Jammu Feb 28 PTI Various initiatives have been taken by the Jammu and Kashmir administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to make the functioning of government departments more transparent and participatory an official spokesman said on Monday The administration has made jan bhagidari public participation the main mantra for making it more responsive accountable and transparent besides ensuring rapid growth and development in the Union Territory the spokesman said In order to ensure effective implementation of government schemes at the grassroots level he said the government has launched an intensive public outreach campaign to raise awareness about these The campaign included targeted delivery of health insurance among the rural population quantifiable panchayat-wise self-employment and installation of functional tap water connection to each household The spokesman said as one of the major initiatives to further public participation in the overall development process in the Union Territory the government launched the Janta Ki Scheme-Janta ki Bhagidari campaign The programme focused on improving public access to a portal having details of all ongoing works in an area to inform and solicit peoples participation in development process and corruption-free governance he said The idea is to make working of government institutions more transparent at the grassroots level and enable people to keep a check on progress of development projects he said As on date the BEAMS-EMPOWERMENT portal hosts details of 33099 works being executed in the Union Territory at a cumulative cost of around Rs 12200 crore he said The spokesman said Jammu and Kashmir is first in the country in taking lead in enforcing reforms in expenditure management and the account of each penny has been made available in public domain Further as a result of sustained institutional reforms in the UT and sharp focus on completion of works in a time-bound manner there is a substantial impact on ground in terms of completion of projects the spokesman said Till date he said a total of 21943 projects have been completed across the Union Territory including 9229 projects completed during 2018-19 and 12637 during 2019-20 The primary objective of all these remarkable initiatives is to ensure public participation in the overall development process in the UT These steps are aimed at strengthening the institution of jan bhagidari making it an integral part of transparent and accountable governance he said PTI TAS AB SMN SMN

Jammu Feb 21 PTI A strong National Conference is an eyesore for the elements opposed to Jammu and Kashmirs spirit of inclusiveness party president Farooq Abdullah said as he exhorted the cadre to remain steadfast in their resolve of serving people and strengthening inclusiveness The former chief minister complimented the people in general and the party cadre in particular for their commitment to the secular ethos and hoped that this glorious tradition would continue to inspire future generations The emergence of National Conference as a big political force is an eyesore for elements opposed to JKs spirit of amity brotherhood harmony and inclusiveness Abdullah said after reviewing the functioning of the party units in Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley regions of Jammu province He said massive support to the National Conference in every nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir is reflective of the deep faith of the people in the party which has met the challenges with courage and fortitude The strength of the party emanates from the people at ground zero and there is a need to channelize this support for the betterment of the people irrespective of caste creed region or religion he said Abdullah said the National Conference has all along cherished great values of pluralistic ethos that have actually been a binding force between regions and religions This spirit has not only to be sustained but promoted in a big way to keep at bay the divisive forces he added He said unity in diversity is the real strength of Jammu and Kashmir and this is what has seen us overcome all the challenges Abdullah exhorted the cadre across Jammu and Kashmir to remain steadfast in their resolve of serving the people and strengthening bonds of inclusiveness -- the political philosophy of the party that has withstood the test of times The NC president complimented party functionaries for mass outreach in their areas saying this would further galvanise the party at the grassroots level The politically empowered people hold the key to change and given their sagacity and sense of understanding the day is not far when they will become the masters of their own destiny he said The NC leader said the people were the real fountain of power and the power is not to rule but to serve humanity This has been the core of our political philosophy he maintained PTI TAS AB SMN SMN

Jammu Jan 24 PTI The Armys northern command chief Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi on Monday paid a visit to his first commanding officer Colonel retired K S Jamwal at his residence here a defence spokesman said Colonel retired Jamwal groomed Lt Gen Joshi during the formative years of his military career the spokesman said in a statement Lt Gen Joshi General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Armys northern command believes that the first few years of unit life have been the most valuable part of his foundation as an Army officer and he credits Col Jamwal for grooming and shaping him for future challenges and enriching contributions Expressing gratitude to Col retired Jamwal he said Youre an incredible trainer and Im grateful for your guidance encouragement and constant motivation which pushed me to immense heights I never imagined Thank you for inspiring me to be excellent in everything I do Col retired Jamwal said Joshi was commissioned in 13 JAK RIF as 2nd Lieutenant and joined in Nagaland when I was commanding the unit Right from his early service days he exhibited the winning streak and was always in the forefront with a sound professional approach PTI TAS AB SMN SMN

Jammu Dec 28 PTI A former government official was sentenced to three years in jail by a special court on Tuesday in a disproportionate assets case an official said Two other accused in the case filed in 2008 were acquitted by the court for want of sufficient evidence a spokesperson of the Anti-Corruption Bureau ACB said in a statement He said special anti-corruption judge Ritesh Dubey convicted former tehsildar Janak Singh of Shastri Nagar area in Jammu for acquiring assets disproportionate to income and acquiring assets in benami transactions The court awarded three years simple imprisonment and one-year simple imprisonment for offences under the Public Men Public Servants Declaration of Assets Act and two years simple imprisonment for commission of offences under the Benami Transactions Prohibition Act to the former government official the spokesman said The case was registered against the revenue official on the basis of a verification conducted into the allegations that he had raised assets disproportionate to his known sources of income in the name of his family members and friends by indulging in corrupt practices during his service career the spokesman said He said the verification has found that the accused has constructed a double-storey residential house on a piece of land measuring more than two kanals at Shastri Nagar Jammu and has established a petrol pump at Greater Kailash in Jammu in the name of his family members Janak Singh was found to have resorted to acquisition of moveable and immovable properties in his name and in the name of his close relations in order to conceal his money the spokesman said PTI TAS AB SMN SMN

Jammu Aug 30 PTI Four houses were damaged in a landslide in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday officials said There was no report of any death or injury to anyone The houses were damaged at Kunfer village of Chanderkote along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway the officials said The residents claimed the landslide was caused due to the ongoing work on the highway expansion project Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mussarat Islam visited the village to take stock of the situation following the landslide He assured the affected people of every possible help from the district administration for their rehabilitation Islam directed the tehsildar to immediately submit a loss assessment report for grant of relief according to an official spokesman He also assured the families that their demand for compensation for the damage will be forwarded to the National Highways Authority of India PTI TAS AB SMN SMN