Secretary, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj (RDD&PR), Mohammad Aijaz Asad, on Saturday chaired a meeting to review status of convergence works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), identification of sites for Phase-II of Mission Amrit Sarovar, progress under UNNATI initiative and implementation of GOBARdhan plants as part of Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G).
The meeting was attended by DG Rural Sanitation, Anoo Malhotra, Director RDD Jammu Mumtaz Ali, Director RDD Kashmir, Shabir Ahmad, Director Panchayati Raj, J&K Sham Lal, Director Finance, Umar Khan, Chief Operating Officer, Himayat, Rajneesh Gupta, Additional Secretary RD&PR, Waseem Raja, Superintending Engineer REW Kashmir, Er Aamir Ali, Director Social Audit, Shafia Naqshbandi, Assistant Commissioner Development (ACDs), Assistant Commissioner Panchayat (ACPs) and others.
The Secretary underscored the critical need for heightened convergence with various departments to amplify the impact of developmental efforts under MGNREGS. He emphasized that effective convergence will not only enhance the scheme's impact but also ensure better utilization of resources and improved service delivery to rural communities.
To achieve this, the Secretary instructed all the districts to conduct regular convergence meetings with line departments, particularly those involved in agriculture and allied sectors. The Secretary emphasized the potential for creative convergence between MGNREGS and other relevant programs.
He specifically encouraged the planning and implementation of innovative works such as working sheds for SHGs of NRLM, Mushroom sheds and Cattle sheds. Aijaz Asad instructed the officials to explore and implement such innovative works in a convergent manner, leveraging the strengths of different government programs to maximize their impact.
He had discussion on identifying sites for Mission Amrit Sarovar's second phase. The Secretary directed all the Assistant Commissioners Development (ACDs) to immediately complete the identification process of sites for Phase II under Mission Amrit Sarovar and submit the detailed proposals within five days.
Additionally, formulation of the Annual Action Plan for MGNREGS for the financial year 2025-26 was reviewed to ensure timely and effective planning, with deliberations on financial challenges and potential solutions.
The Secretary highlighted the importance of the UNNATI initiative, which is pivotal for skill development and employment generation among rural youth. He directed the officers to expedite the progress on ongoing training programs ensuring that maximum number of youth benefit from the training sessions.
Aijaz Asad asked the district officials to coordinate closely and utilize multiple agencies to optimize the implementation of Training programmes under UNNATI initiative. The Secretary emphasised the importance of achieving 100% Aadhaar seeding and effective implementation of Aadhaar-Based Payment Systems (ABPS) across all programs and schemes administered by the department.
He also reviewed the Area Officer App to enhance monitoring and reporting efficiency. The Secretary stressed the importance of resolving bottlenecks and adhering to timelines for each initiative. He urged the officials to focus on transparency, accountability and effective field-level execution to maximize the impact of these programs.
Aijaz Asad underscored the importance of Gobardhan plants, emphasising its potential to enhance rural sanitation and sustainable domestic energy practices. He directed all districts to expedite construction of biogas plants and closely monitor their progress.
In districts where initial plants have been constructed, he urged the officials to tie up with local dairy units to ensure steady supply of raw material. Aijaz Asad encouraged the use of technology for artificial temperature control and asked for a discussion with IIT Roorkee team on the technical feasibility of establishing the plants in Kashmir valley.
It was also informed that 13 GOBARdhan plants are already functional spread over few districts and based on feasibility remaining districts shall also be covered.