The results of the Assembly Elections of 2024 in Jammu and Kashmir proved a nightmare for many a party and contestant but a dream come true for National Conference / NC, the grand old political party of the state – turned Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir (JK UT). The NC had bagged 42 seats from the 90- member assembly polls before going on to form government; in office since is that government. Led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the new government has come as a beacon of hope to the populace.
Vested with a vast mandate, the new government should be visionary but do not bite more than it can chew. It would be well advised to come up with reforms in different public sectors which are seen as corruption-ridden and where incompetence is said to hold a whip hand. It is in place to point out that the Governor administration over the course of a few years has reined in dozens of icy hands of corruption, nailing several abusers of public office/ institution. Leading in this ambitious and noble endeavor has been the Anti – Corruption Bureau (ACB). Let the ACB carry on smoothly.
To begin with, we should consider retiring those who have completed the actual years of service, protecting pension provision, but are continuing with their services through bogus, forged, fake and dubious age certificates in almost all departments supposedly by reason of collusion with certain quarters. This has disallowed fresh recruitments significantly. If it becomes politically inconvenient to retire them, they should be placed as surplus to save the considerable loss to the public treasury. And to pave way for new recruitment.
Secondly, healthcare must be attended to on priority. It has been noticed that a good number of health officials prefer absenteeism under the guise of duty here and there. This is presumably by design enabling both the absentees and the supervision to reap the crop. The common man is left at the receiving end. Additionally, most primary health centers present a disappointing experience: either the staff shuns duty or most of them seek to satisfy their ignoble motives in every way. An unpardonable offense ending up unreported.
Thirdly, school education demands greater attention. This sector has three important components — primary/ elementary, secondary and higher secondary education. An unhealthy trend has crept in. The R-e-T catagory “teachers” are confined to the elementary schools; general line teachers preferably stay at secondary and higher secondary school for a few reasons: one, to avoid a tight and heavy schedule of classwork at elementary schools — some six to eight classes daily. Two, to work in better working conditions at the secondary level— two or three classes daily and hassle-free salaries. Above all, the service records are easy to access in the immediate office.
Experts understand that without the transfer provision spanning more than two decades, R-e-T category teaching officials are displaying the signs of boredom, demotivation, escapism and defiance. This is worrisome. Resultingly an environment of confrontation and non-cooperation has been observed stealing the show. This amounts to consigning the departmental rulebook unfortunately to the dustbin and undermining the all- important assignment of academics on the ground to the alarming level.
The apparent hit and miss approach at the elementary level could also be attributed to the absence of an effective and experienced school administration. It would not be politically difficult for the new government to formally order the unconditional transfer of R-e-T (Reheber -e-Taleem) officials in line with the transfer policy, the ATD, in vogue in the school education department.
Plus, those primary and middle schools with the actual enrollment of 30-40 students can well be merged with the high schools nearby or in the vicinity of around 1-3 kilometers. The resulting staff can be shifted to the needy schools while the infrastructure can be taken over by any other department. Health department for instance to provide basic healthcare at a village.
Electricity and water supply services cry for a big reform. Without doubt, several households, regardless of their social status, either are beneficiaries of the two said services unlawfully or do not pay the lawful dues for these services from decades together. Crores of rupees are outstanding with the latter category of consumers and ironically also includes the families on the government payroll. This all is underway apparently due to the nexus between these consumers and the authorities concerned. True, the governor administration has done much better to reform this sector. So the good work must remain in progress.
Drug menace should not be overlooked. Thousands of people have fallen victims to this growing challenge despite the fact that the Governor administration appreciably made sustained efforts to stem the tide. Enormous progress has been made in this particular domain. Now a commitment to carry on the task is required. The ill-gotten wealth from drug trade is proving a breeding ground for countless social evils and challenges. A few hands role in riches; a vast majority of people bears the brunt in one way or the other.
Therefore, the government must walk an extra mile and give a human touch to its policies with reforms in the public services as a dominant theme. Otherwise, it too will be find itself on the wrong side of history sooner or later. Simply criticizing or catching the evil hands will not work; the best course is to up the conviction rate after a case is established beyond doubt. Strict implementation of the laws is the key to turn the tide. Self interest of the leaders or the cadre on the ground is bound to backfire going forward.
(Author is RK Columnist and Teacher by Profession. Feedback: [email protected])
