36th AGM OF IIPA J&K REGIONAL BRANCH
36th AGM of the Jammu and Kashmir Regional Branch of the IIPA was held on January 10, 2014 at IIPA premises in Jammu. Dr Ashok Bhan, Chairman, presided with Patron Dr S.S.Bloeria and past Chairman Shri J.A.Khan on the dais. The AGM was attended by 48 members. The AGM was preceded by a lecture by Advocate Shri Suraj Singh on “Empowering Differently Abled”.
2. Honorary Secretary Shri J.B.S.Johar presented the Annual Report (Annexure A) which was approved by the General body amidst applause for the quality of programs organized in 2014. He informed that in the year 2014, the branch organized a total of 17 programmes including seminars, lectures, workshops, panel discussions, debate competitions and training programmes for government officers. The branch also released two more issues of IIPA newsletter and also launched its official website.
3. In the absence of the Treasurer Shri S.K.Gupta the Statement of Accounts (Annexure B) was read before the house by Dr Anil Gupta, Joint Secretary (Jammu). The statement after discussions was approved. Dr Anil informed the house that as on January 10, 2015 the funds position is as follows:
- Amount in J&K Bank, Residency Road, Jammu - Rs. 7,53,665.00
- Amount in UCO Bank, Ashoka Market, Jammu - Rs. 6217.00
- Amount in J&K Bank, Srinagar - Rs. 77,067.00
- FDRs in JK Bank, Residency Road, Jammu – Rs 3,50,000.00
4. The General Body approved appointment of M/S Gupta Ravi & Associates Chartered Accountants, Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, as Auditor on a annual remuneration of Rs 8000/-(Rupees Eight Thousand only) and Shri Jagdish Raj as Accountant on an annual remuneration of Rs 5000/- ( Rupess five thousand only) for FY 2014-15.
5. A detailed discussion was held on future programs. Besides the programs listed by the Hony Secretary in his report, the following subjects were identified for future programs:
- Two day Seminar on “Floods in 2014: Lessons for Disaster Management for Jammu & Kashmir” in collaboration with Dept. of National Security Studies, CUJ on February 2-3, 2015
- 2nd Ram Sahai Memorial Lecture on “Make in India : Industry Perspective” on February 13, 2015
- Training programme on “HR Strategies and Interventions in the Public Sector” on March 7 or 14, 2015
- Programme on Consumer Affairs in May, 2015
- Programme on “Citizens’ Agenda for the new government” in April, 2015
- Workshop on Health care Management
- Seminar on Safety of Women in workplaces.
- Training Programme on “Ethics in Public Administration”
- Training Programme on “Bio-Medical Waste Management”.
- Training Programme on “Management Competencies”
- Training Programme on “Fundamentals of Accounting and Auditing”
- Seminar on Traffic Management
- Programme on Garbage Management, Religious Tolerance, Law Enforcement, Management of Borders, Usage of Solar Energy, SMART Cities, Skills Development, Energy Needs of J&K, Simplification of Laws, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, Cyber Literacy, Simplification of Laws/Documentations, Public Private Partnership model & public delivery system were also proposed by the members present.
6. The Honorary Secretary placed before the House letters from the Patron Dr S. S. Bloeria and Chairman Dr Ashok Bhan requesting for being allowed to step down a year before their elected tenure in order to facilitate a smooth transition to leadership by younger members. He read out the following recommendation made by the EC in its meeting on December 30, 2014:
“The EC discussed at length the letters of Dr S.S.Bloeria, Patron and Dr Ashok Bhan, Chairman expressing their desire to step down a year before completion of their respective terms. In deference to their desire aimed at transition to a younger leadership, the EC recommends to the General Body to accept their requests. EC also recommends that as suggested by Dr Bhan, for the interim period till elections are held in January 2016, Shri B.R.Sharma IAS will function as the Chairman and Dr Pawan Kotwal IAS as Vice-Chairman (Central)”.
The General Body unanimously approved the recommendation and Shri B.R.Sharma IAS was declared elected as Chairman and Shri Pawan Kotwal IAS as Vice Chairman Central till elections are held in January 2016.
7. Shri B.R.Sharma thanked the Members for showing confidence in him and assured that with the cooperation of the Members the Regional Branch will continue its march forward.
8. Hony Secretary moved a motion that Dr Ashok Bhan be elected as the Patron against the vacant position for the remaining term of the present EC. This was unanimously approved by the General Body.
9. Dr Ashok Bhan, outgoing Chairman of the Branch in his address lauded the democratic credentials of the Branch and was happy to note that the branch has been able to establish itself as one of the best performing units of IIPA in the country. He suggested that in future the Branch should continue its focus on capacity building for good governance by active collaboration and interaction between practitioners of Public Administration, academia and civil society. He suggested that the Branch can develop a publication window in form of a web journal. He also urged upon the executive members to contribute in honorary capacity while strictly observing probity and documentation while spending public money. He also stressed that the future activities should reflect on the diversity of the state and the accompanying challenges of governance. The text of the address is at Annexure C.
10. Dr S. S. Bloeria, Patron of the Branch in his address appreciated the contribution of executive committee and said that a smooth changeover to younger team reflects robust practices and healthy tradition. He said that the branch should identify 3-4 majors themes and develop the branch as a centre of excellence in those domains.
11. Jenab Jalil Ahmed Khan, former Chairman of the Branch appreciated the contributions made by Dr. S. S. Bloeria and Dr. Ashok Bhan in the development and promotion of the Branch. He also appreciated the fact that the Branch is able to organize programmes on diverse and contemporary subjects with a mix of experienced leadership and young team at the helm.
12. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by the Hony Secretary Er JBS Johar.
