Offering 675 services online is a milestone towards ‘corruption free’ J&K: CS

Launches ‘Beats of J&K 2.0’ to inspire & acknowledge young artists

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 5: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, while speaking on the occasion of ‘Corruption Free J&K Day’ appreciated the role of IT Department in addressing the challenge and bringing efficiency in the functioning of the government through 675 online services, bringing much needed accountability and transparency into it.

The event was attended by Commissioner Secretary Information and IT Departments, Prerna Puri; Director Information, Minga Sherpa; Joint Director, Information Headquarter, Naresh Kumar; Joint Director, Information Kashmir, Mohammad Aslam; Information Officers, besides other concerned officers.

During this event the Chief Secretary highlighted the role of IT tools in weeding out corruption. He maintained that technology is greatest enabler in creating an era of efficiency, fairness and equity for all.

While enumerating the advantages, he made out that the introduction of initiatives like BEAMS, Janbhagadari, Aapki Zameen Aapki Nigrani (AZAN), e-tendering and e-office has transformed the administration into more responsive, accessible and transparent system and has empowered the citizens of J&K by bringing in accountability and openness.

The Chief Secretary went on to elucidate that the financial discipline brought in by BEAMS has ensured that no work which does meet the criteria of e-tendering, Administrative Approval, Technology Sanction, and photographic evidence can be paid which has accelerated the completion of projects by 10 times. BEAMS has been the engine of change in J&K, drastically reducing arbitrariness and corruption. He mentioned that the cost of projects has reduced significantly due to competitiveness.

He stated that earlier contractors were moving from pillar to post to get their payments released. Now the process has been made hassle-free and they are able to see releases without running after officials.

He made out that the efficiency and timely disposal of official business has well been ensured by the introduction of e-Office in the UT. He said that this IT tool has brought in greater transparency in government functioning as the movement of each file can be tracked with time-series data analysis.

He also recalled that the ‘Janbhagadari’ portal and ‘Aapki Zameen Aapki Nigrani’ has put all the details of works or land records in public domain where thousands of people are accessing and evaluating these on daily basis. He called it the real empowerment where people have themselves been put on the driving seat.

The Chief Secretary observed that the system in J&K is transparent and efficient as never before. He made out that before 2019 there were hardly any G2C services offered online and now the number has galloped to 675 in a matter of less than two years.

He mentioned that in terms of the number of projects completed the UT has made phenomenal progress. He stated that earlier the number used to hover around 9000 which has grown to over 925000 works for the previous financial year. He noted that E-Compendiums of these works are made public and there is no complaint from public about any of these works.

He complimented the IT and Information Departments for serving the people by creating awareness among them. He observed that the role played by IT is historical and will go down in history as the one of the fundamental building blocks of corruption free J&K.

On the Occasion the Principal Secretary, IT, Prerna Puri informed him about all the initiatives the Department has taken to make the system more responsive and bring governance at the doorsteps of the people.

She revealed that from 35 online services in 2019 the number has reached to 675 currently. She made out that the feedback from public on Rapid Assessment System (RAS) is quite encouraging as 86% of it is positive. She also gave out that nearly 40 lakh messages have been sent to the public to give their feedback and more than one crore visits have been made till date to the AZAN portal providing insights about the people’s land records.

Earlier the Chief Secretary launched the new version of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations produced youth oriented Online program ‘Beats of J&K 2.0’. It aims at encouraging and facilitation of the local artists of Jammu and Kashmir to showcase their talent providing them a platform to grow and make a mark in their chosen fields of their musical interest.

On the occasion, the Chief Secretary advised the officers to provide due opportunity up to Block level so that the creativity and talent of youth gets a chance to flourish.

He called it the most useful platform which can be used by the youth of J&K to achieve success and realize their dreams. He felicitated the Department for coming up with this talent hunt program which can give vent to the hidden talent.

While giving description about this online program the Director Information, Minga Sherpa apprised the gathering that its first version was a grand success in which hundreds of artists across different languages and social backgrounds displayed their artistic abilities.

He expressed confidence that this program is going to add-on to the previous one and will encourage the young musical talents on a grand scale, thereby providing each of them the confidence to make it big in the fields of their interest.(GNS)

PM to lay foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations on Aug 6

New Delhi, Aug 05 (KNO): In a historic initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations across the length and breadth of the country on 6th August at 11 AM via video conferencing.

As per an official communiqué issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Prime Minister has often laid stress on provision of state-of-the-art public transport.

Noting that Railways is the preferred mode of transport of people across the country, he has emphasised on the importance of providing world class amenities at railway stations.

Guided by this vision, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme was launched to redevelop 1309 stations across the country.

As part of this scheme, the foundation stone for redevelopment of 508 stations is being laid by the Prime Minister. These stations will be redeveloped at a cost of more than Rs 24,470 crores. Master Plans are being prepared for development of these stations as ‘City Centres’, with proper integration of both sides of the city. This integrated approach is driven by the holistic vision of overall urban development of the city, centred around the railway station.

These 508 stations are spread across 27 states and union territories, including 55 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana, 13 in Karnataka among others.

The redevelopment will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well designed signage for guidance of passengers. The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture—(KNO)