Shadow Correspondent
SRINAGAR, OCT22:
Union Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Sudhansh Pant, today lauded Jammu and Kashmir’s extensive grassroots outreach under social welfare schemes and its coordinated, whole-of-government approach to combating drug abuse, describing the UT’s efforts as a commendable model with potential for replication across the country.
Pant made these observations during a comprehensive review of the implementation of various social welfare schemes and programmes in Jammu and Kashmir, chaired jointly by him and Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Home; Commissioner Secretary, Education; Secretary, Social Welfare Department; Secretary, Health; Director General, Social Welfare, Kashmir; Director, Social Welfare, Jammu; Head of Department, Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar; Secretary, SC/ST/OBC Boards, besides officers of other concerned departments.
Appreciating the UT administration’s efforts to extend welfare interventions to the grassroots, Pant observed that the outreach undertaken across villages and panchayats reflected a strong commitment to inclusive welfare delivery. He particularly commended J&K’s coordinated campaign against the drug menace, noting that its whole-of-government approach had received nationwide appreciation and could serve as a successful model for other regions.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress of individual beneficiary-oriented schemes, the Union Secretary highlighted the importance of ensuring that interventions for students, senior citizens, destitute women and other vulnerable sections deliver meaningful outcomes. He advised the administration to document first-hand beneficiary testimonies and showcase the thousands of success stories emerging from these initiatives to generate wider awareness and amplify their impact across the country.
Reviewing the rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging, Pant encouraged the UT administration to work towards achieving the ‘Begging-Free City’ status for its urban centres. He observed that the relatively small number of such persons could be addressed through focused rehabilitation, sustained support and collaboration with dedicated non-governmental organisations.
The Union Secretary also outlined key priorities and focus areas for the UT to facilitate the achievement of the Ministry’s objectives. He appreciated Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo for his continued guidance and mentoring of the J&K’s Social Welfare Department, observing that its diverse mandate required close coordination across multiple departments for effective implementation.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo reaffirmed the Government’s unwavering commitment to inclusive growth, social justice and community empowerment. He emphasised that the UT administration was committed to saturating the benefits of welfare schemes among all eligible and deserving beneficiaries, particularly those belonging to disadvantaged and underprivileged sections of society.
Further the Chief Secretary threw light on the population profile of various beneficiary groups in J&K, the welfare measures available for their upliftment and the legal, institutional and regulatory safeguards established to protect their rights and prevent atrocities, discrimination and harassment. He stressed the importance of coordinated efforts to ensure that the benefits of these interventions reach every eligible beneficiary.
On this occasion the Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Doifode Sagar Dattatray, presented a detailed appraisal of the progress achieved under various centrally sponsored and UT-level schemes, covering drug demand reduction, educational scholarships, senior citizen welfare, rehabilitation, sanitation-worker safety, community development and legal protection for vulnerable groups.
Under the Nasha Mukt J&K 100 Days Abhiyan, the Department reported extensive public outreach through coordinated efforts involving multiple departments. It was revealed that more than 7.21 million outreach events had been conducted across the UT with Addiction Treatment Facilities handling 66,594 outpatients, while the Department’s Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centres providing care to 1,053 individuals.
On the enforcement front, it was given out that the Police had registered 1,187 FIRs and arrested 1,349 persons. With respect to financial investigations the meeting was apprised that the same resulted in the seizure or attachment of 125 immovable properties valued at ?9,828.17 lakh and 60 movable assets worth ?703.83 lakh belonging to drug traffickers.
On this occasion, Dr Arshad Hussain, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, GMC Srinagar, elaborated on J&K’s ‘Circle of Care’ approach to addressing substance use disorders. The three-dimensional strategy provides continuity of care from admission to de-addiction facilities through treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and long-term monitoring to support sustained recovery.
Moreover it was divulged that under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, it was informed that 419 villages had been selected for development as model villages, of which 28 had been declared Adarsh Grams. A total of 81 development works had been completed during 2026–27 so far. The meeting also reviewed the funding requirement for completing subsequent phases of the programme.
The Department informed that ?496.59 lakh had been utilised under the Grants-in-Aid component of PM-AJAY towards basic infrastructure, skill development and income-generating assets. Similarly under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana, 17 Senior Citizen Homes were operational across the UT, including eight in Jammu division, accommodating around 450 senior citizens, and nine in Kashmir division.
Under the Scheduled Caste scholarship schemes, 5,613 post-matric and 2,866 pre-matric applications had been submitted through the National Scholarship Portal. Special drives and individual follow-ups were underway to clear pending cases and expedite Aadhaar seeding.
Under the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), 741 sewer and septic tank workers had been profiled across 74 Urban Local Bodies, of whom 734 had been validated. In addition, 5,862 urban waste pickers had been profiled, with 4,508 validated. The Department had distributed 721 personal protective equipment kits to sewer and septic tank workers and 3,854 kits to waste pickers.
The meeting reviewed the implementation of safeguards under the Protection of Civil Rights framework and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. In this direction the SAMBAL 2.0 portal had resolved 63 of the 66 online grievances registered. Relief amounting to ?58.60 lakh had been disbursed through direct benefit transfers to 50 victims of atrocities between 2022 and 2026.
During the deliberations, J&K highlighted the pending central financial share for certain OBC hostel projects had affected their completion. The UT administration sought the Ministry’s intervention for the release of the requisite funds to facilitate early completion of these facilities. The review emphasised the need for sustained interdepartmental coordination, effective beneficiary outreach, timely resolution of implementation bottlenecks and a stronger focus on documenting and publicising success stories to ensure that welfare interventions translate into tangible improvements in the lives of people across Jammu and Kashmir.
