SAMBA: In a bid to assess progress on ongoing schemes and finalise outline for Rural Development Planning in Samba district, Secretary Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, on Saturday underscored the critical need for enhanced convergence with different departments, particularly agriculture and allied sectors.
Dr Shahid, while chairing a meeting here conducted a comprehensive review of various initiatives and projects aimed at bolstering rural infrastructure and livelihood opportunities, through sectoral convergence. The agenda encompassed a wide array of issues including advancements made under flagship schemes like MGNREGA and PMAY(G), the current status of rural sanitation initiatives, door-to-door waste collection and timely disbursement of wages.
Additionally, the meeting assesses progress achieved under ABPS, Project UNNATI, Geo-tagging of assets, Food Grains storage units, and the District Convergence Plan of MGNREGA. Besides, Aadhar seeding, Amrit Sarovars, UT Capex review, SBM(G) and IWMP were also discussed in detail.
Emphasizing the importance of livelihood generation and sustainable operation and maintenance of assets, the Secretary called for concerted efforts in these areas. The Secretary highlighted the significance of forward linkages in door-to-door waste collection and stressed the need of expediting the construction of Panchayat Ghars.
Timely payment of wages emerged as a crucial aspect, with Dr Shahid emphasizing its pivotal role in ensuring the effectiveness of rural development initiatives. He advocated innovation and a futuristic approach in creation of rural infrastructure. He directed the Block Development Officers (BDOs) to conduct monthly convergence meetings with other stakeholders to foster collaboration and synergy in implementation.
The Secretary also inspected the ongoing works at the DDC building in Samba and visited the model Panchayat Palli in Bari-Brahmana block. Earlier, a detailed presentation was made by the Deputy Commissioner, Abhishek Sharma, highlighting performance of the district on Key Performance Indicators of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes under the Rural Development Sector. He also assured for collaborated efforts of all departments in ensuring convergence for rural development planning and leveraging the funding available under CSSs like MGNREGA, SBM and IWMP.
Director Rural Development Jammu, Mohammad Mumtaz Ali, Director Panchayati Raj, Sham Lal, Additional Secretary Rural Development Department, Waseem Raja, along with other senior officers from the District administration Samba.