Nearly, 189 medical staff posted in CHC, PHCs of Bani: Sakeena Itoo

JAMMU, MARCH 19: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, today informed the house that during the past two years, two specialist doctors and five Medical Officers (MOs) have been posted in CHC Bani and PHCs of Bani.

“One Consultant, six Medical Officers/Dental Surgeons, 84 paramedics are, at present, in Bani besides one Specialist, 10 Ayush Medical Officers and 87 Paramedics under NHM have also been posted in different health institutions of Bani totalling 189”, she added.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by Dr. Rameshvar Singh in the Legislative Assembly.
The Minister informed the house that the government has recently appointed 365 Medical Officers, who have been posted in various far-flung/underserved areas of J&K, adding that 13 doctors have been appointed to different health institutions in Kathua including one doctor in Bani. She added that the selection process of 181 Medical Officers is currently underway, and a waitlist for 91 selected Medical Officers is under process. These officers will be deployed in underserved areas across Jammu and Kashmir, she added.

The Minister further informed that those doctors who don’t join their respective places of posting are being issued show cause notices and appropriate disciplinary proceedings/action is initiated against them as per the rules.
Balwant Singh Mankotia and Mehraj Malik raised the supplementaries to the question.

Wages of NHM employees revised from 15% to 17% with 5% annual increase: Sakeena Itoo
Regularisation of NHM employees to be taken up with GoI
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, today informed the house that the wages of all NHM employees in J&K had been revised from 15 percent to 17 percent during the year 2021-22 with a 5 percent increase being given annually.
The Minister was replying to a question raised by Ch. Vikram Randhawa in the Legislative Assembly.

The Minister informed the house that the National Health Mission (NHM) in Jammu and Kashmir is being fully funded by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). “Salary adjustments for NHM employees in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly to bridge the salary gap at par with employees in other states, must align with the policies set by the Central Government. Therefore, such changes require prior approval from the Central Ministry to ensure compliance with the NHM’s objectives and budget allocations”, she added.

She apprised that the wages were raised from Rs. 50000 to Rs. 85000 per month for the Specialists; from Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 for Medical Officer (MBBS), along with an additional Rs 15,000 as special performance based incentive; from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 per month for Medical Officer (AYUSH) and the wages were increased from Rs. 23,000 to 35,000 per month for the Dental Surgeons.

While replying to supplementary questions raised by Ranbir Singh Pathania and Dr. Rameshwar Singh, the Minister said that the government would take up the issue of regularisation as well as enhancement of wages with the Government of India.
50 Bedded G&B Hostel at Mahore nearing completion: Tribal Affairs Minister
Minister for Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmad Rana, today said that the construction work of Rs. 168. 25 lakh 50 bedded ST (G&B) Hostel at Mahore is nearing completion.
The Minister was replying to a question raised by MLA, Khurshied Ahmed in the Legislative Assembly.

The Minister informed the House that the work was started in the year 2009-10 at a cost of Rs. 96.13 lakh which was further revised to Rs. 168.25 lakh in the year 2017-18 and the work continued till 2018-19. He said that the remaining works like construction of boundary wall and other allied works have also been completed during the financial year 2022-23. The Hostel has a capacity of accommodating 50 inmates/students, he added.

However, the Minister said that since the building has remained in possession of security forces for a considerable period, it needs some more repairs and renovation to make it worth for utilization.
The Minister said that no compensation has been paid to the land owner, so far, and the acquisition proceedings have already been initiated for determining the compensation amount payable, which is under active consideration of concerned authorities.

He further informed that an amount of Rs. 40.00 lakh, approved under the UT Capex Budget 2023-24, has already been released and is available with the Collector Land Acquisition (SDM), Mahore. However, SDM Mahore has demanded additional funds amounting Rs. 1.30 crore total aggregating to Rs. 1.70 crore approximately for payment of compensation to the land owner (s) under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, he added.

The Minster said that there is no staff sanctioned, so far, for making the said hostel functional, however, the matter is under active consideration of the government.
Investigation in Badhal deaths underway: Sakeena Itoo
Says Chlorphenapyr in viscera found in samples of all 17 deceased
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, today informed the House that the cause of illness and deaths in Badhal area of Rajouri is not due to any communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by Javeed Iqbal Choudhary in the Legislative Assembly.

She said that the clinical reports, lab investigations and environmental samples indicate that the incidents are not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin, instead, detection by the PGMIER Chandigarh had revealed presence of Aluminium and Cadmium. Besides, CSIR-IITR Lucknow had found Aldicarb sulphate and Acetamipride Diethyl Dithiocarbamate, Chlorphenapyr while DRDE-DRDO Gwalior found Chlorphenapyr, Abrin from samples of Sattu and Maize bread. He added that the NFL, FSSAI Ghaziabad, had found Chlorphenapyr and Chlorpyrophos from the food samples while CFSL, Chandigarh had found Chlorphenapyr in viscera samples of all the 17 deceased.

The Minister informed the house that the total number of patients admitted in GMC Rajouri was 64, out of these, 41 have been discharged after treatment and 17 patients have been referred to GMC Jammu and 01 patient to PGI Chandigarh. She said that 06 patients had died in GMC Rajouri while 11 patients died in GMC and SMGS Hospitals, Jammu.

The Minister said that a standard treatment policy and discharge procedure is being adopted for the patients of Badhal area, prepared by the expert team of AIIMS New Delhi/PGI Chandigarh. She added that all the SOPs laid down by these teams are being adopted during stay of the patients in the hospital and simultaneously at the time of discharge and follow-up.

The Minister said that with regard to the patients in Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, proper SOPs and protocols are being followed for all the three patients admitted in GMCH Jammu after being referred from GMCH Rajouri. She added that 2 patients are being kept in the Isolation ward while 1 patient after being shifted from PGI Chandigarh is being kept in a separate room in the Sir Colonel Chopra Nursing Home.
The Minister said that the deceased family members of village Badhal of Rajouri district have been paid an amount of Rs. 1 lakh and 50,000 Red Cross Fund by the Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri.

While replying to the supplementary, the Minister informed the house that the samples of 3500 people have been taken for examination and investigation is underway.
M Y Tarigami and Choudhary Mohammad Akram raised supplementaries to the question.
Fertilizers, pesticides allowed to Valley only after proper standard testing: Javed Dar
3010 samples of pesticides, 1065 of fertilizers collected for testing during 2024-25
Minister for Agriculture Production, Javed Ahmad Dar, today informed the House that the consignments of fertilizers are allowed to move to Valley only after the samples test as standard.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by Hilal Akbar Lone in the Legislative Assembly.
He informed the House that there is an established mechanism for sampling of the products batch-wise in respect of Fertilizers at Udhampur Rack, being tested from the quality Control Lab at Jammu and the consignments are allowed to move to Valley only after the samples test as standard. He said that there is one check point at Lower Munda where the documents of consignments are checked and the source is verified. He added that the sale is allowed only after the samples test as standard.
In addition, the samples are being taken at random from stocks of the wholesalers and retailers, which too are tested and in case the samples test as below standard, prosecution is launched against the wholesalers/ dealers/retailers, he added.
The Minister said that a similar procedure is being adopted in respect of the pesticides for proper testing before its sale to the farmers. He said that the Agriculture Production Department has an Enforcement Directorate at UT level and Law Enforcement Agencies at District level, which are vigilant to any complaints regarding substandard pesticides and fertilizers.

Sharing the details, the Minister said that 3010 and 1065 samples of pesticides and fertilizers respectively have been collected for testing during 2024-25 accordingly.
Bashir Ahmad Veeri raised the supplementary to the question.
Govt committed towards upliftment of underprivileged: Sakeena Itoo
Minister for Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, informed the House that the government is committed towards upliftment of the underprivileged population of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by Nizamuddin Bhat.
She informed the House that the Social Welfare Department is committed for upliftment and welfare of the poor, disabled, old aged and sick population across the UT of J&K including Bandipora district through comprehensive schemes and initiatives.
She said that the benefits of the schemes being implemented by Social Welfare department for welfare of the underprivileged included Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme, Old Age Pension Scheme, Widow/Divorce Pension Scheme, Disability Pension Scheme, Transgender Pension Scheme, State Marriage Assistance Scheme, Ladli Bet, PMMVY and other different welfare and flagship initiatives.

The Minister urged the legislators to raise awareness among the people regarding eligibility, criteria and online application process for maximum coverage of the end beneficiaries.
For the convenience of the beneficiaries in far-flung areas like Gurez, the Minister assured that a team of doctors, constituted as Medical Board, shall conduct a camp on specific days in these areas to facilitate eligibility coverage to them, required for different pension schemes.
Nazir Ahmad Khan raised the supplementary.

Rs 37.00 cr DPR prepared to enhance carrying capacity of canals in Bijbehara- Srigufwara constituency: Javed Rana
Minister for Jal Shakti, Javed Ahmad Rana, today informed the House that a comprehensive DPR for an amount of Rs. 37.00 crore has been prepared to enhance carrying capacity of different canals of Bijbehara- Srigufwara constituency, which shall be part of project shelf of NABARD 2025-26.
He was replying to a question raised by Bashir Ahmad Veeri.
The Minister said that regular drives are being conducted to restrict the encroachments on irrigation canals. Around 658 encroachments have been removed in the year 2024-25 in which 300.02 kanal of government land was retrieved, he added.
The Minister said that there are certain stretches of canals that have encroachment on the banks. However, the main watercourse is free from any encroachment which will not impede the flow. He said that barring some leakage spots and silt accumulation in certain stretches, there is no major bottleneck that will prevent from supplying adequate Irrigation water.

The Minister said that silt removal is a maintenance work that is being taken up on a regular basis in canals, usually after every Irrigation season, through stage contracts as well as through convergence mode.
Regarding de-silting of the canals, the Minister informed that under M&R grants, 17 km (in canals of Bijbehara/Srigufwara constituency) has been desilted during 2024-25 at an expenditure of Rs. 5.82 lakh. He added that the Rural Development Department undertook desilting in 8 km with a cost of Rs. 3.17 lakh.

Extension of University Professors solely on merit, eligibility: Sakeena Itoo
Minister for Higher Education, Sakeena Itoo, today informed the House that the age of superannuation in respect of University Professors is being extended by a Review Committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary.
The Minister was replying to a question raised by Dr. Narinder Singh Raina in the Legislative Assembly.

She informed that the Committee also comprises Vice-Chancellor of the concerned University and Administrative Secretary, Higher Education Department, J&K. The Committee may co-opt a member from the Finance/Law Department and Special Secretary/Additional Secretary from the Higher Education Department, she added.
The Minister said that the Review Committee has decided to approve the extension of the eligible superannuating Professors for 03 years from 62 to 65 years. However, on completion of each year the concerned Vice Chancellor shall review the performance in each case subject to the minimum benchmark relating to Research Publications, Classroom Teaching, Academic Contribution and overall work and conduct of the concerned in the preceding year. She said that continuation of such Professors shall be subject to attaining such minimum benchmark.

The Minister said that the method has been meticulously structured to prevent any favoritism or a pick and choose approach, thereby, holding the principles of fairness and institutional integrity. She said that it is rule based and each case is scrutinized in light of the laid down parameters including general conduct and behaviour in terms of integrity, thereby reinforcing the credibility of the mechanism, leaving no scope for arbitrary decision-making.

The Minister said that enhancement of superannuation age of University Professors is structured, meticulously designed to ensure that extensions are granted solely on the basis of merit, eligibility criteria and compliance with the established parameters.
The Minister said that the mechanism is not intended to foster a culture of sycophancy but rather to uphold the highest academic and ethical standards in the selection process.
She said that UT of J&K has implemented the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 in letter and spirit.

4062 houses completed under PMAY in Banihal constituency; Rs 17,642.26 lakh spent on RD works in Ramban: Javed Dar
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Javed Ahmad Dar, today informed the Legislative Assembly that 4,368 houses have been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) since scheme’s inception, out of which, 4,062 houses have been completed with disbursement of all installments.
The Minister was responding to a question raised by Sajjad Shaheen.
He stated that there are no impediments in fulfilling the formalities for the deserving beneficiaries under PMAY, as the eligibility criteria has been relaxed, including an increase in the income limit and addition of new facilities. “This has made the scheme more people-friendly.

Moreover, for recognition as a PMAY beneficiary, apart from the ration card, documents like MGNREGA Job Card Number, Mobile Number, Bank Account Number and Aadhaar Card are also being accepted,” asserted the Minister.
He further informed the House that detailed work-wise fund allocations for the past two years under various schemes including MGNREGA, CD Panchayats, PRIs, 14th Finance Commission, SBM, Back to Village, DDC, and BDC grants, have been made in Ramban district. The selection of works has been carried out as per established guidelines and plan formation criteria.

He stated that under these schemes, a total of 36,980 works had been undertaken with Rs 28,967.44 lakh released and Rs 17,642.26 lakh expended, so far.
683 teaching, non- teaching posts vacant in Bhaderwah constituency: Education Minister
Minister for Education, Sakeena Itoo, today said that there are 683 teaching and non-teaching posts vacant in Bhaderwah constituency.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by Daleep Singh Parihar.
She informed that the posts included Principals, Headmasters, Masters, Teachers and Non Teaching staff.
The Minister said due to freezing of teacher posts, no recruitment of teachers could be made in the department for the past 6 years which has added to the shortage of teaching staff in the schools.

However, the Department of School Education is taking all necessary measures to streamline the teaching and non teaching staff in schools, maintaining the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR), she added. She said that identification of understaffed schools and surplus teaching and non teaching staff is made through a rationalization mechanism and subsequently the staff is deployed wherever required.
Besides, the department is utilizing the Cluster Resource Coordinators as subject specific teachers. She said that the department is filling the vacant posts in various cadres of teaching and non teaching staff through promotions.

She said that most of the schools in Bhaderwah constituency have the basic infrastructure; however, to further augment the existing infrastructure there, 155 works under District Capex, UT Capex and Samagra Shiksha Scheme are under execution in the constituency.
The Minister further informed that 504 posts have been referred to the board for filling up of vacancies in the department.