Top officials discuss modalities on J&K bifurcation

Top officials of central government ministries on Tuesday met in New Delhi to assess the implementation of central schemes in Jammu and Kashmir and initiatives to be taken to expedite the return of normalcy.

The meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary A K Bhalla and attended by secretaries of central ministries and departments, including finance, agriculture, road transport, power, rural development, and industries.

The Centre has chosen October 31, the birthday of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, as the date for the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to come into being.

"The meeting was held with various departments to assess the implementation of central schemes in Jammu and Kashmir and initiatives to be taken to expedite the return of normalcy," a home ministry spokesperson said.

Development programmes, division of assets and manpower and measures to be taken for stocking of essential commodities, particularly in the Ladakh region before the onset of the winter, were among the issues discussed in the meeting.

Joint Secretaries in some of the ministries are slated to visit Jammu and Kashmir later this month. Already, a few teams have conducted surveys.

The central officials will also be assisting the Jammu and Kashmir administration in implementing 85 central schemes extended to the state. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has already set up three committees to work on the bifurcation of the state.