Leh: The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur, reviewed the progress of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, at Raj Niwas. Commissioner/Secretary, RDD/PRD, Saugat Biswas; Deputy Secretary, RDD, Manoj Arya; Director, RDD, Tahir Hussain, were present in the meeting.
Director, RDD, Tahir Hussain, provided updates on the capacity-building exercises and training-cum-exposure tours organised for the RDD & PRD staff to implement various central government schemes in Ladakh; setting up of libraries along with computer facilities and procurement of books for the libraries at Gram Panchayats; construction of winter-friendly offices for Block Development Council (BDC) Chairpersons under Special Development Package (SDP); construction and blacktopping of roads/lanes, including laying of interlocking tiles under Ladakh Road Scheme; grant of additional grant-in-aid other than discretionary funds for the preparation of grassroots-level plans of PRIs; construction of new panchayat ghars and repair of existing ones under SDP; the steps being taken for delegation of powers, subjects and funds to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs); funds earmarked for the expenditure of priority works under Back-to-Village programme; conducting a third-party audit through NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS) for transparency and accountability; listing of heritage sites (469 in Leh & 148 in Kargil) along with geotagging and uploading of the archaeological sites by PRIs on Ladakh Heritage portal; efforts being made for 100% saturation of government schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Grameen, ODF+ status for Ladakh, etc.; status of works such as the construction of goat shed, vermicompost and greywater management, etc. under MGNREGA for the individual beneficiary; the total number of man-days achieved for Financial Year 2021-22 and target for FY 2022-23 under MGNREGA; mobilisation of self-help groups (SHGs) and village organisations (VOs) and status of Cluster-level Federation (CLF), the status of opening of bank accounts, disbursement of Revolving Fund (RF) and community investment fund (CIF) under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM); livelihood activities by SHGs; efforts being made for 100% saturation of preparation of sanitary pads under NRLM in Thiksay and Sankoo; progress on the formation of Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKC) under Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY); awareness camps held in Ladakh regarding SHGs under Prime Minister’s Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme; construction of individual household latrines (IHHLs), community sanitary complexes (CSCs) and procurement of equipment for plastic waste management (PWM) in Ladakh under Swachh Bharat Mission (SMB)-Grameen Phase II; construction of Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) units in Hunder and Sankoo; setting up of waste segregation units for solid waste management and the construction of grey water management units, etc.
LG Mathur emphasised on the capacity building of RDD staff and elected representatives, particularly junior engineers and account assistants, and also of remaining elected representatives such as panch. He advised that RDD may consult with Norway-based companies for cold-weather technologies for Ladakh. He further advised that the Back-to-Village programme may be started again.
LG Mathur advised that RDD may approve proposed MNREGA project works of Border Roads Organisation (BRO). He advised that RDD may look for employment generation at SHG units engaged in making sanitary pads and also stressed on the need for mass production of sanitary pads to sell them at cheaper rates. He stressed on the need for more focus on engaging more SHGs in making Rebo tents and providing round-the-year employment opportunities for them. LG Mathur suggested that RDD may revise their targets for the construction of grey water units and include all ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) sites, including the individual households, religious places, Anganwadi Centres, etc.
LG Mathur stressed on the need to promote solar-lift irrigation canals along with gravity-based water tanks. He stressed on the need for performance reports and ratings of the SHGs.
