Accountability, transparency soul of good governance: Lt Governor

Srinagar, Sep 11: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha attended the launch ceremony of the first edition of the Journal of Jammu Kashmir Finance & Accounts Society (JAKFAS) at Srinagar, Monday.
In his address, the Lt Governor congratulated all the members of the JAKFAS and highlighted the important role and contribution of Account Service Officers in inclusive development and growth.
Finance and Account Services are not only the watchdog of accountability as far as government expenditure is concerned but they are also promoter and facilitator of all-round development, he added.
At the ceremony, the Lt Governor shared the financial reforms taken up by J&K Administration in recent years which have brought greater transparency and accountability to the financial system, making it more robust and outcome-oriented.
“Accountability and transparency is the soul of good governance. With complete dedication and commitment, we have ensured timely and expeditious implementation of development projects, direct benefit to common man, and social and regional imbalances have been removed,” the Lt Governor said.
He said the key reforms including BEAMS, J&KPaySys, mandatory approvals, technical sanctions, e-tendering, digital payments, adherence to General Financial Rules and other technology interventions have immensely contributed to the efficiency and transparency in the system. He also lauded the key role of Account Service Officers in implementing these reforms.
“Corruption was deeply rooted in all the systems of J&K for many decades. We have taken multi-pronged action against corruption, stringent action against offenders, and implementation of digital governance for accountability to usher in clean and transparent governance,” he said.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor felicitated the retiring and new members of the J&K Account Services and called upon them to make the people aware of their responsibility of paying for government services. If capable people pay their power bills then government can waive off the bills of poor and farmers, he said.
J&K is growing by leaps and bounds and so are the aspirations of people and their expectations from the administration. We need to work with dedication to maintain the growth momentum and bring change in the lives of people, especially to the poor and the underprivileged, he said.
He further called for completion of digitization of pension payment authorities on mission mode.
The Lt Governor, on behalf of JAKFAS, also handed over cheques to Next of Kins of the deceased members of the society.
Dr Arun Kumar Mehta Chief Secretary; Santosh D Vaidya, Principal Secretary Finance Department; Baldev Prakash, MD & CEO J&K Bank; Sanjeev Verma, Commissioner Secretary GAD; Rashmi Singh, Commissioner State Taxes; Iftikhar Hussain Chauhan, President JAKFAS, HoDs, senior officers and members of JAKFAS were present.