetary grants and appropriations in financial year 2010-11, thus violating the state budget manual. The government's failure in this regard deprived it of the opportunity to transfer them to other needy sectors, the report pointed out. The CAG also castigated the state government for not regularising the excess expenditure. “As per Article 205 of the Constitution of India, it is mandatory for the state to get the excess over a grant or appropriation regularised by the state legislature. Although no time limit for regularisation of the expenditure has been prescribed under the Article, the regularisation of the excess expenditure is done after the completion of discussion of the Appropriate Account by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). As the Appropriate Accounts has not been discussed by the PAC, the excess expenditure amounting to Rs 78,428 crore for the year 1980-2010 was yet to be regularised”, the report mentioned. what auditor says
As per the Budget Manual, expenditure should not be incurred on a scheme or service without provision of funds. It was, however, noticed that expenditure of Rs 565.42 crore was incurred in 64 major heads of accounts without any provision in the original estimates |
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Mufti takes Cong to task for ignoring panchayats
Mufti, who was addressing a meeting of party workers at Kathua, ridiculed Congress leaders who were demanding the extension of the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Constitution in the state. “Congress leaders have been demanding the extension of these two amendments in Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions, but the Congress, which is part of the government, has failed to even convince its coalition partner to conduct elections of block and district committees of the Panchayati Raj institutions,” he said. He said the delay in constituting block and district committees was a clear indication that the regime, with a dictatorial mindset, was not interested in strengthening democratic institutions in the state. “Almost a year has passed after the completion of the panchayat elections, but block and district committees are yet to be constituted because the government is not interested in empowering and strengthening the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state,” he said. He added, “I do not know in which capacity the Congress leaders have been demanding the extension of the 73rd and 74th amendments because they are equally responsible for eroding the sanctity of the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state.” The PDP patron while hailing the recent decisions of India and Pakistan to dismantle all trade barriers and ease visa restrictions said the Indo-Pak bonhomie at the Waga border was a result of the pro-peace policies initiated by the PDP. He said the PDP had pioneered a political and economic agenda to establish sustainable peace in the subcontinent. “Establishing lasting peace and consolidation of the reconciliation process is the top agenda of the PDP,” Mufti said. He added that, “Our party, through its pro-peace policies, has consolidated the reconciliation process and facilitated the efforts of establishing peace in this region.” While reminding party workers about the historic rally of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at Srinagar on April 18, 2003, where he (Vajpayee) had extended friendship towards Pakistan despite tension on the border, Mufti said the historic event was the beginning of an era of peace in the region and the credit for that goes to the PDP. |
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Omar defends harsh power cuts in J&K
“I supply the 2nd cheapest power in the country and have the highest T&D losses so ‘inhuman’ power cuts are inevitable,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter in response to a query about power cuts. He said the only way to do away with power cuts was to increase the tariff but said that he “can’t do that”. “I have the solution, I should charge as much as Himachal charges… but since I can't do that I have to balance moderate tariff hike with load shedding and measures to control theft and line loss. Our average price is around (Rs) 2.70 per unit and Himachal’s is 4.78. Sikkim is the cheapest at 2.21 per unit and Assam is the most expensive at 5.12 per unit,” Omar said. Omar’s follower on his Twitter profile, Bilal Nazki, who had raised the issue, in reply said it was the Chief Minister’s responsibility to look for a solution to the problem. “Appreciate but you are the one who has to find a solution. Decision has to be yours… I will cut down my consumption and pay according to the rates fixed as a good citizen,” Nazki wrote. The Power Development Department (PDD) had announced the harsh power curtailment schedule at the beginning of the winter season last year in the Valley. While the move drew flak from many quarters, the PDD defended its decision saying that the water bodies in Kashmir had dried up. However, now that the Valley has received heavy snow and rains throughout the winter season and after, the PDD still is subjecting the residents to harsh power cuts. |
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Centre unhappy with NRHM implementation in J-K
Jammu, April 15 Sources said the Union Health Ministry was unhappy with the state for not meeting the NRHM targets and has expressed disappointment over the functioning of field cells established at the district level to monitor implementation of the programme last year --- after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had ordered third-party monitoring of the projects. Though the respective Deputy Commissioners and Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) across the state were told to submit the monthly progress of the projects, the targets have not yet been met. In the next few weeks, the Union Health Ministry is expected to review the achievements of the NRHM, which has completed seven years across the country. The sources said the assessment would take into account utilisation of funds, progress on health front in rural areas, the targets achieved, and the areas and the people who benefited from the programme. “The state is making a last-ditch effort to present a rosy picture of its achievements, but on the ground many of the projects are far from completion. It will affect the future funding pattern. Even Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has expressed his dismay at the implementation of the programme,” said a source. Though enough funds had been sanctioned by the Centre, the failure to utilise them have forced the Union Health Ministry to repeatedly warn the state to streamline its implementation. “Last year Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had ordered third-party monitoring, after which field cells were established by the Health Department but they have also failed to provide the correct picture,” said an official of the Health Department. The sources said further grants to the states under the NRHM would depend on the progress made by them under the flagship programme, satisfactory utilisation of funds for the past seven years and benefits extended in providing health care to rural people. Since the launch of the Centrally-sponsored scheme in the state, Rs 592.61 crore has been released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Rs 87.12 crore by the state government till January this year. “The utilisation of funds has remained very poor in some sectors. The Centre expressed its concern over this issue last year, asking the state to improve its delivery system,” a source said. The main objective of the programme was reduction in child and maternal mortality, access to public services for food and nutrition and access to public health care with emphasis on services addressing women and children’s health. However, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma when contacted said the government had been able to achieve its targets. “I don’t buy the idea that we have failed anywhere, but our models are being copied by other states. Any loopholes in implementation of the schemes are being addressed”. Centre slashed aid in 2008-10
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Srinagar-Leh highway to reopen on April 25
Srinagar, April 15 Akhoon made the statement during his visit to Captain Moad in the Ladakh region yesterday where he reviewed the measures taken by the Beacon authorities in connection with the lifting of snow and other hurdles on the highway. On the occasion, the Minister urged the Beacon authorities to accelerate the restoration work on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh national highway to ensure that the vital road would be thrown open for the vehicles at the earliest. The lone link between Leh and rest of the country was closed in December last year due to heavy snowfall at Zojila and adjacent areas. Engineer of Beacon AP Singh informed the Minister that six bulldozers and about 30 labourers had been pressed into service for removing snow and other hurdles on the road. Meanwhile, Akhoon said the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways had already approved the construction of 13-km-long Zojila Tunnel to provide an all-season link to the twin districts of Leh and Kargil while adding that the work on the project would be started this year only. He also said the foundation stone of the first phase 6 km tunnel from Gagangeer to Sonamarg in Ganderbal district would be laid in August as per the schedule announced earlier. |
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Not possible to have fixed duration of Amarnath Yatra: Shrine Board
“As per tradition, the annual Amarnath Yatra concludes on the date on which Raksha Bandhan falls. This year, the duration of the yatra has got reduced by seven days as Raksha Bandhan is 11 days earlier than last year i.e. on August 2, even though the pilgrimage is scheduled to commence on June 25, four days earlier than last year,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SASB, Naveen Choudhary said in a statement here. The CEO asserted that the pilgrimage culminates on whatever date Raksha Bandhan falls. “Thus, its duration in a given year can be 20-25 days longer or 20-25 days shorter than the duration in the preceding year, depending on the date in August on which Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) is to be celebrated,” he said. The CEO, who met some mediapersons last evening, stated that the 46-day-long yatra commenced on June 29 and concluded on August 13, the date of Raksha Bandhan in 2011. Explaining other related factors, he said the board had constituted a committee, chaired by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, to consider all relevant factors and recommend the basis on which the schedule and duration of the 2012 and subsequent yatras could be settled. He further recalled that the committee was set up following an agreement reached between the Shrine Board and Baba Yatri Niyas and various other organisations in June 2011. These groups had raised issues about the basis on which the Shrine Board fixed the yatra duration. The CEO also explained the various factors taken into consideration by the committee. On the variation in the duration of the yatra, he stated that the yatra had to be curtailed to 51 days on the Baltal route and to 40 days on the Pahalgam route due to weather vagaries and slow melting of the the heavy accumulation of snow on the frozen tracks in 2009. Initially, it had been announced that the yatra would be for a period of 60 days along both routes. He said the change in the yatra schedule had upset the journey schedules of pilgrims from distant areas in the country and generated serious complaints from pilgrims who had to forego their railway and other bookings and face inconvenience. The CEO disclosed that during 1995-2003 the average duration of the yatra was 29.5 days. “We have to ensure a safe, secure and smooth conduct of the arduous pilgrimage to the holy cave. In the 2011 yatra, 107 pilgrims had lost their lives on the tracks or in the camps.” The CEO said that Governor N N Vohra, who is ex officio chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, has also directed the board to place the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Committee Report on its website to present a holistic viewpoint about the facts and relevant factors influencing the schedule and duration of the annual yatra. The Board further decided that the CEO would arrange a special puja on Jyestha Purnima, which falls on June 4, at the cave shrine if feasible, or at any other suitable location in the yatra area to invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva for the safe and smooth conduct of this year’s pilgrimage. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Committee recommendations
PILGRIMS’ TRAIL
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Low cost houses to come up for slum dwellers
Jammu, April 15 Sources said the step was taken to avoid any controversy in distribution of 3,000 low cost houses to be constructed under the Centrally-sponsored Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) and the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP). A Bill to give property rights to people living in makeshift colonies was passed recently in the Assembly. Jammu and Kashmir, which enjoys a special status under the Indian Constitution, is the only state where slum rehabilitation process is being closely monitored by the implementing agencies, as non-state subjects cannot own property here. Officials said the government had planned to construct houses in Srinagar and Jammu, as a large population lives in these colonies. According to the data, nearly 93,118 people live in slums in the state. In Kashmir 86,092 people and in Jammu 7,026 people live in makeshift houses. The project is the phase first of the Centrally-sponsored scheme. The officials said the survey was being conducted by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). “The survey has become necessary, particularly in urban areas, as dozens of slums have sprung up in the past two decades. Mostly these are inhabited by outsiders, who have managed to transform makeshift sheds into permanent dwelling units,” said an official on the conditions of anonymity. Minister of State for Urban Development Nasir Aslam Wani said, “We have started a sustained effort to provide low cost housing to the poor and every step is being taken that deserving get the benefit.” The Minister said so far five projects costing Rs 162.39 crore had been sanctioned under the BSUP in Jammu and Srinagar. An amount of Rs 41.17 crore has been received out of which Rs 21.43 crore has been incurred till January 2012. Around 48 projects costing Rs 141.40 crore have been sanctioned under the IHSDP in 35 towns of the state. An amount of Rs 70.10 crore has been received out of which Rs 37.78 crore has been incurred till January 2012. There are a number of semi-settlements in Jammu city at Qasim Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, Maratha Colony, Panjtirthi and BC Road. They have been claiming that they belong to the state and should be covered under the Permanent Resident Certificate rules. |
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State gets just Rs 71 lakh from courier agencies in 3 years
Jammu, April 15 A query filed by “Sangharsh”, an RTI group, had revealed last year that in the past one decade, the state had been robbed of Rs 600 crore in the form of tax evasion, mostly by the rich and influential. In the past three years, the state government earned revenue of Rs 71.29 lakh in striking contrast
to the fact that the state has 16 registered and 19 unregistered courier
agencies. Officially, the state has 19 unregistered courier agencies, all in the Jammu region. In 2008-09, the state earned revenue of Rs 22.14 lakh from these agencies, which dropped to Rs 20.62 lakh in 2009-10 but rose to Rs 28.53 lakh in 2010-11. Under Section 68 of the J&K VAT Act of 2005, the registration of courier agencies is being done by the Additional Commissioners of the Commercial Taxes Department in the twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar. While the Jammu region has five registered courier agencies, the Kashmir region has 11 agencies. What gives Jammu a dubious distinction is the fact that it has 19 unregistered courier agencies. The government claimed that it has slapped statutory notices on the unregistered agencies and in three such cases, it has penalised the agencies recovering Rs 2.76 lakh from them. While three unregistered agencies have applied for getting registered, in the remaining cases, the government has already slapped statutory notices telling them to appear before the Additional Commissioner, Commercial Taxes Department here. Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, on December 18 last year, had called for vigorous auditing and assessment to eliminate the possibility of evasion. Being the major source of revenue for the state exchequer, there should be no room for tax evasion or laxity in its realisation process, he had said. |
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PDP workers gear up for Mehbooba’s Rajouri visit
Rajouri, April 15 Newly-elected district president of the PDP Abdul Qayoom Dar said workers had made all arrangements before Mehbooba’s visit to the town and hoped that people would participate in the rally in a big way. “The people want change in the system, as the present government has completely failed to stop corruption in the state, which hampers development works in the state,” Abdul Qayoom said. “We would raise issues like road connectivity and sanitation problem in front of the party president,” senior PDP leader Shahzad Khan said. He said the road from Shadra Sharif to Rajouri was in a bad condition. “The project should be brought under the Mughal Road project,” the PDP leader added. Under the voluntary service allowance of the SKEWPY in Rajouri district, out of the 30,037 youth registered, the total number of beneficiaries is 1,200, he said. Various meetings and awareness programmes have been organised in Thanamandi, Mogla and Gambit to aware local residents ahead of her visit. “The district administration has strengthened security in Rajouri town. More security personnel of the Army and the police have been placed at all important points to maintain vigil and avert any untoward incident,” Additional Superintendent of the Police, Rajouri, said. Hotels and lodges are also being checked by the police ahead of Mehbooba’s visit tomorrow. |
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51,622 children given polio drops in Reasi district
Katra, April 15 This was stated by Dr Des Raj, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Reasi. He added that the campaign would continue for two more days so that left out children could be administered polio drops on the booth day. Those children left out during the booth activity on the first day would be administered the polio vaccine on April 16 and 17 by house-to-house teams, he added. The CMO said in order to carry out the campaign in an efficient way, 351 booths were set-up in the district and were manned by approximately 1,404 health officials, volunteers, anganwari and ASHA workers. Six mobile teams have been camping at Adhkuwari, Banganga, Bhawan and Shanji Chhat to facilitate the devotees visiting the holy cave shrine. Dr Des Raj said the activity was preceded by awareness campaigns through print media, radio, TV, drum beating and other activities. More than 55,000 children would be administered polio drops during the campaign. He said while administering polio drops to the left out children special attention would be paid to high risk areas like slums, isolated hutments, brick kilns, floating or migrating population and construction sites so that no child was left out in these areas. |
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Maulana Azad regional campus in Budgam soon
Srinagar, April 15 The site for the proposed campus has already been endorsed by the university authorities concerned,” District Development Commissioner (DDC), Budgam, Mohammad Rafi said. He made the statement while speaking at an interactive session held at Sheikh-ul-Alam Hall, Budgam, yesterday to mark the 121st birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. Rafi said apart from offering other modern streams with Urdu as the medium of teaching, the university campus would also have vocational education components to enhance the employability of students. The opening of the regional campus will be a boon for the students of Budgam, keeping in view its educational backwardness, he added. Later, the DDC, Budgam, inaugurated a 32 metre-long bridge over the Sukhnag nullah in Beerwa town. The bridge has been constructed at a cost of Rs 80 lakh.
— TNS |
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Govt mulls road between Dachigam, Tarsar Marsar
Srinagar, April 15 Addressing a gathering at Tral in Pulwama, the Irrigation Minister regretted that “the area could not take off on the developmental front due to disturbed conditions in the area”. He said the government would now pay special attention to the development needs of the people of Tral. Taj also reviewed the developmental scenario of the area during a joint meeting of officials, engineers and prominent citizens. He directed engineers to complete all the ongoing hydraulic projects in the town on priority. |
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Clear teachers’ pending salary bills, orders VC
Jammu, April 15 Instructions have been passed to all officials concerned that bills pertaining to the conduct of practical or theory papers and their evaluation should be paid to the teachers within 7 days. These bills have been pending for the past two years. Avinash Gupta, president of the association, demanded that the rates be revised as the last revision of rates was affected in 2004. He also demanded that the reservation for the wards of college teachers in PG admissions be restored from the new academic session. |
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Conference held to popularise Urdu
Rajouri, April 15 Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council Mohammed Yousuf Taing was the chief guest on the occasion. Not only Indian poets, but a Saudi Arabian poet Dr Zuber Farooq also participated in the conference. During the conference, poets took a serious note of the decreasing popularity of the Urdu language and discussed various ways to uplift the Urdu language and poetry in the country. Speaking to the media, founder patron and Chairman of the Himalayan Education Mission Society Farooq Ahmed Muzdar said, “It is a two-day conference of Urdu poets and the main focus is on how to improve and uplift the declining graph of the Urdu language in the country.” “The development of the language is more necessary at present to maintain and strengthen this characteristic of the state,” he said and emphasised the need of giving a boost to the language. It is our duty to serve society and Urdu is a wonderful way to pass the message of peace and prosperity, he said.
— OC |
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Srinagar, April 15 The tremor, however, was not felt in the Kashmir valley, the official added. There were no reports of any casualties, he said. — PTI
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Travails of darbar move
The process of the annual darbar move from the winter capital to the summer capital has started with the issuance of government order earlier this month. The Civil Secretariat and other government offices would close in Jammu on April 28 and reopen in Srinagar on May 7. This practice brings along with it travails on the administrative front. No doubt the six-month-long stint at either end is beneficiary for people in the respective regions. But, a lot of time is consumed in packing and transportation of records and restarting the business afresh. By the time the darbar move orders are issued, most of the work and files get piled up for reopening after the move. In the process more than a month lapses with little or no attention to many vital administrative issues. To overcome the lapses, a major shift to e-governance seems to be the only way out for speedy development through a transparent methodology. Innovators’ demand During an innovators’ meet held at Kashmir University (KU) earlier this month, a few participants underscored the need of having a permanent centre for technology innovation at the campus. The demand seemed genuine as many local innovators have come up with several useful innovations like electrical painting brush, pole climber, walnut cracking machine, car for the physically challenged among others that can benefit a cross-section of people. The innovations have already been taken note of as some of the innovators present at the KU function had also received national awards from President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi last month. While it came to the fore at the innovators’ meet that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already sent a letter of consent regarding the setting up of a centre for technology innovation, it is hoped that the KU administration expedites the process. — Contributed by Ehsan Fazili and M Aamir Khan |
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Jammu, April 15
Srinagar, April 15
Jammu, April 15