Calling for a collective and concerted effort to address the socio-economic concerns of youth and contain the increasing alienation, Jammu and Kashmir Governor, N. N. Vohra on Monday urged the government ensure that the new generation are made the vanguard for reducing the ethnic and ideological differences which have adversely affected the state.
The Governor said that the state has a very high potential for being among the developed states in the country.
"To achieve our goals we need to resolve all our disagreements, such as they may be, work collectively and strive very hard to put our State on the path of rapid development on all fronts," he said.
"The disturbances and violent conflicts which we have gone through have engendered a worrisome decline in our social norms, relations and hierarchies and standards of political discourse. These regressive changes need to be addressed and reversed and the political agenda, the economic roadmap and the social framework must all emanate from here," the Governor said in his address to the joint sitting of the State Legislature here today at the beginning of the Budget Session 2017-18.
Vohra said that it is in the larger interest of the State and its people to urgently embark on the mission of protecting the psyche of the future generation from being fractured by the unprecedented civil strife, political disruption and chaos, while enormous progress is taking place in other parts of our country.
Commenting on the recent unrest in the valley, Vohra said the loss of lives in the past six months is most unfortunate and regrettable.
"The irreparable pain of losing someone we love is not unknown to us. While the political rhetoric may result in keeping us at odds, our grief brings us together - whether of a mother who has lost her young soldier son on duty at the line of control or of a mother whose child has been killed by a tear gas shell or blinded by pellets," he said.
"We must admit our shortcomings and lift ourselves out from the unfortunate syndrome that has involved us in a cycle of violence which has affected almost every arena of activity. While hundreds were injured, civilians, police and paramilitary forces personnel lost their lives" he added.
Vohra also raised the issue of disturbances on the borders, adversely affecting cross-LOC Trade has continued unabated and up to end of March 2016, at an aggregate, this trade has recorded import worth about Rs 4000 crore of Pakistani currency and export worth about Rs 2600 crore of Indian currency.
"A list of 21 more tradable items has been submitted to the Government of India for taking up this matter with the Government of Pakistan," he said adding that the confidence building measures of opening additional trade routes is being pursued.
Vohra also raised the issue of Displaced Persons of PoK (1947) as well as the Displaced Persons of Chhamb (1965 and 1971) and said an immediate settlement of Rs. 5.50 lakh must be provided in favour of each of the 36, 384 families who have been found eligible through the laid down procedure.
Mr Vohra said yet another issue that is being played up is the issue of West Pakistan Refugees. As a part of the Agenda of Alliance, it was decided to sympathetically deal with this humanitarian issue.
The State Government has facilitated their identification to enable them to get work in the paramilitary forces and other central government establishments. This identification does not change the status of the West Pakistan Refugees; they continue to be non-state subjects.
Vohra said land has been identified for the establishment of two AIIMS in the State, one each in Kashmir and Jammu. The Government has also secured funding of Rs 120 crore for a State Cancer Institute at SKIMS, Soura.
"Of the five new Medical Colleges sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, construction work is in progress at Anantnag, Baramulla and Rajouri. For the other two colleges, work is expected to start soon," he said.
Vohra said work has begun for the drawdown of World Bank assistance of USD 250 million for Disaster Management. To start with, land measuring 50 kanals is being transferred to Relief & Rehabilitation Department for establishment of an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in Budgam.
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