Srinagar: Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Information Technology, Youth Services and Sports, Science and Technology and Transport Minister Satish Sharma on Wednesday reviewed the performance of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) and Information Technology (IT) departments, directing officials to strengthen transparency, technology-driven governance and citizen-centric service delivery.
At a review meeting, the minister assessed the functioning of both departments, including infrastructure development, digital governance initiatives, financial management and implementation of major programmes planned for 2026-27.
Reviewing the FCS&CA Department, Sharma reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring food security through an efficient and transparent Public Distribution System (PDS). He directed officials to expedite formalities for implementing the government’s commitment to provide six LPG cylinders annually to eligible beneficiaries and reviewed arrangements for advance distribution of food grains for August to October to ensure uninterrupted supplies during the monsoon.
The minister also reviewed implementation of the SMART Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS), migration to the Ration Card Management System (RCMS), Aadhaar-enabled PDS, integration with national digital platforms and expansion of online citizen services. He said technology should be used to simplify service delivery and improve transparency.
He appreciated the department’s Rightful Targeting initiative for identifying and removing ineligible beneficiaries from the PDS and also reviewed progress on CAPEX works, modernisation of food storage facilities, upgradation of intermediate granaries, centrally sponsored schemes and the City Gas Distribution project.
Calling for faster expansion of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure, Sharma also reviewed proposals for PNG and Compressed Biogas (CBG) policies and directed officials to expedite reforms aimed at promoting clean energy and improving the ease of doing business through digitisation and simplification of departmental procedures.
Reviewing the Information Technology Department, the minister assessed progress on digital governance initiatives and projects proposed for 2026-27, including integration of government services with WhatsApp, expansion of the State Data Centre, establishment of a Disaster Recovery Site, strengthening of Local Area Network (LAN) and Wi-Fi infrastructure in the Civil Secretariat, creation of a J&K Data Exchange and Data Lake, implementation of a Wi-Fi policy and multilingual digital services.
Sharma said technology should make government services more accessible, transparent and efficient while reducing the need for physical visits to government offices.
The minister also reviewed achievements of the department during 2025-26, including implementation of e-Office, expansion of the eUNNAT platform, DigiLocker integration, JK MyGov, Mobile Seva and cyber security initiatives. He directed officials to further strengthen the Jammu and Kashmir Security Operations Centre (JK-SOC) and enhance safeguards for government digital infrastructure and citizens’ data.
He also reviewed proposals for establishing a Centre of Excellence in Emerging Technologies, developing IT parks, expanding J&K IT services and migrating government applications to secure cloud infrastructure.
The minister directed both departments to ensure time-bound implementation of projects, close coordination and regular monitoring with a focus on transparency, accountability and citizen satisfaction.
