Rajya Sabha clears Bill to merge J&K cadre with AGMUT

Rajya Sabha on Monday handed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill to merge Jammu and Kashmir cadre of IAS, IPS and IFS with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory, or AGMUT, cadre.

Speaking through the debate, Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy claimed that speedy improvement is occurring within the area for the reason that State was demoted to Union Territory in August 2019.

100% electrification

Mr. Reddy claimed that the area will probably be related by prepare by December 2022 and also will have an elevated gentle rail system, which he stated is within the starting stage. The Minister stated that already 100% electrification has been achieved particularly within the border villages. By September 2022, his authorities goals to present 100% piped water protection to rural households, , Mr Reddy added.

“Since the last two years, speedy development is happening in Jammu and Kashmir, when compared to the last 70 years. Both the Centre and the J&K government are trying to develop the region and will do more. Due to coronavirus, we could not reach the set target,” the Minister stated in reply to a debate on the J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill.

Success of civic polls

The municipal polls each in rural and concrete civic our bodies, Mr Reddy stated, have been step one on this path. Not solely elections have been held, native our bodies have been strengthened giving them the duty of noon meal scheme, Anganwadi programme and MGNREGA, he stated, including that grievances containers have been additionally put in in panchayats.

Stating that about 54% of labor has been accomplished beneath the PM’s Development bundle for J&K, he stated about 20 initiatives, together with central and UT initiatives, have been executed. Eight extra initiatives are probably to be accomplished by the top of the monetary yr, he stated.

Opposition question

Initiating the talk, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad reminded the federal government that Home Minister Amit Shah had stated turning J&K right into a UT was solely a brief measure and that statehood will probably be restored quickly.

“I want to ask Home Minister Amit Shah, if the present cadre was working well then what was the need to merge it? You had promised that statehood will be restored… But bringing this bill creates suspicion that GoI wants to keep J&K permanently a Union Territory,” Mr Azad stated.

Contrary to all guarantees, no new industries have been arrange within the area; as a substitute those that have been there have additionally been shut down, Mr Azad stated.

“No new industry is coming up at present… Of the 12,997 industries in Jammu, only 5,890 are functional, while 7,160 i.e. 60% are closed… development remains stalled… It is only on TV and not on roads,” he stated.

RJD’s Manoj K. Jha stated the federal government claims of normalcy in J&K sound hole.

“A lot of discussion is about normalcy in J&K. Normalcy should not be a rhetoric. It should be a reality. Let’s hope the rest of the country doesn’t have to suffer under Kashmir-like normalcy,” he stated.