The News Caravan

Tag: dr arun kumar mehta (ias)

  • Govt Has Brought Greater Transparency And Accountability To Financial System Since 2019: CS

    Govt Has Brought Greater Transparency And Accountability To Financial System Since 2019: CS

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    SRINAGAR: Finance Department on Wednesday organised a day-long workshop on “Transformation and Reforms in Financial Management” at SKICC.

    The workshop aimed at apprising the participants about the priorities of the government and implementation of its schemes through digital platforms for better outcomes at the field level.

    Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta who was Chief Guest on the occasion highlighted major reforms taken up by J&K government to bring greater transparency and accountability in the financial system making it more robust and outcome oriented. He said that since 2019 many reforms had been taken in the financial management system which has resulted in producing far better outcomes.

    Chief Secretary said that the key reforms introduced by the government in its financial structure envisaging added transparency and accountability and has brought UT’s fiscal system at par with any other system in the country. He maintained that implementation of transformative reforms such as Budget Estimation and Allocation Monitoring System (BEAMS), online submission of bills through J&K PaySys, mandatory administrative approvals, technical sanctions and e-tendering, digital payments, GFR, GeM and related measures have greatly helped the financial systems in J&K to be efficient, transparent and result oriented.

    Dr Mehta complimented the finance department for bringing in necessary changes for the overhaul of the system and said that the department has been at the forefront in eradication of corruption at all levels. “Today we could safely conclude that the financial system in J&K is one of the most transparent systems anywhere and is among the key changes that have taken roots in the UT after 2019” he added.

    Chief Secretary said that the government has completed 92000 works during 2022-23 which was unthinkable in the recent past as the number of completed works would be around 9000 before 2019.

    He also said that the feedback taken from the panchayats is highly encouraging as no complaint is being received from them regarding the works. He said that works are taking place 3-4 times more on the same amount of money and without facing any obstacles as this year 43000 works have been completed in panchayats which was just about 3000 before this system was put in place. He said that the officers involved in this transformation should feel proud to be part of this journey.

     

    Regarding the number of beneficiaries receiving old age pension, widow pension, the CS said that number of beneficiaries has increased from 4.5 lakh to 10 lakh without putting any further burden on the state exchequer. He also said that 11.5 lakh beneficiaries have been weeded out from the CAPD department without anyone complaining about the same. He said that the money is reaching where it is intended to reach and there is no siphoning of public money now due to DBT and digitisation of services.

    He recalled that the officers of the finance department are the protectors of the public exchequer and they should make this department most happening department in the country and achieve the financial discipline for achieving saturation of all the beneficiary led schemes.

    Dr Mehta said that promoting good governance in the financial management has been one of the core objectives of the government and people are able to oversee works being executed in their areas on a real time basis on EMPOWERMENT portal.

    CS also reiterated that the government has zero tolerance against any kind of irregularity in any recruitment process undertaken by any recruiting agency of the J&K Government. He assured that the confidence of our youth in these institutions is paramount for the administration and it would be safeguarded at any cost to ensure that the government jobs are acquired by deserving candidates on merit only.

    Some of the main topics which came under discussion during this day-long workshop includes Role of GST as a fulcrum of J&K’s Own Tax Revenues, People’s participation through EMPOWERMENT/ JANBAGHIDARI, E-Audit and performance auditing, PFMS and CNA/SNA Module, Introduction of IT in GP Fund, Co-relation between Finance and Investigations, and Digital Payments & DBT.

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    #Govt #Brought #Greater #Transparency #Accountability #Financial #System

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Chief Secretary E-Inaugurates Digital Cath Lab At SKIMS Soura

    Chief Secretary E-Inaugurates Digital Cath Lab At SKIMS Soura

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    SRINAGAR: New Digital Cath Lab in SKIMS was inaugurated by Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, on Saturday.

    SKIMS
    Chief Secretary E-Inaugurates Digital Cath Lab At SKIMS Soura

    The Cath lab was procured at a cost of 8.5 crores  and has led to a significant enhancement of the capacity of SKIMS in handling interventional cardiology procedures at SKIMS.

    Established in 1982, the cardiology department is the flagship department in SKIMS and is one of the highest volume centres in the country for coronary interventions.

    The centre does interventional procedures from the ages of 1 day to 90 years and is the only centre in the UT doing Pediatric cardiac interventions as also removal of  infected pacemakers. The centre is the second leading centre for pacemaker placement in the country.

    Dr Mehta dedicated the Cath Lab to the people of UT and emphasised that healthcare in J&K should should evolve to such a level that no patient should ever be required to go out of the UT for medical treatment.

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    #Chief #Secretary #EInaugurates #Digital #Cath #Lab #SKIMS #Soura

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Wage War On Drugs, Focus On Rehabilitation Of Victims: CS To Officers

    Wage War On Drugs, Focus On Rehabilitation Of Victims: CS To Officers

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    JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Monday chaired the 4th UT Level Apex Committee meeting of NCORD and held an in-depth review of all the ongoing activities happening across Jammu and Kashmir to combat the drug menace here.

    The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Home; DGP, J&K; Principal Secretary, Education; Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; ADGP, Kashmir/Jammu; Commissioner Secretary, Forests; Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare; Secretary Health; Director, Information and Public Relations; Excise Commissioner; State Drug Controller; Zonal Director, NCB Jammu; SSP, ANTF and all the Deputy Commissioners and District SPs both in person and through video conferencing.

    Dr Mehta while addressing the officers remarked that the victims of drug abuse deserves handholding and every possible assistance to live a normal life. He impressed upon the officers that without showing any laxity on the ongoing war on drugs, focus should also be laid on rehabilitation of its victims.

    The Chief Secretary further exhorted upon the officers to involve PRIs as well as Anganwadi centres and schools for rehabilitation of drug abuse victims as well as for generating awareness among public particularly youth about the negative impact of drug abuse. He underscored that it is our collective duty to root out this plague from the society.

    and SSPs regarding efforts being made for combating this menace across Jammu and Kashmir. He also directed the Deputy Commissioners to hold monthly meetings by district NCORD committees without any fail and update the data of same on national NCORD portal. He told them to constitute special team of Drug Control department to look after ourAirports for drug peddling or smuggling of contraband substances.

    Earlier in the meeting, a detailed presentation on drug scenario in J&K and the challenges to counter the drug menace and efforts being made by all stakeholders to fight this problem was also presented before the Chief Secretary.

    It was given in the meeting that in Kashmir Division, a total of 159 drug dealers have been booked under PITNDPS while in Jammu Division 43 drug dealers have been detained during 2022.

    Similarly the meeting was informed that a total of 1850 FIRs have been registered while 2756 persons have been arrested for carrying out these illicit trade. Moreover during 2022, 240 kg Heroin, 498 kgs Charas, 249 Kg Ganja, and 178677 Caps/bottles/tabs of Scheduled drugs have been seized throughout J&K, as was revealed in this meeting.

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    #Wage #War #Drugs #Focus #Rehabilitation #Victims #Officers

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Anti Encroachment Drive Pro-People: CS

    Anti Encroachment Drive Pro-People: CS

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    SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta today remarked that the encroached State land is being retrieved from the big vested interests only with the purpose of reverting it back for public use.

    He was speaking in a meeting of UT, Divisional and District Administration to take stock of measures being taken to streamline the anti-encroachment drive.

    Dr Mehta maintained that these measures are aimed at helping common people. He observed that this land belongs collectively to the masses and retrieved land shall be used for the benefit of all of them. He stated that no person has any legal right to usurp the rights of commoners.

    The Chief Secretary further pointed out that such measures should be supported by the public as the retrieved and shall be used for public utility such as hospitals, schools, play grounds, bus stands, Industries, parking spaces etc. It shall accelerate all round development in J&K.

    The Chief Secretary directed the Deputy Commissioners to safeguard the habitations and livelihoods of poor and downtrodden. He enjoined upon them to develop DPRs for carrying out developmental works on such lands at the earliest so that fruits of these efforts reach the masses.

    He stated that some people are voluntarily giving up the encroached lands. He told them to set an example for others and give in writing their testimonies.

    The Chief Secretary also directed the IT Department to create a dedicated portal for reflecting the actual quantum of State/ Kacharie/Common land retrieved in all the districts is put in public domain for their information. He advised the Revenue Department to carryout Geo-referencing of these public assets so that the same is preserved for the public without ambiguity.

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    #Anti #Encroachment #Drive #ProPeople

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • After Digitization Of Services Focus Should Be Timely Service Delivery: CS

    After Digitization Of Services Focus Should Be Timely Service Delivery: CS

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    JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Tuesday remarked that after successfully digitizing all the services, focus should be laid on timely delivery of services and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in managing the affairs of government departments.

    Dr Mehta was speaking in the 14th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting of the Jammu & Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA) attended by other members including Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce; Commissioner Secretary , IT; Secretary, PD&MD; Secretary, GAD; DG, Codes; SIO, NIC besides other concerned officers.

    The Chief Secretary stressed on moving towards use of AI/ML and IoT based technologies for better coordination and monitoring purposes. He maintained that technology is panacea for many of the problems. It is also the most effective tool for ensuring transparency. He impressed upon the officers and scientists from IT and NIC respectively to work towards use of modern technologies towards obtaining desired results especially for the purposes of work estimation and their identification.

    Dr Mehta directed for making good use of technologies by bridging the gap between the government and those governed. He made out that the power belongs to people and technology has empowered them in unprecedented manner. He told the officers to have virtual inspections of the offices and works on daily basis. He even suggested for taking feedback from public and PRI’s about the quality of work being done in their areas or any grievances they have against any of the government departments.

    The Chief Secretary also emphasized upon end to end use of digital platforms like e-office by all the government employees especially ground workers like Patwaris, JEs etc. He declared that the actual purpose of digitization would be served when it enhances ease of living. He asked for making the work of every office be it Police Stations, Tehsil Offices, Hospitals, Engineering Departments, ULBs, Block Offices fully online for efficient delivery and effective monitoring.

    The Commissioner Secretary, IT, PrernaPuri gave a detailed presentation on the decisions taken during the 13th BoG meeting. She also detailed out the agenda for the meeting with a proposal for revamping the agency on more professional lines that would make the working of the J&K e-Governance agency more outcome oriented as per the requirements of present times.

    It was revealed that in the previous meeting the decisions like establishment of 1012 ICT labs in schools, digitisation of office records, rolling out of National Generic Document Registration System, procurement of infrastructure for Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme and upgradation of State Data Centre was achieved as per the respective proposals.

    Later on the Chief Secretary also launched the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) coverage for 168 blocks of the UT. He advised giving access to the 10 most vital offices at district level and 5 such offices at block levels for their easy access to safer network.

    It was given out that the SWAN would provide the unhindered access to internet to these blocks even during internet shutdowns and aid them in working more efficiently without having need to rely on private service providers.

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    #Digitization #Services #Focus #Timely #Service #Delivery

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • Assisting Disables Our Moral, Social Responsibility: Chief Secretary

    Assisting Disables Our Moral, Social Responsibility: Chief Secretary

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    JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta today emphasised upon the need for having public infrastructure amenable to specially-abled people for their easy access to them, especially schools and health institutions of the UT.

    Dr Mehta made these remarks while chairing the 22nd Steering Committee meeting of Scheme for Implementation of Rights for Persons with Disabilities (SIPDA) here.

    The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, H&UDD; Principal Secretary, PWD; Principal Secretary, Education; Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare; Commissioner Secretary, IT and Information Departments; Secretary, Transport; Deputy Commissioner, Jammu; DG, I&C, Jammu; Directors of Social Welfare Department and other concerned officers.

    The Chief Secretary stressed on taking all the measures possible for making public offices and infrastructure accessible to such persons. He advised them to have ramps and rails in every office especially those visited often by such persons. He told them to have disable-friendly washrooms in such buildings besides signages and other facilities for assistance to such persons. He advised them to take both short term and long term measures to tackle this issue.

    In terms of adopting the innovative approaches, the Chief Secretary underscored the need for establishment a helpline with a nodal officer who could facilitate them in getting appointments with senior officers or offices in administration. He told them to create waiting halls for these persons in the ground floor of these offices for meeting the officers to apprise them about their issues. He also directed for giving suitable accommodation to specially-abled employees in the ground floor of the office they are working at.

    He enjoined upon them that it is the social obligation of all of us, besides our moral responsibility, to assist them in every manner. He asked them to have wheel chairs available in the main offices for their ease, besides providing them help in reaching the particular place in the office complexes.

    The Commissioner Secretary, SWD, Sheetal Nanda apprised the meeting that the SIPDA Scheme has been formulated by Government of India to provide barrier free environment for the persons with disabilities which include access to built environment in schools, colleges, academic and training institutions, offices and public buildings, recreational areas, health centres/hospitals etc.

    This also includes provision for ramps, rails, lifts, adaptation of toilets for wheelchair users, brail signages and auditory signals, tactile flooring, causing curb cuts and slopes to be made in pavement for the easy access of wheelchair users, she adds.

    It also enlists engraving on the surface of zebra crossing for the blind or for persons with low vision, engraving on the edges of railway platforms for the blind or for low vision and devising appropriate symbols of disability, etc, as was discussed in the meeting.

    It was made out that government websites should also be accessible to PwDs as per guidelines issued by NIC and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (D/o AR&PG), Government of India.

    The concept behind this scheme is to achieve universal accessibility that will enable persons with disabilities to gain access for equal opportunity and live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life in an inclusive society.

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    #Assisting #Disables #Moral #Social #Responsibility #Chief #Secretary

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • AC Assents To Amend Certain Provisions Of Land Reforms Act

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    JAMMU: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha gave its assent for authorizing Revenue Department to move an amendment in Section 21 and Section 28-A of Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976

    Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor and Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K attended the meeting.

    The proposed amendments shall lift prohibition on transfer of land vested under section 6,7 and 12 of the Act and to bring these lands at par with the land vested under section 8 of the said Act. The proposed amendment bill will be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for placing before the Parliament for enactment. The enactment will be a big relief to such land holders who were vested land under section 6, 7 and 12 of the Agrarian Reforms Act, as this would enable them to sell off their land parcels which was earlier prohibited under the Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976.

    The amendment will also lead to vesting of revisional power to the Financial Commissioner Revenue which shall facilitate to dispose of the cases arising out of the said Act in the larger interest of the public.

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    #Assents #Amend #Provisions #Land #Reforms #Act

    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )