Govt committed to J&K’s inclusive growth, equitable development: Sakeena

Kupwara, May 31: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social welfare and Education Sakeena Itoo Saturday chaired the district development board meeting here and took comprehensive assessment of overall developmental profile of district Kupwara.
The meeting was attended by Advisor to Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani; MLAs Saifullah Mir, Javid Ahmad Mirchal, Sheikh Khursheed, Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Qaisar Jamsheed Lone; Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Ayushi Sudan; Director General Rural Sanitation, Directors of various departments like Social Welfare, Tourism, Youth Services & Sports, School Education, Handicrafts and Handlooms, Industries and Commerce, Rural Development, Urban Local Bodies, Horticulture, Colleges, Health Services, Family Welfare, Ayush, Agriculture, Sheep Husbandry and Horticulture P&M, Managing Directors of J&K Housing Board and KPDCL, Mission Directors of JJM, Poshan and Skill Development Mission, Principal GMC Handwara, Executive Director J&K Rehabilitation council, CEO JKEDA, Chief Engineers of PHE, I&FC, PMGSY, PWD R&B North, district and sectoral officers.
During the meeting, Minister Sakeena, who is also Minister in-charge of Kupwara district, took detailed assessment of all the ongoing developmental activities in the district. She also took stock of progress on implementation of various beneficiary oriented schemes in the district. She also reviewed the performance of Aspirational Districts Programme in Kupwara, which primarily focuses on areas like education, health, infrastructure and financial inclusion.
The Minister minutely evaluated the performance of all departments like PWD (R&B), Jal Shakti, Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Education, Tourism, Health and other vital sectors. She also reviewed financial progress under district Capex as well as other Centrally Sponsored schemes.
Addressing the officers during the meeting, Minister Sakeena highlighted that the Omar Abdullah led Government is committed for the welfare and upliftment of the people especially living in far flung areas. She underlined that district Kupwara, being a border district, needs special focus for its overall development and this government will give prime focus in its development across all sectors.
During the deliberations, the Minister emphasized on the need for cent percent saturation of all beneficiary-oriented schemes, underlining that no eligible individual should be left out of the welfare net. She directed the concerned departments to ensure timely identification, registration and inclusion of all entitled beneficiaries, particularly from marginalized and underserved communities.
“Our Government’s focus is clear, we are committed to uplifting the socio-economic conditions of the people of J&K through inclusive growth and equitable development. Kupwara holds immense potential and the administration must ensure that the benefits of all centrally and UT sponsored schemes reach the grassroots”, Sakeena stated.
While reviewing the performance of key sectors like PWD, Health, Rural Development and Education, Minister Sakeena delved upon the officers to speed up the pace of works and ensure completion of all ongoing projects within the stipulated time frame.
Regarding flagship programmes like PMAY, MGNREGA, Ujjwala, Jal Jeevan Mission and other social welfare schemes, Minister Sakeena impressed upon the officers for regular field-level monitoring for smooth implementation of these schemes. She instructed the district administration and other stakeholders to conduct regular outreach camps and grievance redressal sessions to bridge gaps in service delivery.
During the meeting, the Minister also heard various developmental issues of the MLAs and passed on the directions to the concerned officers for prompt redressal of these issues.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Ayushi Sudan briefed the Minister about the district profile and latest achievements and ongoing projects in the district. The DC informed that Rs.456.69 crore have been expended under District CAPEX Budget till March 2025.
Regarding macadamization of roads, the Minister was informed that 1958.80 kms of road length have been macadamized by different departments in the district during last two financial years.
Under JJM, it was informed that out of the 156000 households, 129000 households have been connected with Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) and work is apace to connect the rest of the households.
Under Rural Development Department, it was informed that 100% expenditure have been made under MGNREGA till March 2025. 10024 houses have been completed under PMAY-G and 718 houses are under construction. 42640 houses have been surveyed under PMAY-G 2.0 Survey 2025-26.
The Minister was also informed about PMAY-Urban, Health Sector, Education, ICDS, KPDCL, Agriculture, Employment & Skill Development, NRLM and Social Welfare.
Later, Minister Sakeena also distributed Appointment Orders among the newly recruited Anganwari Workers. She also distributed Motorized Tricycles among Specially abled persons.