District Development Commissioner, Sushma Chauhan conducted an interactive session with members of Panchayati Raj Institution of block Nagrota and inspected development works being executed under Back 2 Village, Border Area Development Programme and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act at Nagrota.
ACR Vijay Kumar Sharma, ACD Jammu Amit Vermani, CPO Yoginder Katoch, BDO Nagrota Dr. Vikas Sharma, Tehsildar Rampal Sharma, Sarpanchs, Panchs and other district officers were also present on the occasion.
DDC held a detailed meeting with the public, Sarpanchs and Panches of all the 18 Panchayats and general public of Block Nagrota and wide range of issues were discussed in the public grievances redressal camp covering matters of drinking water, rural electrification and connectivity, availability of teaching staff in schools; and Doctors and Paramedical Staff in hospitals. The farming community presented a demand for establishing Fruit and Agriculture Mandi at Nagrota in order to minimize the cost of transportation involved in tarrying their produce to the city market. Directions were issued by the DC for allotting 05 kanals of State land for creation of basic infrastructure under MGNREGA worksfor Vegetable and Fruit Mandi at Nagrota.
The DC also informed the PRI members of Block Nagrota about different welfare and beneficiary oriented schemes of various departments and the procedures of availing the benefits of the same. She asked the PRI members to further educate the villagers about these schemes and the programme of the Government and also encourage them to actively participate in Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayat Development Plan.
DC Jammu, later during her visit, also held a meeting with the officers of the Rural Department and reviewed the progress of the different flagship schemes like MGNREGA, PMAY, SBM, B2V and the disposal of the complaints received in complaint boxes of all 18 Panchayats of Block Nagrota. These complaint boxes have been installed in every Panchayat of the district since January on the directions of Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu, informed the DDC.
While reviewing the development works under B2V, the ACD Jammu informed the DC that all the works in Block Nagrota shall be completed within the current financial year and these works primarily pertain to strengthening of rural infrastructure, augmenting of power & water supply and providing paved connectivity through culverts between villages which otherwise remain cut off due to flooding in several nallahs during monsoon season.
Later, the Deputy Commissioner visited Nadore, Katal Batal and Nagrota Panchayats to review the works constructed under Back to Village, these included cross way at lower Kore Jagir, culvert at Jagti nallah, link road from Bamyal to Rabta and culvert on the link road.
The Chairman of Block Development Council Nagrota, Rehmat Ali, while speaking on the occasion, stated that the nature and quality of works undertaken were highly beneficial and addressed some of the long pending concerns of various Panchayats, particularly those of road connectivity.
He further stated that in his block alone, works worth Rs 2 crore have been taken up under Back to Village initiative.
DC informed that 125 works have already been executed so far across the district and 150 more works shall be completed within a month time under B2V. The works amounting to around 25 crore could be taken up due convergence between the funds released in Back to Village initiative and utilization of funds of 14th Finance Commission, lying unspent in various Panchayats over the year.