Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 21: The Government today appointed chairpersons to all 20 District Development Boards (DDBs)-10 each in Jammu and Kashmir regions, who with the help of MPs and legislators identify development works for their districts, hold regular reviews and ensure development of their areas.
Leh and Kargil districts in Ladakh don’t have the DDBs as they have been granted Autonomous Hill Development Councils.
According to official sources, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will head the Srinagar DDB while Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh will head two DDBs including Jammu and Samba.
An order to this effect was issued today by Planning and Development Department, headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
As there were only 17 Cabinet Ministers in the State including the Chief Minister, three of them would head two DDBs each.
Apart from Dr Nirmal Singh, a BJP veteran, who will be the chairman of Jammu and Samba districts, Works and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri, a senior PDP leader, will head Pulwama and Shopian DDBs. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Abdul Haq Khan, also a PDP leader will head twin DDBs Baramulla and Kulgam.
All other Ministers would be chairpersons of one DDB only.
Significantly, Social Welfare Minister Sajjad Lone, who was upset with the portfolio and hasn’t been attending his office and Cabinet meetings, has also been named as chairpersons of Doda DDB. Earlier also, he has been heading the same DDB.
In fact, the Government has allocated same districts to the Cabinet Ministers to head the DDBs, which they had been heading during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed regime. The changes have been made only in the case of three Cabinet Ministers-Altaf Bukhari and Javaid Mustafa Mir (both PDP) and Choudhary Sukhnandan (BJP), who were dropped by Mehbooba Mufti.
As the PDP didn’t include any new Cabinet Minister, its leaders Veeri and Haq Khan had been given charge of two districts each. Previously, only Dr Nirmal Singh used to head the two Boards of Jammu and Samba.
Mehbooba Mufti would be replacing his father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as the chairperson of the DDB Srinagar.
Sources said Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Prakash Ganga will be the chairman of Budgam District Development Board while Minister for Agriculture Production, Ghulam Nabi Lone will head Ganderbal District Development Board.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat, will be chairman of Kishtwar District Development Board, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Lal Singh will head Udhampur District Development Board.
Minister for Revenue, Relief & Rehabilitation, Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari will be the chairman of Poonch District Development Board, Minister for Finance, Culture and Labour & Employment, Dr Haseeb A Drabu will be the chairman of Anantnag District Development Board. Minister for Cooperatives, Chering Dorjey will head Reasi District Development Board while Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali will be the chairman of Kupwara District Development Board.
Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Sham Lal Choudhary will be chairman of Kathua District Development Board, Minister for Education, Naeem Akhter will be the chairman of Rajouri District Development Board, Minister for Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, Abdul Gani Kohli will be Chairman of Ramban District Development Board and Minister for Information Technology, Technical Education and Youth Services & Sports, Imran Raza Ansari will be the chairman of Bandipora District Development Board.
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