STATE TIMES NEWS
KATHUA: Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, convened a meeting here on Sunday and had a detailed review of overall development scenario of the district.
The focus of meeting was to streamline the implementation of various development schemes and discuss the status of distribution of food grains under NFSA, MMSFES and PMUY in the district besides assessing progress achieved under various centrally sponsored welfare schemes.
Present on the occasion were MLA Hiranagar Kuldeep Raj, Secretary FCS and CA Shafiq Ahmed Raina, Special Secretary FCS&CA Nisar Wani, MD Housing Board Vipra Behl, District Development Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, Director FCS&CA GS Chib, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Bharat Bhushan, Deputy Controller Legal Metrology Manoj Prabhakar, SSP Pawan Parihar, Executive engineers of PWD, PDD, PHE and PMGSY besides other district officers.
Underlining the importance of an effective mechanism for implementation of development projects, the minister said the government is committed to inclusive and equitable development of all the regions of the state and Kathua District is receiving special attention for being the ‘gateway’ of Jammu and Kashmir. He, while appreciating officers’ role in development of an area, said that these employees should perform their duties in such a way that they become an example for the young people.
While reviewing the achievement made under Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY), the minister directed the DDC to prepare a comprehensive list of eligible left out families so as to extend them this vital service at the earliest. He also directed the concerned officers to work in tandem with local legislators for effective implementation of the PMUY scheme.
The minister expressed concern over the pending payments under MGNREGA and directed the ACD to ensure early disposal of the same. He had a detailed review of the infrastructure created under the scheme. He also took stock of allocation of food and stock position under NFSA and MMSFES. Legislator Hiranagar, demanded establishment of transformer bank at district level. The District Development Commissioner informed the meeting about the status of implementation of various projects being executed under different schemes. Earlier, the minister laid foundation stone for construction of Rs. 50 lakh Working Standard Lab Complex of Legal Metrology Department, the work of which has to be executed by JK Housing Board. The minister informed that seven such Labs would be constructed in the State with an estimated cost of Rs 6.50 crore and Kathua is the first district to get this facility. He said that these state of the art Labs would facilitate the consumers with quality food products.
Elaborating on the role of Legal Metrology Department in providing justice to the consumers, the minister exhorted upon the officers to further intensify their market checks so that people are not exploited by the erring traders.
“The main objectives of the Legal Metrology Department is to safe guard the interests of the consumers by ensuring that goods sold and bought are correct in quantity and volume as claimed,” the Minister asserted.
