DCs fail to ensure adherence to GoI’s schedule
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 26: Though periodic monitoring of developmental schemes is imperative to remove bottlenecks and ensure their smooth execution yet explicit directions in this regard from the Union Government have not been taken seriously in respect of 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir during the current financial year. Due to this, actual status of implementation and hurdles, if any, could not be ascertained.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that to fulfill the objective of ensuring a better coordination among all the elected representatives in Parliament and State Legislature for efficient and time bound development of districts, the Union Government last year constituted District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committees called DISHA by superseding the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committees.
It is pertinent to mention here that DISHA is an effort to improve development coordination and monitor the implementation of schemes in accordance with prescribed procedures and guidelines and promote synergy and convergence for greater impact.
Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) elected from the district was nominated as Chairperson of DISHA by the Union Ministry of Rural Development. Similarly, Deputy Commissioner concerned was made Member Secretary while as Members of the State Legislative Assembly from the district concerned and district level nodal functionaries of all programmes were made members of DISHA.
It was explicitly mentioned in the order that DISHA will ensure that 28 Centrally Sponsored Schemes are implemented in accordance with the guidelines; facilitate coordinated solution to remove constraints of any kind; resolve matters related to provision of land and space for faster roll out of the priorities; identify issues for follow-up in Parliament and State Assembly for timely achievement of objectives and intensively monitor all time bound national initiatives for universal coverage.
Even schedule of convening DISHA meetings was fixed and it was made clear that meetings of DISHA should be held at least once in every quarter to achieve the objectives behind their establishment. However, during the first quarter of current financial year DISHA meetings of only two districts—Jammu and Samba have been convened till date, official sources said.
In respect of 20 other districts, no meeting has been convened although in the first quarter the DISHA is required to deliberate upon the budgetary approvals for the schemes and fix targets for implementation besides resolving issues projected by the MLAs and other members, they added.
“The non-convening of mandatory DISHA meetings in first quarter clearly establishes that no targets have been fixed for implementation of 28 Centrally Sponsored Schemes in respect of 20 districts although in the second quarter, which has already began, the DISHA is required to conduct first implementation review of the programmes as per the implementation plan and time-frame agreed in the first meeting”, sources said.
As per the schedule fixed by the Union Rural Development Ministry, the second implementation review of the schemes to identify the constraints to timely completion of work is required to be conducted in the third quarter particularly in the month of October. Similarly, final assessment of progress is required to be made in the month of February.
“Not only the Members of Parliament and Deputy Commissioners have failed to ensure strict compliance to the directives of the Government of India even no efforts have been made to furnish timely information about minutes of meetings of DISHA”, sources said while referring to website of Union Ministry of Rural Development, which reflects that information has been uploaded in respect of Samba district only.
Putting the Deputy Commissioners concerned in the dock for non-compliance to the schedule of meetings, sources said, “the guidelines of DISHA clearly state that Member Secretary (Deputy Commissioner) should be personally responsible for convening meetings”, adding “it is a matter of concern that Committees which have coordination and monitoring powers to remove obstacles to timely completion of schemes, have failed to perform”.
The schemes and programmes, which are required to be covered in DISHA meetings, are MGNREGA, Deen Dayal Antordaya Yojana, Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Gramin Kaushalya Yojana, PMGSY, National Social Assistance Programme, Housing for All, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana (PMAY-G), Swachh Bharat Mission, National Rural Drinking Water Programme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme, National Rurban Mission, HRIDAY, AMRUT, Smart City Mission, NHM, SSA, ICDS, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Digital India etc.
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