Calls For Citizen-Centric, Accountable And Efficient Bureaucracy
JAMMU: The Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam, Wednesday chaired a meeting to apprise the Deputy Commissioners and District Superintendents who have taken charge after the recent reshuffle in J&K’s administration; on the priorities of the Government and procedures for regular monitoring of ongoing projects for their timely completion.
The meeting defined the major contours of good governance for the district administrations achievable through strengthened coordination and convergence. It was impressed upon the participants that the functioning of government machinery needs to be efficient, accessible, transparent, and accountable with a special focus on grievance redressal and public outreach. The meeting reviewed the progress of various sectors and laid down the district-level framework for time-bound, door-step delivery of Government services; and completion of projects.
Under the Education sector, officers from School Education Department were directed to ensure sufficient arrangements for safe drinking water and toilets across the hierarchy of schools both in government and private sectors, besides ensuring the functioning of the existing infrastructure. It was advised that shortages, if any, can be augmented through the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Swachh Bharat Mission, respectively. Higher Education Department along with Revenue Department was asked to expedite construction of infrastructure for the 51newly sanctioned Degree Colleges across Jammu & Kashmir.
On the scholarship front, strict directions were issued to the departments of School Education, Higher Education, Social Welfare and Tribal Affairs to ramp up coordination for ensuring universal coverage of all eligible students within the stipulated timelines under respective schemes of the Central and State governments.
Further, Social Welfare Department was asked to ensure universal coverage and timely disbursement of financial assistance under various pension schemes including National Social Assistance Programme, Integrated Social Security Scheme; and PM Matritva Vandana Yojana, with a renewed focus on monitoring of services under Poshan Abhiyan and one-stop centres for women.
For providing affordable housing and a clean environment, Housing & Urban Development (H&UDD) and Rural Development (RDD) departments were directed to ensure timely completion of housing projects under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban and Rural, respectively, and gradual reduction and elimination of the ‘single-use plastics’. RDD was additionally asked to make MGNREGA wage payments within 15 days of work completion, and to proactively engage with youth under UMEED and self-help groups under the NRLM scheme.
For efficient implementation of the Forest Rights Act, directions were given to the departments of Forest, Rural Development, Tribal Affairs and Revenue to work in tandem and vest forest rights on the eligible scheduled tribes and traditional forest dwellers through forest rights committees, sub-divisional committees, and district-level committees. The district administrations were asked to implement respective district environment plans with a renewed focus on restoration and conservation of water bodies. The Chief Secretary asked Jal Shakti Department to provide functional tap water connections to all households in Jammu and Kashmir by 30th September 2022 under the Jal Jeevan Mission- ‘Har Ghar Nal se Jal’. Under the recently launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan- ‘Catch the Rain’, it was urged that degraded eco-systems must be revived through watershed conservation programmes, and rainwater harvesting techniques that can be taken up in convergence between line departments
To provide all-weather, pothole-free, and secure connectivity, the district administrations were asked to prioritize PMGSY projects by ensuring availability of requisite raw material, timely resolution of land issues, and provisions for issuing mandatory clearances in a time-bound manner. They were advised to identify and recommend new projects under NABARD well in time to ensure that works on the projects commence in the 1st quarter of the financial year, 2021-22.
The Chief Secretary directed the Power Development Department to actively monitor the reported failures of power distribution & transmission channels, timely repairs, and replacement of the damaged equipment to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the upcoming summer months, besides securing the existing electrical infrastructure against the extreme weather vagaries.
The Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Department was asked to monitor payment of benefits under PM KISAN Yojana, enhance enrolment under KCCs, and establish forward linkages with the industrial sector in its efforts to double the farmer’s income.
The Chief Secretary asked Health & Medical Education Department to universally enroll residents of Jammu and Kashmir under Ayushman Bharat-Sehat scheme for free of cost and cashless healthcare coverage by 31st May 2021. Regarding control measures for COVID-19 case surges, the Department and district administrations were directed to enhance testing, contact tracing, roll out of micro containment strategies, besides, ramping up vaccination drives on a mission mode.
To ensure that the Government services are provided in an equitable and hassle-free manner and identified projects get completed within their timelines, the Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu were directed to coordinate, monitor, and review district-wise progress.
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