Avtar Bhat
Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is on a hat-trick to represent Udhampur-Kathua-Doda Lok Sabha constituency going to polls in the first phase of 2024 Parliamentary elections on April 19, is a multifaceted personality having a profound, versatile profile who promises to transform his constituency as North India’s most developed destination.
A nationally renowned Diabetologist turned nationally known politician from J&K, prolific and bold writer , an eminent journalist, a regular columnist, a social activist and a multi-linguist fluent orator cum spokesman , there is hardly anybody in J&K who is not familiar with Dr Jitendra Singh who, in other words, can be said to have become a household name over the years.
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Having a long professional background as Professor of Medicine & Endocrinology and a popular Diabetologist with roaring practice, Dr Jitendra Singh is an alumni of prestigious Stanley Medical College, Chennai. He was Chairman of Scientific Committee for Research Society of Diabetes in India, founder Member of the Diabetes in India Pregnancy Study Group formulating guidelines for treatment of Diabetes in Pregnant women which were approved and recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO) for universal use.
Besides, Dr Jitendra Singh is life Patron of the largest organisation of Diabetologists, the RSSDI (Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India), Author of eight books including World Book Fair best seller book “Diabetes Made Easy” and Professional Monograms for MD students, he has got over 3,000 articles published and is a regular contributor of a Chapter on Diabetes in each successive edition of the prestigious “API Text Book of Medicine” for MD students.
Dr Jitendra Singh is recipient of Gold Medal for oratory from JIPMER Puducherry. He is also a recipient of the Fellowship of prestigious Indian College of Physicians and a number of honorary doctorates from different Universities including Amity and Central University. He has been member Editorial Board of Journal of Indian Medical Association published from Kolkata and Member Advisory Board of Journal of Associations of Physicians of India published from Mumbai. His Pioneering research work on Stress Diabetes among Kashmiri migrants was hailed by WHO.
A regular contributor as a columnist in Daily Excelsior; a leading newspaper of J&K, Dr Jitendra Singh’s regular satire column Tales of Travesty had become a popular Sunday column among readers which continued uninterrupted for over quarter of a century till he became a Minister and which was seriously discussed in political and literary circles.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that he had been closely linked with the Sangh Parivar from his early College days and in fact the RSS Chennai office at Chetpet were virtually his local guardians when as a young boy he took admission in Stanley Medical College Chennai. During Emergency, some of his seniors who were attending a Shakha got arrested in a raid while he escaped because he had left early morning for the College, Dr Jitendra recalled.
Driven by his passion to serve the public in a more practical way, Dr Jitendra Singh took the unusual decision of quitting his lucrative job as a leading practitioner of Diabetes and Professor in GMC Jammu before he formally joined BJP and was appointed as National Executive Member of BJP and its chief spokesperson for J&K.
As a socio-political activist he played a leading role as a member of Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti in 2008 Amarnath land row agitation and defended the stand of nationalist forces to the hilt. Believing in the theory of humanism, Dr Jitendra Singh said as a politician he strictly has followed justice to all and appeasement to none as has been a Mantra of BJP.
Dr Jitendra Singh said as a MP and Minister he has innumerable achievements to his credit. “Speaking without any exaggeration I tried sincerely to give a complete facelift to my constituency after my first election in 2014. Construction of lavatory blocks in border belt of Kathua- Hiranagar was taken up in hand on war footing after my first election besides, construction of community bunkers which was my poll promise. “Machhail Yatra route got toilets, mobile towers and 3000 MW solar energy plant”, he said while highlighting his contribution as a humble public servant.
“As my earnest desire is to come up to expectations of people who were exploited over the decades, I took keen interest in linking the remote areas of my constituency with a good network of roads, constructed around 200 of small and big bridges including RS 160 crore bridge on river Ravi at Kerain Gandyal in Kathua to benefit just two thousand population of the area who had no direct road link to Kathua town. Grant of four percent reservation to people living along International Border (IB) who were denied of the same by successive Governments was another achievement of mine and my other party representatives and leaders”, he added.
World’s highest rail bridge, Asia’s longest road tunnel at Chenani named after Syama Prasad Mukherjee, North India’s first Industrial Biotech Park and seed processing plant in Kathua, North India’s first river rejuvenation Rs 190 cr Devika project, North India’s first cable stayed bridge Atal Setu, three Medical Colleges in Kathua; Udhampur and Doda, sanction of Homoeopathic Medical College for Kathua, establishing of Engineering Colleges in Kathua and Paddar in Kishtwar district, construction of Delhi-Amritsar Katra National Corridor, highway villages, restoration of stalled work on Shahpur Kandi and Rattle power projects, sanctioning two more power projects in Kishtwar district, national highways, High Altitude Ornamental and Medicinal Plants Research Institute at Bhadarwah, State of Art Yoga and Meditation centre at Mantalai, promotion of Lavender and ornamental plants cultivation, purple revolution in Doda -Kishtwar districts, installation at weather forecasting instrument at Mata Vaishnodevi, hike in relief of Jammu migrants, setting up Radio Station at Udhampur are few achievements of last 10 years to name, he said.
“I am gratified that my own paternal village Kalota in district Doda where our ancestors hardly got to see even a motor car is now shortly getting linked to new Highway NH 244″, said Dr Jitendra with a gleam in his eyes.
Dr Jitendra Singh said as Union Minister he has commendably represented India in several international foras including UNO and G20 and as incharge North East he received accolades for changing NE as a role model of development under Modi Government with the mainstreaming of NE and several projects in NE are sighted as examples of his performance. As Minister of Science & Technology he gets credit of landing of Chandrayan 3 on the surface of Moon under leadership of PM Modi. Besides, giving a push to StartUps under Modi whose number from 350 has risen to 1.5 lakh in 10 years. He got North India’s first Space Technology teaching centre under ISRO at Central University Jammu and named it as Satish Dhawan Centre after another son of soil.
Dr Jitendra Singh said in DoPT, under the guidance and directions of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, he abolished interviews in recruitment, abolished attestation of documents by gazetted officer, introduced Mission Karamyogi for capacity building in bureaucracy, introduced digital certificates and face recognition technology through mobile App for elder pensioners, liberalised pension rules for family pensioners of divorced daughters. Moreover as Minister of Space he introduced Space Technology Teaching Centre under the name Satish Dhawan Centre at Central University Jammu. He also facilitated first ever nuclear plant of North India at Gorakhpur Haryana. Besides, as administrative reforms he was instrumental in introducing robust online centralised grievance redress all system in the country.
Dr Jitendra Singh has won appreciation on record from his party senior leaders right from PM Modi, Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, Surface Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, HM, Amit Shah and also critical opposition leaders like Late Ram Jethmalani for his Parliamentary interventions and speeches. What can be a great tribute and appreciation for him when the opposition leaders while praising his style of participating in debates in Parliament said, “While making criticism, Dr Jitendra Singh speaks in a civilised manner with evidence and has never made a direct personal attack on anybody”.
Dr Jitendra Singh said his third term will be making his constituency an important player in the economic growth story of India. The major emphasis will be given to exploring of under explored natural resources to boost economy besides new industry in Kathua and Udhampur will open new vistas of modern progressive entrepreneurship up to 2029.
From a backward and under-developed region before 2014, Udhampur-Kathua-Doda will transform into North India’s most developed destination, said Dr Jitendra while unfolding future developmental plans for his constituency.
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