PEOPLE FRIENDLY GOVT
There is no doubt that the government in J&K is people friendly as all its decisions and moves are people centric and aimed at public welfare. Of course, the public welfare decisions take some time to happen because the region has multiple problems due to turmoil which it faced in the last over three decades on account of inefficient dispensations which never cared about the common masses rather remained busy in satiating their own vested interests. It was the BJP Government led by PM Narendra Modi that much needed changes were carried out in J&K including the abrogation of Article 370 that paved way for the real growth of the region and good of people. There are numerous such moves which the governments both at the centre and in UT have taken to bail out people from the hardships which were imposed on them unnecessarily. The Modi Government has shown the people what actually is the meaning of good governance and how the government could bring about drastic changes in ensuring public welfare on ground. In this context, the Administrative Council (AC) under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has taken another decision which can be considered as remarkable in providing relief to the transport sector of the UT, which faced lot of ups and downs during the COVID times as commercial transport came to a halt in the UT due to repeated lockdowns. The AC has approved the waiver of 50 per cent passenger tax on commercial vehicles from April 1, 2021 to March 31 this year. The decision will go a long way in addressing the demand of the commercial transport operators who have suffered colossal losses. The AC has also given provision to those owners of commercial vehicles, who have already deposited the passenger tax for the given period. For them, the excess amount will be adjusted against the liability accrued or accruable in the next financial year. There is another piece of good news. The recovery of the outstanding passenger tax from the owners of the commercial vehicles from the financial year 2018-19 to 2021-22 will be made in four equal installments on quarterly basis from April 1, 2022. All this is testimony to the fact that the government is keen to provide succor to the people and it will not leave any stone unturned to ensure public welfare.