Union Secretary Tribal Affairs visits Bandipora’s Chandaji village

Bandipora, Oct 1: As part of the ongoing Aadi Karam Yogi Abhiyan, Union Tribal Affairs Secretary, Vibhu Nayar Wednesday visited tribal village Chandaji of district Bandipora.
MLA, Bandipora, Nizamuddin Bhat; Secretary Tribal Affairs J&K, Prasanna Ramaswamy G; Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Indu Kanwal Chib and other senior officers of Tribal Affairs department and district administration Bandipora were present on the occasion.
During the visit, the Secretary participated in a grand event held in village Tribal village Chandaji under the ongoing Aadi Karam Yogi Abhiyan .
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Secretary lauded the cooperation of the local community in making Aadi Karamyogi Abhiyaan a success, thereby strengthening governance at the grassroots and paving the way for overall development of tribal communities across the nation. He urged the locals to play an active role in the developmental process, reiterating that only through people’s participation government can achieve sustainable progress in tribal area like Chandaji.
On the occasion, MLA Bandipora discussed the gaps in the development of the revenue village before the Secretary, highlighting need for a separate Panchayat Halqa for the village,
District Programme Officer (DPO) Bandipora informed the gathering that Seva Kendras have been inaugurated in all 31 villages across six blocks of the district under Aadi Karamyogi Abhiyaan and Seva Prav 2025. He added that these Kendras serve as single-window platforms providing easy access to government services and welfare schemes, besides functioning as hubs for grievance redressal, information dissemination, and participatory governance. Their operationalisation, he added, marks a significant step towards responsive and inclusive service delivery in Bandipora.
During the programme, District Level Master Trainers (DLMTs) and Block Level Master Trainers (BLMTs) nominated under Aadi Karam Yogi Abhiyan presented a detailed status report of the village covering education, health, agriculture, dairy, and sheep farming. They informed that extensive door-to-door surveys were carried out, coupled with awareness campaigns to inform households and youth about various welfare schemes aimed at improving socio-economic conditions.
Officers from line departments also highlighted the role of education, livelihood, health, and self-employment in ensuring sustainable progress, urging villagers to actively participate in government-led initiatives.
During the event, Village Action Plan under the scheme was also discussed which shall be ratified by the panchayat on Oct 2nd and then feasibility shall be evaluated before final submission. A detailed discussion on extraction and collection of medicinal plants around the village area was also discussed so that suitable livelihood opportunities for tribal villages can be enhanced.
On the occasion, the public also raised issues like resolution of electricity problems, construction of vehicular bridges, measures for protection from wild animals, establishment of Anganwadi centres, initiatives for women empowerment, and effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
During the event, students of Government Middle School Chandaji also presented cultural performances reflecting the rich tribal heritage. They also performed a skit highlighting educational challenges, including poor connectivity, lack of transport facilities, and absence of nearby secondary school, which has led to student dropouts.
Later, a village walk was also conducted by the Secretary and other officers.
The locals expressed gratitude to GoI for carving out a scheme especially for the development of tribals in the country.