* Emphasizes leveraging PMGS portal for data-driven development
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 30: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of financial inclusion initiatives and beneficiary-oriented schemes being implemented across J&K.
The Chief Secretary underscored the need for saturation of all financial inclusion schemes in the Union Territory. He expressed concern over the low enrolment rates in several welfare schemes. He directed the concerned departments to scale up coverage in a mission mode to ensure no eligible citizen is left out.
The Chief Secretary highlighted that prompt and seamless delivery of benefits is key to building public confidence in Government programmes. He instructed the officials to ensure timely extension of scheme benefits to all eligible individuals, stating that such efficiency would encourage more citizens to come forward and take advantage of these schemes.
He laid focus on integration of the Registrar of Births & Deaths database with the Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) system. He emphasised that this integration would streamline the accrual of benefits, such as insurance claims and pension settlements, reducing delays and ensuring efficient service delivery.
The review meeting assessed the significant progress made under various financial and social inclusion schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) in bringing financial security and empowerment to the region’s populace.
Principal Secretary, Finance, Santosh D.Vaidya, gave insights about the overall scenario of these social security schemes.
These schemes collectively underscore the Government’s commitment towards fostering comprehensive financial and social inclusion, ensuring a more secure and prosperous future for the citizens of the UT.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary convened a meeting of the concerned Administrative Secretaries to review the layers integrated into the PM Gati Shakti (PMGS) portal and explore its potential in facilitating the holistic infrastructure planning and development across J&K.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary underscored the significance of utilizing the PMGS portal as a unified digital platform for preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), particularly for infrastructure-related projects such as roads and connectivity. He directed the concerned departments to proactively integrate their planning processes with the PMGS framework for synchronized and data-driven development across the UT.
A key highlight of the meeting was the emphasis on building a digital land bank.
The Chief Secretary called for uploading of land parcel data already identified and digitized by the GIS wing of the Forest Department onto the portal. This, he noted, would enable various departments to make optimal use of available land resources for future developmental initiatives.
Recognizing the broader utility of the PMGS portal, the Chief Secretary also directed that it be used to map and analyze key social sector indicators including those related to health, education, power and water supply to enable more targeted interventions. He cited examples such as TB prevalence, anaemia rates, female literacy, school dropout rates and other sector-specific parameters that could benefit from data-backed monitoring and interventions. The portal, he stressed, should evolve as a critical tool in improving the service delivery and achieving developmental outcomes in real terms.
Moreover, Chief Secretary emphasized the need to map disaster-prone zones, including flood, landslide and avalanche-vulnerable areas within the UT using the portal. This would strengthen the disaster preparedness and planning capabilities by enabling evidence-based resource allocation and response planning, he added.
The Department of Industries & Commerce gave a detailed presentation during the meeting, showcasing numerous examples where PMGS portal data had been effectively utilized to aid decision-making and enhance ease of living. They demonstrated cross-sectoral use cases spanning Agriculture, Planning and Industrial Development, highlighting the platform’s potential to foster integrated governance.
Later, the Chief Secretary chaired a review meeting of the Industries & Commerce Department to review implementation of the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) scheme in the UT.
During the session, Chief Secretary took note of the department’s efforts in formalizing MSMEs, enhancing Udyam portal registrations and undertaking capacity building initiatives for unit holders. He also reviewed the conduct of Buyer-Seller meets, progress on skilling and management programmes and the general outreach to stakeholders under the scheme.
Stressing the importance of a robust decision support system, the Chief Secretary called for immediate API-level integration of critical databases, including those of financial institutions, power utilities, EPFO, GST and the Udyam portal.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
