Government committed to provide relief to flood victims: Dr Jitendra Singh The Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Central Government was committed to the rehabilitation of flood victims in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar today on the completion of one year of the Government at the Centre, Dr Jitendra Singh said that when the devastating floods struck the Kashmir Valley in September last year, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi promptly reached out to flood affected people of the state the very next day. The Minister said that the Central Government has released an amount of Rs. 134.30 crore from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund till April 2015 for distribution among the flood victims who have lost their houses. He also said that the first instalment of Central contribution to the State Disaster Relief Fund for 2015-16, amounting to Rs 114.50 crore was also released in April 2015. Replying to questions from local journalists about reported distribution of relief cheques of paltry amounts of Rs 32 and Rs 47 among the flood victims, Dr Singh said that the distribution of funds is the responsibility of the State Government and the Centre cannot keep an eye on all the minute details related to it. However, he said that it is a matter of concern and will certainly be looked into at the appropriate forum under the newly introduced system of Cooperative Federalism. Highlighting the achievements of the first year of the Government at the Centre, Dr Jitendra Singh said the country had moved from pessimism to optimism over the past one year. He said that the country has progressed from a growth rate of 6 percent to 8 percent in the last 12 months, and the government is working hard to achieve double digit growth rate. Dr Jitendra Singh said that the biggest achievement of the Government so far has been that the reputation of the country at the international level has received a boost. He said that leading countries of the world acknowledge that India is on the way to becoming the next major force at the global level, and this change about the international perception of India has been possible because of the vision of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The Minister said that the government has introduced landmark reform oriented schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Bima Yojna and Atal Pension Yojna. He said all these schemes were launched with the objective of providing social esteem and economic security to the citizens especially the economically weaker and marginalized sections of the society. Dr Jitendra Singh said that the government is looking for innovative ideas all the time to make the process of governance effective and people friendly, and every effort is being made to reach out to the common people and get feedback from them. He further said that initiatives like self-attestation of documents is proof of the fact that the government is committed to ease the burden from the shoulders of the common man.
