The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Tuesday assigned the charge of Director SKIMS Soura to Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah in addition to his own duties.

According to an order, the appointment has been made in view of the retirement of Dr Parvez Koul on March 3.

"Consequent upon the retirement on superannuation of Prof. (Dr.) Parvez Koul, Director, SKIMS and ex-officio Secretary to the Government, on 08.03.2024 (A.N.) and pending appointment of a suitable candidate against the said post, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department is hereby assigned the charge of the post of Director, SKIMS, in addition to his own duties till further orders," reads the order.

BARAMULLA — Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS), Administrative Secretary of the Health and Medical Education Department, issued a stern warning on Saturday, stating that any doctor found practicing at a private clinic between 10 am and 4 pm will face disciplinary action.

Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah conveyed this message while speaking to a local news agency about reports of doctors engaging in private practice during their scheduled duty hours.

He underscored the importance of doctors prioritizing their responsibilities within government hospitals to ensure optimal patient care.

Emphasizing the department's commitment to monitoring doctor activities during working hours, Dr Shah asserted that stringent measures would be implemented to enforce compliance.

Doctors discovered practicing at private clinics during designated government service hours will be subjected to severe consequences, he affirmed.

SRINAGAR — In what could be seen as a major achievement by Manoj Sinha-led administration on the development front, the World Bank has said that its Rs 1500 crore project in J&K has largely achieved its objective and, in some cases, surpassed the agreed targets.

The Rs 1500 crore project funded by the World Bank was a non-starter during the PDP-BJP rule. It was bogged down by multiple hiccups before Syed Abid Rashid Shah was brought in as its head.

“The project development objective is to support recovery, increase disaster resilience in project areas, and increase the capacity of the project implementing entity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. JTFRP was focused on recovery and mitigating risks linked to floods in Kashmir. The project has largely achieved this and, in some cases, has surpassed the agreed targets,” reads the latest status report of the project, as per the news agency KNO.

The report was released by the World Bank on June 29, 2023. According to the report, 78.4 per cent of contracts under the WB-funded project has been completed.

“Of the 213 contracts, 167 (78.4%), are complete, and another 40 are expected to be completed by the project closing date. Currently, the project has disbursed about 67%,” the report further states.

The key achievements under the project include 52 school buildings, four higher education buildings, one fire station, 80 kilometres of road stretches, four bridges, 75 kilometres of drainage network and 33 storm-water drainage pumping stations, critical medical equipment and supplies to 36 hospitals, augmenting 108-Helpline with 68 critical care ambulances, commissioning of 30 oxygen generation plants covering all districts of the state apart from strengthening handicraft, handloom, silk and wool sector.

Before Abid was appointed as chief executive officer of the project in 2020, it saw 13 bosses, which includes 10 IAS officers, in less than five years. Abid played a key role in accelerating the pace of works approved under the project.

In the past, the WB frequently snubbed the J&K Government over the slow pace in the implementation of the project and even there were fears of losing funds under it.