JAMMU, FEBRUARY 28: Secretary Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj (RDD &PR), Mohammad Aijaz Asad, today conducted a comprehensive review of the draft Annual Action Plan (AAP) and Labour Budget (LB) for MGNREGA for the fiscal 2025-26, focusing on 10 districts of Kashmir division.
Secretary in RDD & PR Department, Rachna Sharma; DG Rural Sanitation, Anoo Malhotra; Mission Director JKRLM, Shubhra Sharma; Director Panchayati Raj, Sham Lal; Director Finance, Umar Khan; Director, RDD Kashmir, Shabir Hussain Bhat; Chief Executive Officer, IWMP, Rajnish Kumar; Additional Secretary RD&PR, Waseem Raja; Superintending Engineer REW Kashmir, Aamir Ali; Director Social Audit, Shafia Naqshbandi; Assistant Commissioner(s) Development and Executive Engineers of Kashmir division attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the Secretary emphasized the importance of realistic and achievable plans. He urged upon the officials to adopt a “people-centric” approach to planning, emphasising that communities should be actively involved in planning and execution of projects.
The meeting also addressed several areas including geo-tagging, use of the National MGNREGA Management System (NMMS), timely wage payments, implementation of the Area Officer app, compensation status, identification of Amrit Sarovar sites for Phase II and ensuring that PMAY beneficiaries receive the mandated 95 days of work until their houses are completed.
The Secretary laid emphasis on Category B works and stressed that every PMAY-G beneficiary must be guaranteed 95 days of labor support under MGNREGA. He also instructed the district authorities to complete the PMAY-G survey by March 31st, ensuring that all eligible beneficiaries are included.
The Secretary emphasised the need to utilise MGNREGA funds for repairing and maintaining Panchayat Ghars, ensuring they function effectively as community hubs. He mentioned about establishment of Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs) along highways to improve sanitation services for rural communities, ensuring better hygiene and accessibility.
The Secretary asked the districts to prioritise livelihood activities, such as constructing orchard footpaths, desilting water bodies and planting fruit bearing trees to boost rural productivity. He asked them to prioritise low maintenance, cost effective and high revenue generating activities.
He also highlighted the importance of convergence in all allied works. He emphasized convergence with the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) to boost agriculture and allied sectors. He directed the officials to create professional workspaces for Self Help Groups (SHGs) in every panchayat, focusing on employment opportunities and boosting product sales.
The Secretary stressed on making panchayats self-reliant by generating revenue through sustainable initiatives. He also called for utilisation of convergence strategies to build marriage halls and community facilitation centres, enhancing social infrastructure in rural areas. He called for identifying and allocating land for dumping sites, incorporating these into development plans to ensure proper waste management.
The Secretary also called for retrofitting of single-pit Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) to double pits under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G). He recommended promotion of fruit-bearing trees to enhance rural economic activity.
He emphasized the urgent need to prioritise identification and preparation of Amrit Sarovar sites for Phase II, issuing clear instructions to ensure that the groundwork is completed without any delay.
Additional Secretary RD&PR, Waseem Raja, provided a detailed presentation on the Annual Action Plan (AAP) for MGNREGA 2025-26, prepared with due consultation of the stakeholders highlighting key focus areas and challenges.
Earlier, the Secretary had conducted a thorough review of the Annual Action Plan (AAP) for ten districts in the Jammu division. (KDC)
