Approval had been accorded nearly six months back, to be precise in ending March this year, to adoption of J&K Tourism Policy, J&K Captive Power, Hydro Power and Renewable Energy Policy and J&K AYUSH Care Investment Policy. Though duly approved by the Administrative Council headed by the Lieutenant Governor, these policies are yet to be put in public domain. Like this,
due to the goof, deliberate or inadvertent, violation has been caused to the provisions of the Right to Information Act. What is just unbelievable is that what all these policies are aimed at and why they were proved is not known to the officers of the departments these policies are related to. Such a scenario vindicates our stand that most of the personnel including officers, generally, do not keep themselves abreast of what was latest about their departments and offices except of course, each and every development in respect of their pay and salary hike and allied matters. That is not only astonishing but surprising as well. Indirectly, that conveys that no serious attention was paid towards these policies immediately after formulating them till date by the Government. Every state in the country, in order to ensure speedy economic development pay preferred attention towards creating of a conducive business environment to create opportunities for attracting investments in various sectors aimed at boosting industrial growth and spurt in allied economic activities. The same was envisaged to be made possible in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir so as to ensure growth at comparative reduced costs so that enough employment opportunities were created, incomes generated and betterment in living conditions of the people brought about. What should have statutorily followed after approving the policies was not done that the same should have been brought into the knowledge of the people or put in ‘public domain’ so that what was there in the proposed policies could have been known by them as guaranteed under Right to Information Act. It is incumbent upon the Government to have views and opinions known from the public but for unknown reasons, it has not been done so far which means beyond according sanction, no further development took place so as to frame necessary rules and guidelines for implementation.
It may be noted that the tempo and the strategy which prompt taking such decisions prove to be half baked in effect if not proceeded further to have them operated and implemented. Neither these policies appear to be on official and departmental websites nor notified for public information in any other form. Time and again, the former Lieutenant Governor had issued instructions about regularly updating departmental websites. Taking extra care and interest in seeing early action
emanates from the type of the policies which hold special significance. For instance, policy pertaining to tourism is related to the backbone of the economy of Jammu and Kashmir where lot of investment is required to create the much needed infrastructure for promotion of tourism significantly. Tourism sector provides direct and indirect employment to
thousands of people engaged in hotels and catering services, houseboats and shikaras, transport,arts and crafts, dry fruits and the like. Likewise, Power and Renewable Energy is loaded with the promise of generating green and clean power in Jammu and Kashmir keeping in view importance and fragility of a pollution free environment required for sustaining tourism. In the same way, Captive Power Policy 2020 is aimed at establishing of captive power plants which would prove as a boon to the local industrialists. However, what is now needed is to proceed further from where a halt has taken place so that these policies prove their worth in tune with the hype they carried along till getting approved .
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