Parliamentary panel says only 22% funds released for J&K

NEW DELHI: Only 22% of the Prime Minister’s ~80,000 crore development package for Jammu and Kashmir has been released to the state government so far, a parliamentary committee has said in a report underlining the “little outcome achieved” under it.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on home affairs, headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in a report tabled in the Rajya Sabha, said the progress on implementing the Prime Minister’s development package had been slow and a “poor outcome” had been achieved in the past 12 months.

The committee found that out of the ~80,068-crore Prime Minister’s Development Package for Jammu and Kashmir, projects of ~67,046 crore have been sanctioned and ~17,913 crore have been released to the state government, according to the report.

The committee noted that most of the projects - including that for creation of jobs, transit accommodations, one-time settlement of 36,384 families from Pakistanoccupied Kashmir and Chhamb displaced persons, and raising of India Reserve Battalions - were still under progress and “little outcome was achieved”.

“Observing this pattern of poor outcome in the past twelve months, the committee recommends that the Ministry of Home Affairs should intensify its efforts to achieve measurable outcome under the PM’S Development Package by speeding up the work in the upcoming fiscal and implement all the projects at the earliest,” the panel said in its report.

The committee also desires that the ministry may apprise it of the details of expenditure incurred out of ~80,000 crore and the actual physical and financial achievements against the set targets under this package, according to the panel’s report.

There are seven projects which are at different stages of implementation.

“In that regard, the Committee would like to be informed about the total amount disbursed so far for payment of honorarium to the Special Police Officers at the enhanced rate of ~6,000/ month, and the number of beneficiaries, further progress made in raising of the 5 India Reserve Battalions.

“Status of projects amounting to ~255.30 crore already sanctioned and remaining proposals of ~245 crore pertaining to the security and law and order in Jammu and Kashmir, progress achieved with regard to construction of 6,000 transit accommodation in the Kashmir Valley, implementation status of the project on creation of 3,000 jobs identified by the state government in 18 different departments,” the panel said.