Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today interacted with the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of District Development Councils of Jammu Division at Civil Secretariat.During the interaction, the Lt Governor took first-hand appraisal of the district-specific developmental needs of the people, and received feedback from the DDCs on implementation of developmental works and progress made under District Capex in their respective constituencies.The Lt Governor reiterated the commitment of J&K Administration for delivering good governance to the villages by strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions.“It is our firm resolve to remove developmental imbalances. Sustained economic growth, efforts to meet the basic needs of the people and better quality of life constitute priorities of district administration and PRIs”, said the Lt Governor.The Lt Governor acknowledged the crucial role being played by the DDCs & other PRIs in ensuring benefits of rapid economic growth flows to the lowest rung of the society.Emphasizing the need to maintain transparency and accountability in the development process, the Lt Governor said that the efficient technological tools like BEAMS-EMPOWERMENT are helping in monitoring of projects & expenditure for smooth coordination so that projects are not held up due to inordinate delays.DDCs are now regularly monitoring ongoing projects in districts and evaluating for timely implementation of all important programmes. The Government services are also being connected with a feedback system to bring fundamental changes in the public service delivery mechanism, added the Lt Governor.During the interactive meeting, the DDC Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons welcomed the Lt Governor’s initiative to interact with the DDCs and listen to their issues and concerns.They apprised the Lt Governor about District-specific issues pertaining to tourism development; employment generation; augmenting power and water supply; saturation of public welfare schemes; upgradation of health & education infrastructure; strengthening road connectivity; creating more banking facilities in rural and far-flung areas; capacity building & exposure visits of DDC members, besides putting special focus on snowbound and far-flung areas.DDC Chairpersons also submitted a 10-point memorandum to the Lt Governor regarding various administrative and other concerning issues.The Lt Governor assured due consideration of the issues projected by the DDC Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons for their redressal at the earliest.Addressing the issue of promoting the tourism sector of Jammu Division, the Lt Governor said that the UT Government is giving dedicated focus on improving infrastructure and enhancing connectivity to tap immense tourism potential of the region.The Lt Governor directed the Commissioner/Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj to hold regular review meetings with the Chairpersons and other members of DDCs for continuous assessment of the implementation of developmental projects.On being apprised about the drug menace in some districts, the Lt Governor said that the UT Government is putting special focus on fighting the evil of Drug addiction through ‘Nasha Mukti Abhiyaan’.The DDCs were further advised to involve themselves in Swachhta planning of every village. Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Sh Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Sh. Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department; Sh Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu; Ms. Mandeep Kaur Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department; Dr Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.
