NEW DELHI: Strengthening of the State Human Rights Commission and constitution of a high-power committee for enforcing human rights, accountability and proper implementation of laws are some of the measures recommended by the working group on ensuring good governance in Jammu and Kashmir. In its report released recently, it has called for effective implementation of the Right to Information Act for more transparency.

The panel, chaired by N.C. Saxena, said the security forces needed to adopt a citizen-friendly approach and ensure that while militancy and law and order were adequately tackled, innocent people were not harmed, and their life and property protected.

The areas inhabited by minorities or others who face threats should be identified and provided with special protection. It suggested that panchayats and local bodies should be asked to establish a system of community watch to ensure that those who posed a threat were identified and unable to get any local support.

Review of laws, which have a large public interface, can be carried out so that procedures are simplified, including the Land Acquisition Act.

The working group suggested constitution of a committee to identify specific laws and rules that hamper entrepreneurship, the report said.

The State and district administration should be streamlined and roles and responsibilities should be clarified. Increasing responsiveness, accountability and transparency of the administration were as important as was connectivity through computerisation, it said.

The working group cited the examples of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat for effective computerisation of the systems and even suggested that officers should be trained in the use of computers.

For IT-enabled single window payment systems for utilities such as water, electricity, and telephones, it asked J&K to emulate e-Seva of Andhra Pradesh and FRIENDS in Kerala. By introducing e-governance in police procedures for filing FIRs, or for getting police verification done for passport could be simplified. This would reduce personal contact with the police and the system made more efficient.

The working group suggested that the Government departments carry out surveys of the perceptions and experiences of the ordinary people and civil society in sectors that had a public interface.

It wanted these to be carried out by an independent institute and followed up with implementation of the recommendations.

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