Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Information, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali today congratulated the oil industry, FCS&FA department and other stakeholders for their synergized efforts for achieving targets set under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and taking JK to the top rank in its implementation.The Minister was speaking at a function organized to distribute new LPG connections among beneficiaries under PMUY. He distributed 300 new LPG connections taking the total number of beneficiaries covered under PMUY in JK to 42411 which is 69% of the allotted target, highest registered achievement among other states.The Minister said that PMUY is being implemented with an objective to provide free LPG connections to BPL households as a clean fuel alternative on the basis of socio-economic caste census 2011 so that no exclusion error surfaces and the benefits reach the deserving beneficiary at the grassroots level the scheme.He appreciated the synergy between the departments in ensuring high standards of transparency, accountability and responsibility in identification and distribution channels which has been the bedrock of state’s unparallel performance in PMUY implementation.
The Minister maintained that though the state of J&K enrolled under the centrally sponsored scheme at a later stage but the state’s high level of deliverance soon overtook others in the country in the race of being crowned as the leader in PMUY implementation towards being a clean cooking fuel based state.He complimented Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for conceiving a scheme which is aptly suitable to the needs and requirements of women and children of the country who were most vulnerable to the risks posed by not only indoor pollution but also the drudgery of collecting and acquiring unclean fuel.While referring to the GST Zulfkar Ali said that J&K has a special status in Union of India which is distinct from other states. As such the state has its own sensitivities and aspirations, which is also reflected in the GST related opportunities and challenges. Assuring the protection of interests of people of J&K at large and business community of the state in general, the Minister said that GST will be implemented in the state only after taking due care of J&K’s special status and other concerns. The Minister further reiterated the government’s resolve in taking forward the vision of healthy and clean state for the betterment of all and empowerment of women under the visionary guidance of the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti.
Zulfkar Ali asked the officers of FCS&CA to work with renewed zeal and vigor to replicate the PMUY success in NFSA as well and asked the Legal Metrology department to use the upcoming laboratory infrastructure to its full capacity for ensuring safety, high quantity and quality standards of consumables. Vice chairman, State Advisory Board for the Welfare, Development of Scheduled Castes, Bhushan Lal Dogra, Secretary Department of Food, Civil, Supplies & Consumers Affairs Shafiq Ahmed Raina, District Development Commissioner, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Director Food, Civil, Supplies & Consumers R A Inqlabi, Joint Director Information Jammu, Manisha Sarina, other senior officers from FCS&CA and Information departments were also present on the occasion.Later, Zulfkar Ali visited the construction site of official building of Directorate of Food, Civil, Supplies & Consumers Affairs being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore at Warehouse, Jammu. He directed early completion of the project to facilitate the functioning of the department.The Minister also met delegations of Miller’s association and Labour Union. He gave a patient hearing to their demands and assured timely redressal of their genuine demands and concerns.