Peerzada Ashiq  

Mr. Malik replaced N.N. Vohra whose term is ending on August 25.

Satya Pal Malik, 72, was sworn in as 13th Governor of J&K at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar on Thursday morning.

The swearing in took place at 11 a.m at the lawns of the Raj Bhawan. The warrant of appointment of Mr. Malik was read out by J&K's Chief Secretary B.V. R. Subrahmanyam and J&K High Court Chief Justice Justice Gita Mittal administered the oath of office.

Mr. Malik has replaced N.N. Vohra whose term was ending on August 25. Mr. Vohra served J&K as a governor for longest ever term of 10 years.

A Raj Bhawan spokesman said the new Governor called for "a fresh push to the mission on delivering development and good governance".

“The focus has to be on working through transparency and consultation to promote a culture of excellence in governance characterized by integrity and highest standards of deliverance. Judicious and productive use of resources has to be ensured so that the funds are utilized according to priorities keeping in mind the larger public good and requirement of basic amenities," said Governor Malik.

He said cleaning up the iconic Dal Lake must also be given topmost priority and the lake should be restored to its pristine glory.

Political appointee

Mr. Malik is seen by many in J&K as a political appointee, unlike other governors who served the State in the past three decades, mainly drawn from military, intelligence or bureaucratic background. Mr. Malik has an illustrious political background and till recently served as Governor of Bihar.

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, both former chief ministers, were among many senior political figures of the state present on the occasion. BJP's Jitendra Singh, a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), also participated in the ceremony, which was attended by around 400 guests.

In an interview, just before assuming the office here, Mr. Malik had said he will work on "winning confidence of people in J&K".

J&K is directly under the governor's rule after the alliance between the BJP and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came to an end in June this year.

Meanwhile, former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah welcomed the new governor. "I hope his term in office is a successful one and as the administrator of the state will work towards peace, normality and equitable development," said Mr. Abdullah.

Meanwhile, B.B. Vyas, Khurshid Ganai, K. Vijay Kumar, advisors to the Governor, met Mr. Malik at the Raj Bhavan and briefed him about the functioning of the departments under their respective charge, said an official.

Courtesy: Hindu:  23 Aug 2018