DODA: Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh today chaired a meeting of District Level Committee on Hostel Inspection here in the Mini Conference Hall, DC Office Complex. The meeting was convened to review the inspection and overall functioning of hostels across the District Doda, with a focus on ensuring effective management, safety, hygiene, and the welfare of students residing in these facilities, in alignment with government norms and expectations.
The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Anil Kumar Thakur; District Social Welfare Officer Tariq Qazi; District Education Planning Officer Anis Ahmed; Assistant Director FCS & CA, Accounts Officer SSP office, Food Safety Officer and wardens of G&B Hostel (Girls), G&B Hostel (Boys), Hostel GHSS Doda, Parisha (Nari Niketan), and Palash (Bal Ashram).
During the meeting, the DC emphasized the need for regular and surprise inspections of hostels to monitor food quality, sanitation standards, safety protocols, and the overall living conditions of students. He directed the concerned officers to submit detailed inspection reports and take immediate corrective measures wherever necessary. Special focus was laid on ensuring the psychological well-being of hostel residents and the availability of proper grievance redressal mechanisms.
The Deputy Commissioner also instructed officers to coordinate closely with hostel wardens to streamline the supply of essential commodities, maintain infrastructure, and ensure timely health check-ups for inmates. He stressed that hostels should function as safe, supportive, and development-friendly environments for the children and youth of the district.
The DC reviewed the work rosters of all permanent and temporary hostel employees, as well as the accommodation facilities. He also reviewed staff positions in hostels across the district and issued necessary directions to utilise their services for the betterment of hostel inmates. He directed that routine medical check-ups for all hostel boys and girls be ensured.
Further, the DC instructed for installation of CCTV cameras and fire extinguishers in all hostels for better supervision and fire safety. The criteria for the admission to the Gujjar and Bakerwal Hostels was also discussed, and emphasis was placed on providing quality education to the students residing in these hostels. DC Doda directed the ADC to ensure regular inspections of hostels focusing on education, food, and health parameters. He also reviewed the purchasing process for hostel items and instructed that items be procured through GeM under proper formalities.
Additionally, the DC directed the District Social Welfare Officer to initiate work on the construction of a new hostel building to increase accommodation capacity. Stakeholders of hostel supervision raised several issues and grievances during the meeting, and the Deputy Commissioner assured them that all concerns would be addressed and resolved promptly.
The DC also instructed concerned officials to maintain proper records of accounts, health, and education indicators to ensure efficient hostel functioning. He further urged the introduction of regular health and yoga activities in hostels to improve student well-being. Moreover, DC Doda called for the appointment of a counselor for hostel students and directed that extracurricular activities such as cultural programs and painting competitions be organized regularly to foster a holistic learning environment.
SAMBA: The Palli Primary Agriculture Co-operative Credit Society Ltd. (PACS) today inaugurated its latest initiative — Co-operative Crumbs Bakery-n-Café — on Bishnah Road, Palli. The venture aims to generate employment and foster self-reliance among cooperative members.
The inauguration ceremony was graced by MLA Vijaypur Chander Prakash Ganga as the Chief Guest. The event also witnessed the presence of the Joint Registrar Audit Jammu, Deputy Registrars of Samba and Jammu, Assistant Registrars from Samba, Jammu, and Kathua, along with several District Officers from Samba, including the District Animal Husbandry Officer and the District Development Manager, NABARD.
During the event, the Deputy Registrar Cooperative Societies Samba briefed the guests on the functioning and achievements of Palli PACS. Guests were taken on a tour of the Sahkar Mandap, a dedicated cooperative display centre showcasing locally made products such as pickles and handcrafted suits produced by Sahkar Saheli, a women-led cooperative initiative.
In a brief interaction with the media, the MLA praised the initiative, describing it as a model of self-sustained growth aligned with the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He lauded the role of cooperatives in generating local employment opportunities, especially for women and youth. This initiative comes in the backdrop of the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives, reaffirming the spirit of unity and mutual support in building a more inclusive and resilient society.
SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today held a detailed meeting of the concerned to take the assessment of the preparedness of the administration for implementation of the centrally sponsored Vibrant Villages Programme Phase-II here in the identified border villages of the UT. The meeting besides Secretary, PD&MD was attended by the concerned Deputy Commissioners and other concerned officers of the Department.
The programme, spearheaded by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, aims to bring sustainable development, security integration, and socio-economic vibrancy to strategically significant border villages across India, including 124 villages in J&K.
In his remarks the Chief Secretary impressed upon the Planning Department to leverage this programme for transforming the lives and livelihoods of these border inhabitants in line with the vision of the Prime Minister of the country. He maintained that the belief of the PM is to treat these border villages as ‘Pratham Gaon’ meaning the frontline villages of the country deserving all attention and focus of the government for their development and sustainability.
Dulloo also called for laying focus on the implementation of the programme by designating the Village wise nodal officers especially the SDMs of these areas for their smooth and effective implementation on ground. He called on them to assess the capacity of each village and utilize the schemes like HADP, Mission YUVA, Daksh Kisan, JKRLM etc to make these villages a model in agriculture, horticulture, skilling, tourism as per their innate strengths.
The Chief Secretary also directed the concerned Deputy Commissioners to take immediate actions to complete service and infrastructure gap analyses in close coordination with BGFs. He also emphasised upon expediting formation of District and UT-level committees for submitting the first batch of Village Action Plans to MHA within stipulated timeframe. He further stressed the importance of community engagement, inter-agency convergence, and the role of youth and local institutions in making this programme a success.
The Secretary, PD&MD, Talat Parvez Rohella while throwing light on different aspects of this programme gave out that a total of 124 border villages across 43 border blocks in eight districts of J&K including Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara have been selected for development. Additionally, four more vulnerable villages in Poonch district have been recommended for inclusion due to displacements from cross-border shelling.
He further elaborated that the key objectives and outcomes of this programme encompasses bringing the cultural vibrancy in these villages along with supporting the inhabitants to better their lives and livelihoods through infrastructure upgradation and livelihood generation across these villages. It was also made out that VVP-II aims at promoting cultural integration and foster a sense of belonging through community-led development and is 100% centrally funded to be implemented over the next five years (2024–29) in convergence mode.
The Prime components, as defined in the meeting, constitutes infrastructure development by leveraging PMGSY-IV for all-weather roads, Digital Bharat Nidhi for telecom expansion, RDSS for rural electrification, and BIND Scheme to ensure TV and media access With respect to livelihood and economic growthSHG-based value chain development, cooperatives, and rural tourism is focussed upon. In addition to that support for eco-agriculture, organic farming, and craft-based industries, skill development initiatives for youth and women to establish the eco-resorts, rural homestays, and cultural hubs there.
In order to bring in cultural and social vibrancy in these villages festivals, sports events, and national celebrations are to be regularly organised to revitalize community spirit, promote local heritage, tribal art, and traditional knowledge systems prevalent in these villages. As far as the monitoring mechanism for this programme is concerned at the District Level Committees (DLCs) headed by Deputy Commissioners had been tasked to vet village eligibility, conduct gap analyses, and prepare Village Action Plans (VVAPs) in coordination with BGFs.
The same needs to be approved by the UT-Level Screening Committee (UTLSC) chaired by the Chief Secretary for strategic alignment and cost-effectiveness, and recommend viable projects to the Ministry of Home Affairs for their approval and funding for implementation. It was concluded that VVP-II is going to transform these border habitations into vibrant, self-sustaining, and secure ecosystems — aligned with the Government of India’s broader vision for inclusive and strategic border development in the whole of the country.
SRINAGAR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) today announced a comprehensive set of 18 new initiatives aimed at strengthening the electoral process, improving voter experience, and fostering greater transparency and efficiency. These reforms span across key areas including electors, political parties, procedural reforms, legal frameworks, and election staff development.
A. Enhancing Electors' Experience:
B. Engaging with Political Parties:
C. Driving Procedural Reforms:
D. Strengthening Legal Frameworks:
E. Empowering Election Staff:
F. Enhancing ECI's Internal Operations:
These 18 initiatives underscore the Election Commission of India's unwavering commitment to conducting free, fair, and transparent elections, and continuously improving the democratic process for all citizens.
SRINAGAR: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Itoo, today chaired a meeting to review the progress on the finalisation and implementation of projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK) at Civil Secretariat here.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Education, Shantamanu; Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare department, Sanjeev Verma; Project Director Samagra, Bhawani Rakhwal; Director School Education Kashmir, Dr. G.N Itoo; Director School Education Jammu, Naseem Javid Choudhary; Director Planning Higher Education department and other officers.
During the meeting, Minister Sakeena held detailed discussions regarding the proposed projects under the scheme. She highlighted that this flagship scheme, will certainly boost the inclusive development of minority communities.
The Minister called upon the officers to consult public representatives for formulation of plans under this scheme so that they can be formed as per the needs of public. She also asked them to coordinate with respective deputy commissioners in order to avoid duplication of works. She delved upon the officers to do detailed ground work regarding the need of works in education and health sectors so that the necessary infrastructure can be created under this scheme.
Minister Sakeena stressed upon the officers that every criteria like availability of land and other related things should be checked beforehand so that any approved project doesn’t face any hindrance during execution stage. She further called upon the officers to prioritise the quality and requirement of projects rather than quantity while formulating new plans for the projects.
The Minister further emphasized on prioritising far flung areas also so that necessary infrastructure can be established in these areas also for the welfare of people living there. “PMJVK is a significant initiative to ensure equitable development of areas with substantial minority population. We need to ensure that benefits of this scheme reach grassroots level in an efficient manner”, Sakeena maintained.
Minister Sakeena also underlined the importance of community engagement and participatory planning in identifying priority areas and ensuring local needs are addressed through these projects. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to inclusive growth and reiterated that PMJVK projects must reflect the vision of equitable access and opportunities for one and all. During the meeting, Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare department briefed the Minister about the brought contours of PMJVK.
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