Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced a slew of fresh economic measures and incentives for Jammu and Kashmir, including restoration of cuts of around Rs 400 crores in the state Plan outlay for 2009-10.
The bonanza includes three cultural centres for nomadic Gujjar, Bakerwal and Pahari communities, computer labs in selected schools for these groups and self-help groups of Gujjar and Bakerwal community women.
At a meeting top government figures had with the Prime Minister on Tuesday, chief minister Omar Abdullah highlighted critical gaps in infrastructure, challenges in delivery of public services and a roadmap for far-reaching reforms in the power and urban development sectors in a PowerPoint presentation. The PM, who returned to New Delhi later Tuesday, expressed disappointment that some state government employees often responded to bandh calls by separatists, and failed to discharge their duties to the people. The CM, in a one-on-one meeting with Dr Singh later, discussed human rights, security and law and order, a government spokesperson said. Official sources added that Mr Abdullah apprised the Prime Minister of how incidents like the Macheal staged encounter adversely affected the ruling coalition’s political gains and made his task difficult.