JK RDD Spotlights Swachhata Mission in R-Day Tableau

Jammu: Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary of Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, spearheaded a comprehensive interaction with department heads to deliberate on a robust action plan for rural development and citizen empowerment across J&K. The meeting encompassed detailed presentations on scheme implementations, challenges, and required interventions.
Dr. Shahid emphasized strengthening the District Development Councils and Local Self-Government institutions, promoting innovation in rural development, ensuring convergence with other departments for holistic development, expediting service-related matters, conducting District Planning Committees (DPCs), addressing public grievances, and enhancing inter-sectoral coordination. He reiterated Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s vision for citizen engagement, infrastructure development, youth empowerment, public outreach, and inclusion of marginalized sections.
Tariq Zargar, Secretary in RDD, presented an overview of the MGNREGA implementation, administrative and financial status of schemes, and associated challenges. He highlighted that out of the total outlay of Rs 1250 Cr for FY 2023-24, Rs 697 Cr was made available, with 97% expenditure already registered. District-wise performance under key CSS indicators was discussed, including the coverage of 2371 out of 4291 panchayats under Amrit Sarovar.
Anoo Malhotra, Director General of Rural Sanitation, provided insights into the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen, covering initiatives and interventions. Under the Solid Waste Management Plan (SWM), 5979 villages were covered, and 3009 villages under Greywater Management (GWM). Plans for a Republic Day Tableau on the Swachhata mission were also outlined.
Indu Kanwal Chib, Mission Director of Rural Livelihood Mission, reported on the program’s implementation across 20 districts, involving 87,563 SHGs, 6046 Vos, and 538 Cluster Level Federations. Rs 422.39 Cr capitalization was provided to community-based organizations, with plans to expand SHGs into the service sector and commodity trade.
CEO of IWMP, Bharat Bhushan, presented the Integrated Watershed Management Plan, while Directors from Rural Development and Panchayati Raj discussed sectoral initiatives, progress under CSS, and UT CapEx.
The meeting extensively discussed programs like MGNREGA, JKRLM, SBM, PMAY-G, IWMP, Himayat, RGSA, scrutinizing progress and identifying areas for improvement. Challenges in program implementation were addressed, exploring potential solutions, and deliberating on the role of Project Implementation Agencies (PIAs) linked with NIRD and CTA.