Plans prepared by DDCs lying with Finance Deptt for clearance
*People fail to start reaping benefits of AC decision
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 11: Even nearly nine months after their identification, 44 most backward blocks of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have not received funding for improving development in terms of various socio-economic parameters like education, health and wellbeing and overall living conditions of the people as the plans prepared by the District Development Commissioners (DDCs) are lying with the Finance Department for clearance.
Aspirational Blocks Development Programme (ABDP) was conceived on the analogy of “Aspirational Districts Programme” of National Institute of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog and the selection of 44 most backward blocks out of total 285 blocks across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was made on the basis of 21 socio-economic parameters/indicators covering four major aspects of human development— Poverty, Health & Nutrition, Education and Basic Infrastructure.
Accordingly, the proposal was placed before the Administrative Council headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha by the Planning Development and Monitoring Department and the same received approval on October 19, 2021.
“The blocks identified under the Aspirational Blocks Development Programme are the most backward blocks of the UT which require special focus to bring them at par with other blocks. The programme aims to improve development in terms of various socio-economic parameters and overall living conditions of the people”, the Government had stated soon after the Administrative Council decision.
It was further mentioned that these Aspirational Blocks shall be developed through convergence of various ongoing UT schemes/programmes and Centrally Sponsored Schemes/programmes. The District Development Commissioners were tasked with preparation of a suitable development plan, whereas, the Planning Development and Monitoring Department was asked to constantly monitor the district-wise progress of these blocks through a digital portal.
It was also announced that resources will be clearly delineated across various sectors of development- poverty, health & nutrition, education and basic infrastructure at the district level and additionally, an amount of Rs one crore will be provided to each block after fulfillment of defined criteria.
In the month of January this year, the Planning Development and Monitoring Department asked the District Development Commissioners of all the 20 districts of the Union Territory to prepare Aspirational Block Development Plan and submit the same to the Planning Department for seeking additional financial assistance of Rs one crore for further development after achievement of defined targets and benchmarks in the selected blocks.
“Initially, there was slackness on the part of the District Development Commissioners in the preparation of plans and this was viewed seriously by the Chief Secretary in a high-level meeting convened on July 14, 2022”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “in the meeting the Chief Secretary observed that the progress under the Aspirational Blocks Programme is power and accordingly he directed the Planning Development and Monitoring Department to monitor the implementation of scheme in identified blocks and report any regression in the performances”.
After being reprimanded by the Chief Secretary, all the District Development Commissioners submitted the plans to the Planning Development and Monitoring Department and accordingly the same were forwarded to the Finance Department for approval and release of Rs one crore per block strictly as per the decision taken by the Administrative Council, sources further said while disclosing that during the past one month the plans are lying with the Finance Department for approval and release of funds.
“No doubt works after convergence of various ongoing UT schemes/programmes and Centrally Sponsored Schemes/programmes have been started in the most backward blocks but additional amount of Rs one crore is also required for achieving the objective behind the Aspirational Blocks Development Programme”, sources said while expressing inability to specify the time-frame for approval and release of funds by the Finance Department.
It is pertinent to mention here that best practices in the development of Aspirational Blocks are also required to be acknowledged and duly replicated in other blocks towards ensuring an inclusive and equitable socio-economic development of the Union Territory.
“The people will start reaping benefit of the programme only when funds are kept at the disposal of the concerned District Development Commissioners”, sources said.
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