Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, today inaugurated one day Manufacturers & Service Providers Conference under the aegis of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) here at Convention Centre.The conference was organised by Communication & Capacity Development Unit (CCDU), Water Sanitation & Support Organisation (WSSO), Department of PHE, I&FC with the sole objective of technology optimization for effective implementation of JJM and sharing latest developments in this regard.Speaking on the occasion, Advisor Bhatnagar said that the Jal Jeevan Mission is a national priority project and we need to execute and implement it with quality and professionalism. He added that the endeavour of the present government is to bring J&K among top performers across the country in implementing JJM. He also said that innovative ways and techniques need to be adopted to reduce costs and time of implementation.Highlighting significance of the Conference, Advisor Bhatnagar said that this will provide a platform for all the stakeholders to share latest technological expertise which will be optimal for effective implementation of the mission. He added that the technical sessions of the Conference will be very productive as it will give opportunity to companies to showcase latest products and services.The Advisor also elaborated that this Conference will provide a platform for locals to generate business by forging partnerships with national and multinational players of this field. He added that interaction with project management consultants, quality certifiers and business professionals will help in capacity building of local contractors and service providers.The Advisor visited various stalls established by the service providers, both local and national, displaying several equipments like pipes, water motors, water purifiers and other related material. He encouraged the service providers for making quality products and services.
Addressing the post lunch session of the event, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam complimented the PHE, I&FC department for organising this conference saying that this will give an opportunity to stakeholders to resolve all issues and concerns regarding JJM. He, while recalling the recommendations of several Deputy Commissioners regarding tap water to every household during PM's visit to Kashmir, said that thus the idea of this mission has originated from J&K and so it should be our prime concern to take this ambitious programme vigorously towards its destination.Subrahmanyam further said that present administration aims to promote excellence in infrastructural development and it is our resolve to sanction projects with proper funds. He added that timely payments to contractors and other service providers is also the top priority of present administration to ensure smooth execution of works under various projects.Earlier in his address, Commissioner Secretary PHE, I&FC, Ajeet Kumar Sahu, said that this Conference will offer unique chance to local service providers and entrepreneurs for their capacity building and sustenance through joint ventures and partnerships for achieving JJM targets. He added that J&K has set the target of 2021 for completion of the mission which is well ahead of national level target of 2024. He also gave a detailed presentation regarding JJM in J&K.In his welcome address, Executive Director CCDU, Ashok Sharma, said that the sole objective of this conference is to prepare and gear up all the stakeholders for effective implementation of JJM in J&K.The inaugural session of the conference was followed by technical session in which the participants were divided into four groups which held threadbare discussion on issues and concerns related to JJM.Additional Advisor, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Santosh R; Chief Engineer PHE, Kashmir, Abdul Wahid; Chief Engineer PHE, Jammu, Sanjeev Chadha, Executive Engineers and Junior Engineers of various departments, business professionals from renowned firms of water industry along with local entrepreneurs and service providers participated in the conference.