Admn gears up for readying Assembly complexes; accommodating its members

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo chairing a meeting on Saturday.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo chairing a meeting on Saturday.

HADP to usher in new era of agri growth: CS

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Aug 10: A meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo was held to draw a plan for making Legislative Assembly complexes at both Srinagar and Jammu ready for holding its sessions after holding of elections in the UT.
Those present includes Principal Secretary, Estates; Principal Secretary, Finance; Commissioner Secretary, IT; JK Resident Commissioner, Delhi; Secretary, R&B; Secretary, Transport; Secretary, Law; Secretary, Legislative Assembly; Director, Estates, Kashmir and other concerned officers.
During this meeting, the Chief Secretary impressed upon the concerned to taking immediate steps for renovation/refurbishing of these Assembly complexes at both Srinagar and Jammu in a time-bound manner.
He reiterated that the facilities like functionality of Sound System, Internet Connectivity, fire safety, functionality of lifts, giving facelift to the buildings and provisioning of allied amenities should also be taken in hand and completed at an earliest.
He asked for looking into the steps to renovate the chambers of Speaker, Dy Speaker, Leader of Opposition as well besides making provisions for their official vehicles and residential accommodations.
Dulloo also called upon the concerned to carry out repairing works of the MLA Hostels in both the cities. He made out that all the amenities required should be installed within the available time window till culmination of Assembly elections, as and when announced by the Election Commission of India.
He observed that pre-emptive steps should be initiated on part of administration to make preparations ahead of the elections so that there are no hindrances in smooth functioning of this pillar of democracy once it gets formed after conduct of elections here in J&K.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary said that Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) will usher in a new era of growth in agriculture and allied sectors that will greatly improve the lives of farmers and increase their manifold.
Chief Secretary made these remarks during interaction with HADP beneficiaries at Sher e Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir.
He said that there is certainly a view out there among the farmers of J&K that HADP has brought about significant enhancement in their income and witnessing the success stories of farmers is a reflection of the positive outcomes.
Dulloo said that 70 percent of the population in J&K has agriculture as predominant livelihood venture and it was in this context that government came up with a pragmatic and synergized policy program (HADP) which will address the challenges and transform sector into the envisioned prosperous sustainable agriculture economy in the region.
Dulloo said that HADP will enhance the income of 13 lakh farmer families and provide employment opportunities to about 3 lakhs and skill development to 2.5 lakh farmers.
He said that J&K has a comparative advantage over other parts of the country in various products like saffron, mushk budji rice, apples, walnuts and realising it’s full potential is one of the objectives of HADP.
Emphasizing that HADP provides a whole set of ecosystem where a farmer gets information, knowledge and understanding which builds his confidence, Chief Secretary said that this ecosystem has been brought about by the integration of farmers, agriculture department and University. Dulloo said that HADP is marked by collaborative efforts and a shared commitment to driving real income and livelihood growth for J&K’s farmers.
Vice Chancellor SKUAST, Secretary Agriculture, Director Agriculture, scientists, academicians, farmers, students were present there.