Sarmad Hafeez reviews functioning of Social Welfare Department

Srinagar, Jul 16: Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez, Wednesday chaired a review meeting at Women Development Corporation, Bemina here.
The meeting took stock of overall functioning, financial performance and key initiatives under Centrally Sponsored and UT funded schemes.
The Commissioner Secretary emphasized that the Social Welfare Department operates as a dynamic, continuous service delivery system rather than a one-time initiative. He instructed the officers were to adopt this process-driven approach while implementing the welfare programmes.
Comprehensive presentations were made on major missions such as Mission Poshan, Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya besides pension and scholarship schemes. The department’s financial performance for 2024-25 was reviewed, revealing an overall fund utilization of 86 percent while budgetary provisions for 2025-26 were also discussed.
The Commissioner Secretary issued key directives focusing on strengthening the cross-departmental convergence, particularly for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and expediting the completion and timely operationalization of the ongoing infrastructure projects.
He asked the officers to prioritise disposal of pendencies in Marriage Assistance and Ladli Beti Schemes besides ensuring proper gender-responsive budgeting and monitoring mechanisms. He also directed them to ensure timely submission of Utilization Certificates and preparation of impact assessment reports.
Reiterating the importance of a proactive and transparent approach, the Commissioner Secretary underscored the need to ensure efficient service delivery to all eligible beneficiaries.
The meeting was attended by the senior officers from all the Directorates, mission directorates, boards and Corporations of the Social Welfare Department.