Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 19: Around 650 Panchayats would be identified for taking up under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) for ensuring defecation free environment in villages.
The information was given in a review meeting of the Rural Development Department convened under the chairmanship of the Minister for Rural Development, Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar.
Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development, Farooq Ahmed Peer, Director Rural Development, Shafiq Raina, Director Rural Sanitation, Tufail Matoo, Member Secretary MGNREGA, Pawan Rathore, CEOs of IWMP and other senior officers of the department were present.
Mr. Sagar while impressing upon the officers said that they have to ensure that the NBA gets underway in a big manner so that the defecation free environment is ensured in different places across the State. He said that several Panchayats would be identified for taking up the scheme.
Asking the officers to ensure the maximum utilization of funds earmarked under MGNREGA and other schemes of the department, the Minister said that care should be taken so that the benefit of these reaches the targeted and genuine beneficiaries.
The Minister directed the officers to identify the model districts for taking up the newly launched National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) so that the youth of the rural areas can get new avenues of earning their livelihood. He said “we have to ensure that the people get the maximum benefit of the schemes of the department and in this regard a concentrative effort is to be made so that awareness is created about these welfare programmes.”
The meeting was told that an amount of Rs. 400 crore has been spent under MGNREGA till date. It was also given out that an amount of Rs. 74 crore has been spent under IAY by taking up 32000 dwelling units in the State.
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