Jammu: Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Nitishwar Kumar today chaired a meeting to assess the progress being made on the implementation of directions of Lieutenant Governor. The meeting was a follow-up of the previous meetings being held every Friday.

In the first half of the meeting, Deputy Commissioners from all districts shared details of the digitization initiatives of their respective districts.

The Principal Secretary took stock of e-office and other digital initiatives being taken by District Administrations. He was informed that the progress on these digital services is going on as scheduled and most of these web and app based services would be ready for launch by the first week of March. Under the mission, apps like Hoshiyaar, Madadgaar, Lok Mittar, Bhoomi Suraksha, e-Suvidha, e-Darbar and many others would provide swift delivery of public services to the public.

Necessary directions regarding timely updation of district websites and introducing a uniform standard in uploading public information on these websites were passed on to the Deputy Commissioners. The DCs were also directed to update telephone directories available on these sites. It is pertinent to mention that the Lt Governor would be monitoring all districts and reading analytical data through a web based dashboard in near future.

Administrative Secretaries and representatives from various departments participated in the second half of the meeting and shared the status of progress made so far by their respective departments.

During the course of the meeting, the Principal Secretary sought details of the progress on various projects like renovation of Mubarak Mandi Complex, works under Jal Jeevan Mission and afforestation efforts by the Forest Department.

The Principal Secretary observed that in order to provide sustained supply of potable water to the public, equal efforts need to be made in replenishing groundwater. Similarly, he stressed that afforestation efforts by the Forest Department need to be spearheaded and be done regularly throughout the year.

Commissioner Secretary, Labour & Employment Department informed the chair that the department is already providing 35 services online. He also briefed about the new draft policy of latest labour laws being framed by the department. The Principal Secretary also directed that the cess charged by the department be used for labour welfare proactively.

Regarding the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) SEHAT scheme, the Principal Secretary said that the scheme needs to be promoted in each and every district for public welfare. “Ensure 100% coverage and delivery of SEHAT cards to the public”, he remarked.

The representatives from Skill Development Department informed the Principal Secretary that the Skill Centre being established in partnership with the Tata group at Jammu would be ready in March.

Agriculture Department shed light on the ongoing seedling distribution being done by the department and informed the Principal Secretary that additional 200 hectares of land would come under plantation through the initiative.

The Principal Secretary appreciated the efforts and said that success stories of the initiative be shared so that more farmers come forward and take benefits of the department’s schemes. He also took stock of the farm mechanization efforts.

Progress of other departments like School Education, Social Welfare, Home, PWD, PDD, Revenue, Transport, Tourism and Tribal Affairs, among others, was also reviewed by the Principal Secretary.