JAMMU — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed grants amounting to Rs 74,690 crore for 13 departments, including Finance, Power and Housing, after two days of extensive deliberations in the House.
The Assembly also approved 19 supplementary grants totalling Rs 3,523 crore.
Replying to the discussion on Demands for Grants, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah thanked legislators for their active participation, noting that 43 members took part in the debate.
He also appreciated the efforts of the administrative machinery, including secretaries and department heads, officers and staff particularly in view of over 500 cut motions. “Each and every query was answered. The pile of papers on my table reflects their hard work,” he said.
Speaking department-wise, Abdullah said the General Administration Department’s core purpose was to ensure smooth functioning of the administration and informed the House that the process of regularisation of daily wagers would begin during the current financial year.
Highlighting Jammu and Kashmir’s financial constraints, the chief minister said only about 25 per cent of expenditure is met through local tax and non-tax revenue, while the remaining 75 per cent comes from central share and assistance.
“This is not a situation created today; it has been inherited,” he said, adding that efforts are underway to improve fiscal self-reliance.
He also explained the new mechanism under Centrally Sponsored Schemes, where each scheme operates through a separate RBI account, requiring the Union Territory’s matching share before utilisation — a change that has reduced financial flexibility.
Calling SASCI one of the most beneficial schemes for J&K, Abdullah highlighted the provision of 50-year interest-free loans and asserted that off-budget borrowing practices have been completely eliminated.
On retirement benefits, he said disbursements have improved significantly, with Rs 3,173.39 crore released towards GPF, Rs 1,170.21 crore in gratuity, Rs 838.28 crore in commutation and Rs 425 crore in leave salary.
Referring to climate challenges, Abdullah said climate response has become a necessity for J&K in view of last year’s drought and heavy rains, informing the House about climate budgeting and a mitigation fund.
He also spoke about infrastructure projects such as the Jammu Riverfront, envisioned on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, and stressed the need to expand tourism into remote areas, particularly in Jammu, which already receives over one crore pilgrims annually at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine.
“If we can retain even 10 per cent of these visitors for six to seven days, it can transform Jammu’s economy,” he said.
On encroachments, the chief minister reiterated that action would begin against influential land grabbers rather than the poor. He also flagged legacy waste as a major urban challenge and announced that two to three vertical housing projects for Economically Weaker Sections would be launched this year in Jammu and Srinagar.
On revenue reforms, Abdullah said incomplete mini-secretariats, including those at Tangmarg, Srinagar and Poonch, would be taken up immediately. — (PTI)