Mian Altaf calls for greater relief for unemployed youth in J&K

Srinagar, Oct 17: Member of Parliament Mian Altaf Ahmad Saturday called for greater relief for unemployed youth, improved departmental performance and faster implementation of development projects in Jammu and Kashmir, while expressing concern over delays in the utilisation of funds released for public welfare works.
Speaking to the media, Mian Altaf said the government had completed two years and acknowledged that it faced challenges.
However, he stressed that more efforts were needed to address public grievances, provide relief to people and create opportunities for unemployed youth.
He said departments whose performance remained unsatisfactory needed improvement and called for more effective governance and timely delivery of public services.
Commenting on the conduct of officials, the MP said officers must ensure that their subordinates are dealt with appropriately. He observed that incidents involving officials in public could affect the reputation of both the administration and the officers concerned, and stressed that such situations should be avoided.
Highlighting development-related concerns, Mian Altaf said the funds available to elected representatives were limited compared with the scale of public needs.
He said his priority was to contribute towards improving the health and medical education sectors, besides supporting other essential public works.
The MP alleged that delays at the departmental level had affected the execution of projects despite the release of funds. Citing examples, he said 2 crore had been released for facilities benefiting patients and attendants at Rajouri hospital, but only around 20 per cent of the work had been completed.
He also referred to 1.5 crore released for Anantnag Medical College.
Mian Altaf said such delays made it difficult to ensure that public funds translated into timely benefits for people. He stressed that, given the limited resources available, there was little scope for administrative delays in implementing development projects.
He called for stronger coordination between elected representatives and government departments to ensure that released funds are utilised efficiently and public welfare works are completed within stipulated timelines. (KINS)