Srinagar, Nov 11: The ruling National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has proposed the formation of informal advisory groups of party legislators to be attached to each member of the Council of Ministers, with the stated objective of strengthening coordination between the party and the government.

In a communication addressed to party legislators, Abdullah said it had been decided at a recent meeting with some of the party MLAs to constitute informal advisory groups comprising legislators who would work as a bridge between the party and the government.
He said ministers would be asked to hold regular meetings with their respective advisory groups and keep them informed about major policy initiatives and the progress of work being undertaken by their departments.
According to the communication, each legislator would be eligible to become part of two such advisory groups.
To facilitate the allocation process, Abdullah has asked legislators to submit, in writing, their preferences for three ministers, in order of priority, so that they could be associated with ministers of their choice, as far as possible.
"The lists will be prepared and notified as soon as all legislators send their preferences," the communication reads.
The party legislators have been asked to complete the exercise within a period of two weeks.
The proposed arrangement is aimed at establishing a regular channel of communication between party legislators and ministers, enabling elected representatives to remain apprised of departmental functioning, policy decisions and implementation of government initiatives.