Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Nov 17: National Conference – Congress Coalition Government has empowered the common people at the grass root level by conducting the Panchayati Raj elections and has given them the right to question the Government and its functionaries by enacting the Right to Information Act and the Public Service Guarantee Act, said Devender Singh Rana while addressing a series of way side meetings in Dansal block here today.
Rana said the devolution of powers to the grass root level and a bottom up planning process with the involvement of the people at the last mile helps in consolidating the process of development and makes it relevant to the people. He said right to ask questions and making it mandatory for its functionaries to reply is a big leap towards transparency in governance.
Castigating those who accuse the Coalition Government on governance, Rana said that they need to introspect, look inward, keep lies away and answer with their hand on their conscious that are they not just trying to hoodwink the people by spreading false canards. He said that some of those making such accusations have had spells in the Government and so need to first answer before the people their own conduct rather than pointing fingers towards the Coalition Government.
Rana said democracy has given the right to the people and 2014 when they exercise their franchise they will give a befitting reply to all of them and the truth will prevail and falsehood perish.
The Political Advisor to Chief Minister said J&K is passing through a transition and the leadership that Omar Abdullah has provided in difficult times has steered this ship from muddle which it was in 2008 and brought it to a point when the last two years have been the most peaceful years in the last two decades.
He said while the world recognizes Omar Abdullah’s caliber and ability to captain and sail this ship through most tumultuous times, some petty politicians who have always indulged in low grade political antics are not finding it palatable and going all out to tarnish his image.
He said that unemployment is an issue plaguing the State like other States in the country, but J&K happens to be the firstSstate in the country to come out with a comprehensive data on the magnitude of the problem and then on the basis of that data base devising a multi tracked approach to combat the problem of both unemployment and unemployability by bringing a novel scheme the SKEWPY.
Rana said infact the Voluntary Service Allowance rolled out by the State Government under the SKEWPY has been adopted by Uttar Pardesh and Punjab who made it their top promise in their manifesto when they went to elections.
Rana said the visionary steps taken in the power generation sector and power reforms have drawn praise from all the economic analysts and hailed as a prudent long term strategy to make the state power surplus as also reduce the transmission and distribution losses. He said it is sad that those who are indulging in rhetoric in power reforms misappropriated Rs. 3900 crore which came as power reforms grant from Government of India.
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