* Launches Rapid Assessment System
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 6: The Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta chaired a meeting to review the functioning of the Labour and Employment Department in Jammu and Kashmir.
Commissioner Secretary, Labour & Employment Department, Chief Executive Officer, J&K Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Labour Commissioner, and other officers of the Department attended the meeting.
The Chief Secretary observed that as per the CMIE data, the unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir has decreased to 15% in December 2021, and impressed upon the Department to further improve employment avenues in the Union territory.
It was informed that the Labour Department, upon formal registration, provides benefits to building workers, factory workers, migrant contractors, migrant labour, contract labour, shop workers, and boiler workers. The Department also adjudicates cases under the Workmen Compensation Act, Payment of Wages Act, Industrial Dispute Act, Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Gratuity Act; and provides relief to the aggrieved labour.
The Department was asked to boost registrations under various categories of workers by shifting to complete digital mode within a period of one month. Taking note of pendency in cases filed before District Labour Courts, the Chief Secretary directed the immediate implementation of digital court proceedings for early resolution of conflicts.
Further, the Department was asked to collaborate with other stakeholders including government departments to identify and register sector-wise eligible workers in a mission mode.
The Chief Secretary directed the Department to develop the hospital and dispensaries as model healthcare institutions and further link the registered beneficiaries with benefits under other insurance schemes as well, including Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Surakhsha Beema Yojana to ensure maximum health benefits and accidental cover to workers. He further directed the rollout of an extensive IEC campaign to generate awareness on these schemes and benefits to further boost registrations.
While reviewing the functioning of the Employment Department, the Chief Secretary directed greater technological interventions along with deeper inter-departmental convergence and consultations for systemized registration, skilling, and employment of the youth. The Department was advised to tie up with Mission Youth and Skill Development Department for this purpose.
In a bid to move towards evolving a model career scheme, the Department was also asked to develop standardized career counseling modules in consultation with the field experts and other stakeholders and explore facilities for online mentor programmes to provide wide-scale guidance and assistance, especially during the COVID times. It was directed to emphasize automation of services and conduct regular job fairs to streamline employment generation.
Meanwhile, giving Giving a big push to the end-to-end digitization of services, the Chief Secretary launched the Rapid Assessment System having an in-built digital feedback mechanism at the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, with 8 new services, besides on boarding another 19 services, taking up the total tally to 27.
The Rapid Assessment System provides a platform for submitting the online applications to seek issuance of domicile certificate, benefits under the MUMKIN scheme, commercial water connection, license for selling fertilizers, license for pesticides, license for opening nurseries, and for reelers in sericulture, to be granted by respective departments.
It also has a user-friendly digital feedback mechanism that enables citizens to provide effective feedback on the services provided to them; through SMS and weblink, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. The departments are also provided a graphical user interface (GUI) for assessing the feedback from citizens and incorporating suitable changes to further enhance efficiency in the service delivery mechanism.
Dr. Mehta further directed the Department to integrate all 130 citizen centric services listed under Business Reforms Action Plan (Ease of Doing Business) with the Rapid Assessment Portal within one month to completely overhaul the service delivery system in the Union territory
Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department, Principal Secretary, School Education Department, Commissioner/Secretary, Revenue Department, Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Secretary, IT Department, and other senior officers were present on the occasion. The System of Citizens Feedback is likely to be a game changer in respect of quality of services.
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