Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 10: Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, Home Secretary RK Singh, Advisor to Prime Minister S Ramadorai, Planning Secretary Sindhushree Khullar and Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan are among 23 top officials headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, who would be visiting Jammu on a day’s visit on April 13 for high level review of security, development and employment initiatives in separate meetings.
The Cabinet Secretary along with some members of his delegation would also meet Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah separately and discuss with them security scenario and development needs of the State.
Mr Seth would meet the Chief Minister at his official residence here at 9.15 am and Governor at Raj Bhawan at 9.45 am. The Defence and Home Secretaries besides Advisor to the Prime Minister were likely to accompany the Cabinet Secretary during the meetings with Mr Vohra and Mr Abdullah.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Central delegation would reach Jammu Airport at 8.45 am by Defence and BSF aircrafts. They would be received at Jammu Airport by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey and top bureaucrats of the State. They would have half an hour long meetings each with the Governor and the Chief Minister.
The Central delegation would have a high level security review meeting at State Guest House for one and a half hour beginning 11 am. From the State, the meeting would be attended by top brass of Army, para-military forces, police, civil administration and Intelligence agencies.
From 12.30 pm to 1 pm, the Central team would review skill development programmes including Udaan and Himayat with civil officials of the State Government especially those responsible for promotion of the two schemes.
According to sources, during security and skill development review meetings, the Central Secretaries would hold parallel sectoral review meetings with their State counterparts and concerned organisations on developmental issues.
The Central team would have working lunch at Hari Niwas Palace Lawns.
There would be two hour long development and wrap up meeting between the Secretaries to the Government of India and Jammu and Kashmir at Banquet Hall at the Chief Minister’s residence from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Entire Central team and Administrative Secretaries of Jammu and Kashmir besides Heads of some important Departments would be present at the meeting.
The Government of India delegation would return to New Delhi at 5 pm.
Led by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, the delegation included Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, Home Secretary RK Singh, Advisor to Prime Minister on Skill Development S Ramadorai, Planning Commissioner Secretary, Sindhushree Khullar, Power Secretary P Uma Shankar, Civil Aviation Secretary K N Srivastava, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Keshav Desiraju, Textiles Secretary Zohra Chatterji, School Education and Literacy Secretary R Bhattacharya, Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan, Joint Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat Subhash Chandra, Deputy Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat Dr Nipun Vinayak, Road, Transport and Highways Secretary Vijay Chhibber, Secretary (Coordination) with Cabinet Secretary Alok Rawat, Environment and Forests Secretary V Rajagopalan, Railways Board Chairman Vinay Mittal, Labour and Employment Secretary Dr Mrityunjay Sarangi.
Rural Development Secretary S Vijay Kumar, Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur, Additional Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs K Skandan, Joint Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat Alok Chaturvedi and Joint Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs RK Srivastava.
Sources said the high level security review would take up the issues like security scenario within the State especially the Kashmir Valley, Line of Control (LoC), International Border (IB), presence of militants across the border, Rehabilitation Policy and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
The State Government had been pressing for partial revocation of AFSPA, a demand that has not found favour with the Defence Ministry and the Army.
The Industries and Commerce Department has decided to seek revival of incentives for the industry in Jammu and Kashmir in the meeting with the Union Secretaries, sources said adding that the Department has prepared agenda for inclusion of the incentives to be projected before the high level Central delegation.
“We will take up the issue of industrial package with the Central delegation. The package had been stopped sometime back causing setback to the industry. It’s revival would held in revival of the industry and general of employment opportunities,” sources said.
Earlier, the delegation was scheduled to visit here on March 19 but the visit had to be postponed in view of Parliament session in New Delhi and budget session of the State Legislature in Jammu.
The Government of India Secretaries would undertake a review of Centrally Sponsored Schemes including Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan and other mega projects, which were funded by the Centre Government in a meeting with Administrative Secretaries of the State and Directors of some important areas.
The State Government officials of Planning and Finance Departments would utilise the opportunity to seek re-validation of the funds which the State couldn’t get in the last financial year and healthy annual plan, PMRP and funds under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
The State Government’s demand for Rs 30,000 crore worth City Mobility Plan for twin capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar would come up for a high level discussion. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had taken up the demand with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in January this year to cope with ever increasing demands of the City including metro services to refuse traffic congestion.
The review of security scenario would also include recent militancy related incidents including the fidayeen attack at Bemina, Srinagar in which five CRPF personnel were killed besides killing of two police constables and some civilians in the Kashmir Valley. Progress on the projects undertaken in both Central and State sectors including Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP) would be reviewed. In addition, the works going on in the State under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and mega projects would also come up for a high level review.
The projects to be taken up by the State Government under 12th Five Year Plan, current financial year’s annual plan and PMRP would also be discussed.
Sources said the State Government has directed its top brass of civil administration, Administrative Secretaries and HoDs of important Departments to fully gear up for effective presentation before the Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary and Central team of the Secretaries.
The progress on projects reviewed earlier by the Cabinet Secretary would also be discussed, sources said.
The State was likely to reiterate its demand for return of Dul Hasti and Salal hydro electric power projects to it from National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC), sources said, adding that Rangarajan Committee had recommended that Dul Hasti project should be handed over to the State.
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