NL Correspondent
SRINAGAR: The PDP-BJP ministers' part of various groups constituted on directions of the Cabinet have failed to come up with suggestions on vital issues during the last 18 months in the state.
Since the PDP-BJP coalition headed by Mehbooba Mufti formed government in April 2016, various groups comprising of ministers of both the parties were constituted.
These groups of ministers (GoM) were assigned to come up with suggestions and for effective coordination between the coalition parties.
However, for the last 18 months, the PDP-BJP ministers, part of these groups, have not taken the assignments seriously as they failed with the assigned task for which they were constituted.
Days after the forming the government, the state cabinet in April 2016 issued directives for constitution of groups of ministers on Infrastructure Development, Economic Affairs and on Human Resource and Skill Development for which the General Administration Department issued orders, accordingly.
A six-member group headed by Minister Power Development Department was assigned the task of holding deliberations on the issue of infrastructural development. Minister for Public Works, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Minister for Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control and Minister of State for Transport are part of this group.
“During the last 17 months, the group did not hold deliberations on the issue of infrastructure development in the state,” an official of the GAD, said.
The official said that there has been change in portfolios of some of the ministers' part of the group. “This group did not come up with suggestions despite the state lacking the infrastructural development,” the official said.
A six-member group headed by Minister for Health and Medical Education was framed of holding deliberations on human resource and skill development.
The Minister for Education, Minister for Finance, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Minister for Information Technology are members of the group.
Another group headed by Minister for Finance, while comprising of Minister of Industries and Commerce, Minister for Agriculture Production, Minister for Rural Development Department and Minister for Tourism was assigned to look after the economic affairs.
“These groups met few times but did not do much for which they were constituted,” the official said.
In May this year, a group headed by Deputy Chief Minister was constituted on the issue of illegal settlement of immigrants.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Minister for Rural Development and Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department are part of this group.
So far, this group did not come up with suggestions despite the government is considering of deporting Rohingyas outside India.
The state government has also constituted a group of seven ministers to examine the proposal regarding accord of administrative approval for execution of work for dredging and strengthening embankments of the Wular Lake.
Deputy Chief Minister is also heading a group constituted to examine and make recommendations in a time bound manner on the proposal for funding the pension of employees of J&K Industries Limited and J&K Handicrafts (S&E) Corporation in terms of the judgments of the Supreme Court and High Court.
A group was also constituted for ensuring effective implementation of BJP-PDP coalition' ‘Agenda of Alliance' in the state.
Minister for Rural Development, Abdul Haq Khan said that members of the groups do meet and would come up suggestions.
“It is not easy to come up suggestions immediately. It does take some time. But the members of groups are taking it the assignments seriously. All groups will complete their task for which they were constituted,” Khan, who is the PDP minister, said.
