Gautam Sen
Govt. of India had constituted a Special Task Force to examine the developmental needs of Jammu region (STFJ) of the State of Jammu & Kashmir in October 2010. The STFJ, headed by Dr. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission of India, with Dr. Najeeb Jung, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Dr Amaresh Dubey, Economist and senior officers of Central Home and Finance Ministries as members, had submitted its report to the Central Govt. in February 2011. The STFJ was the outcome of a review by Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh on September 25, 2010 in the backdrop of political demands from different quarters in Jammu & Kashmir, and also from some politicians and public persons outside the State, on so-called discrimination towards Jammu region in matters of development funding from State and Central resources. The negative public perception in Jammu Division of the State, had got accentuated on the step-motherly treatment issue, as a fall-out of the massive public upsurge in the region during the Amarnath agitation during July-September 2008. The STFJ was mandated to examine the allocation to the region in terms of infrastructure needs and convey recommendations to overcome the deficiencies.
The STFJ report had stated that, the broad needs encompassed: better connectivity through roads, bridges including air connectivity; provision of adequate drinking water and solid waste management; augmentation of tourism facilities and ensuring proper accessibility to the spots; support for projects which can generate viable employment; measures to overcome problems in respect of health and education infrastructure in areas of low population density; and improving the overall power supply. While taking cognizance of the fact that, a fair amount of development in these functional areas was already taking place under the Prime Minister`s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP), and also through State-specific grants amounting to Rs. 125 crs. provided by the 13th Finance Commission targetted for Jammu, the STFJ had identified a number of short-duration discrete projects which could have a multiplier effect towards promoting better livelihood, realizing the tourism potential and removing the sense of alienation felt by the people of Jammu region. The STJF selected 28 projects with total outlay of Rs. 738.13 crs., for priority execution, on the premise that early visible outcomes could be expected from them. The STFJ finally recommended Govt. acceptance of a total outlay of Rs. 496.63 crs. for these 28 projects ( against total estimated cost of Rs. 738.13 crs. projected by the State Govt.) and implementation on priority during (2011-12) and (2012-13). The package of Rs. 496.63 crs. was recommended reckoning the capacity of the State Govt. for implementation and fund absorption.
The STFJ package appropriately included important infrastructural projects like: expansion and up-gradation of Jammu airport serving virtually as a gateway to the region; expansion of the General Bus-Stand at Jammu; five short-gestation road connectivity projects like preliminary work on the Pati Mahal Dachan Road to facilitate implementation of the 1000 megawatt Pakal Dul hydroelectric project in Doda district; an all-weather road from Ramnagar town to remote backward areas, earlier militancy affected, of Dudu Basantgarh and Latti; an essential second bridge at Rajouri town on Chenab River to ensure easier access beyond the town further north and west and; proper approach roads to Banihal Railway Station and the new degree college at Kundi Karol Ramban. The package also had projects for strengthening of tourist facilities, expansion of water supply and solid waste management arrangements at many places in the region, the most notable being the water supply scheme for Katra pilgrim town providing for 13.20 lakh gallons of water per day and expected to be adequate till 2040. Mini Secretariats in the districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Doda are also part of the package, and these should help bring the administration in many functional matters, closer to the local people. The priorities of the STFJ, seem to be alright to the extent that investment was planned to have a multiplier effect on economic activities within the region, and lead to more income generating opportunities for the local people by tapping the proven potential of the State. Skill building and vocational training of youth and supportive ventures to employ the trained youth, seemed to be the only areas not specifically included in the package. If efficiently executed under proper monitoring oversight, outcomes envisaged should be obtainable in the near future.
While the manifest objective and recommendations of the STFJ were prima facie laudable from a macro politico-economic perspective, some questions may arise as to whether the STFJ went beyond its call of duty to just recommend a shelf of projects, without analyzing the very imperatives and policies of the State Govt., which lead to the sense of alienation among the local people south of the Pirpanjals. Another lacuna was that, neither the STFJ recommended nor Govt. of India or Planning Commission explicitly committed, any additional funding for the STFJ package. The State Govt. consequently faced a financial handicap to fund these projects owing to negative BCRs ( balance from current revenues which denotes available receipts of the State Govt. minus Central assistance to finance development). The State Govt. had nevertheless started implementing all the 28 STFJ projects.
The Central Govt., eventually did not release any additional allocation and, perforce the State Govt. has been implementing within the normal State Plan outlay ( minus the PMRP) assigned by Planning Commission which varied from Rs. 6600 crs. to Rs. 7300 crs. over the years (2011-12) to (2013-14). While adequate utilization of Plan grants and Normal and Special Central Assistance funds by the Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir, have been an issue before the Central Govt., it was however not fair on the part of the latter to avoid earmarking specific allocation for the STFJ package. Resource management and monitoring problems exist with the State Govt. as evident from its failure to utilize the PMRP funds on schedule, and slow pace of expenditure from the 13th Finance Commission devolved state-specific grants. Nevertheless, the entire approach towards the STFJ projects and their implementation had taken on a unique dimension of being virtually Centrally-sponsored but State Govt.-funded venture, instead of being like normal Centrally- sponsored schemes funded on the accepted Gadgil formula wherein, Special-Category States like Jammu & Kashmir are entitled to get 90% funding support from the Centre as grant and 10% as loan.
The State Govt. has reported a total expenditure of Rs. 238.48 crs. till October 2013 on the STFJ projects, and still many of them are to be completed. Outcomes from these investments can therefore be expected at least a year or two later. Cost escalation owing to delayed implementation partially attributable to fund constraint, will invariably imply lesser outcomes than could have been obtainable. The STFJ had correctly emphasized in its report that, implementing and monitoring aspects are an integral part of the overall focus. Not only in respect of Jammu & Kashmir Govt., but also in regard to schemes of many other State Govts. as well as the Central Govt., these aspects are not given due attention. Substantial mismatch between progress in physical-material activities and concomitant expenditure, is an universal phenomenon in the Indian governmental systems. The fate of the STFJ-recommended projects has not been any different. It is therefore essential that Govt. of India, through its Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA ) set up a proper institutionalized mechanism to monitor these projects in concert with the State Govt.
Had the panchayats duly elected nearly three years ago, and other local self-governing institutions, been suitably empowered and brought within an oversight-cum-monitoring framework vis-à-vis the STFJ projects, public confidence could have been instilled on the governmental efforts to remove grievances of Jammu region. This has not happened. It is therefore doubtful whether the purpose of the STFJ would have been served with the institutional shortcomings in the implementation process and hiatus in the matter of public participation and oversight.
(The author is a former Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts of Govt. of India, presently working as Adviser (Finance) to Govt. of Nagaland. The author has served in Jammu & Kashmir during 2008-10.)
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