Jammu, Aug 15: To mark the 77th Independence Day celebrations, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar hoisted the Tricolour at Maulana Azad (MA) Stadium here on Tuesday. He inspected the parade and took salute of the marching contingents of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indian Reserve Police (IRP), Jammu district police, Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire and Emergency Services, Forest Protection Force and Police and BSF Brass Bands marched past the chief guest. The school students from various schools also marched past and presented patriotic and cultural performances.
In his Independence Day speech, Advisor Bhatnagar highlighted that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has unveiled an array of developmental initiatives aimed at bolstering the region’s growth, prosperity and overall quality of life. He underscored the pivotal role of tourism and heritage preservation in the region and said that the holding of G20 Tourism Working Group meet in the UT signifies a renewed focus on promoting the rich cultural tapestry and tourism potential of the region.
The LG’s Advisor remarked that J&K has progressed immensely in recent years and graduated from ‘performers’ to ‘forerunners’ category in Sustainable Development Goals Index of India. He highlighted that 350 health projects worth around Rs 7,000 crore are currently under construction and the AIIMS Jammu will be completed by end of 2023 while AIIMS Kashmir will be completed by 2025, with an estimated cost of around 4,000 crore rupees each. He added that special emphasis is being placed on Mother and Child Health, with apparent phenomenal results in reducing Infant Mortality Rate.
The Advisor underlined that seven new medical colleges have been established at a cost of Rs 1,595 crore while 8 nursing colleges are already operational and 2 (in Rajouri and Pulwama) are set to commence soon besides two cancer institutes are being made operational with an expenditure of Rs 212 crore.
In the field of Medical Education, in the past few years, the number of seats for various courses like DNB, MBBS, BDS, Nursing, and Paramedics has increased to more than 2100 seats besides 600 MBBS seats have also been increased.
The Advisor remarked that in significant strides towards infrastructural development, the Public Works Department has completed around 7,826 projects under various schemes including PMGSY, NABARD, and CIRF from April 2020 to March 2023. He added that a staggering 17,247 kilometers of roads have been upgraded and blacktopped in the same period.
He said that 15 PMDP road projects are underway at a cost of Rs 29,369.76 crore, many of which are expected to be completed by the end of this year. He further said that the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is progressing well, with over 90% of the work completed. PMGSY has connected 2,097 of 2,141 villages in the past few years and the remaining 44 will be connected by March 2024, he said.
The LG’s Advisor remarked that at the grassroots level, efforts have been made to strengthen democracy through the empowerment of DDCs and BDCs. In Jammu and Kashmir, alongside free, impartial, and transparent elections, the fund, function, and functionaries have been fortified, he highlighted.
Under the Pradhan MantriAwasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), over 3.39 lakh cases have been sanctioned, out of which approximately 1.36 lakh houses have been completed, the Advisor said. He underscored that through the Jammu and Kashmir Youth Mission, schemes like Mumkin, Tejaswini, Rise Together, and Parvaz are providing opportunities for young boys and girls to become entrepreneurs.
The Advisor said that tourism is one of the key sectors in our Union Territory, and in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir. He added that in the year 2022, a record 1.88 crore tourists arrived and in the first six months of this year alone, around 1.10 crore tourists have already visited J&K. He said there has been a growth of more than 350 percent in the number of foreign tourists besides special emphasis is being placed on Border Tourism in the Union Territory.
The Advisor, on the occasion, introduced the dakshkisan.jk.gov.in portal, a platform which aims to empower farmers by providing them with crucial resources and support in the next five years. He spoke in length about good governance initiatives like the introduction of Jammu Kashmir Single Window Portal (JKSWP), digitisation of Jammu Kashmir Public Service Guarantee, National E-Governance Delivery Assessment Report (NESDA), E-Office implementation as well as the Rapid Assessment System (RAS).
The Advisor in the end highlighted that through digital means, with an impassioned commitment, corruption will be eradicated. During the celebration, the audience was captivated by a series of mesmerizing cultural performances. The event featured artists from the J&K Cultural Academy, students, and participants from Jal Jeevan Mission and Rural Development Department, all of whom presented stunning patriotic-themed items.
On the occasion, Advisor Bhatnagar also distributed prizes among the winners of various online contests conducted by the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR).
Judges of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, Mayor, Jammu Municipal Corporation, DDC Chairman Jammu, Member of Parliament Lok Sabha, Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, State Election Commissioner, Deputy Mayor, JMC, Administrative Secretaries of various Departments; ADGP Jammu, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Deputy Commissioner Jammu, HoDs; PRI members, eminent citizens, locals and large number of students were also present on the occasion.
