*No meeting of GoMs on Policy Making, HR, Eco Affairs
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 25: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that majority of the Ministers of the PDP-BJP Coalition Government have maintained non-serious approach towards the vital task of promoting coordinated policy and ensuring greater participation in the decision making assigned to them over seven months back. Moreover, due to their slackness there is absolutely no focus on numerous key points of the “Agenda of Alliance”, which otherwise assume much importance for the holistic development of the State.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that with a view to promote coordinated policy making across the departments and ensure greater participation in the decision making the General Administration Department vide Government Order No.368-GAD dated April 12, 2016 constituted Groups of Ministers.
These Groups of Ministers were framed on the directions of the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, who wanted the Ministers of her Government to play vital role in giving necessary impetus to the plans of the Government vis-a-vis infrastructure development, economic affairs and human resource and skill development.
Minister for Power (Deputy Chief Minister) was made the Chairman of Group of Ministers on Infrastructural Development with Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Minister for Public Health Engineering & Irrigation and Flood Control and Minister of State for Transport as its Members.
Similarly, Minister for Finance, Culture and Labour and Employment was made Chairman of Group of Ministers on Economic Affairs with Minister for Tourism, Minister for Industries and Commerce, Minister for Agriculture Production and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj as its Members.
Likewise, Minister for Health and Medical Education was made the Chairman of Group of Ministers on Human Resource and Skill Development with Minister for Social Welfare, ARI and Trainings, Minister for Finance, Culture and Labour and Employment, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Minister for Education and Minister for Information Technology, Technical Education and Youth Services and Sports as its Members.
It was also mentioned in the order that these three Groups of Ministers will objectively analyze and examine the proposals that are brought before them from time to time by the General Administration Department and even advise the Cabinet accordingly.
Astonishingly, none of these three Groups of Ministers has convened meeting(s) till date despite lapse of over seven months thereby establishing non-serious approach towards the vital task assigned on the directions of Chief Minister, sources regretted, adding “neither General Administration Department referred any proposal to these groups for analysis nor the GoMs came forward on their own to ascertain the issues confronting infrastructural development, economic affairs and human resources/skill development”.
“In this way, no step could be taken towards promoting coordinated policy making across the departments”, sources said, adding “the non-seriousness on the part of Groups of Ministers is notwithstanding the fact that proper coordination between different departments particularly on infrastructural development has remained a distant dream in Jammu and Kashmir”.
“There are numerous instances whereby lack of consensus and coordination has created impediments in resolving the issues confronting the development of the State and had these Groups of Ministers been performing the task assigned to them such issues could have been resolved in a time bound manner and from a common platform for the betterment of the State”, sources remarked.
Stating that due to callousness of the GoMs even no progress could be made on key points in “Agenda of Alliance” formulated with consensus by the twin coalition partners, sources said, “in this vision document, thrust was laid on formulation of regional developmental plans to ensure that each region has a specific and focused economic activity that spurs development of the State but till date such plans have not been formulated”.
“Had there been even bit of seriousness on the part of Group of Ministers on Infrastructural Development, recommendations could have been made to the State Cabinet for initiating steps towards preparation of regional development plans”, sources remarked.
“No doubt, the Ministers, who are the members of the Groups of Ministers are looking after the issues of their respective departments but by formulating these three platforms they were given the added responsibilities which they have unfortunately failed to shoulder till date”, sources said, adding “these Groups of Ministers could have easily monitored the progress on certain steps initiated towards implementation of some points of Agenda of Alliance”.
Referring to another Group of Ministers whose mandate was exclusively to ensure speedy implementation of Agenda of Alliance, sources said that though this Group has convened certain meetings till date but what was the outcome of the same has not been made public till date.
The only information which was put in public domain by this Group of Ministers was about bifurcation of political and administrative points and pursue them separately within the State as well as with the Central Government, sources said, adding “what had happened to the points after bifurcation is not known even to those bureaucrats, who are directly connected with the same”.
It is pertinent to mention here that at the Union Government level, the Prime Minister has constituted Groups of Secretaries and this initiative is yielding positive result in shape of furnishing relevant advise to the Government on vital issues. However, the initiative of Groups of Ministers by the PDP-BJP Coalition Government in Jammu and Kashmir has failed to yield the desired results till date mainly because of the non-seriousness on the part of Ministers.
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