Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday announced that the government would provide land and house to the poor under PMAY and a notification would be issued soon regarding this.
“Poor have the first right over a country’s resources. Earlier, there was no provision to provide land to landless people by the government. We have removed regressive land laws and the government will provide land to poor landless and a house also under PMAY. A notification will be issued soon,” he said addressing a public function at Garkhal border village Panchayat of Akhnoor in Jammu.
Sinha further appreciated the district administration for its efforts in accelerating the socio-economic development of Garkhal Panchayat.
“Border Gram Panchayat of Garkhal is scripting a golden chapter of development with the active participation of residents and transforming it into a model village,” said the Lt Governor.
He further said that the government of India has allotted additional 1,99,550 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) to the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir and of these, more than 19,000 houses are meant for Jammu District.
“This allocation will go a long way in achieving the objective of ‘Housing for All,” he said.
Sinha also highlighted the endeavours of district administration and stakeholder departments for the effective implementation of schemes and execution of projects, which were pending for the past many years.
“It is our firm resolve to bridge the gap between rural and urban J-K. We are accelerating infrastructure development, strengthening health and education sectors and generating productive employment opportunities for our youth,” he said, adding, “We are taking up projects for execution as per the needs of the people. Our aim is to ensure that no one from the villages, especially the border dwellers, has to move to cities in search of basic facilities, employment and livelihood.”
Sinha said that the district officials in consultation with the PRI members had chalked out a comprehensive development plan of 32 development projects worth Rs 12.19 crore for Garkhal.
“A major step was taken today in the direction to provide sufficient water supply to every household in this panchayat. It is also being ensured that the small and marginal farmers of Garkhal and other border villages of the J-K benefitted from the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP),” he said.
The LG impressed upon the PRI members and the people to start a mass movement to make the Garkhal Panchayat swachh and drug-free.
He motivated the youth for skill development and self-employment and encouraged the women folks to create many more Self Help Groups (SHGs) with the help of the Rural Livelihood Mission.
“Our aim is to empower the farmers, youth, and women of border areas, and enable them to contribute to the developmental journey of J-K,” Sinha said.
He said that the reformative initiatives taken by the government in the last three years had yielded favourable results and various sectors including tourism, industries, agriculture, and allied sectors had witnessed unprecedented growth.
“We have to work together with the ‘Whole of Government Approach’ to fulfil the resolve of ‘strong and ‘Atmanirbhar J-K,’” the LG said.
Addressing the demands pertaining to border outposts, the Chenab riverfront and the promotion of border tourism,he assured that appropriate steps would be taken in this regard.
During his visit, Sinha inaugurated a training programme for women SHGs and various other development works.
