SHOPIAN, July 2: Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Cooperatives and Election Javid Ahmad Dar on Thursday said the success of government flagship programmes depends on the dedication and commitment of grassroots functionaries, describing them as the pillars of rural development.
He was addressing the State-level Sammelan-cum-Launch of the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-GRAM G) in Shopian, organised by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department. The event coincided with the nationwide virtual launch of the programme by Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Dar said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has significantly strengthened rural livelihoods, generated sustainable employment, created durable community assets and improved the socio-economic profile of villages across Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the launch of VB-GRAM G marks a new phase in rural transformation with greater emphasis on productive employment, sustainable livelihoods, natural resource management and durable rural asset creation.
The Minister said Block Development Officers and other field functionaries remain the first point of contact for rural residents seeking solutions to issues related to roads, drainage and public infrastructure, adding that responding to their aspirations with sensitivity and accountability is the foremost responsibility of the department.
He said Jammu and Kashmir actively participated in consultations on the new framework and several suggestions made by the Union Territory had been incorporated.
Dar assured that there would be no disruption in ongoing developmental works and said the issue of pending liabilities under previous years had already been taken up with the Union Government.
He added that the new framework allows Union Territories to determine a two-month implementation window based on local climatic and agricultural conditions, enabling Jammu and Kashmir to synchronise employment generation with farming seasons.
Secretary, Rural Development Department Mohammad Aijaz Asad described the launch of VB-GRAM G as the beginning of a new phase in rural employment generation and development.
Additional Secretary-cum-Incharge, VB-GRAM G, Wasim Raja said nearly 4.12 crore person-days of employment had been generated under MGNREGA in Jammu and Kashmir over the past two years, benefiting around eight lakh households, with women accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the beneficiaries.
He said around ₹1,300 crore had been spent under the programme, including nearly ₹900 crore transferred directly to workers as wages, while approximately 16.69 lakh developmental works had been taken up across the Union Territory, many of which have already been completed.
