Committed to safeguarding special status: Governor

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 25

Governor NN Vohra today said the state government was committed to safeguarding the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir, which had been spelt out in the ‘Agenda of Alliance’, forming basis of the PDP-BJP government.

The Governor said this during his address to a joint session of both Houses at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference centre here today.

“The state government is committed to safeguarding the special status which has been accorded to Jammu and Kashmir in the Constitution of India and has been spelt out in the ‘Agenda of Alliance’, which forms basis of the PDP-BJP government,” Vohra said.

He said he was happy to be “associated with this joint session in which, for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, we have a young lady as Leader of the House”. “This historical event is a wonderful example of the emancipation and empowerment of women in our state”, he said.

“It is a happy augury that, at the national level, the Prime Minister is personally pursuing the subcontinental agenda of peace, which will have a positive outcome for normalising the situation in the state,” Vohra said in his 35-minute-long address.

He said the Prime Minister’s “bold initiative of reaching out to Pakistan in a bid to establish lasting peace in the region has been welcomed in the state”. This had revived the hope for peace, particularly along the border where the lives of people had been shattered, he added.

Referring to the impact of the Prime Minister’s visit to Lahore and the subsequent bilateral dialogue at different levels, the Governor said these had generated hope for Jammu and Kashmir, which had for long borne the brunt of unstable relations between the two countries.

“The state government is committed to pursuing and strengthening the path of peace and dialogue for achieving reconciliation and development,” the Governor said.

He said people of the state were hopeful that revived initiatives for the establishment of friendly relations with Pakistan would have a positive outcome for restoration of peace and normalcy, particularly for people residing in border areas.

Highlights of address

• Growing number of talented boys and girls are getting into all-India civil services every year. A few years ago, one of our boys secured first position in the country. A few days ago, a young lad from Anantnag secured second position in the list.
• The government believes that revival of our culture, traditions and practices and enabling our youth to become proud of their heritage will contribute in thwarting unwholesome influences.
• The fast-track recruitment policy is being followed for reaching out to remote and far-flung areas, where vacancies have remained unfilled for long periods, particularly in health and education sectors.
• The government has taken the laudable initiative of implementing the National Food Security Act, that will promote food security. After this, the number of beneficiaries has increased from 99 lakh under the public distribution system to 1.19 crore, providing food security to 95 per cent of the population.

Governor recalls Mufti’s leadership

Governor NN Vohra recalled the decades-long visionary leadership of late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, whose political career was “marked by unwavering commitment to securing inclusive political stability and advancing interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir”. The best collective tribute to Mufti Saheb would be to join hands and work with single-minded devotion for generating an inclusive political environment and securing rapid and equitable growth and development of the state, the Governor said. “He would often say this House was the most empowered in the country. It is important to preserve sanctity and enhance productivity of this important democratic institution through meaningful discussions and constructive debates. Dissent is an inherent and valued element of democratic discourse between one and all, between those in government and those on the other side, and there should be no occasion to feel discouraged or offended by voices of dissent,” Vohra stated.