NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs will pay a visit to Jammu & Kashmir as well as Ladakh from August 17 to 21 for a detailed examination of matters relating to administration, development and people’s welfare in the two Union territories.
While the committee, chaired by deputy leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress MP Anand Sharma, will arrive in Ladakh on August 16 and be there on August 17 and 18, it will spend the remaining part of the tour in Jammu and Srinagar before returning from Jammu on August 22.
The visit comes almost two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met leaders of all mainstream political parties of J&K, the first such interaction after revocation of Article 370. Modi had requested the J&K parties to participate in the delimitation process and assured them that elections would follow after the delimitation process was complete.
The standing committee plans to hold meetings with select stakeholders on the subject ‘administration, development and people’s welfare in the UTs of Ladakh and J&K’ for an in-depth understanding of their issues and problems, along with representatives of the ministry of home affairs and administration of UT of J&K and Ladakh. It also seeks to review and get a briefing on working conditions of CRPF, ITBP and BSF.
In Ladakh, the panel will hold meetings with the advisor to LG, Ladakh; chief secretary of UT of J&K; and select stakeholders.
The standing committee on home affairs comprises 28 members who are MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.