The second meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted for ensuring assured funding of languishing projects to complete them in set timeframe was held here today. The meeting was chaired by Principal Secretary, Finance, Navin K Choudhary, who is also the Chairman of the Committee.Giving details, Principal Secretary Financesaid the Committee in today’s meeting cleared 315 projects of PHE, Tourism, R&B, Health and Industries and Commerce Departments involving an amount of Rs 812 crores.Principal Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring, Rohit Kansal; Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Shailendra Kumar; Commissioner/Secretary, PWD, Khurshid Ahmed Shah; Secretary, PHE/I&FC and DMRRR, Farooq Ahmed Shah; Secretary Tourism Department, Rigzin Sampheal and other officers of the Finance Department and Chief Engineers of various departments attended the meeting.Navin said the approved projects would be funded for time-bound completion through Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC) Ltd.The Committee, he said, approved funding of 221 Water Supply Schemes across the State for an amount of Rs 459 crores which will be completed within a year’s time and will make a marked difference on the ground so far as drinking water supply is concerned.
Remaining 150 schemes of PHE will be taken up in the subsequent meetings of the Committee when PHE department completes the required paper work.The Committee also approved nine additional languishing projects of R&B department, requiring an amount of Rs 19.60 crore for completion.In addition, the Committee cleared funding of different component of Mubarak Mandi Project involving an amount of Rs 65.38 crores for completion.The Committee approved 48 incomplete projects of Health and Medical Education Department across the State for an amount of Rs 90.53 crores. Further, the Committee approved 31 projects of Industries and Commerce Department for completion at a cost of Rs 178.61 crores which will give a boost to promotion of Industries in the State.Pertinently, in its two meetings held so far, the High-Powered Committee has cleared 556 projects in various sectors across the State involving an amount of Rs 1382 crores. The previous meeting of HPC was held on 3 October 2018.The Principal Secretary Finance said the meetings of the HPC would be held at regular intervals to ensure early processing and approval of all such projects which are languishing for want of funds. He said the 3rd meeting of the Committee is scheduled to be convened on 22 October 2018.