CS for ensuring sustainability of cleanliness measures in rural areas

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo on Friday while reviewing the functioning of Rural Development Department (RDD) here impressed upon it to ensure that the measures taken for cleanliness of our villages are sustainable and effective on ground level.
Dulloo observed that the cleanliness (Swachhta) is one of the foremost priorities at the national level espoused by the Prime Minister himself. He substantiated that this nationwide campaign needs to be turned into a movement for its benefits are multiple and valuable for people at grassroots level.
He impressed upon the Department to carry forward this campaign ensuring that the cleanliness parameters actually aspired for in the ODF+ Model category which J&K has secured do not fell short anywhere in the UT. He directed for having continuous assessment of the same by the Department for all the villages of the UT to maintain it for all the times.
The Chief Secretary further made out that the door to door collection and segregation of waste in rural areas shall be monitored to ensure that the agencies or persons put on this job are doing it as per the schedule and set criteria. He asked for looking into the collection of user charges in the villages for this purpose and the ways to make this exercise sustainable for all the times.
Regarding the NRLM the Chief Secretary maintained that the empowerment of women is another focus area nationally and a concern too for PM. He made out that the rural women shall be imparted all the training to turn options into opportunities. He expressed that these women are creative enough to keep on adding value to their enterprises once they are given freedom to establish and flourish them as per their convenience.
He advised for encouraging them through capacity building and strengthening their cadre by efficient utilization of Community Resource Persons provided by the mission. He called for making it a regular exercise for these resource persons to visit far off places to bring a positive drive among the women there to channelize their energies into successful enterprises.
Regarding other schemes Dulloo stressed on strictly adhering to National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) in execution of MGNREGA works. He asked for completing all the targeted works taken up under convergence in the scheduled time during the ensuing financial year.
He also took note of the houses completed under PMAY and asked the department to ensure that the housing needs of all the houseless are fulfilled here.
He asked for digitization of Back to Village data besides devising a mechanism to make it a year-long demand raising and interface between public and administration. He even asked for creation of a dedicated portal for the same displaying the status of all such demands received by the Prabhari officers.
During this meeting the Chief Secretary took appraisal of the online services offered by the Department. He enquired about their uptake in different areas. He asked for the service wise status in different parts of the UT for checking their smooth availability in all the areas.
The Commissioner Secretary, RDD, Mandeep Kaur presented the overall status of all the schemes and projects under implementation here by the Department. She also brought forth all the issues related to the implementation of such schemes and programmes.
The Commissioner Secretary apprised about the physical and financial progress made by the Department under MGNREGA, Convergence, PMAY, NRLM, SBM(G), RSGA, B2V4 besides other projects of the department. She also presented the details about Panchayat Development Index and the achievements made in other deliverables set out for the department for the ensuing financial year.