After recent sops, Govt to reduce electricity tariff, increase ration quota

CM keen on to make more decisions in next few weeks

Srinagar: After taking slew of measures in last one month, the state government is mulling to trim down electricity tariff besides increasing the monthly ration quota in coming weeks.

Top sources in the government told KNS that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is keen to reduce the electricity tariff and a decision will be taken in this regard in next cabinet meeting. Sources informed that the chief minister has expressed explicit desire to see that people friendly measures enshrined in the food security bill are implemented in the state.

In an effort to bounce back in the upcoming assembly elections and in view of a humiliating defeat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, the government had taken some major decisions recently.

These major decisions include enhancement in retirement age by two years in favor of government employees, transfer and inclusion of five years of service in favour of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReTs), increase in retirement age of employees working medical education, lifting of ban on SMS services and pensionary benefits to SKICC employees. The government also scrapped controversial new employment policy wherein the youth were being recruited on stipendiary mode.

After holding series of introspective meetings with the party office bearers, the chief minister threw open all channels of communication with the estranged people. Omar offered his e-mail account to people for their feedback. He also directed that gates of his office and even those of his Gupkar residence be made open to people to give vent to their grievances.

In his introspective meetings Omar had made a candid confession that besides execution of Afzal Guru, the civilian killings of 2010 had influenced the polling in recently held Lok Sabah elections wherein the National Conference lost all three seats of the Valley to its arch rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a recently held cabinet meeting, the chief minister decided to revive the Commission of Inquiry into the killing of nearly 125 civilians by police and paramilitary forces in the Valley in 2010.