Asad sets Direction for Drafting the 2026–27 Annual Action Plan

 Jammu :   Secretary, Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, Tuesday conducted a comprehensive review of all Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) being implemented by the department across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was attended by DG Rural Sanitation Anu Malhotra; Mission Director NRLM Shubhra Sharma; Director RDD Jammu Shahnaz Akhter; Director Panchayati Raj Sham Lal; Director Finance Umar Khan; CEO IWMP Rajnish Kumar; COO Himayat Rajneesh Gupta; Joint Director Planning Kamal Kumar Sharma; and Additional Secretary RDD Waseem Raja.

The review focused on strengthening financial absorption, accelerating implementation, and ensuring strict adherence to timelines across key national programmes.

Secretary reviewed progress under flagship schemes including MGNREGA, PMAY-G, SBM-G, NRLM, RGSA, and IWMP, with major emphasis on financial discipline and seamless fund flow.

He directed officers to improve fund utilization capacity, ensure timely submission of Utilization Certificates, and maintain regular coordination with the Government of India for the release of subsequent instalments.

Calling for strict compliance with the SNA SPARSH system, he stressed transparent fund transfers through the Single Nodal Account and real-time updating of expenditure on all relevant portals to avoid disruption in future fund flows.

On MGNREGA, Secretary stressed the need to strengthen job demand registration, expedite work completion, and ensure timely wage payments.

Under PMAY-G, he instructed officers to ensure that house construction targets are completed within deadlines and that geo-tagging of assets is fast-tracked to facilitate fund release.

Reviewing SBM-G, Aijaz Asad called for intensified efforts to sustain ODF status and improve solid and liquid waste management coverage.

For NRLM, he directed expansion of Self-Help Group activities and stronger credit linkages with banks.

He also stressed faster execution of watershed development works, improved convergence with MGNREGA, and priority to capacity-building programmes for Panchayat representatives, ensuring timely utilization of training funds.

The meeting also served as a pre-budget consultation, during which Director Finance Umar Khan presented the Revised Estimates 2025–26 and the Budget Estimates 2026–27.

Secretary directed that the upcoming budget must align with ground-level development needs, rely on realistic projections, and ensure efficient utilization of both revenue and capital funds. He underscored the need for transparency, measurable outcomes, and strengthened financial discipline across all schemes.

Calling for optimal use of UT Capex funds, he instructed field officers to expedite ongoing works—especially those shifted from revenue to Capex—and ensure no spillover into the next financial year. He also sought monthly progress tracking of all Capex components to improve monitoring and outcomes.