Incorporate J and K development in Eleventh Plan: Roundtable

New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) The marathon third roundtable conference on Jammu and Kashmir held yesterday has adopted a statement, urging the government to integrate with the Eleventh Plan (2007-12) the proposals on balanced economic development of the state made by the Working Group headed by former RBI Governor C Rangarajan.

The ten-hour-long conference, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and attended by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and other political leaders from the state, endorsed the recommendations of the Rangarajan Group and three other Working Groups, stating that these reports could very substantially contribute to the objectives of the dialogue process.

It gave in principle approval to the approach suggested by the Working Group on Confidence Building Measures across Segments of Society in the state -- strengthening human rights protection, improving relief and rehabilitation of widows, orphans and other victims of militancy and violence and preserving the rich and diverse cultural landscape of the state.

The roundtable appreciated the concerns expressed by the Working Group regarding the rights of all minorities in Jammu and Kashmir and the urgent need to facilitate the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their hearth and homes.

It urged the state and the central governments to take all possible initiatives towards this end, and also to resolve, in a time bound manner, other long pending issues like rehabilitation of refugees from West Pakistan in 1947 and persons affected by the wars of 1965 and 1971.

The meeting acknowledged that Dr Singh's initiative had helped evolve a better understanding of the issues and problems that affected the lives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

It had produced an environment in which the citizens of all parts of the State could hope to lead a life of dignity, self-respect and fulfillment without fear of war, and want or exploitation and discrimination.

The Conference applauded ongoing efforts to strengthen people to people contacts and promote trade and commerce across the LoC. It endorsed the recommendation of the II Group in this regard and called for further streamlining of these processes and for expanding and deepening of such contacts and exchanges in the spheres of trade, tourism and various other walks of life.

Development issues requiring further consultations could be taken up in a time-bound manner through a suitable mechanism of the Central and the State Governments. It also took note of the fact that the State Finance Commission and institutional structures have been set up to ensure balanced regional development.

The meeting fully endorsed the recommendations of Group IV on Good Governance and urged the State Government to operationalise them in right earnest in order to bring greater efficiency, transparency and accountability into the systems and processes of governance and to bring the Government closer to the people.

UNI