STATE TIMES NEWS
LEH: The Chief Executive Councilor LAHDC, Leh Dr. Sonam Dawa Lonpo on Saturday reviewed functioning of all 12 Government Residential Hostels of Leh District at a meeting held here.
Executive Councilor CAPD Tsering Sandup, CPO Leh, Account Officer DC Office Leh, Dy CEO Leh, Headquarter Assistant Education Department Leh, all the ZEOs, Principals, Headmasters and Wardens of Residential Schools at Council Secretariat were also present.
Pertinent to mention, that the diet charges of the students/ inmates are accommodated under plan as well as non-plan at Rs 50 per student per day (Rs 25 under Plan and Rs 25 under Non-Plan respectively) upto ending March 2016.
Under the Capex Budget 2016-17 due to rationalisation of expenditure some of the Revenue type expenditure under Plan is shifted to the Revenue Expenditure Budget 2016-17. Therefore, now the diet charges could not be accommodated under Capex Budget 2016-17. In addition to that due to various difficulties including Food Security Act, rise in prices of essential edible goods and implementation of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT Scheme) the residential hostels are facing difficulties to run the hostels from the beginning of the current financial year.
After taking a detailed report from concerned Principals, Headmasters and Wardens about the functioning and problems of all the 12 Residential Hostels, CEC Dr. Dawa came to know that almost all the hostels are managing their kitchen in-spite of various problems.
To find permanent solution of the problem and to accommodate the required funds for Diet Charges for the current financial year 2016-17 which is about Rs. 1 crore , CEC Dr. Dawa assured the meeting that Council will follow the issue with State Government very strongly at the earliest.
Other issues like rejection of allotment of Rice /Wheat under Welfare Institution Scheme submitted by the Residential Schools of Leh district under which rice/wheat can be procured at very low rates by Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs J&K Government, and problems being faced by Ladakhi students studying outside Ladakh in getting their scholarships were also discussed.
