Over 14,000 events, including those at Panchayats, Patwar Khanas, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), tehsils, and districts, are scheduled to take place in Srinagar throughout all of Jammu and Kashmir. Also on Monday, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta urged that all citizen complaints be addressed before the conclusion of Vigilance Week in October.
In a statement released today, an official spokesperson stated that the chief secretary launched the week-long “Bhrashtachar Mukt J&K” campaign in the presence of Administrative Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners (DCs), and other authorities from all of J&K’s districts.
At the event, he said that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has made significant strides towards instituting systems of openness and accountability, but that more work was needed to make these values systemic.
People’s faith in the government, according to Mehta, has been restored thanks to recent efforts.
He reflected on how, in the past, contracts were awarded and individuals were appointed without proper tendering or recruiting procedures being followed, both of which are now illegal under the current system.
The chief secretary stated that “implementation of measures like BEAMS, e-tendering, seeking of Administrative Approval and Technical Sanction have resulted in establishing financial discipline” that will lead to a “phenomenal increase” in the number of completed projects, from 9,000 in 2018–19 to 92,000 in 2022–23 with nearly the same expenditure.
More information on projects and services are now freely available, he noted, thanks to IT initiatives that made this possible.
The Right to Know Act (RTI) and the Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) provide people the legal recourse they are entitled to in exercising their rights. Mehta has said that the IGRAMS and JKGRAMS portals have substantially enhanced the accessibility of individuals to showcase their concerns before top authorities and their speedy disposals.
He lauded the tireless efforts of team J&K for elevating the state to the ranks of the best-performing states and union territories in the nation.
The chief secretary has ordered all Prabhari Officers to pay at least one panchayat visit this week, and has tasked the Incharge Secretaries of the Districts with closely monitoring the Bhrashtachar Mukt J&K initiatives in their respective areas.
In addition, Mehta suggested that the DCs include all members of Urban and Rural Local Bodies in this vigorous battle against corruption.
GAD Commissioner Secretary Sanjeev Verma had earlier provided a review of the week’s events and the ways in which recent reforms have improved government efficiency.
The chief secretary then went to Lal Chowk to take part in the event hosted by Srinagar Smart City with the subject “Digital J&K, Digital Srinagar.”
