We want to make Jammu and Kashmir best model of decentralization and grassroots participatory planning: LG

Jammu: Janbhagidari would be the foundation of formulation and implementation of District Development Plans. Aspirations and expectations of common people and elected representatives, besides needs of the districts would be reflected in the Plans.

Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha made these remarks while chairing a meeting with all Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir to discuss the effective formulation of District Development Plans.

During the meeting via video conferencing, the Lt Governor observed that the formulation of District Development Plans is of immense significance, especially after the constitution of District Development Councils with the democratic decentralization of Functions, Funds and Functionaries.

For the first time, democratic set up at the grassroot level is being involved in the formulation of development plans, thus empowering the common people and making the three-tier Panchayati Raj System more vibrant. We want to make J&K the best model of decentralization and grassroots participatory planning, said the Lt Governor.

Emphasizing the significance of people’s participation in the developmental process, the Lt Governor asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure maximum participation of public and their representatives while formulating the District Development Plan of their respective districts. Around 30 lakh people, with one-third women and large number of youth are expected to participate in the planning exercise, he added.

You know your districts very well. Incorporate DDCs’ vision and include works of top priority which are important as per the needs of the local population. Identify the issues confronting people and use available resources to address the same, the Lt Governor asked the DCs.

The Lt Governor advised the DCs to hold regular interactions with DDCs, BDCs and Gram Sabhas, and maintain regional balance, besides ensuring uniform distribution of funds.

Share expertise, knowledge and innovative ideas with one-another, and replicate the good works of others in your respective districts, added the Lt Governor.

The J&K Government is clear with its agenda of complete implementation of 73rd & 74th Constitutional Amendments, read with schedule XI and XII. With the substantial increase in this year’s Budget for overall Districts Plan to Rs 12599.33 cr, which is more than double from the previous year, and with the effective utilization of experiences of Back to Village and My Town My Pride events, the UT can achieve new heights of holistic and equitable development, said the Lt Governor.

On monitoring and appraisal of District Development Plans, the Lt Governor stressed on the need to develop a monthly evaluation and outcome framework for achieving ‘High Visibility, High Impact and High Implementability’ in the process.

The Lt Governor directed the DCs to develop a district dashboard for indicating the status of projects implemented, and put the same in public domain.

It was informed that every district would be assigned a Senior Secretary to mentor the Deputy Commissioners and District Functionaries to achieve the outcome; besides 100% Physical Verification would be ensured. Unless a central sector or Centrally Sponsored Scheme has a specific guideline regarding exemption from tendering, every single work will have to be executed through tendering process only.

The District Development Plans will comprise Block Development Plans, which will cater to the list of issues required to be addressed at Block Level. The planning at Block Level will ensure that issues between different Panchayats are addressed where it involves more than one Panchayat. At the grass root level, Panchayat Development Plans will be formulated involving Gram Sabhas.

For promotion of the tourism sector, the Lt Governor asked the DCs to identify unexplored tourism potential areas of their respective districts.

The Lt Governor noted that the target of 11 more districts to be provided with 100% piped water supply under Jal Jeevan Mission would constitute an important component of Drinking Water Plan.

He advised for keeping a dedicated focus on far flung and remote areas while preparing the District Health Plan.

The Lt Governor said that sectors like Agriculture, Horticulture, Fisheries, Dairy, and Animal Husbandry possess great growth potential. In J&K, by developing clear plans in accordance with the needs of the people, we can enhance farmers’ income by three to four times, he added.

While discussing the District Sports Plan, the Lt Governor asked the DCs to ensure every Panchayat has a playfield to facilitate the budding sports persons.

Further, the Lt Governor stressed on preparing a solid District Road Connectivity Plan so that proper connectivity can be made available and district roads are maintained in proper condition.

Under the District Employment Plan, each district shall ensure that the job card holders get 100 days of employment during the year, and it would be considered a performance indicator of the Deputy Commissioners. The youth seeking self employment in any Panchayat should also be identified and the necessary financial assistance would be provided from a number of schemes being run by the UT of J&K.

The meeting was informed about the Overall Plan Ceiling District-Wise. It was also informed that PRI Grant at the rate of Rs 23.30 lakhs per Panchayat, BDC Grant at the rate of Rs 25.00 lakhs per Block, and DDC Grant at Rs One crore per District has been budgeted for the current financial year.

Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Sh. Arun Kumar Mehta, Financial Commissioner, Finance Department and Sh. Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor also shared their valuable suggestions for the formulation of District Development Plans.

Sh. Pandurang K. Pole and Dr Raghav Langer- Divisional Commissioners also attended the meeting through virtual mode.