Srinagar: Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education Minister Sakeena Itoo on Wednesday reviewed the progress of infrastructure projects and flagship schemes being implemented by the three departments, directing officials to ensure timely completion of works without cost or time overruns.
Chairing a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat, the minister assessed the physical and financial progress of projects under the Strengthening and Augmentation of State Capabilities for Citizen-Centric Infrastructure (SASCI), the CAPEX Budget and other flagship schemes, besides reviewing implementation of key budget announcements.
Itoo directed officers to complete all sanctioned projects within the prescribed timelines while maintaining quality standards. She stressed the need for effective planning, inter-departmental coordination and regular monitoring to remove execution bottlenecks and ensure optimal utilisation of funds.
She also asked departments to maintain strict financial discipline, strengthen field-level supervision and improve coordination among executing agencies to ensure effective implementation of development projects.
Reviewing the School Education Department, the minister was informed that 24,228 government and private schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Tribal Affairs Department schools, are functioning across Jammu and Kashmir with an enrolment of around 26.58 lakh students.
Officials said that of the 1,421 works proposed under the Union Territory CAPEX Budget for 2026-27, 786 have been targeted for completion and 90 have already been completed. Under SASCI, projects worth ₹26.49 crore have been proposed, while 3,019 civil works have been completed under Samagra Shiksha over the past one-and-a-half years.
The meeting was informed that skill education has been introduced in 1,350 high and higher secondary schools, 3,008 digital laboratories have been established, while 2,388 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratories and 4,597 smart classrooms are being set up. It was also informed that 396 schools have been approved under the PM-SHRI scheme, with 45 Atal Tinkering Labs and 159 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) laboratories already established.
Reviewing the Higher Education Department, officials informed the minister that ₹468 crore has been approved for 2026-27, with ₹227.71 crore available for expenditure. Under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), formerly Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), works worth ₹75.35 crore are planned during the current financial year.
The department is also targeting completion of five college buildings, 14 additional and administrative blocks, four science blocks, 12 classroom blocks, 11 library automation projects, eight multipurpose halls, two library blocks, three hostels and 12 smart classrooms under the CAPEX programme. Under SASCI, 21 works worth ₹71.77 crore are planned for 2026-27.
Reviewing the Health and Medical Education Department, Itoo directed officials to accelerate infrastructure development in hospitals and health institutions and ensure timely completion of projects under SASCI and CAPEX.
Officials informed the meeting that 64 dialysis centres have been established across 32 Sub-District Hospitals (SDHs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs). Cath labs are proposed for Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) Doda and Baramulla during the current financial year, while PET scan facilities costing ₹35 crore are planned for GMC Srinagar and GMC Kathua. The department also proposed installation of 51 Artificial Intelligence-enabled X-ray machines at a cost of ₹2.50 crore, besides allocating ₹9.50 crore for maintenance of lifts and oxygen plants.
Reviewing the Social Welfare Department, the minister directed officials to ensure transparent and time-bound implementation of welfare schemes and strengthen institutional infrastructure to improve service delivery.
Senior officers briefed the minister on the status of ongoing projects, expenditure, achievements and implementation challenges, and assured her that efforts were being made to complete all works in line with government priorities.
