President of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday that the State government has to make a fresh beginning to pull Jammu and Kashmir out of the “morass” and revive the process of political reconciliation, economic rejuvenation and social emancipation.
“Unfortunately, during the past six years of National Conference-Congress rule, the state witnessed a virtual dismantling of all the institutions of governance with politico-contractor mafia ruling the roost and looting the exchequer during that dark era. The present government has to make a fresh beginning to not only pull the state out of the morass but also revive the process of political reconciliation, economic rejuvenation and social emancipation,” Ms. Mehbooba said.
She was addressing a day-long convention of the PDP cadre in Shopian district of south Kashmir.
The PDP president said her party’s governments in 2002 and now have pioneered ground-breaking initiatives on political and development front, while NC had only “exploited” the people with rhetorical slogans.
“PDP-led governments have pioneered ground-breaking initiatives on political, economic, developmental and social fronts both in 2002 and 2015. Despite having ruled the state for more than four decades, National Conference (NC) has only exploited the people with rhetorical slogans and has done nothing substantial for the social, economic and political welfare of the state and its people,” she said.
Ms Mehbooba, MP from south Kashmir, urged the people to take advantage of the key welfare schemes launched by the government and exhorted public representatives to ensure that the maximum deserving people get benefitted from these schemes in their respective constituencies.
“The respective public representatives and the party workers should not only ensure effective implementation of the Government’s welfare schemes like ‘Aasra’ and ‘Laadli’ on the ground, but also monitor the same so that the benefits of these pioneering schemes reach as many deserving people,” she said.
She said under ‘asra’, all the families including widows and destitute with annual income of below Rs 75,000 would get a free insurance cover.
“And in case of the natural or accidental death or disability of the family’s breadwinner, the next of kin would get Rs 2 lakh while in case of partial disability of the breadwinner, the next of kin would get Rs 1 lakh,” she said. -- PTI
