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| Why only house committee for health department? Why not for all departments? | | Discrimination with Jammu | |
MINCING NO WORDS
NEHA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 8: The cornered Jammu and Kashmir Government yesterday agreed to set up a house committee to conduct inquiry into the up-gradation and creation of health centres in the assembly segments of ministers. The government took this step to break the deadlock. The entire opposition had on Saturday walked out of the assembly accusing the health minister of ignoring the constituencies the opposition parties represent in the assembly and showing undue favour to the constituencies he and other ministers, including the finance minister, represent. The opposition had bitterly criticized the health minister, created a scene and charged him with sanctioning as many as seven primary health centres for his constituency and almost an equal number for the constituency being represented by the finance minister.
The opposition has construed the decision of the government to set up a house committee for health department as its victory. It may be a victory for the legislators belonging to Kashmir, but it is certainly not a step that could be welcomed by the people of Jammu province. They would have welcomed the step, had the state government set up a house committee to look into their oft-repeated allegation that they had been grossly discriminated against ever since 1947, when the Congress ditched the people of Jammu province and transferred the state power from Jammu province to Kashmir or to Sheikh Abdullah of the National Conference using unfair means to pander to communal and pro-autonomy forces in the Valley.
Their complaint is as well founded as it deserves a comprehensive inquiry to expose the Kashmiri-dominated successive governments in the state and establish that the Kashmiri leadership and its men in Jammu have reduced the people of Jammu province to a nullity for all practical purposes. By agreeing to accept the decision of the state government to set up a house committee for the health department, the Jammu-based legislators belonging to the ruling parties and the opposition parties have simply let down their respective constituencies. They have virtually walked into a trap and allowed the Kashmiri leadership to go scot-free overlooking the fact that it willfully denied the people of Jammu province their due share in all spheres and at all levels and converted the province into a Kashmir’s colony.
It needs to be underlined that the development of Jammu province has been willfully prevented by inadequate funds allotted to it. For example, in the 8th five-year plan (1992-1997), 9th five-year plan (1997-2002), 10th five-year plan (2002-2007) and 11th five-year plan (2007-2012) Jammu’s share in such sectors as agriculture was Rs 57.61 crore, 147.31 crore, 270.49 crore and 337.56 crore, respectively; irrigation 91.14 crore, 112.79 crore, 267.76 crore and 282.04 crore, respectively; roads and buildings 144.2 crore, 29.38 crore, 730.93 crore and 1229.24 crore, respectively; health 123.92 crore, 226.07 crore, 330.32 crore and 510.81 crore, respectively; tourism 15.21 crore, 34.99 crore, 47.17 crore and 36.29 crore, respectively; sewerage 2.92 crore, 6.26 crore, 30.61 crore and 11.54 crore, respectively; drainage 20.37 crore, 27.84 crore, 32.31 crore and 67.75 crore, respectively; housing and urban development 19.38 crore, 39.87 crore, 69.65 crore and 279.4 crore, respectively; and power 516.75 crore, 56.94 crore, 1154.3 crore and 3278.78 crore, respectively.
In contrast, the share of Kashmir in such vital sectors as agriculture was 104.5 crore, 253.17 crore, 380.29 crore and 519.41 crore, respectively; irrigation 136.64 crore, 210.05 crore, 466.72 crore and 365.35 crore, respectively; roads and buildings 247.22 crore, 403.67 crore, 751.03 crore and 1229.24 crore, respectively; health 135.34 crore, 274.45 crore, 390.25 crore and 819.22 crore, respectively; tourism 34.39 crore, 58.01 crore, 109.85 crore and 83.09 crore, respectively; sewerage 6.81 crore, 14.61 crore, 71.42 crore and 35.67 crore, respectively; drainage 47.53 crore, 64.96 crore, 75.41 crore and 1091.61 crore, respectively; housing and urban development 45.23 crore, 93.02 crore, 162.52 crore and 518.88 crore, respectively; and power 775.12 crore, 85.41 crore, 1731.43 crore and 4918.17 crore, respectively.
A single reference to the sales tax realized from Kashmir and Jammu between 1975 and 2007 would also be in order. The Government realized Rs 2474.802 crores from Jammu and Rs 1075.29 crores from Kashmir.
These are all official statistics indicating the extent to which the people of Jammu province stand ignored and discriminated against. State Finance Commission member Swami Raj Sharma had also highlighted this point in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. What is required is not a house committee for the looking into bunglings in the health department but a house committee charged with the responsibility of looking into the complaint of the people of Jammu province that it has all along been treated unfairly.
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