Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 4: The Council of Ministers, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, placed on record the commendable contribution of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to the national and the State politics spanning over six decades.
The Council of Ministers observed that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s personal integrity and unblemished record of honesty should inspire not just the politicians and the civil servants of the State, but the entire nation. “Mufti Sahab is known for his performance, sincerity, accountability, transparency and delivery,” the Council observed.
Recalling how Mufti Mohammad Sayeed preferred public service and principles over power, the Council resolved to work with renewed vigor to carry forward the vision of peace and development that the great leader has left behind as a practical and inclusive agenda for addressing the challenges confronting Jammu and Kashmir.
Terming late Sayeed a distinguished leader and a stalwart, the Council hailed his efforts to bring all the regions of the State together and put them on the path of equitable development.
The Council also reaffirmed Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s vision to make Jammu and Kashmir an abode of peace and harmony.
It also acknowledged late leader’s resolve to strengthen the democracy and democratic institutions in the State and stated that these will be the guiding framework for governance.
“The vision put together by Mufti Sahab will be a roadmap for us and we will carry forward that mission with renewed vigor, zeal and enthusiasm, which will be the biggest tribute to the great leader”, it observed.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said the PDP-BJP coalition Government would work with fresh resolve to accomplish Mufti Sahab’s unfinished agenda of peace, harmony and development for Jammu and Kashmir. “Greatest tribute to Mufti Sahab will be if all of us work with sincerity, seriousness and honesty and reach out to the people and provide them the much-needed relief,” she said.
She said the broader roadmap for PDP-BJP coalition Government has already been spelled out in the “Agenda of Alliance”.
Asking her colleagues to get down to work immediately, Ms Mehbooba said the urgent task before the Government is to focus on development, good governance and corruption-free administration. She said the governance reforms initiated by the PDP-BJP Government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, including ensuring transparency in recruitments and transfers, would be carried forward with fresh momentum.
Ms Mehbooba said the people have lot of expectations from the present Government and it is the responsibility of the Ministers, including the Chief Minister, and other Government functionaries to come upto their expectations. “The people are very vigilant today and keep it in mind that if you fail to perform they will teach you a lesson in next elections,” she told her Cabinet colleagues.
The Chief Minister said that the Ministers shouldn’t confine themselves to their constituencies or a particular region, but reach out to the people in every nook and corner of the State to mitigate their sufferings. “We should work as a cohesive force to ensure intra and inter-regional harmony,” she said and added that development and good governance will have the desired impact on the ground only in an environment of peace and stability.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh assured full cooperation to the Chief Minister in her endeavor to address the challenges and problems confronting the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti on day one of her taking over the reins of the Government today, held an introductory meeting with all Administrative Secretaries here at Civil Secretariat. Chief Secretary, B R Sharma and Director General Police, K Rajendra Kumar were also present in the meeting.
The Chief Minister spoke about the governance challenges present before her government for which she sought full commitment and support of all the administrative Secretaries. “I am passionate about getting things going and I need your support in realizing the vision of former Chief Minister, late Mufti Sahab”, she said.
She said “works initiated and reforms brought in by Mufti Sahab will be carried forward, also along with those initiated by the Governor. All the projects initiated in Tourism, Horticulture, Power, Health and other sectors need to continue with greater synergy and commitment”. She asked the administrative secretaries to put in their best efforts to ensure timely implementation of decisions taken and commitments already made, adhering to timelines.
Mehbooba underscored the need to improve focus on the implementation of flagship Centrally Sponsored Schemes saying that these have great potential in transforming the development scenario of any State. She said J&K can immensely benefit from such schemes as have States like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and called upon the concerned Administrative Secretaries to provide her the details with regard to the latest implementation status and targets, so that “I can review and personally monitor the said schemes in each sector”. She said waste management in cities and towns is an area of concern for the Government and we need to quickly move forward to address the issue.
To improve the overall functioning of the departments in delivering prompt and hassle free services to the people of the State, Chief Minister said that her Government shall remain committed to provide a transparent, accountable and responsive administration which works for the betterment and welfare of the common man.
“An important step in this regard will be to simplify the procedures and processes through e-governance”, she said.
She also spoke about expediting the file disposal across departments and asked the Chief Secretary, to further improve on the file management system. “I will be personally monitoring the file disposal system especially in the Civil Secretariat and would want to ensure that decisions are taken and all files disposed at the earliest.”
The Chief Minister said “giving clean governance to the people of the State shall remain my focus and there can be no scope for corruption at any level”. She said honesty and sincerity should percolate in the entire administrative structure from HoDs to the lowest level functionaries in the Government.
To ensure responsive and people sensitive governance, Ms Mufti urged Administrative Secretaries to “connect with the people and be accessible to them for redress of their grievances”. She said she will welcome new and innovative ideas that help improve the system for the benefit of the people.
Addressing the Administrative Secretaries, the Chief Minister said that it is a tough task ahead and she would need full support from her Council of Ministers and administrative team to deliver on the vision of former Chief Minister, late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Meanwhile, after being sworn in as Chief Minister of J&K, Mehbooba Mufti had a one on one meeting with Governor N N Vohra at the Raj Bhavan here today.
The Governor informed the Chief Minister about some of the major issues awaiting her attention.
He wished Ms. Mufti good luck and high success in all her future endeavours to move the State speedily forward on the path of growth and development.
Ms Mufti was also accorded traditional Guard of Honour on her arrival at the Civil Secretariat here today.
Welcomed to the seat of power with a rousing reception, Ms Mehbooba was offered the Guard of Honour by Jammu and Kashmir Police contingent.
The Chief Minister took salute and was escorted by the Director General of Police K Rajendra on the occasion.
Ms Mehbooba was this morning sworn-in as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief Minister straightway drove to the Civil Secretariat from Raj Bhawan and was received warmly by the Council of Ministers, Chief Secretary, B R Sharma and other top civil and police officers and employees of the Secretariat.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh and other members of the Council of Ministers were also given a warm reception on their arrival at the Civil Secretariat.
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