Jammu, Feb 6: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday asserted that he had learnt to navigate (drawback) of dual power structure in the Union Territory setup as one could not wish away the reality.
CM Omar made these remarks in his post-budget press conference, while responding to a question if the transfer of the Principal Secretary Finance, days ahead of the budget presentation, impacted budget preparation. In response to this question, CM Omar said, ìFortunately, it had no impact at all and we were able to present a good budget to the people of J&K. It (transfer) was indicative of how different it is to work in a Union Territory as to a state. But these are the realities of the situation, we are working under presently.î
But did he see it as an impact of the dual power structure in J&K? CM Omarís response to this question was, ìYou cannot wish away the reality that we are operating underÖ and thatís fine. Iíve learnt to navigate it. I think we are doing a better job navigating it this year than we did last year. Thatís all, I say on that.î
In his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks on the Lieutenant Governorís Address in the Legislative Assembly on February 5, CM Omar had shared that while they were preparing the budget, he (CM) read on social media about the transfer of Finance Secretary to Delhi with immediate effect.
However, after speaking to the Chief Secretary, an arrangement was made and it was ensured that the Finance Secretary did not leave the station (J&K) till February 9, he had mentioned.
Responding to a question about the measures to ensure return of Kashmiri migrants, he stated that he spelt out a lot of measures for them in alignment with the “governmentís commitment to the resettlement and welfare of Kashmiri migrant families.”
ìBut I believe that no package, funds or scheme can actually make their ëGhar-Wapsií (return) possible as they left the Valley because their sense of security was taken away. They felt unsafe living in the Valley. They will only be able to go back when that sense of safety is restored to them ñ KPs as well as other migrants and thatís a collective responsibility.î
Spelling out the measures taken for the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants, in his budget speech, he said that the government was accelerating the construction of 6,000 transit accommodations for Kashmiri migrant government employees.
When asked if reduction in rebate on High-Speed Diesel (HSD) by Rs 2 per liter announced by him in the budget wonít burden the common man, the Chief Minister stated, ìEven with reduction of rebate, the HSD price in Jammu and Kashmir will be still lower than that in our neighboring states, like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.î
In his budget speech, he had asserted that the measure (reduction in rebate) would rationalise the price of HSD and encourage a shift towards cleaner technologies.
Responding to a question about the criticism of his budget by BJP, he stated, ìIím happy that they said it is a National Conference centric budget. I would have been devastated if somebody had told me that it was a BJP-centric budget.î
With regard to a question if 6 free gas cylinders announcement would also rely on some central scheme, he asserted, ìWhy does it matter to you where it comes from as long as somebody gets it free? We will not transfer this burden to anybody else.î
Earlier, Principal Secretary Finance Department Santosh Kumar Vaidya, who is moving to Delhi on February 9, following his transfer, briefly explained the budget specifics.
Giving a background of the budget preparation process and the efforts of the Chief Minister, Vaidya said, ìPahalgam attack and recent floods in Jammu had put substantial stress on the economy of J&K. In this background, this budget is specifically people-centric and in a way, it responds to the fiscal stress that has occurred because of these two challenges. The Chief Minister over the past several months toured every nook and corner of J&K, listened to people and tried to accelerate all the developmental works across the Union Territory.î
Vaidya stated that the Chief Minister pursued the union government relentlessly and ensured maximum funds for J&K for development.
ìSpecifically for this budget, the Chief Minister has ensured that wide ranging consultations are undertaken with all the stakeholders so that the budget responds to the concerns expressed in those consultations. He has also ensured fine balance between the fiscal prudence and the welfare measures to respond to the challenges,î Vaidya said.
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With regard to a question reminding him of his statement of “having a plan B in case J&K statehood is not restored very soon” in one of his earlier interviews , the Chief Minister stated, “I’ve not arrived at the conclusion that we are not getting statehood and therefore my plan ‘B’ now has to become a ‘plan A’. I am still very hopeful that the commitment made to Jammu and Kashmir (for restoration of statehood) will be kept and thus everything else is an academic question.”
