Finalizing of J&K annual plan 2012-13, which is to the tune of 7300 crore rupees, could not be done as scheduled and may now come off in June instead of April. The reason for delay is the assembly session and other preoccupations of the Planning Commission in New Delhi. Obviously delay in finalizing causes financial hardship in the way of completion of projects now underway. Conscious of the situation likely to take shape, the Chief Minister who is also holding the charge of the State Planning Department, took the intermediary step of authorizing 25 per cent of the amount of annual lay out to all departments. It is irrespective of whether these Departments are connected with the incurring of capital expenditure or not. This may be called an emergency but a necessary step failing which the normal work on projects in hand would have been hampered. The CM expects that the twenty-five percent authorized amount will be met from home resources till formal release of plan amount is in sight. Letters have been sent to district development commissioners to utilize the twenty-five per cent of amount in projects that are in the pipeline though they have been instructed not to commit the Government to any new projects before the finalization of the annual plan. According to knowledgeable sources the Government is able to meet the 25 per cent from its own resources because the financial year 2011-12 had recorded all time increase for the State.
Our state is financially a deficit state and depends on large scale financial assistance from the centre. In particular, the State has to bear the big expenditure on purchasing power from other states. This is despite the fact that we are having sufficient water to generate electricity. Bad planning, delayed funding, and other bottlenecks have left us with big problem of power supply. No substantial progress is possible in the face of power cuts and sick industries. The Government has already announced a large number of big and small projects. As we know generally these projects get delayed either because of paucity of funds or red-tape hindrances. Corruption and mismanagement are also contributing to delayed projects. Policy planners will need to give due importance to the need of formalizing J&K State annual allocations in proper time. In a mostly mountainous and snow bound state, actual developmental work on the ground is done in summer months only. We have only six to eight months of summer to complete projects in the valley, Ladakh region and the winter zones in Jammu region like Doda, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah and upper reaches of Rajouri and Poonch districts. As such we would like that the States annual plan is taken up on priority basis by the Central as well as the State Planning Commission/department. Though deliberations for annual plan 2012-13 finalization had begun as early as December, and ever since, twice the teams of state planning department met with their counterparts at the Planning Commission in New Delhi, yet the process has run into postponement for one or the other reason. There is regular communication between the Chief Minister and the top leadership at the Union Planning Commission and there appears to be good understanding between them. Obviously the CM will be meeting with the PM, Finance Minister and Vice Chairman Planning Commission before the formal meetings among the bureaucrats to discuss the annual plan in all its dimensions. We are aware that all policy planners at the centre who are directly or indirectly connected with the State’s annual plan are more than willing to give the State the maximum of support but the delay happens because there is more business to attend and that takes the time of the authorities.
It may be mentioned that the State had projected 7300 crore worth annual plan and 700 crore as Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) for 2012-13. The project plan was 10 per cent over and above previous year’s plan of 6000 crore. However the PMRP amount of 1200 crore during last financial year has been pegged at Rs. 700 crore this year as some of the schemes taken up under PMRP have been completed. However in the matter of State’s annual plan, the State Government had forward to the Planning Commission details of targets of Own Tax Revenue in the State, reforms in different sectors and expenditures of current financial year’s plan and this was approved by the Planning Commission. It may be mentioned that J&K Government was given 1300 crore worth annual power reform grant for three years from 2006. The grant was later stopped because the government did not make significant power reforms. Thus power sector remains badly affected item. In final analysis we hope that the much delayed but crucial meeting of the State delegation with the Planning Commission will not be delayed once again as the state cannot afford to run on ad-hoc basis.
Mailbag
Harassment of pensioners
Sir,
Many unsavoury, unexpected and odd things are happening in our State. The authorities plan, with utter lack of imagination and reasonableness, policies which earn the wrath of the people. The recent order, requiring pensioners to prove that they are living, is a case in point. Without being conscious of the devastating impact of this order on the pensioners, especially those who have been subjected to crippling and life threatening diseases, the Govt is following its policy of harassment relentlessly. These unfortunate people are physically and mentally on the decline. Some, with rickety legs and tottering knees, can hardly walk, not to speak of going through the torturous process of visiting their respective Banks for the procurement of their PPOs which they get only after paying many more visits. Finally they go to their respective treasuries and there they join the thick crowds of their fellow sufferers, to prove before the Treasury officers that they are still living, and with great difficulty get their PPOs verified.Their or deal does not end here. It is hell of on job to go again to their Banks and deposit their most important documents there.
At the top of all this, the patent stupidity of the order is that the PPOs are to be verified every year. How disgusting this idea of adding insult to the injury.
In the normal course, there is an unrealistic and fantastic order in vogue at the J&K banks, according to which a pensioner has to present himself before a Bank official and at the same time give a self written certificate that he is living, when his particulars and especially his photograph, are already existing in the system of the computers.
Theoritically speaking, if a dead person is asked to prove that he is living, it may make sense. But to ask a living person, standing before you in flesh and blood to prove that he is really living, is really something that belongs to the realm of stupidity.
The authorities will do wall to stop this cruel practice of treating the pensioners of the State like subhuman beings.
Yours etc…
Prof. M L Raina
Jammu
II
Sir,
I would like to plead that :-
* No doubt, according to the J&K Treasury Code-I, rule Nos. 5.79 to rule No. 5.82, the periodical verifications of the pension pay orders and the disbursement details are a statutory exercise, for the purpose of overseeing the justified payments to the pensioners. But, it is clearly mentioned under these rules that the Treasury Officers/Additional TO’s should depute authorised members of their treasury staff to the residences of the pensioners who cannot appear in person before them, due to physical disability, and age problems. But, these instructions are never followed by the treasury authorities of J&K state.
* Since the year 2004, most of the pensioners of the state Govt; have been authorised by the State Finance Department to draw their pensions through respective branches of the J&K Bank Ltd. Thus, the Branch Managers of the J K Bank branches have been using the authorities of the Treasury Officers for verifications of the credentials and physical fitness of the pensioners who present themselves every month before the Branch Managers or their representatives for receiving their pensions.
* The State Government (Accounts & Treasuries Directorates) should inculcate faith and trust on the verifications and entries made by the J&K Bank Managers in the PPO Books of the pensioners, and do not devise excuses and pretensions to physically harass and mentally torture the ageing and ailing pensioners every now and then, in the name of invigilation of the disbursement, honesty and integrity.
For the sake of the sanctity of the purpose, let the Branch Managers of J&K Banks be authorised to send some medical graduates (who are un-employed for many years) to the homes of senior citizen-pensioners for medical as well as physical check up of them, and give their report to the Bank Managers. This will also solve the un-employment problem if such medicos are employed on contract basis on our whatever mechanism.
Yours etc…
A K Komal
Vikram Nagar, Jammu
III
Sir,
The ‘‘Elders Day” is celebrated every year witty great pomp and show to highlight the importance and the vibrant role the elders have performed during their green years whether in capacity of employees, professionals and in other vistas of life. Big speeches tree delivered and persons of eminence are invited to preside over various functions while celebrating the day. But I think such hectic activities and functions remain only confined to four walls. When we come to reality, a callous attitude comes to fore which has shown its ugly face in the shape of recent Govt order in pursuance of which every pensioner, irrespective of his ailing health, age and other unavoidable circumstances, has to be paraded before the treasury officer concerned after undergoing so many hardships in respect of getting PPO, financial statement and other forms from the banks concerned. The ordeal which such hapless pensioners undergo can more be imagined rather than described when they have to stand in long queues facing humiliation, jostling each other, braving sultry weather. I am myself witness to a certain heart rending incident when an old man, supporting himself on sticks, pointed to me to help him in coming down the steps which I did but wondering whether he could stand for hours together to get his turn. No doubt, something might have gone wrong and undue amounts might have been drawn by some selfish persons but there were other ways of finding out such persons by the concerned bank/treasury employees but no, the pensioners have been put to trouble enmasse for the reasons best known to the concerned.
Dwarika Nath Raina
H No. 131 Upper Muthi
Jammu
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