JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah speaks during the budget session of the Jammu Legislative Assembly. (PTI photo)
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said he does not believe in media censorship or using government advertisements to influence coverage.“I have never asked any media organization not to write against or in favor of me.
“I will never use advertisements as a pressure point,” Omar told the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in Jammu while approving the financial grants.He added: “I have never called a newspaper to ask what it wrote about me. I am not one of those who use advertisements to exert pressure.”However, Omar said the government would work to rationalize the advertising policy to ensure greater transparency. He said ad personalization should be based on objective criteria such as circulation, readership and reach.
“Many members mentioned newspapers that many of us have not seen. But they receive advertisements. This raises questions about how advertisements are allocated and who makes those decisions,” he said, adding that the circulation of newspapers and channels and their reach to the public should form the basis for the distribution of advertisements.Regarding job vacancies and recruitment, Omar said that there is a difference between job creation and appointments.
“We have filled between 6,000 and 6,500 jobs,” he said, stressing that the government will work to fill about 30,000 vacant positions this year through transparent and time-bound recruitment processes in coordination with the Service Selection Board and the Public Service Commission. He also pointed to outsourcing contracts, describing them as additional opportunities, even though they are not considered formal jobs.
“At least they are making a living,” he added.Pointing out that Jammu and Kashmir suffers from fiscal constraints, Omar said tax and non-tax revenues cover only about 25% of expenditure, while 75% comes through central share and aid.“This situation is not born today, but rather inherited,” he said, adding that efforts are underway to improve financial self-reliance.Omar stressed that climate response has now become mandatory for Jammu and Kashmir, especially after the effects of drought and heavy rains last year.
He said that a climate change mitigation fund had been set up and stressed the need to assign responsibility to departments to study and address the impact of climate change before taking further budgetary measures.Regarding tourism, he said that the government has succeeded in reviving the industry despite the difficult circumstances following the tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam. “Today, Gulmarg hotels are full. Sonamarg hotels are full,” he said, adding that many destinations have reopened with the Centre’s intervention. He expressed his hope that all destinations that remain closed would reopen by May.
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