Srinagar: With the Parliament approving a six-month extension of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union government has initiated a three-pronged strategy to improve political and economic environment in the state, officials said Wednesday.
The Centre’s priority areas in the state are: wining people’s trust in the administrative system, isolating terrorist and separatist outfits, and strengthening the panchayat system, they said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state, June 26-27. Top officials, who attended the meetings Shah held during his visit, said they are expecting radical changes at all levels in the state in coming days.
“The Home Minister has given clear instructions to encourage transparency in administration and to deal sternly with cases of corruption,” an official told this agency Wednesday, requesting anonymity.
Top security and civil administration officials said expeditious efforts are being put in to make the administration accountable, keeping in view the priorities of the new government at the Centre. Unnecessary departments are being shelved and senior officials are being asked to establish direct contact with common masses.
Senior officials believe that the success of first-of-its-kind ‘Back to Village’ programme reflects people’s trust in the administration.
Top officials from the Army, Central Reserve Police Force, Jammu Kashmir Police and Border Security Force said that with the help of confidence-building measures, they have managed to eliminate the fear of terror from people’s mind to a large extent.
“For the first time in the past few years, we are witnessing a reverse trend in recruitment of locals by terrorist organisations,” said a top security official.
Twenty six youths, who were missing from their villages and believed to have joined terror organisations, were traced and handed over to their respective families, officials said.
Officials said that such campaign by the army and other security agencies in South Kashmir, which is the worst terror-hit region in the state, has had a positive impact on the locals.
It has happened for the first time that there was no terrorist incident or a bandh call by terrorist or separatist organisations during a visit by a Union Home Minister in the state, the officials added.
Officials believe that President’s Rule has facilitated better coordination among different security agencies. According to official data, 267 terrorists were killed by security forces in the state last year. The number stands at 122 this year, till June.
Officials said the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen are almost leaderless in the state and Al-Badr is on the verge of total elimination.
Sources said that besides directing officials to improving the security and administrative arrangement in the state, the Centre has also asked them attach priority to development works at the panchayat level.
A top official in the administration said that they are expecting that Rs 4,000 crore will be allocated to panchayats in the Union budget and that it will give a boost to development works at the grassroots level.
PTI