Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 13: State Cabinet, which is meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on December 17, will accord approval to the roll out of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), a poverty eradication programme of Union Ministry of Rural Development, in Jammu and Kashmir. It will also put seal of approval on proposal of Health and Medical Education Department to create 322 posts of Dental Assistants for the Primary Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals across the State.
The construction of balance portion/extension of main Ravi Canal from Basantpur right up to the inflow of reservoir of Ranjit Sagar dam is also likely to receive the Cabinet’s nod. This proposal of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department could not be taken up during the last Cabinet meeting as Minister for Finance was out of the State. The Cabinet may also order reshuffle in the civil and police administration as majority of the District Development Commissioners have completed their tenure and Departmental Promotion Committee recently cleared promotion of 4 Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs), 5 Deputy Inspector Generals of Police (DIGs) and 4 Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs).
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj is placing a proposal before the Cabinet for roll out of National Rural Livelihood Mission in the State, a poverty eradication programme of Union Ministry of Rural Development. The Mission has been launched by the Union Government to reduce poverty in rural areas by building strong institutions of the poor, engage them into gainful livelihood interventions and ensure appreciable improvement in their income on a sustainable basis.
The Mission will aim at universal social mobilization and bring at least one member from each rural poor and vulnerable household, preferably woman, within the net of Self Help Groups in a time bound manner. The Self Help Groups of 10 to 15 women will be formed in their immediate neighbourhood and each member of the group will contribute a small amount as thrift on a weekly basis so as to build capital within the group and this resource will be used by the group for their urgent needs but will be taken only as loan to be repaid.
After the group is able to sustain thrift a certain amount will be provided as a support by the State Rural Livelihood Mission, which has already been established. Meanwhile, the group will be motivated to take up a livelihood in farm or non-farm area and will be linked to any available financial institution for providing loan. The groups will be organized into federation and groups so federated will organize Self Help Groups into a bigger forum to provide financial and other support.
According to the sources, the financing of the Mission will be shared between the Centre and the State in the ratio of 75:25. “However, attempt is being made to reduce the State share to 10 % only”, they said. As the Central allocation earmarked for the States is distributed in relation to the incidence of poverty and in case of Jammu and Kashmir the poverty ratio is 5.5 %, the allocation for the current year is only Rs 17 crore.
Stating that NRLM will be implemented in phased manner, sources said, “to start with, four resource blocks have been selected-two each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions namely Lar in Ganderbal district, Khansahib in Budgam, Chenani in Udhampur and Basohli in Kathua district”. However, the Union Ministry has in principle decided to broaden the pilot to take up at least one block in each district of the State so as to ensure that entire State is brought within the ambit of NRLM in shortest possible time.
Sources said that Cabinet would also give nod to creation of 322 posts of Dental Assistants for Primary Health Centres, Sub-District Hospitals and District Hospitals in a phased manner. In the first phase, 261 posts will be created for PHCs only and in the second phase District and Sub-District Hospitals will be covered by creating 61 posts.
As far as Directorate of Health Services, Jammu is concerned, 133 posts of Dental Assistants would be created for PHCs during 2013-14 financial year and 25 posts in 2014-15 for the Sub-District and District Hospitals. Similarly, for the PHCs under Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, 128 posts would be created in 2013-14 financial year and 36 for SDHs/DHs in 2014-15 financial year.
The expenditure will be borne by the Planning and Development Department for first five years from the date of filling of these posts.
The Cabinet will also take decision on the proposal of the PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Department seeking administrative approval for construction of balance portion/extension of main Ravi Canal from Basantpur right up to the inflow of reservoir of Ranjit Sagar dam.
The project, whose fate is hanging in balance because of hurdles allegedly being created by the Finance Department, assumes great significance in view of the fact that it will irrigate nearly 1.33 lakh acres of land in three districts of Jammu province for which 82 kilometer canal and 500 kilometer tributaries were constructed 30 years back. Besides, another important aspect is that the project also has the potential to produce nearly 20 MW of power for the State.
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