*Directs for completion of JTFRP works by Aug 2026
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 11: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a comprehensive review meeting of the Finance Department to assess the progress made in promoting financial inclusion and extending coverage of key welfare and social security schemes across J&K.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya; MD, J&K Bank; Secretary, IT; Secretary, School Education; DG, Budget; DG, Economics & Statistics; MD, Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (BOCWWB); representatives of other banks besides other senior officers.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized the importance of mobilizing all eligible beneficiaries, particularly those in the unorganized sector for enrolment under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) scheme, which provides a guaranteed monthly pension of Rs3,000 to unorganized workers after attaining the age of 60 years.
He directed the concerned district administrations to take proactive measures for achieving universal enrollment by designating local Labour Offices, EPFO and ESIC offices as facilitation centres to create mass awareness and assist in registration under the scheme.
Dulloo further instructed the Finance Department to share comprehensive datasets of eligible beneficiaries, including building and construction workers, MDM workers, street vendors and others, with the banks to expedite their enrollment without delay.
Taking note of the district-wise performance, the Chief Secretary urged officers to adopt a targeted and coordinated approach to bridge the gap between current coverage and the national averages under each of the financial inclusion and welfare schemes. He underscored the need for clear identification of target groups, defining outreach strategies, and assigning specific institutional responsibilities to ensure focused saturation across the UT.
Providing an overview of the progress, Principal Secretary, Finance, informed that the department has identified nearly 5.46 lakh unorganized workers to be targeted for enrollment under PMSYM. He also highlighted significant achievements under various financial inclusion initiatives.
These includes 77,208 new enrolments under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), taking the total to 23.13 lakh accounts, 4.30 lakh new enrollments under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), taking the total to 27.64 lakh accounts and 1.57 lakh new enrollments under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), raising the total to 11.06 lakh accounts across the UT. Over 33,500 new subscribers were added under Atal Pension Yojana (APY), bringing the cumulative total to 2.81 lakh, he added
It was divulged that the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) ensures a guaranteed monthly pension between Rs 1,000 and Rs5,000 at age 60, with more than 43% of its 2.15 crore national subscribers being women. Similarly Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) offers life insurance coverage of ?2 lakh for individuals aged 18-50 years at a nominal premium of Rs330 per annum.
Additionally Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) provides accidental insurance coverage of Rs2 lakh (for death or full disability) and Rs 1 lakh (for partial disability) for citizens aged 18-70 years, at a premium of only Rs12 per annum.
The meeting also reviewed the progress under the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCWW) Welfare Board, under which 5.90 lakh workers have been registered till October 2025. Moreover, the Social Welfare Department has extended old-age, widow, and disability pensions to nearly 8.6 lakh beneficiaries across the UT thereby bringing the beneficiary ratio to around 600 per 10,000 population in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of remaining projects under the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP), emphasizing strict adherence to the extended completion deadline of August 2026.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Planning, Dr. Ashish Chandra Verma; Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department; Principal Secretary, Home; Secretary, Health & Medical Education; Managing Director, JKMSCL; Chief Executive Officer, J&K ERA, Shreya Singhal; and other senior officers.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary took a detailed, project-wise appraisal of all ongoing works and sought specific timelines for their completion. He directed the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) to ensure that all projects are completed well before the extended deadline and instructed the agency to submit weekly progress reports for his review.
The ACS Planning, Dr. Ashish Chandra Verma, informed that out of 213 projects undertaken under the JTFRP, 202 have been completed, while 10 are currently in progress and one project is at the tendering stage. He apprised that an expenditure of Rs 1580 crore has been incurred so far under the project, resulting in the creation of vital and sustainable infrastructure that had been damaged during the 2014 floods.
The Chief Secretary reiterated the importance of timely execution of the remaining projects under JTFRP. He stressed on continuous monitoring, inter-departmental coordination, and proactive removal of bottlenecks to ensure that all works are completed within the extended deadline, thereby enhancing the resilience of J&K’s infrastructure against future disasters.
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