Social Welfare, Tourism, Forest, I&C among defaulting deptts
Repeated instructions of Govt not being taken seriously
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 16: Several key departments of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have failed to submit progress reports about the developmental activities for the month of April even after explicit and repeated directions from the General Administration Department.
As per the instructions mentioned in the OM No.44/2018-I dated September 1, 2018 and reiterated a number of times by the General Administration Department, all the departments are required to submit monthly information regarding developmental activities and achievements to the Planning Development and Monitoring Department for the consolidation and onward submission to the Principal Secretary to the Governor every month for detailed analysis.
However, as per the official document available with EXCELSIOR, seven important departments have failed to submit reports about the developmental activities and achievements for the month of April 2022.
In respect of Tribal Affairs Department, Industries and Commerce Department, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, Information Technology Department and Higher Education Department, ‘Nil’ has been mentioned in the developmental note while as about Social Welfare and Tourism Department ‘Not Received’ has been mentioned.
“Either there was actually no developmental activity by five departments or the concerned officers in these departments preferred not to pay any serious attention towards circular instructions on the monthly progress report. Moreover, there are also chances of those vested with the responsibility of furnishing information to the Planning Development and Monitoring Department were not aware of the activities and achievements of their respective departments”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
Notwithstanding these possibilities, the concerned Administrative Secretaries cannot shirk from the responsibility of going through the monthly developmental reports of their respective departments before forwarding the same to the Planning Development and Monitoring Department, they further said, adding “making officials entrusted with the responsibility of strictly implementing the instructions of the Government accountable is purely the responsibility of the Administrative Secretaries”.
The non-compliance of the instructions is notwithstanding the fact that Chief Secretary while chairing a meeting of the Administrative Secretaries in the month of January this year had conveyed serious concern over dilly-dallying approach of the majority of the Government departments in furnishing monthly progress report. He had directed the departments to ensure submission of achievements of the preceding month positively within the fixed timeline.
“The furnishing of monthly reports on developmental achievements in all the sectors is imperative as the same help the Government in assessing the performance of the officers as well as identifying the bottlenecks impeding the works so that necessary corrective steps could be taken well in time and people start reaping benefits of the huge money being spent by the Union Government as well as Government of Jammu and Kashmir”, sources said.
Moreover, the monthly reports are of immense help for the Government in making proper projection about the implementation of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes to the Government of India as the same is crucial for obtaining further financial assistance from the concerned Union Ministries, sources further said, adding “keeping in view the immense benefits of highlighting monthly achievements on the developmental activities the concerned Administrative Secretaries should ensure strict and timely compliance to all the circular instructions issued till date”.
According to the sources, there is also no strict compliance of the directions regarding regular updation of the websites by the Government departments. What to talk of other wings of the Government, even the Finance Department has failed to get the website of Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC) updated despite the fact that this Corporation has been vested with the responsibility of taking the incomplete projects to the logical conclusion by infusing the required money through the concerned departments.
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