Non-fixing of time schedule primary reason behind slackness
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 8: Unbelievable it may sound but it is a fact that all the Groups of Ministers constituted by the PDP-BJP Coalition Government during the past one and half year to deliberate on vital issues and come up with recommendations/suggestions have failed to complete the assigned task till date. Interestingly, all these Groups of Ministers were constituted as per the directions of the State Cabinet, which is considered as highest decision making body of the Government. In this way, the entire exercise of assigning subjects of immense importance to certain Ministers has turned out to be futile.
As per the information available with EXCELSIOR, with a view to promote coordinated policy making across the departments and ensure greater participation in decision making the State Cabinet vide its Decision No.9/01/2016 dated April 11, 2016 issued directions for constitution of Groups of Ministers on Infrastructure Development, Economic Affairs and on Human Resource and Skill Development.
Implementing the decision of Cabinet, the General Administration Department vide Government Order No.368 dated April 12, 2016 formally framed three Groups of Ministers with the mention that these Groups of Ministers will objectively analyze and examine the proposals that are brought before them by the General Administration Department and advise the Cabinet accordingly.
Headed by Minister for Power Development, a Group of six Ministers including Minister for Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Minister for Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control and Minister of State for Transport was assigned the task of holding deliberations on the issue of infrastructural development.
Similarly, headed by Minister for Finance, a Group of five Ministers including Minister for Tourism, Minister for Industries and Commerce, Minister for Agriculture Production and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj was asked to look after the economic affairs.
Likewise, a Group of six Ministers headed by Minister for Health and Medical Education and comprising of Minister for Social Welfare, Minister for Finance, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Minister for Education and Minister for Information Technology was given the mandate of holding deliberations on human resource and skill development.
“What to talk of coming up with recommendations and suggestions on these vital subjects these Groups of Ministers have not met during the past quite long time in utter disregard to the decision of the State Cabinet”, official sources told EXCELSIOR while expressing inability to highlight any substantial work done by these Groups of Ministers.
“Dilly-dallying approach in infrastructure development and hanging fate of several important projects of immense importance for the State is the testimony of non-performance on the part of Group of Ministers on Infrastructure Development”, sources said, adding “had this Group of Ministers been holding serious deliberations it would have come up with measures for fast-tracking the infrastructure development, which otherwise remains the serious concern for the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti”.
“The economic condition of the State has not witnessed any major improvement during the past over two years and this is the reflection on the working of the Group of Ministers on Economic Affairs. Similarly, there is no perceptible improvement in human resource development and empowering youth of the State with skills to meet the present day requirement of market and this is because of failure on the part of concerned Group of Ministers”, sources regretted.
Similarly, the Government in the month of May 2017 had constituted a Group of Ministers headed by Deputy Chief Minister and comprising of Minister for Health and Medical Education, Minister for Rural Development and Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department on the issue of illegal settlement of immigrants—Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
This Group of Ministers has also failed to come up with any suggestion or recommendation till date and is still in the process of obtaining necessary information/data from the Home Department and other concerned agencies, sources regretted.
Following serious concerns from the Legislators about non-adherence to the Warrant of Precedence by the officers and officials, the State Cabinet vide Decision No.133/9/2017 dated July 28, 2017 had arrived at a conclusion about revision of J&K State Warrant of Precedence.
Accordingly, the General Administration Department vide Order No.1001 dated August 1, 2017 in supersession of Government Order No.71-GAD of 2007 dated January 22, 2007 constituted Group of Ministers headed by Deputy Chief Minister and comprising of Minister for Industries and Commerce, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj and Minister for Horticulture to examine the issue and make immediate appropriate recommendations to the Government.
“However, this Group of Minister has not met even once till date what to talk of making necessary recommendations to the Government”, sources regretted.
Recently, the Government constituted two more Groups of Ministers vide Order No.1079 dated August 21 and Order No.1094 dated August 28. The mandate of one Group of Ministers headed by Minister for Industries and Commerce and comprising of Minister for Rural Development, Minister for Finance and Minister for Cooperative and Ladakh Affairs is to examine and make recommendations in a time bound manner on the proposal for funding the pension of employees of J&K Industries Limited and J&K Handicrafts (S&E) Corporation in terms of the judgments of the Supreme Court and High Court.
The mandate of second Group of Ministers headed by Minister for Forest and comprising of Minister for Social Welfare, Minister for Finance, Minister for Cooperative, Minister for Public Health Engineering, Minister for Information Technology and Minister for Education is to examine the proposal submitted by the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department regarding accord of administrative approval and acceptance of single tender for execution of work for dredging and strengthening embankment of Wullar Lake besides removal of willow and other undesirable tree species from it and its feeder channels under the Comprehensive Management Action Plan, 2007.
However, these Groups of Ministers have not began the exercise on the assigned task, sources informed while describing both the issues assigned to GoMs as burning ones. While employees of J&K Industries Limited and J&K Handicrafts are crying for justice even after judgments of Apex Court of the country and highest court of J&K, the dredging of Wullar Lake and removal of undesirable species from its feeder channels is the concern of everybody in the Kashmir valley.
“No doubt these two Groups of Ministers were constituted recently but how can one expect them to accomplish the assigned task within shortest possible time especially in the light of non-performance on the part of similar GoMs which were constituted long time back”, sources remarked while holding non-fixing of time-schedule for these Groups of Ministers for completion of assigned task responsible for the dilly-dallying approach.
“In any of the Government order pertaining to framing of Group of Ministers no time-frame was mentioned by the General Administration Department”, they regretted, adding “there are numerous committees and groups which have failed to come up with reports even after being given specified time-frame and in such a situation how the Government can expect GoMs to come up with recommendations without making their exercise time-bound”.
It is pertinent to mention here that soon after forming Government at the Centre the Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolished all the Groups of Ministers on the ground that such a practice was delaying the decision making process instead of giving necessary impetus.
“Either similar step should be initiated in J&K or task assigned to GoMs should be made time-bound”, sources suggested.
Follow our WhatsApp channel