|16 One Year Of Abrogation: Look Back At The Top Policy Decisions TKW Staff cus on Class IV and Class III vacancies, since April 2020. O n 5 August 2019, the Government of India broke down the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir ( J-K) into two federally-governed territories—J-K (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature). It put the divided regions under the direct control of the Lieutenant Government (LG). However, the erstwhile state was already administered by the Central government-appointed governor since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out from the coalition government with People’s Democratic Party in the assembly in June 2018. In the past year, the LG-governed administration has taken several policy-related decisions in J-K. Here is a brief look at them: The J-K Reorganization Act 2019 made all the central laws applicable in the region, which was earlier governed by a separate constitution conferred under article 370 of the constitution. Though, a few state laws, which were retained, were also modified. One of the major policy changes undertaken by the administration was issuance of domicile certificates after the region’s special status was revoked. Now, the domicile is defined as an individual who has resided in J-K for a period of fifteen years or have studied for a period of seven years and appeared in tenth or twelfth examination in a registered educational institute in J-K. The definition also includes children of central government or central government aided organizations, Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) who have served in J-K for a period of ten years. The government claimed that this will benefit discriminated categories like West Pakistan Refugees, Gurkhas, Safai Karamcharies, and women native to J-K that married outside. Since last August, anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has also taken large scale, big ticket actions, including the arrests of a Former Managing Director (MD) Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP) Bhupinder Singh Dua in a disproportionate assets case and the former Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) and Agriculture Extension Officer (AEO) Budgam for alleged misappropriation in government funds. In a major recruitment drive post 31 October 2019, when the region officially started functioning as a federally-governed territory, the administration began the selection of candidates for over 10,000 posts at various levels, with a particular foIn another major decision, the administration approved several amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Rules, 2005, wherein Pahari Speaking people (PSP) were included in the category of socially and educationally backward classes and increased the income ceiling of backward classes from 4.5 to 8 lakh rupees. Kashmir’s Saffron was also awarded the long-awaited Geographic Indication (GI) tag that, LG Girish Chandra Murmu said, would also put it on the world map with authentication. In addition, the GI would help the saffron grown in Kashmiri saffron gain more reputation in the export market, thus helping the farmer earn better income. The government claimed the move was to rationalize the existing reservation policy and give representation to the Pahari community. The decision will impact about 9.6 lakh people of the Pahari community across J-K. The Central government has long claimed that it has empowered the grassroot democratic politics—Panchayati Raj system. In a number of policy changes, the government placed a grievance box in every Panchayat and institutionalized a regular system of interaction of district officers with Panchayat representatives. The administration also developed funds, functions and functionaries for the panchayats. Elected representatives were given honorarium and formal position in the Warrant of Precedence by the government as well as organised another Back to Village (B2V) programme, where every Gazetted officer spent two days and a night in the allotted Panchayat. The government claimed that 20,000 development works identified directly by the people. On 31 December 2019, the administration also abolished Lakhanpur toll after “interact[ing] with various stakeholders and to suggest measures to improve the competitiveness of the local industry.” However, it was met with protests by industrialists termed the withdrawal of toll tax as a “Black Death Warrant for J-K Industrial Sector”. The administration also moved the process of land registration in J-K from the courts to executives as it appointed seventy-seven sub-registrars and formed e-stamping rules. With a focus on improved service and stable revenues, the Jammu and Kashmir Power Distribution Department was unbundled and five new corporations were set up. The administration also claimed to have extended the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to the entire population. Under this scheme, which is a part of the Central government’s National Health Policy, free health coverage is provided at the secondary and tertiary level to its bottom 40 per cent poor and vulnerable population. Amid the clampdown after August 2019, the administration introduced a Market Intervention Scheme for the apple growers across Kashmir Valley. It claimed that the scheme helped stabilize the market. In an attempt to reach out to the people on ground, thirty-six Union Ministers visited twelve districts in J-K in a week and held a hundred public meetings as 210 public projects were inaugurated. In a coordinated plan, the administration also integrated J-K Grievance Website with Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) to make it more specially-abled people friendly. Another developmental project, which had become a laughing stock -- Rambagh flyover in Srinagar, was finally inaugurated and opened for traffic. Another project to ensure better connectivity, the work on Jammu-Akhnoor road, Chenani-Sudhmahadev road started and accelerated. Under the administration, nearly 25 per cent of Jammu Ring Road was also completed. The administration also finalized the Light Rail Transit System (Metro) for Jammu and Srinagar as Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared for Rs. 10,599 crores. To finish multiple projects that were languishing for about a decade, the administration set up J-K Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC) and sanctioned 2,273 projects worth 5,979 crore rupees. Out of them, the administration claimed that it has completed 506 projects, while 963 projects are scheduled for completion by March 2021. In a push to the hydro projects in J-K, work started on contracts of 1,000 MegaWatt (MW) Pakal Dul Project and 624 MW Kiru Project. Also, to push the transmission and distribution works in the power sector, the administration took over 213 packages for execution; out of it, 128 already have been completed. The administration also claimed that it completed the Jhelum Flood Mitigation Project (Phase-I), which increased the river’s capacity by 10,000 cusecs. To strengthen the education sector in J-K, the administration also sanctioned seven new medical colleges, which added 1,400 more medical and paramedical seats combined. It also approved five new nursing colleges and a State Cancer Institute. In the meantime, fifty new degree colleges were also started.
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