Kishtwar: Inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 56.03 crore in Kishtwar, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday said that the government was focused to reduce the rural-urban divide.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that chairing the district development review meeting in Kishtwar, the LG said that the rate of completion of infrastructure projects, especially road, health, education, agriculture, power, and telecom facilities had been speeded up.
“Our focus is on the economic connectivity of Kishtwar and reducing the rural and urban divide. Best of health, education facilities, and equitable distribution and access to infrastructure will lead to sustained development and greater employment opportunities,” he said.
The LG inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 56.03 crores at Conference Hall, DC Office Complex, Kishtwar.
The three mega projects worth Rs 20.48 crore inaugurated by him included two PMDP projects worth Rs 12 crore including a 25-bedded Sub-District Hospital at Atholi Padder and Rs 4.31 crore worth New Receiving Station 33/11KV at Hatta besides 70R double-lane steel truss bridge over River Chenab at Bhandarkoot under CSS build at the cost of Rs 4.17 crore.
The LG laid the foundation stone for projects costing Rs 35.55 crore including two education sector projects – construction of additional accommodations at GHSS Palmar and GHS Drubeel at Rs 2.53 crore and Rs 1.20 crore respectively, 15 Water Supply Schemes (WSS) under Jal Jeevan Mission worth Rs 31.33 crore and Sports Stadium Palmar Stage-l costing Rs 50 lakh.
Examining the progress of mega development projects and saturation of J&K and centrally-sponsored schemes (CSS), the LG directed the executing agencies to ensure timely completion of the projects and urgent resolution of the bottlenecks, if any.
He stressed upon the officials to develop a robust mechanism for prompt redressal of public grievances and saturation of schemes for the welfare of women, artisans, farmers, and youth.
The LG appraised the progress made under various sectors including District Capex, Education, Health, Rural Development, Road, Tourism Jal Jeevan Mission, NABARD, SBM, PMAY-G, Awaas plus, Agriculture, Horticulture, and allied sectors.
Emphasising creating self-employment opportunities for the local youth, he directed the District Employment Officer to connect the unemployed eligible youth with various self-employment and entrepreneurship schemes rolled out by the Centre and J&K government.
The LG called for tapping the huge growth potential of the district in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and allied sectors by effective implementation and awareness of all the related schemes.
“Agencies should work cohesively to achieve the goal of enhancing the farmers’ income and increasing the farm productions by introducing modern techniques and innovations,” he said.
He directed the district officials to work in coordination with SKUAST, the Directorate of Agriculture Department, and the Department of Industries to ensure GI tagging of local products like Kishtwari saffron and Rajmash on priority.
Stressing the need to intensify the campaign against drug addiction across the district, the LG directed the Police Department and civil administration to crackdown on drug dealers, peddlers, and roping in representatives of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) and the educational institutions for drug-free Kishtwar Abhiyan.
He instructed the officials to give special thrust for enhancing transparency and accountability in the working of the administration, besides streamlining the online services and ensuring doorstep delivery of public services.
The LG passed explicit directions for the completion of 79 Amrit Sarovar projects before October 2, 2022.
He felicitated the winners of the national anthem singing competition 2022 round-2 under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
The LG also felicitated the homestay owners for taking novel initiatives and boosting tourism in the region.
He flagged off the Nasha Mukt Express from DC’s office complex at Kishtwar to spread awareness against the drug menace under Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in the district.
The LG handed over the motorised tricycle to 10 specially-abled persons and keys to commercial vehicles to seven beneficiaries under the Mumkin scheme of Mission Youth J&K.
He also inaugurated the Hindi Pakhwada Exhibition organised by NHPC Dulhasti Power Project on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.
Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Devansh Yadav briefed the LG on the development scenario of the district and the efforts of the district administration to ensure the timely completion of the projects and reach out to the beneficiaries under various government welfare schemes.
DDC Chairperson Kishtwar Pooja Thakur, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, Principal Secretary to LG Nitishwar Kumar, ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, Secretary H&ME Bhupinder Kumar, DIG DKR Range Sunil Gupta, and SSP Kishtwar Shafqat Hussain Bhat also attended the meeting.