“The number of developmental projects completed during 2021-22 in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a monumental jump as compared to the past years,” officials said on March 18. “During 2018-19, 3,293 projects were completed under district capex in Jammu and Kashmir. In the following year, the figure was 1,165, while in 2020-21, it was 1,676,” they said, quoting official statistics.
“Cut to 2021-22, 18,651 projects have been completed till February and the figure is likely to reach 36,572 by the end of the fiscal year,” the officials said.
“If 36,572 projects are completed in 2021-22, this would represent a nearly 2-fold increase over the previous year,” they said.
The officials said the uptick in work execution achieved in 2021-22 is nothing less than spectacular if one considers that all these projects have been executed following a process of competitive bidding.
"There is not only a buzz within, but also outside Jammu and Kashmir, and this image makeover is resulting in positive spinoffs," one of the officials said, adding that investors' confidence and willingness to invest in the Union Territory is a telltale sign of the inspiration the ongoing reforms have brought.
“Investors come calling only when they trust the system to respond to their concerns and needs on a real-time basis,” the officials said. They said Jammu & Kashmir is witnessing unprecedented development across all spheres.
The officials said many development projects, even those languishing for want of funds or for some other reasons, are being executed or have rather found a new lease of life and are being completed in record time. "Today, e-tendering is the new buzzword; it resonates in every district, block and panchayat. It has brought transparency," another official said.
He said the days of doling out contracts to a select few cronies on nomination are becoming a matter of the past. “Equity, transparency and fairness is the new mantra. No work is undertaken without administrative and technical approval and despite strict fiscal discipline, greater number of projects are being completed in record time,” the officials said.
Even representatives of the people have seen the efficacy of the new fiscal order.
Block Development Council chairman, Marheen, Kathua district, Karan Attri said, “The development works are going on at a good pace and around 80% of the projects have already been completed in my area. People have high expectations from us and we are trying our best to complete all the ongoing works on time,” Mr. Attri said.
District Development Council chairperson, Reasi, Saraf Singh attributed it to the transformation in the financial system carried out during the last two years.
"More work will be completed in Reasi district this year compared to the previous year. E-tendering has not been a drag on the process of development," he said.
Mr. Singh, a retired Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service officer, who has worked in the Accounts and Treasuries Organisation, said the increase in the completion of development works was also due to the increased monitoring by the panchayati raj institutions.
He said a stricter financial regime and mobile-enabled oversight are the two most important reforms in J&K in the recent past. "And they have put the real power in the hands of the people and their representatives," he added.
