CEO to look into Cong Minister's press meet on Roshni Scheme

Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narula today said they would look into whether Congress Minister Ajaz Ahmed Khan violated the Model Code of Conduct by holding a press meet to defend the former Ghulam Nabi Azad government over the Roshni Scheme scam.
"This issue (press conference held by Congress Minister on Sunday to defend the former Azad government) has been brought to my notice. We will look into it," Narula said at a one-day workshop for mediapersons here today.
Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Revenue Khan had on Sunday highlighted the achievements of Roshni Scheme, introduced by former Congress government, through which land measuring over 3 lakh kanals were given to farmers.

He also defended the Azad government, and said the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) claiming a mega Rs 25,000 crore land transfer scam in the scheme was "speculative".
"I felt that somewhere the report is wrong. It is based on presumption and speculation. Maximum report is presumption and speculation. It is presumption of (CAG of India) that we will continue with this mindset," he had said.
Jammu and Kashmir's Principal Accountant General Subash Chandra Pandey had, however, agreed with the description that massive land transfers to encroachers under the Roshni Act was possibly the "biggest scam" of the state.

He also said that "the legislature's rights have been violated because law has not been followed by the then state government (headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad)".
The CAG has alleged irregularities in transfer of encroached land to occupants in the state from 2007 to 2013, saying the state government realised just Rs 76 crore against a target of Rs 25,448 crore, defeating the purpose of the legislation to raise resources for investment in power sector.
In a report tabled in the Assembly, the CAG has found irregularities in implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, 2001, also known as the 'Roshni Act', which came into effect on March 1, 2002, and was later amended in 2004 and 2007.