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| Media is the watchdog, it can't be selective & biased | | Discrimination: Jammu VS Kashmir | | Neha
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, July 7: Jammu province also got less funds as compared to Kashmir in the Rural Development and Allied Departments sector. For example, Jammu province got Rs 20145 lakh less as compared to Kashmir in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Five Year Plans. As for the Irrigation, Flood Control and PHE Sectors, Jammu province was allocated Rs 47687 lakh less as compared to Kashmir during the same period. And, this gross discrimination, despite the fact that "in the Kandi belt of Jammu province there is a large scale need for check dams and water tanks irrigation system both for agriculture and forest development on water shed technology basis."
What about the nation-building crucial health sector? In the Health and Medical Education Sector, Jammu was allocated Rs 49394 lakh less as compared to Kashmir in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Five Year Plans.
Similarly, in the vital Social Welfare Sector, Jammu province was given a raw deal. Kashmir was allocated Rs 28943 lakh in 11th Five Year Plan alone and Jammu Rs 24387 lakh (Rs 4556 lakh less as compared to Kashmir region). Swami Raj Sharma and Sonam Dawa in their dissenting note pointed out that separate allotment figures for Jammu and Kashmir regions were not available for the earlier period. Why?
The story of Tourism sector was no different. For instance, under the Tourism Sector, an allocation of Rs 13657 lakh was made under the State Sector Plan during 11th Five Year Plan period, but again, according to Sharma and Dawa, region-wise figures were not available. At the same time, however, they were successful in revealing separate figures for the eight Tourism Development Authorities. They revealed that during the 11th Five Year Plan period, Rs 2390 lakh were allocated for Pahalgam Tourism Development Authority, Rs 2390 lakh for Gulmarg Development Authority, Rs 478 lakh for Sonamarg Tourism Development Authority, Rs 614 lakh for Kokernag Tourism Development Authority, Rs 1707 lakh for Cable Car Corporation, Rs 682 lakh for Royal Spring Golf Course, Srinagar, Rs 751 lakh for SKICC Srinagar, Rs 1297 lakh for Patnitop Development Authority, Jammu. These figures speak for themselves and indicate the extent to which Jammu province was ignored in this sector. These figures clearly establish that Jammu province got nothing but crumbs.
"From these figures", they said, "we can safely conclude that Jammu region has been discriminated (against) in the matter of allocating funds in the nine key sectors and the Kashmir region has been discriminated (against) in only one sector of Elementary Education," and added that "because of arbitrary allotment of funds to Jammu region, this region was denied its due share…in key sectors."
Sharma and Dawa not only exposed the concerned authorities for their bias against Jammu province and Ladakh region, but they also reflected on the methodology the authorities adopted while allocating funds. Besides, they also reflected on the negative approach of the chairman of the State Finance Commission Mehmood-ur-Rehman and the fourth member of the Commission Nissar Ali from Kashmir.
In fact, in a letter to the Chief Minister (November 26, 2010), Sharma said, "I had submitted two reports containing dissenting findings and recommendations to the Chairman for incorporating them in the final draft report for consideration of the Government. However, he didn't accept my request and over-ruled the dissenting recommendations and findings, which cover sensitive issues of regional discrimination and regional economic autonomy meriting full consideration of the Government." "The Chairman has over-ruled the dissenting findings and recommendations by casting vote which power he is not conferred upon under the provisions of the J&K State Finance Commission Act," Sharma said in his letter. He also said in his letter that "the final powers to accept or reject the dissenting findings and recommendations vest with the Government alone. However, incorporating the dissenting findings and recommendations would be not only in conformity with law but also in general public interest for all the three regions of the State".
Regarding the mode of allotment funds to Jammu province, Kashmir and Ladakh, Sharma wrote: "Right from the early fifties, when Five Years Plan was introduced in the State, no rational criteria was prepared and adopted by the Government for making the annual allotment of funds amongst the three regions and the districts. The funds were mostly allotted at the discretion of the Ministers-In-charge of various departments and Planning Department…No dispassionate exercise was ever conducted through some impartial body to ascertain whether any injustice has been caused to any region and its districts in the matter of allotment of funds made in the past". |
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