Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 14: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today chaired a comprehensive review meeting of the Social Welfare Department, during which the Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, presented a detailed overview of the department’s performance, implementation of the flagship schemes, financial status, infrastructure development and future priorities of the Department .
The meeting was attended by senior officers including Secretaries, Mission Directors of Mission Poshan, Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya, Directors of Social Welfare Jammu and Kashmir, Chairpersons of Advisory Boards and other concerned officials.
The review encompassed the functioning of Directorates, Mission Directorates, Advisory Boards, Corporations and statutory bodies under the Social Welfare Department, underscoring sustained efforts towards inclusive development, women empowerment, child welfare, nutrition security and social protection of vulnerable sections.
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez informed that the department is working to uplift underserved sections through its Directorates, three Mission Directorates, Advisory Boards for Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes and Pahari-speaking people, and dedicated corporations including the J&K Women Development Corporation and J&K SC/ST & BC Development Corporation.
Reviewing the implementation of Mission Poshan and strengthening of Nutrition and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), MD, Sajad Hussain Ganai informed that 99 per cent Anganwadi Centres have functional infrastructure with essential amenities.
He further gave out that the Saksham Anganwadis equipped with modern facilities are being operationalised across the UT, while more than 24,933 Anganwadi Workers have been trained under Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi.
With regard to the implementation of Mission Shakti, the MD, Mohammad Akber highlighted that the Mission continues to play a pivotal role in women empowerment and safety. Over 2,500 awareness workshops have been conducted through District Hubs for Empowerment of Women, while 11 new Shakti Sadans and five Sakhi Niwas (Working Women Hostels) have been approved and are nearing operationalisation.
Moreover the One Stop Centres have assisted 2,727 women, Women Helpline-181 has handled more than 22,000 calls during FY 2025-26, and Nari Adalats have been operationalised in 50 Panchayats to resolve disputes at the grassroots level, the meeting was informed.
Reviewing Mission Vatsalya, the MD, Nazim Zia Khan informed that significant progress has been achieved in child protection and rehabilitation. Twenty-three Child Care Institutions including observation homes, special adoption agencies and open shelters have been established or approved.
Emphasising the future roadmap, the Chief Secretary stressed whole-of-government convergence, digital welfare governance, livelihood-linked assistance and universal social protection, with special focus on mother-and-child care, aspirational Anganwadis, skill development, self-employment and institutional strengthening to realise the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary reviewed a series of proposals presented by the Agriculture Production Department aimed at enhancing the production of wool, milk and meat in Jammu and Kashmir through value chain strengthening, genetic upgradation and expansion of processing infrastructure.
The meeting besides ACS, APD was attended by VC, SKUAST Jammu; Commissioner Secretary, I&C; Commissioner Secretary, Cooperatives; Commissioner Secretary, S&T; Commissioner Secretary, Tribal Affairs Department; MD, HADP; Director, Animal Husbandry/Sheep Husbandry; Director, Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir/Jammu and other HoDs of the APD.
The meeting first reviewed the PAAVAN (Processing, Aggregation and Value Addition Network for Wool) project, which seeks to revive and modernise the wool sector in J&K through a federation-driven institutional framework.
Under the proposed model, a three-tier cooperative structure comprising Block Cooperative Societies, District Cooperative Societies and a UT-level Wool Federation will be established to facilitate aggregation, grading, processing and marketing of wool. The project also envisages establishment of two wool processing and value-addition units at Jammu and Srinagar, creation of a revolving fund for assured procurement of wool from farmers, and leveraging of infrastructure created under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) to promote this sector in. J&K.
The Chief Secretary was also briefed on the J&K Elite Sheep Mission based on Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT/MOET), aimed at accelerating genetic improvement in sheep and goats.
The programme targets rapid multiplication of elite germplasm, establishment of embryo generation and transfer laboratories across districts, and large-scale production of full-blood, high-yielding animals. The project proposes setting up 20 ETT laboratories, including embryo generation facilities, with support from SKUAST Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting further reviewed the J&K Dairy Value Chain Infrastructure Expansion Programme, proposed as a top-up support under the PMFME scheme. The initiative aims to promote milk value addition by targeting establishment of 1,000 new milk value-addition units over five years, expansion of organised milk processing capacity, reduction in post-harvest losses and improvement in price realisation for dairy farmers.
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