While I am on Omar Abdullah, where is the new employment policy?

I was impressed to learn that the government was coming out with a new employment policy. Half a million jobs were to be created and many good things were to happen. Of course, when I tried to get my hands on the policy document, I couldn't find it. Is it too much to ask that when our government announces a major policy, the public ought to know what is being proposed? Shouldn't we have easy access to such important documents? Of course, the government's website is in disarray and even the vaunted Google was unable to locate this document.

Newspaper accounts indicate that the young Chief Minister was exhorting the youth of the state to look for jobs in the private sector. That is a worthy message...but the new employment policy is about creating more jobs in the public sector. They've got to be kidding! Reducing the demand for government jobs by creating new government jobs...that is sound public policy. Not.

Until next time...

Modern Government? Surely Omar Abdullah is better than this.

When Omar Abdullah took over the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, there seemed to be an impression that the beleaguered state was getting a dynamic administration. Technology would be used more and business as usual would go by the wayside. Alas, how hard it is to change things.

One example of the sorry state of affairs is the website of the state government (http://jammukashmir.nic.in/). Simply put, it is a disaster. Does Omar Abdullah ever bother to go there. It doesn't even have basic information in there. If you can't even get your flagship website to work properly, what hope do you have in implementing policies and programs for improving the lives of millions of people in a complex governance environment? No chance!

Until next time.