To discuss the modalities for smooth implementation of Aspirational Block Development Programme (ABDP)in the district, Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rahul Yadav today chaired a meeting of concerned officers, here at DC office complex.Pertinently, the UT of Jammu & Kashmir has rolled out Aspirational Block Development Programme (ABDP) with the aim to ensure expeditious improvement in the Socio-Economic status of 44 most backward Blocks of the UT.In Kathua district, Duggan and Duggain Blocks are being taken up under ABDP based on 21 performance indicators covering four major aspects of Human Development i,e Poverty (3 indicators), Health & Nutrition (6 Indicators), Education (7 Indicators) and Basic Infrastructure (5 Indicators) in consultation with NITI Ayog, GOI.At the outset, the DC appointed ADDC Kathua as District Nodal Officer and ADC Billawar and SDM Bani as Nodal Officer for coordination of works in their respective blocks.The DC exhorted upon the officers of line and works departments to make Special Component Plan in convergence mode to bring improvement on key indicators of development in these most backward blocks of the district.
The DC also called for meeting all 10 quantifiable indicators which are prerequisite for availing additional Rs 1 Cr from Finance Department besides a corpus of Rs 1 Cr to undertake development activities in Duggan and Duggain blocks falling under Billawar and Bani administrative units respectively.To make the execution easy and less time consuming, the DC called upon the stakeholder departments to adopt best practices so as to get tangible results on ground. He also directed departments to look into achieving 100% saturation of individual beneficiaries’ schemes besides covering the scope of other welfare schemes of different departments.The DC gave directions for organizing a special drive to capacitate locals of twin blocks of Duggan and Duggain which can help them to improve their social economic status. Agriculture and Horticulture departments were directed to explore the scope of their schemes suitable for the climate of these blocks. “Improvement in extending services such as Electricity, toilets, PMGSY roads, Drinking water, afforestation and Clean energy (LPG) to be kept under the plan” DC added.