Srinagar, Feb 10 (KNO): After the reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir in 2019, the engineering wing of the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, which previously handled its own infrastructure and maintenance, was wound up and its functions transferred to the Public Works (R&B) Division, Soura, the government said on Tuesday
In a written reply to the question of MLA Gulmarg Farooq Ahmad Shah, Health and Medical Education Department Minister Sakeena Itoo said that after the reorganisation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, administrative arrangements and certain aspects related to the composition of the Governing Body of SKIMS have changed.
The minister clarified that SKIMS continues to award degrees in accordance with the provisions of the SKIMS (Grant of Degrees) Act, 1983. According to the applicable Transaction of Business Rules, the subject of SKIMS remains assigned to the Health & Medical Education Department, she said, adding that the funding structure of SKIMS remains unchanged, with budgetary allocations continuing under the Health Budget as before.
She added, "Before the reorganisation, SKIMS, Soura, had an independent engineering wing. However, as part of the broader administrative restructuring following the reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir, the engineering wings of several departments and organisations, including SKIMS, were reorganised."
Currently, the engineering functions of SKIMS are subsumed under the Public Works (R&B) Division, Soura, which is located within the SKIMS premises, Itoo said, adding that all developmental and maintenance works related to SKIMS are now carried out through this division.
The minister further said that the ongoing and pending works of SKIMS have been duly taken over by the executing agency and are being completed in a timely manner. "Most of these works have been completed both physically and financially, with the remaining works at an advanced stage of completion," she added—(KNO)