#JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir has achieved a significant milestone and remarkable feat in e-governance by providing over 1028 services in online mode for citizens, institutions, and business establishments. In the National e-services Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) report released by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India today,  the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir secured the topmost position with an impressive 1028 e-services, surpassing Madhya Pradesh with 1010 e-services and Kerala with 911 e-services.

This landmark achievement firmly places Jammu and Kashmir at the forefront of states and UTs in the provisioning of e-services.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while commending the efforts of all Departments, said that it is an achievement in tune with the commitment and resolve of the J&K administration to provide ease, convenience and accessibility of services to the common man ushering in a new era of digital governance.

This remarkable achievement is reshaping the social landscape, enhancing citizen satisfaction levels, ensuring transparency and accountability and empowering the aspirational and talented youth of the region.

“Driven by a ‘citizens-first’ approach and a steadfast commitment to empowering the public, this digital transformation represents a significant stride towards a governance system that is transparent, accountable, and highly efficient”, he said.

Under the Digital J & K programme launched in mission mode last year, the number of online services has increased exponentially from 35 services in 2019 to 1028 services as on date. The remarkable digital journey of J&K and the resultant transformation from a laggard status in e-governance to a leading position in such a short span of time is unprecedented.

This has brought about a paradigm shift resulting in increased transparency, accountability and efficiency at all levels. There has been a palpable reduction in corruption and increase in citizen satisfaction which is being regularly monitored through a citizen feedback mechanism. Over 61 lakh messages have been rent to the citizens for the feedback assessment with 86% approval rating, Similarly 73 services have been integrated with Digilocker.

The seriousness of Government’s resolve can be gauged from the fact that the Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), 2011 has been amended to bring online services under its ambit. Around 300 services have been brought under the auto-escalation mechanism for ensuring time bound delivery of services and penalties for delays in service delivery.

Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, while congratulating all the Departments for achieving this feat, said that it is a result of commitment to transparent and corruption free Governance. Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed exceptional increase in volume and uptake of e-services which has transformed the government-citizen interface as never before.

“It is the adoption of a robust model of e-Governance  and citizen-centric approach by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir which has resulted in an exponential rise in the number of online services and availability of services 24 x 7 x 365” he said.

#SRINAGAR: In a landmark decision, the Government of Jammu Kashmir has approved a proposal for allotment of 5 Marlas of land each to landless PMAY (G) beneficiaries. The decision was taken by the Administrative Council on 21st June 2023. The present allotment restricted to only the left out cases out of Permanent waiting list (PWL) 2018-19, which may later, at the time of launch of next phase of PMAY(G) scheme in 2024-25 be extended to the same categories of landless beneficiaries, who otherwise become eligible for getting housing assistance under PMAY(G) Phase-III. Following categories of Awaas plus beneficiaries will be considered by the Deputy Commissioner concerned for allotment of land under the JK revenue laws:

1. People residing on State land;
2. People residing on Forest land;

iii.      People residing in Rakhs and Farms land, where construction is not permitted;

1. People sitting on Custodian land; and
2. Land allotted to displaced people by Government near Dachigam park

          for agriculture purpose, where construction is not permitted.

1. Any other category of cases who are otherwise eligible for housing but do not have any land available for construction.”

“It is a historic day for Jammu Kashmir and a new beginning for thousands of landless families,” Lieutenant Governor, Shri Manoj Sinha said further adding that this historic decision will prove to be a golden chapter in Administration’s effort for social justice, equality, respect, and equal opportunities to all citizens.

“This path-breaking decision will not only entitle the landless poor to own a piece of land and have a house but it will also provide them means of livelihood, raise their living standards and realize their dreams and aspirations,” the Lt Governor said.

The Lt Governor said the poor section of the society is at the centre of government policies and a substantial population that was devoid of basic facilities and rights even after seven decades of Independence is being brought to the mainstream of development.

“Jammu Kashmir government is committed to Inclusive development. This move will open up endless opportunities to the poor and downtrodden and with this landmark decision the administration is acknowledging their immense contribution in the task of nation building,” the Lt Governor observed.

BACKGROUND

1. Ministry of Rural Development, GoI has on 30th May2023, allocated an additional target of 199550 Houses to UT of J&K for the FY 2023-24 for saturation of the Awaas + list (PWL 2018-19).
2. It has been desired by the Ministry to sanction these houses by 30th June, 2023 and ensure completion by 31st March, 2024.
3. In order to complete the exercise expeditiously, Block Level Camps were organized across the UT from 4th to 10th June, 2023, for obtaining the requisite documents of Households enlisted in AwaasPlus PWL, namely bank details, Aadhaar card, MGNREGA job card, ration card, revenue documents, phone number and a declaration that they have not constructed the house already and they are otherwise eligible under the guidelines of the scheme. These documents are needed, to ensure registration and sanctioning of houses as per assigned targets on AwaasSoft portal.
4. As on date 144385 houses have been registered and 141371 houses have been sanctioned to eligible households enlisted in Awaas + PWL against the aforementioned target.
5. During the field verification of beneficiaries in the aforesaid period of Block Level Camps, it has been reported by the field functionaries that 2711 households enlisted in Awaas + PWL are landless. There are many more, who could not otherwise submit their documents due to various reasons like seasonal migration. If the Government of India extends the timeline,
   this number is expected to go up by a couple of thousands. Else they will be considered in the next phase of the scheme.
6. PMAY(G) guidelines of Ministry of Rural Development provide for providing land of 25sqmt (Approx one marla) to the landless beneficiaries for construction of PMAY house. But in order to ensure sufficient land availability with them to support their basic living, it has been decided to allot five (05) marlas of land to following categories of persons, who are part of Awaas plus Permanent waiting list (PWL) 2018-19:-
7. Land less.
8. Occupying state/forest or any other land, where construction is not permitted.

#SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor #ManojSinha inaugurated the 100-Bedded Base Hospitals at #Baltal and Chandanwari, through virtual mode, today.

The Lt Governor congratulated the #DRDO, all the associated officials, engineers and the workforce for completing the construction of the hospitals in a record time of 15 days.

The Lt Governor said the two makeshift State-of-the-art hospitals, built by DRDO, will help in providing better and round the clock healthcare facilities to the pilgrims of Shri #Amarnath Ji Yatra and to those engaged in Yatra Management.

The Lt Governor expressed gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister #NarendraModi and the Ministry of Health for providing all necessary resources for hospitals.

Baltal and Chandanwari Hospitals are equipped with the most advanced equipment, separate block for doctors and nursing staff, ICU Wards, Oxygenated Wards and Triage areas and other required inventories for all critical medical care, he added.

“J&K Government has laid great emphasis on healthcare of pilgrims and local community involved for arrangements of pilgrimage,” the Lt Governor said.

He directed the health officials to prepare a proposal for permanent hospitals at Baltal and Chandanwari. Soon base camps will have sustainable healthcare facilities, he added.

The Lt Governor directed the officials to ensure strict enforcement of all the health-related SoPs with special focus on sanitation and cleanliness in and around the hospitals. It is our collective responsibility to make the pilgrimage of the devotees more convenient and hassle-free, he added.

He urged the doctors and nursing staff to serve the people with compassion. He also wished the pilgrims and entire management team health, happiness and prosperity.

#JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta today held a meeting of all the Administrative Secretaries to review the performance of different Departments regarding pace of the Developmental works and overall expenditure of Departments during  2022-23.

The meeting was also attended by the officers from the Expenditure Division-I and II besides those of Budget section from the Finance Department.

On the occasion Dr Mehta emphasized that the Capex Budget is the actual portion of the budget the utilization of which creates durable public assets. He emphasised on efficient planning for so that the expenditure outcomes are maximized.

He observed that there is manifold increase in number of works completed in recent years and during the past few years the number has grown very substantially. He urged upon the officers to strategize spending for meeting the targets for completion of works during the current financial year.

The Chief Secretary advised the officers to set monthly targets for completion of works so that the March-rush at the fag end of the financial year is avoided here. He called for setting a timeline for each project and allied activities to be carried under it. He told them to have periodical reviews at their levels to ensure that the timeframe set for each activity is complied with.

He asked them to complete the tendering process of every work against which the Administrative Approval and Technical Sanction has been secured. He also stressed on saturating all the beneficiary oriented schemes especially those regarding self employment as per new demands on ground.

Dr Mehta told them to ensure that the funds earmarked for each work under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) are timely accessed from GoI Ministries and spent for maximum benefit of public. He emphasised on uploading data on the GoI designated portals simultaneously so that funds are released timely by them and spent by the Departments as per their requirements. He advised them to seek assistance from IT Department, in case any technical issues are faced by them.

He enjoined upon the officers to ensure that uploading of all the works is done at an earliest so that necessary releases are made against each work through BEAMS portal. He told them to make it a feature to reflect activity wise/scheme wise releases so that everybody has a fair idea about each of the work and activity carried out by the departments. He also encouraged people to be partners in development by taking part through ‘Janbhagidari’ and monitoring their works themselves and provide the feedback.

He expressed that each of the officer in any department should own the responsibility of being a catalyst in furthering the government policies and schemes. He stated that all of us should work with a right frame of mind to achieve better results in a time-bound manner. He made out that the ‘Whole of Government Approach’ is the cornerstone for percolation of benefits down to the grassroots level as per the aims and aspirations of general public.

The Chief Secretary also took note of the number of works completed previous financial year. He urged the Planning Department to come up with the E-Compendium of all these completed works like that of Districts at an earliest. He made out that the set target for completion of works this year should be met without any fail. He also urged them to achieve all the deliverables set for each of the department by following them with due urgency and application.

The Chief Secretary was informed that under UT Capex about 40510 works are going on currently out of which 32615 works are going to be completed at the end of this financial year. It was also revealed that under CSS a total of 19828 works would be taken in hand including the new ones out of which 17102 works are slated to be completed this year.

Similarly under District Capex the number of works to be taken up in different districts of the UT is 48454 for the year 2023-24. The funds are being released to the concerned DCs for taking them up and many of them had already been tendered out during past couple of months.

It was also given out that around 22837 works were completed under UT Capex alone last year. It was added that an E-Compendium of these works would be put in public domain shortly as was done by Districts depicting the works done under District Capex 2022-23. Such measures are going to enhance transparency as the public is encouraged to examine the performance of government themselves and give their feedback about improvements, if any.

It was also given out that the additional features like geo-tagging and photography of works is putting extra checks to ensure that quality work is done on ground. Together with e-tendering and 3rd party verification of works by both PRIs and the Planning Department is aimed at bringing transparency and accountability in the execution of these projects throughout J&K.