GDA to work nodal dept for 5 working grp in JK

Srinagar, Jul 20: Jammu and Kashmir government has said the General Administration Department (GDA) will work as a Nodal department for five working groups announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the second Round Table conference on May 24.

An official spokesman said as per the notification issued by the government GDA shall be the Nodal Department in J&K State for the Working Groups.

Dr Singh had announced at the conclusion of the second round-table conference here on May 24 that five working groups would be formed to look into broad issues and problems vis-a-vis Kashmir.

Carrying forward the process of constituting the working groups, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced the heads of the group after holding a series of meetings with almost all political parties and groups in the state.

Mr N C Saxena will head the working group to deliberate upon the matters relating to good governance in Jammu and Kashmir.

National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Chairman Mohammad hamid Ansari will head a working group to deliberate on measures to improve conditions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir affected by militancy and schemes to rehabilitate all orphans and widows affected by insurgency.

M K Rasgotra, a former diplomat, will head a committee to recommend measures to simplify procedures to facilitate travel across the Line of Control, increase goods traffic and expand people-to-people contact, including promotion of pilgrimage and group tourism, the spokesman added.

Former Reserve Bank of India Governor C Rangarajan has accepted to be the Chairman of a working group to deliberate on balanced economic development, employment generation, balanced regional and sub regional development, employment generation, blanced regional and sub regional development within the state while the former Chief Justice of India Justice A M Ahmadi will be the chairman of a working group to deliberate on matters relating to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union and methods of strengthening democracy, secularism and the rule of law in the state.

UNI