Only 5 meetings of 4 distts convened during current year so far
No focus on regular monitoring of 41 schemes’ implementation
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 2: District Development Coordination and Monitoring (DISHA) Committees framed on the instructions of Union Ministry of Rural Development are going directionless in Jammu and Kashmir due to slackness of concerned Members of Parliament and District Development Commissioners during the past three years. Due to this, regular monitoring of 41 Centrally Sponsored Schemes in order to promote synergy and convergence for greater impact has remained a distant dream.
These Committees were constituted in compliance to the June 27, 2016 directives of the Union Ministry of Rural Development with the sole objective of monitoring implementation of 41 Centrally Sponsored Schemes and timely removal of hurdles so that targeted population achieves their benefits.
Each Committee is headed by Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) representing the particular district and MLAs elected from the district concerned are its members. The concerned District Development Commissioner is the Member Secretary of the Committee and is supposed to convene meetings of Committee as per the schedule fixed by the Union Ministry.
However, due to slackness of the Members of Parliament and District Development Commissioners the scheduled has not been strictly adhered to during the past three consecutive years.
As per the guidelines of the Union Rural Development Ministry, DISHA of each district is supposed to meet once in every quarter and at least four times in a year. In order to ensure continuous monitoring of implementation of schemes, it has specially been mentioned in the guidelines that MPs and DDCs can even convene more than four meetings of each district in a year even if all the members of the Committee have not been nominated.
As per the data of the Union Rural Development Ministry, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, only five meetings of DISHA have been convened during the current year so far. All these meetings were convened in the first quarter of the current year while as no such meeting was convened in 2nd and 3rd quarter.
Only one meeting of Kathua district, two of Rajouri, one of Kulgam and one of Samba have been convened till date while as in respect of other districts no such meeting has so far been organized by the concerned DDCs and Chairman (Member of Parliament).
During 2017-18 only three DISHA meetings were convened in all the four quarters. Of these, only one meeting of Kargil district was convened while as two for Samba district. In respect of other districts, no efforts were made to ensure monitoring of implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes. In 2016-17 only six DISHA meetings—one each of Leh, Rajouri and two each of Jammu and Samba were convened.
“These figures of the Union Rural Development Ministry clearly reveal that DISHA Committees are going directionless in Jammu and Kashmir and have failed to achieve the objectives behind their constitution”, official sources said, adding “the non-serious approach towards the mechanism devised by the Union Ministry has clearly established that removing hurdles in the implementation of schemes meant for the welfare of the people is least priority for all the concerned”.
Stating that these Committees have coordination and monitoring powers, sources said, “the role of the Committees is to facilitate timely execution of approved projects, Moreover, these Committees have the powers to seek effective follow-up of issued raised during the deliberations”.
As per the guidelines, action taken on the recommendations of the previous meetings should be the first agenda item for the next meeting. However, due to non-adherence to the schedule of meetings fixed by the Union Rural Development Ministry even follow-up action on the points raised during the meetings convened so far could not be ascertained, sources said.
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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