JAMMU – Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on Saturday said that the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A have removed artificial legal and economic barriers between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country and have fully integrated the erstwhile state in the true sense of the term
In his Republic Day message to the people, Murmu said that last year has been a year of momentous change for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. He said that the legal architecture and system prevailing in the rest of the country has been made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir now stand on the same pedestal as those in the rest of the country, with the same rights, benefits and prospects. Women and weaker sections like Scheduled Castes & Tribes, West Pakistan Refugees and SafaiKarmacharis, now have equal democratic and economic rights. Barriers to industrial growth and trade have been removed,” LG said.
“Jammu and Kashmir is now at the doorstep of a brighter future. As Jammu and Kashmir progresses in step with the rest of the country, there will be a boost to private investment and great opportunity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The economy will grow with more economic opportunities, businesses will thrive and the people of Jammu and Kashmir will gain on all fronts,” he added.
LG said that militancy remains the biggest concern as innocent youth were being indoctrinated to take misguided path. He said although incidents of militancy have come down drastically, the threat posed by it requires attention not only to eradicate it but also prevent loss due to it.
“Our valiant security personnel need to continue to be on guard to thwart any attempts to disturb peace across Jammu and Kashmir, thereby disrupting the development, growth and opportunities for peace loving people,” Murmu said.
The LG said that 55 Central schemes for the benefit of individuals such as scholarships, pensions, insurance schemes, income support schemes and loans will be fully implemented with 100% coverage. He said that all toll posts in Jammu and Kashmir have been abolished from 1st January 2020.
“I assure entrepreneurs that the Government will take all measures to ensure that the local industry becomes competitive. Under Governor’s and President’s Rule, the goal has been simple – Good Governance and Delivering Development. To provide Good Governance, a people-centric and development-oriented work culture has been introduced with a focus on results,” Murmu said.
“The goal has been on timely completion of projects and delivery of benefits. In future, we will take more measures to ensure that government is run in a rule based manner with no arbitrariness or delays. Accountability will be ensured at all levels. The primary duty of government employees is public service and this will be ensured,” he added.
In his message, the LG highlighted the major achievements of the UT admin and the Central government. He highlighted the progress made in health, education, tourism, power and other sectors.
He also reiterated government’s commitment to make the Union Territory prosperous and peaceful.
“The constitutional changes have opened new vistas of development. We need to capitalize on the opportunities. The initiatives already taken for putting Jammu and Kashmir on the path of sustained development shall be given a further push,” the LG said.
“However, our efforts alone can’t make the difference. People need to come forward and supplement the initiatives of the Government. We will take Jammu and Kashmir to the path of rapid growth and development as envisioned by our Prime Minister. Let us all join hands to build a new Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
He said these were historic times as Jammu and Kashmir was seeing a new dawn.
“A dawn which promises hope, a dawn which will bring prosperity, a dawn which will lead to progress and a dawn which will usher J&K towards peace. The best way to overcome misgivings is to reaffirm our commitment to abide by the values of our Republic,” Murmu said.
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