Says money collected to be used for development, welfare of people; We hardly get power tariff, water bills; SKUAST-K, J, to be upgraded to international standards
jj correspondent
Jammu, Feb 24: Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday said that in the UT, people use internet data, buy I-phones and pay to play videos he wonders why there was a hue and cry over imposition of nominal property tax. He was quick to add that the money collected from property tax will be used to development and welfare of the people.
Addressing a function at Jammu where LG extended Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana ( PMFBY) to the farmers of all 20 districts of J&K, the LG as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that the administration hardly gets the power tariff and water bills paid by the people. “In J&K, people pay to use internet data, buy I-phones and play videos, I wonder why there is hue and cry over imposition of property tax,” the LG said, adding that there will be a push to the GDP in J&K once property tax will be collected.
The LG said that SKUAST-Kashmir and Jammu will be made of international standards while food security will comprise proteins as well. On February 22, Jammu and Kashmir administration ordered the imposition of property tax from April 1. In exercise of the power conferred by section 71A of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, the government hereby notifies the rules for levy, assessment and collection of property tax in the municipalities and municipal councils of the UT, housing and urban development department principal secretary H Rajesh Prasad had said in a notification. The tax rates will be 5% of taxable annual value (TAV) for residential properties and 6% for commercial properties, it stated. In another announcement, the government said that small houses were exempted from the tax and the amount fixed for commercial buildings was nominal. The government announcement, however, evoked sharp criticism from almost all the political parties who termed the move as unjustified.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said that in a significant move towards welfare of the farmers, the government has extended Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to the farmers of all 20 districts of the Union Territory.
Speaking at the launching event of the extension of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana here at SKUAST Jammu, the Lt Governor said that the scheme will provide comprehensive coverage against crop losses arising out of natural calamities and unseasonal rains.
“The initiative will stabilise the income of farmers, encourage them to adopt innovative practices with sufficient insurance protection from climatic catastrophe. I urge all the farmers to avail the benefits of PM Fasal Bima Yojna,” said the Lt Governor.
It is pertinent to mention that PMFBY launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to secure hardworking farmers from the vagaries of nature was earlier available to only four districts of farmers.
The Lt Governor noted that the implementation of PMFBY across the UT will have a positive impact on the agricultural scenario in Jammu Kashmir and also complement the efforts of UT Administration in creating a progressive environment.
Proper dissemination of relevant information and transparency in the implementation of PMFBY will be ensured. Crop insurance mobile app, Toll free number of the insurance company will facilitate the farmers to report about the losses, the Lt Governor added.
The Lt Governor also highlighted the agriculture reforms introduced in the J&K UT in the past 30 months.
“The welfare of the farmers is our top-most priority. The UT Administration has taken major decisions in the agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors to shape the vision of inclusive development, said the Lt Governor.
“I am confident that the Agriculture and allied sectors will guide the prosperous future of Jammu Kashmir. The groundbreaking 29 projects worth Rs.5013 crore for the holistic development of agriculture & allied sectors will provide an integrated solution to all issues related to agriculture and allied sectors with a mechanism to reduce wastage and increase production,” he added.
With meticulous implementation of the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan, we can achieve 12% growth in the agriculture sector, the Lt Governor observed.
Jammu Kashmir is the first region in the country where agriculture reforms are being attempted on such a large scale. It is our endeavour to generate large scale employment in the agriculture sector, ensure economic stability for farmers especially the small and marginal farmers and facilitate the setting up of new agri business enterprises, the Lt Governor said. UNI
