Mehbooba issues guidelines for implementation of programmes

Deputy Commissioners in Jammu and Kashmir should set up dedicated Whatsapp numbers to receive complaints from people and Secretaries and Heads of Departments should come up with annual report card listing achievements, innovations and benefits to the public.
These are among a slew of guidelines set by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ensure effective and time-bound implementation of her government's developmental and welfare programmes at the grassroots level.
"To begin with, all the Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments and the District Development Commissioners shall come up with Annual Report Card (ARC) listing achievements, innovations and benefits to the public," she said chairing a high-level meeting here.

The meeting was convened to review the progress of various initiatives, programmes and schemes in Education, Revenue, Roads and Buildings, Health, Forest, Tribal Affairs, PHE and Rural Development sectors and to flag priorities in various key sectors, to ensure effective coordination, to ensure time-bound completion of projects and works and review achievement of targets, an official spokesman said.
She stressed the need for greater coordination between various departments to ensure effective implementation of the developmental programmes.
"The District Development Commissioners can directly coordinate with the Chief Minister's secretariat as and when there are issues with the administrative departments to be sorted out," Mehbooba said.

The Chief Minister specifically sought department-wise details on action taken on various important decisions with specific reference to implementation of flagship projects, departmental projects and programmes, convergence, Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) and grievance redressal.

She said all the DCs should create a dedicated Whatsapp number for receiving complaints and grievances of the people.
Mehbooba asked the administrative secretaries, HoDs and Deputy Commissioners to take monthly review of the developmental projects, under their purview, and regularly update the progress on the official websites of the concerned districts and departments.
Every department and all DDCs shall create specially designated cells for complaints redressal and response mechanism, the Chief Minister said, adding the DDCs and nodal officers will personally review the public service delivery system.

She said Additional District Development Commissioners (ADDCs) should be assigned specific monthly targets of review, inspection and monitoring of projects and a minimum of five projects shall have to be inspected and evaluated by ADDCs every month.
Mehbooba also called for fortnightly review of NOCs, permissions, land related issues, clearances with various departments and for infrastructure projects in districts.
She said essential services maintenance shall be the responsibility of the officers concerned and they will be held responsible for any laxity in effective and timely response to public grievances.
In tourism sector, she pushed for effective coordination between Departments of Tourism, Forests, Rural Development and Revenue for overall development of tourism, eco-tourism and rural tourism.

She called for identifying two villages in each district for focused development of rural tourism as also promoting various local festivals for tourism.
She also called for constructive engagement of local youth for promotion of tourism.
In other measures listed for immediate action, Mehbooba called for formulation of traffic management plan for cities and towns, District Disaster Management Plan and people- friendly Law and Order Response and Management Plan, identification of land and proposal for circular roads for all towns, identification and notification of parking lots in all cities and towns and identification and utilisation of available spaces in urban areas for creation of parks and open spaces.

She also called for a comprehensive plan for water conservation and water harvesting in each district, innovation in promoting skill development and employment-linked initiatives in horticulture, handlooms and handicrafts, relocation of vendors and public utilities to decongest urban areas, establishing Model Libraries at district headquarters, strengthening the institutions of District Vigilance Officers and Departmental Vigilance Officers for effective control mechanism to ensure transparency, convening of regular public hearings, timely disposal of complaints and setting up online complaint monitoring system.
The Chief Minister said the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, Floriculture, Animal and Sheep Husbandry will have to formulate outreach programme for maximum coverage of farmers.

In this regard, she said every department would formulate at least two projects for each district under MGNREGA convergence to be coordinated by concerned DDCs.
The Chief Minister made special mention of the Project Rahat planned and executed by the then Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary as a perfect model of convergence and asked the DDCs to replicate Rahat model in building tourism and rural infrastructure.