Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the modalities for operationalizing the newly established Lieutenant Governor’s Sainik Sahayta Kendra (SSK) in the Civil Secretariat at Jammu and Srinagar.
The Kendra, set up through a recent order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), is envisioned as a dedicated grievance redressal and support platform for serving the soldiers associated with Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Home; Commissioner Secretary, GAD; Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir; Secretaries of Tribal Affairs Department (TAD), Information Technology and Law and Deputy Commissioners either in person or virtually.
The Chief Secretary reviewed the proposal presented by the Administrative Secretary heading the Kendra. He emphasized the need for a robust and responsive system to cater to the needs of the soldiers.
To ensure smooth implementation and oversight, he directed for constitution of a Steering Committee headed by the Principal Secretary, Home Department. The Commissioner Secretary, GAD will serve as a member and the Secretary, TAD, as the Member Secretary, being the administrative head of the Kendra. The Home Department was designated as the Nodal Department for the Kendra, acting as the primary liaison between civil and military establishments.
The Chief Secretary also directed for appointment of an Additional Secretary-level officer in the Home Department to exclusively handle the matters related to the SSK.
Highlighting the importance of technology-driven grievance redressal, Dulloo instructed the concerned departments to develop a secure digital portal for registration, tracking and feedback of grievances. He directed that the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) be onboarded for early development of the online portal. He set a deadline of August 20 for launching the portal after conducting the necessary security audits and user trials.
The Chief Secretary stressed that the portal must provide real-time access to the applicants, their Commanding Officers and concerned authorities from respective states/UTs to monitor and update the status of grievances in a transparent and time-bound manner.
Principal Secretary, Home, Chandraker Bharti, underscored the need for holding awareness workshops to familiarize the stakeholders with the objectives and functioning of the Kendra. He also suggested that all States and Union Territories designate the senior nodal officers to facilitate smooth coordination and resolution of grievances of soldiers posted in or hailing from J&K.
Secretary, TAD, Prasanna Ramaswamy G, who is also the in-charge of the Sainik Sahayta Kendra, provided an overview of its establishment. He noted that the cell is tasked with addressing the domestic and service-related grievances of soldiers serving within J&K as well as those from J&K serving elsewhere in the country. He informed the meeting that the workflow for the Kendra’s operations is being finalized and strict timelines will be set for grievance redressal.
As per the GAD order, senior JKAS officers and necessary support staff, including data entry operators, have already been posted for effective functioning of the Kendra. With the upcoming launch of the portal, he said, the SSK will begin serving its intended purpose in letter and spirit.