Jammu (NVI): Union Minister of State (PP) Dr Jitendra Singh today said “Article 370 is gone and gone forever” even as he informed that as many as 854 citizen-friendly laws are now applicable to newly created UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to reach out and benefit the last man in the queue.
“About 854 such laws which are citizen-friendly and will benefit the common man of J&K and Ladakh, who were previously deprived of it,” the Minister said adding: “now everybody should understand that Article 370 is gone and gone forever; and not in pieces, but as a whole and it is the determined resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Shri Amit Shah.”
Speaking at the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ conference here, Singh appealed to the people of the UTs not to pay heed to the fringe elements with vested interests and to cooperate with the Government in providing welfare to common masses.
The conference, organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with Governments of Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, focused on ‘Jal Shakti’ and ‘Disaster Management’
During the conference, Dr Jitendra Singh also released the Special issue of e-Magazine, ‘Minimum Government Maximum Governance’ based on Successful Innovations in Governance in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
He also launched the integration of CPGRAMS Public Grievance Portal of Government of India and Awaaz-e-Awam Portal of Jammu & Kashmir.
He also expressed happiness that the first conference had participation of about 450 delegates from 19 states and 4 UTs and the second conference has participation from about 350 delegates.
He said that the development model of North Eastern Region will be implemented in these UTs also. He also mentioned about the upcoming Panchayat Adalat and Bamboo workshop.
The Minister said that Jal Shakti Abhiyaan is a flagship programme of the Government and a separate Ministry has been created for it.
He also spoke about the issues related to Shahpur Kandi and the Ujh River projects in J&K. Now, the work on previously halted projects will be expedited.
He further said that this unique bonding of Northern-most UTs and Southern-most state will carry a message of good governance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
During the conference, the Minister for Revenue & Disaster Management, Government of Tamil Nadu, R.B. Udhayakumar expressed his happiness to participate in the regional conference on ‘Ek Bharat-Shresht Bharat’ with focus on Jal Shakti and Disaster management’ in Jammu.
“Collaboration will promote the exchange of technical expertise and best practices in the areas of optimal use of water resources in domestic consumption, agriculture and other usages,” he added.
Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, G.C. Murmu said that it is a proud privilege and great opportunity to share the best practices of different states. He emphasized upon the importance of water conservation and the sustainability of natural resources.
“Agricultural scientists should study the cropping pattern to suit the monsoon and other climatic conditions. There are certain structural things to be done to save water and mitigate the crisis of water shortage. It is not only about the availability of water, but also about the quality of water,” he said.
The Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, B. V. R. Subrahmanyam said that the themes of the conference are appropriate for J&K and no region in the country is as prone to natural disasters as J&K.
“Earth quake of 2005 and floods of 2014 which is due to the unique topography here and disaster management includes prevention as well as mitigation. We should learn from the state of Tamil Nadu to build up capacities,” he said.
“Water should be taken to every doorstep and by June 2021, the entire state should have pipe water supply. Tamil Nadu is one of the best users of water and managing its water resources,” he added.
He also mentioned about the Devika project that has potential to become a tourist destination in J&K.
-sb/nad
