New Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik holds first meet, tells officials to focus on good governance

Srinagar: In his first meeting after assuming office as governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik on Thursday made it clear that reinforcing good governance and delivering results urgently on the developmental front must be the priority of the state administration at all levels.

Rapid, people-centric development is the need of the hour, he said.

Immediately after assuming office, Malik convened the first official meeting with his advisors, B B Vyas, K Vijay Kumar and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar this afternoon. He took first-hand appraisal of the functioning of the governor's administration.

To ensure a tangible turnaround, Malik enumerated the measures to be taken to give a fresh push to the "Mission on Delivering Development" and the "Mission on Good Governance". He said the state administration needs to function with efficiency, speed and accountability and deliver quick results on the ground on developmental and governance fronts.

Malik said the grievance redressal mechanism will be expanded. "Focus has to be on working through transparency and consultation to promote a culture of excellence in governance characterized by integrity and highest standards of deliverance," he said.

Judicious and productive use of resources has to be ensured so that the funds are utilised according to priorities, he added. He prioritised the health, education, rural development and social welfare sectors for focussed attention.

The governor also called for expanding the scope of the grievance redressal mechanism, adding it should not be limited to the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu alone. He also asked officers to expand their public outreach.