Advisor Farooq Khan convenes meeting with Social Welfare, ICDS officers; Reviews vital projects

Shadow Correspondent
SRINAGAR, APR 19:
Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan, today convened a marathon meeting with the officers of Social Welfare and ICDS Departments to review the functioning of these vital entities of the UT government.
Director, Social Welfare Department, Bashir Ahmad Dar, Executive Director Rehabilitation Centre, Ishfaq Ahmad, OSD to Advisor, Mohammad Ashraf Hakak, Deputy Director ICDS, Bilquis, District Program Officer, Srinagar and all the District Social Welfare Officers attended the meeting while Director ICDS Shabnum Kamili, Director Planning Umera Shafat and Director Finance, Anil participated virtually.
While reviewing implementation and execution of various schemes by the Social Welfare Department, Advisor Khan directed the officers that Old Age Pension applicants should not be asked to collect the requisite certificates on their own rather the district offices should adopt a proper procedure for the same. He asked the officers to ensure time bound disposal of all cases to avoid unnecessary piling of files besides clearance of all new cases within a month’s time.
Advisor, while reviewing status of Scholarship and Marriage Assistance Schemes by SWD, was informed that the Minority Scholarship has been enhanced by more than three hundred percent and the amount is being transferred to the beneficiary on time. He was informed that the cases regarding Marriage Assistance are being disposed of on time besides elaborating on the issue of sanctioning in the supplementary list due to variation in surveys.
Advisor also took stock of orphanages being established by SWD besides assessing enrollment of boys and girls in these institutions. He was informed that the department has established a Girls Orphanage at Anantnag where all the modern facilities are being provided to inmates.
Advisor appreciated the infrastructure and facilities available at Girls Orphanage Centre Anantnag and stressed on officers to raise same centres in their respective districts.
Advisor Khan also reviewed the infrastructure and other facilities being provided to handicapped people by SWD. He gave directions for keeping provision of various facilities to visually impaired and Mentally unsound people. He said each category of specially abled people need different infrastructure setup with segregation of male and female groups.
Advisor had a detailed review of functioning of ICDS department with a deep assessment about the schemes being executed for welfare of children and women.
Advisor was informed that 61 ICDS projects are currently operational at the Anganwadi Centers in Kashmir division besides a total of 14256 AWCs are functional in which 386471 children of age group 06 months to 6 years are enrolled. Besides, 95013 pregnant women and lactating mothers have been enrolled and a total of 388761 beneficiaries of 06 months to 6 years, pregnant and lactating mothers are being provided nutrition by AWCs.
Advisor directed the concerned to cover all the AWCs under Jal Jeevan Mission besides creating better facilities for welfare of children enrolled there.
It was informed that monthly programmes are being conducted under Poshan Abhiyan to share and spread the message about breast feeding, balanced diet, hygiene, supplementary food, de-worming, Covid and other important subjects. Besides, 19246 cases were sanctioned in the previous financial year under Ladli Beti in Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag and Pulwama.
Advisor exhorted upon the concerned officers to keep a check on school dropout girls and get them enrolled back in the schools. He said it is one of the main functions of the ICDS department that girls continue their education besides providing them skill development training in collaboration with other departments.