Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Choudhary Lal Singh today said the government is making all out efforts to develop villages at par with the urban areas.He said the government is providing adequate funding under R&B, PHE, RDD, PDD and Health sectors to equip villages with modern facilities.The Minister was addressing a gathering in a function organised by Shri Narsingh Gowshalla at Mandli in Billawar.Chief Wildlife Warden Manoj Pant, Director Social Forestry Ashwani Gupta, Director SFRI B.M Sharma, Director Soil and Water Conservation Javed Iqbal Punju, Director Forest Protection Force Asif Sagar Mehmood, Chief Conservator of Forests Farooq Gillani besides other senior officers of Forests, PHE, RDD, PDD and R&B including Divisional Forest Officers of Kathua were present on the occasion.The Minister directed the concerned officers to create awareness among the people about welfare schemes like Jan Dhan Yojaja, Atal Pension Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bema Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana, Mudra Yojana and other social welfare schemes.
He informed that numerous projects have been launched by the government in core sectors like PHE, PDD, PWD(R&B), UEED, Health and Education to provide safe drinking water, electricity, road connectivity, better sewerage, education and healthcare services to the people .Responding to the demands put forth by the locals, the Minister said that durable roads and infrastructure tops the development agenda of the present dispensation and focus is being laid on upgrading and improving the road network in rural and remote areas of the state.Earlier, Choudhary Lal Singh also planted Jamun, Guava, Mango, Bar and ornamental plants in the premises of Shri Narsingh Jee Gowshalla in Mandli and appealed the people to come forward and plant more and more trees in degraded areas of their surroundings.