Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj and Law & Justice, Abdul Haq Khan today said that gram sabhas have a vital role to play for effective implementation of government schemes.The Minister said this during a function organized to start Swachhta Pakhwada at Panjgrain, Nagrota being organized by Rural Development Department from October 1to 15.MLA Nagrota Devinder Singh Rana was also present on the occasion.The Minister administered oath to the people present and urged to involve them in cleanliness and join hands in achieving the goal of Clean India Mission.While celebrating Swachh Bharat Pakhwada, the Minister exhorted upon people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Clean India. The 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' is a mass movement that seeks to make India Clean. Cleanliness was very close to Mahatma Gandhi's heart and clean India is the best tribute we can pay to Bapu when we celebrate his 150th birth anniversary in 2019,the minister added.Highlighting the significance of Gram Sabhas, the Minister said that gram sabhas plays a vital role for effective implementation of government schemes as it provides a platform for people’s participation in deciding the development and growth at the local level. He also encouraged people to participate in the development process for ensuring timely completion of the taken up projects.
While highlighting the role played by various flagship schemes of the RDD in alleviating poverty and changing the rural landscape in the state, Haq said the people should come forward to avail maximum benefits from these schemes.The Minister said that government is fully aware of the problems of rural hamlets and measures are underway to overcome the same so that the people get requisite facilities at their doorstep.The Minister informed that government is committed on taking up tangible works like construction of pacca-path, foot bridges, plantation, water harvesting tanks, irrigation canals , link roads , culverts and bridges adding that focus should be laid on taking up such works in convergence with other departments so that a pool of resources is created that could be utilized for creating durable assets.Earlier, the Minister also laid the foundation stone of Common Facility cum Training Centre at village Panjgrain in Block Nagrota.The Common Facility cum Training Centre to be constructed under "13th FC Award” at an estimated cost of Rs. 40.70 lakh.Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Haq said that CFCs are being constructed in every village so that people can use them for organizing community functions, training local youths and holding meetings.
Highlighting the role of UMEED programme, the Minister said that the programme aims at socio-economic transformation of rural underprivileged women folk. He said that basic aim of this programme is to reduce poverty by enabling the poor household to attain gainful self employment avenues by creating strong and sustainable grass root institutions. The Minister said that under UMEED programme total 3169 members have been enrolled in various social security scheme like PMSBY, PMJJBY, Atal Pension Yojana in block Dansal.The Minister said under skill development initiative ‘Himayat’ programme, “the youth from both rural and urban areas of J&K are being imparted training in various job-intensive vocational courses over the next three years”.Director Rural Development Department Jammu Pardeep Kumar, Additional Director NRLM Jammu, Kapil Sharma, ACD Jammu Shokat Mahmood Malik, Deputy Director Rural Sanitation Jammu Ritu Mahajan, Executive Engineer Jammu, Parvez Iqbal Malik, DPO Jammu Deepak Dubey, BDOs, concerned officers besides representatives of various villages of Nagrota constituency were also present on the occasion.