Pb to operationalise all accounts of social scheme

The Punjab government today said it has decided to operationalise all the accounts linked with the beneficiaries of social security welfare schemes within 15 days in a bid to provide timely financial assistance to the needy.
The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting chaired by Razia Sultana, state Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, said an official release.
The meeting was conducted to review the progress of various social security welfare schemes of the state. DPOs (District Program Officers), DSSO (District Social Security Officers) and programme heads participated in the meeting.
Another important decision taken in the meeting was to implement the Maternity Benefit Scheme in all the districts.

"Under this scheme, the financial assistance of Rs 6,000 would be given to pregnant women registered with the Anganwari centres from the period of delivery of the child to the age of 6 months," the release said.
Sultana also directed the senior officers of the department to prepare an action plan for quarterly review of the working and progress achieved by different field level officers.

The minister also asked the Anganwari workers to conduct a monthly survey of newborn children in all the villages to prepare a database of the sex ratio.
"This database would be used to chalk out elaborate policy to improve the sex ratio of the state," the release said.

The Congress leader further instructed to start a website of the department so as to generate information regarding various welfare schemes and policy of the department to the poor and needy citizens.
S K Sandhu, Additional Chief Secretary, Social Security and Women and Child Development asked the officers of the headquarters to make two-days field visits in a month to gauge the problems prevalent at grass root level and ensure their redressal.
He also asked the district officers to furnish their work appraisal reports to the headquarter on fortnightly basis.