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| RTI activist Balvinder Singh discusses public issues with CM Omar Abdullah | | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 7: Renowned RTI and social activist S. Balvinder Singh met with Hon'ble Chief Minister Jenab Omar Abdullah at the Civil Secretariat. During the interaction, Singh shared detailed information on various important issues directly affecting the general public of JKUT. These issues, persistently raised by Mr. Singh with the appropriate authorities for several years, have remained unaddressed, leading to continued public distress.
Singh updated the Hon'ble Chief Minister on his PIL pending before the High Court of J&K regarding the acute shortage of Medical Officers and Non-Gazetted employees in the Health Department of Jammu Division. The latest status report from the Department of Health & Medical Education indicates there are 726 Medical Officers against a sanctioned strength of 1390, leaving 664 posts vacant. Similarly, there are 4379 Non-Gazetted and Class IV employees against a sanctioned strength of 6888, with 2479 posts vacant. Singh urged the Hon'ble Chief Minister to acknowledge the grave situation and take measures to alleviate the suffering of the people, especially in remote areas, as per his suggestions and recommendations submitted to the High Court and the Department of H&ME JKUT.
Singh also shared documentary evidence with HCM, showing how the deep-rooted nexus between buyers and sellers is operating within the Government e-Market Place (GeM), resulting in crores of losses to the state exchequer each year. According to Mr. Singh, although the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) issued an alert note on the issue, nothing has changed on the ground. Therefore, he has requested the introduction of more necessary remedial measures.
Singh also updated the HCM, revealing how Amrit Pharmacy Drug Stores, opened in almost every major government hospital, are supplying drugs to government hospitals at exorbitant rates, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer. For example, Amrit is supplying Cancer Injection Mabtas 100mg at Rs 3627 against the market price of Rs 1988, and Injection Mabtas 500mg at Rs 18053 against the market price of Rs 8695. Singh demands action from the HCM."
Singh urged the HCM to include a mandatory 300-metre distance provision from religious and educational institutions for opening wine shops in the upcoming Excise Policy for 2025-26. He emphasized that this is not just an administrative necessity but also a moral obligation to respect public faith, which the previous policies failed to address despite the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) he filed in the High Court of J&K in 2022.
Besides these issues, Singh addressed matters concerning the Sikh community, such as the removal of the penalty clause from the Anand Marriage Act and its early implementation. He also urged the disposal of the case file forwarded by Sh. Rajnath Singh Ji, the then Home Minister of India, which pertains to providing additional ex-gratia compensation to the next of kin (NOK) of 14 individuals killed during the anti-Sikh riots on January 13, 1989. This case has been pending in the Civil Secretariat since 2019.
Chief Minister Jenab Omar Abdullah attentively assured the activist that the issues raised by him would be given due consideration, and necessary action would be taken to enhance patient care management, improve the welfare of the people of JKUT, and bring about transparency and accountability in the system. |
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