Working group on good goverance start its deliberation

Srinagar, Aug 7: One of the five working groups constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir Government on the direction of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to address various issues on Kashmir began its deliberations here today.

Headed by former secretary to the Planning Commission Dr N C Sexana, the group will deliberate, among other things on increasing accountability and transparency of the administration, strengthening local self-government and effective monitoring of developmental programmes. Institution of zero tolerance for human rights violation among other topics.

Earlier, the working group headed by minority commission chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari, deliberated on measures to improve the condition of the militancy-affected people and schemes to rehabilitate orphans and widows.

The Prime Minister, at the conclusion of the Second roundtable here on May 24-25 had announced the formation of five working groups to look into broad issues and problems of the state.

The roundtable conference was attended by almost all the mainstream political parties except Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). The separatist including both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference also stayed away from the conference.

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

The government has announced that its general administration department (GDA) will work as nodal department for the five working groups.

UNI