Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today reviewed the implementation and progress of various public welfare and financial inclusion schemes across Jammu and Kashmir, including the newly rolled-out Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM) and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana, aimed at providing assured social security to unorganised workers and marginal farmers.
The review meeting, coordinated by the Finance Department, was attended by the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu/Kashmir; Secretary Labour & Employment; Secretary, Education; Director, Land Records; General Manager, CSC-SPV; and Deputy Commissioners of all districts through video conferencing.
While reviewing the modalities for registration under PM-SYM, the Chief Secretary directed the Deputy Commissioners to constitute Tehsil- and Block-level committees to generate widespread awareness and ensure maximum enrolment of eligible beneficiaries. He also emphasised the need for capacity-building and training of field-level officers to sensitise them about the operational framework of the scheme.
The Chief Secretary instructed the Labour & Employment Department to launch a vigorous Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign, in coordination with CSC-SPV and the Information Department, to reach eligible beneficiaries across all districts. Noting that over 34 lakh workers are registered on the e-Shram portal in the UT, he observed that at least 10 lakh workers should be covered under PM-SYM to secure their livelihood during old age through assured pension benefits.
He also urged the Deputy Commissioners to leverage the PM-Kisan database to enrol eligible farmers under PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY), observing that a majority of farmers in Jammu and Kashmir are marginal landholders and fall well within the eligibility criteria prescribed under the scheme.
The Chief Secretary reviewed district-wise performance under other key financial inclusion schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha BimaYojana (PMSBY) and related initiatives. He urged the Deputy Commissioners to work towards saturation of these schemes, describing them as highly beneficial for the socio-economic security of the population. He also took note of the incremental progress achieved by districts during the recent campaign period.
Earlier, Principal Secretary, Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya, while outlining the features and achievements of these schemes, informed the meeting that sustained and targeted campaigns undertaken by the Finance Department in collaboration with banks and district administrations had resulted in a significant increase in enrolments during the current financial year.
He revealed that PMJJBY recorded an increase of 1,69,713 new accounts, while 34,780 APY accounts, 71,415 PMJDY accounts, and 4,57,522 PMSBY accounts were added during the same period.
Regarding the implementation of PM-SYM, the Principal Secretary called upon the Deputy Commissioners to ensure large-scale mobilisation and awareness at the grassroots level. He also advised them to organise orientation camps for CSC volunteers to facilitate maximum enrolments.
He informed that workers aged 18 to 40 years engaged in the unorganised sectors including building and construction workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, and those associated with handloom, leather, brick kilns, rag picking and similar occupations are eligible for enrolment under PM-SYM.
Similarly, marginal farmers in the same age group owning less than two hectares of land are eligible under the PM-KMY. It was revealed that over 9 lakh farmers are currently receiving the benefits under the PM-Kisan scheme who are the potential beneficiaries for this scheme too.
It was apprised that beneficiaries are required to contribute an amount ranging from ?55 to ?200 per month, depending on their age, with an equal matching contribution from the Government of India, ensuring an assured monthly pension of ?3,000 after attaining the age of 60 years.
The Principal Secretary further directed the Deputy Commissioners to set weekly enrolment targets for each Common Service Centre (CSC) based on the availability of eligible beneficiaries in their areas and ensure strict adherence to these targets.
During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioners were also advised to replicate the e-Nigrani portal of Srinagar district for effective utilisation of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) of legislators.
The portal was said toprovide end-to-end digitalisation of the workflow, including recommendation of works by legislators, grant of administrative approvals, preparation of estimates, and monitoring of works till their completion.
The meeting also deliberated on circle rates across districts, their comparison with other states, and the need for rationalisation of these rates to enhance revenue generation and plug leakages in the existing system across Jammu and Kashmir.