news details |
|
|
| Awarded for poverty reduction, J&K's 'developmental Zero' goes unexplained | | Twenty Point Programme (TPP) report card | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Dec 26: Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has punctured vehement poverty reduction claims of Jammu and Kashmir government, raising serious questions over the manner in which Surveys are conducted at the national level to rate performance of governments across the country vis-à-vis implementation of various developmental schemes for poor.
Either the awarding agencies do not rely on data available with government organizations or they prefer going by some 'high profile' recommendations. This is concluded from the developmental report card of the states prepared by Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Early Times has assessed a copy of the progress report of Jammu and Kashmir in the implementation of the centrally sponsored Twenty Point Programme-2006.
The report has given detailed performance review of Jammu and Kashmir along with other states upto August 2012 raising serious questions over state being bestowed with Best State Award for Poverty Reduction by the Jury of IBN7 Diamond States Awards 2012. Early Times had regularly reported the performance of J&K in the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes as assessed by Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Most of these schemes are designed for poverty reduction. Dismal performance does indicate that state has not able to reduce poverty as per its claims. J&K slipped back in implementing the schemes which included Self-help group (SHGs) scheme, Houses constructed - EWS/LIG, NRDWP scheme for Habitations covered (Partially covered & Slipped back) as well as for Coverage of water quality affected habitations, Seven Point Charter scheme for assistance of Urban Poor Families, Plantation schemes for Public and Forest Lands, RGGVY scheme for villages electrified and electricity supplied.
J&K did some work in implementing Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) for assisting Individual Swarozgaries Assisted - SGSY, Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) scheme for Food Security, Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) for Food Security, TPDS scheme for BPL, Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Assistance for SC Families scheme, Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) along with Prime Minister Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for road construction and employment generation.
Of the above mentioned schemes, Jammu and Kashmir government had set a target of constructing 2500 houses for Economically Weaker Groups (EWG)/Low Income Groups (LIG) during the year 2012-13 but could not construct even a single house since the day scheme was launched in Jammu and Kashmir. Though J&K shares its zero status with many other states but having been bestowed with award by a prestigious news channel being run by Reliance Group, observers expected some performance.
J&K has scored another zero in assisting urban poor families under Seven Point Charter. According to the progress report, J&K had committed to assist 3750 families during the current financial year but upto August 2012, J&K has found not even a single family to assist under this scheme. Besides, J&K had to cover 7250 hectares land under the afforestation programme, it managed just 634 hectares during this financial year upto August. This is just 21 percent of the target set for this year.
Under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), J&K had set a target of electrifying 136 villages but when it came to working on ground, the entire state machinery managed to electrify just 14 villages, leaving around 122 without power connections. J&K supplied just 75 percent of the electricity demanded by the state. A gap of 25 percent indicates the excess reliance of state on the central utilities and inability to tap transmission and distribution losses.
Under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), J&K set a target of reaching over to 1042 habitations which were either partially covered or had slipped back. However, it could reach just 120 habitations upto August 2013. Arithmetic calculations might not make much of a difference but larger fact remains that state machinery which is habitual of working at snail's pace has seemingly decided not to move fast even if it means being penalized by Planning Commission of India over and over again.
It needs to be mentioned here that Twenty point programme (TPP) was launched by government of India in the year 1975 and restructured in 1982, 1986 and again in 2006. The programme is meant to give a thrust to schemes relating to poverty alleviation, employment generation in rural areas, housing, education, family welfare and health, protection of environment and many other schemes having a bearing on the quality of life, especially in the rural areas.
Programmes and schemes under the TPP-2006 are in harmony with priorities contained in millennium development goals (MDGs) of the United Nations and SAARC social charter. Original nomenclature, namely the Twenty Point Programme, which has been in existence for more than three decades and carries the stamp of familiarity among the people and administrative agencies, has been retained. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
