Jammu, July 31 (Scoop News)-Citing figures from the Planning Commission’s latest official data, BJP National Executive Member & J&K Chief Spokesperson, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that the National Conference-Congress coalition government owes an explanation to the people of the State as to why, notwithstanding its tall claims of various poverty alleviation schemes,the poverty rate in the state during its tenure has risen from 9.4 per cent in 2009-10 to 10.35 per cent in 2011-12 and the number of people living below the poverty line (BPL) in rural areas has risen from 8.1 per cent to 11.5 per cent while the details of financial allocations clearly expose government’s brazen regional discrimination with least regard for the socio-economic indicators that normally determine any poverty alleviation programme.
To substantiate the point, Dr Jitendra Singh gave the example of recent allocation of Rs 35 crore to the Srinagar district under Special Area Development Programme (SADP) in addition to Annual Plan outlay even though the BPL population in Srinagar district is only 6.51% as compared to 11.97% in Jammu district.While the National Conference, known to be a Kashmir-centric regional party, is following its appeasement approach as the elections draw nearer, it is the coalition partner Congress party which will have to pay the price at the hustings,he warned.
Elaborating further,he said,according to the Economic Survey 2012-13, Jammu district is spread over an area of 2636 square kilometer while Srinagar district’s total area is only 294 square kilometer and added, similarly, Jammu district has a population of 1526406 as compared to 1269751 of Srinagar.To counter the claims of the Government that Srinagar district was not receiving funds under NABARD, MGNREGA and other centrally sponsored schemes in various sectors for being highly urban in its characteristic, Dr Jitendra Singh said it is on record that the Srinagar district had already been provided funds from Asian Development Bank (ADB) besides funding under several Urban Schemes including JNNURM, UIDSSMT, PMRP and UEED on the pattern of Jammu district.
Dr Jitendra Singh quoted figures indicating that Jammu and Kashmir has around 13.27 lakh people living below the poverty line of whom 10.73 lakh population falls under BPL category in rural areas and another 2.53 lives in urban areas. Till a few years ago,Jammu and Kashmir was showing a constant decrease in poverty rate and its sudden resurgence in last few years is a poor reflection of the perfomance of the present regime,he said. What is even more embarrassing is that today Jammu and Kashmir is, along with Arunachal Pradesh,one of the two States of the Indian union,in addition to Union Territories of Chandigarh, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) and Dadar & Nagar Haveli, which continue to show poor performance in poverty alleviation schemes with a progressively upward trend in 2011-12 compared to 2009-10,he added.
Misgovernance,wastage cum pilferage of state exchequer and unequitable financial allocations based on political rather than professional considerations are some the factors responsible for the economic mess into which the NC-Congress government has landed the State of Jammu & Kashmir,he said.
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