Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired a high-level meeting to review progress on financial inclusion schemes, social security coverage, district Capex, and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) works programme. The Chief Minister also assessed GST collections, including tax and non-tax revenue, for the current financial year.
The meeting saw participation from Advisor to the CM Nasir Aslam Wani, Additional Chief Secretary Dheeraj Gupta, all administrative secretaries, deputy commissioners, and other concerned officials both in-person and virtually.
Principal Secretary Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya, presented detailed updates on financial and social inclusion schemes, revenue trends, and district-wise progress on Capex and CDF works.
Noting delays in tendering and uploading of works, the Chief Minister directed departments to monitor progress on a monthly basis rather than waiting until the final quarter. “Departments must not wait for February and March to chase revenue targets. Each department will receive a six-month revenue target breakdown and should begin immediate action with a clear monthly plan,” he said.
He emphasized that Deputy Commissioners will be given district-specific instructions regarding social welfare schemes such as PM Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, and other pensions. The CM urged officials to identify reasons for any drop in enrollment and announced a three-month review to monitor improvements in coverage.
CM Omar Abdullah also called for expediting the finalization of CDF works, ensuring all projects are uploaded on the BEAMS portal, and keeping MLAs informed about prioritized works and unviable projects. He cautioned that delays in revenue mobilization could force the government to impose cuts in departmental expenditure, placing responsibility on each department for timely progress.
While social security schemes have shown significant growth—PMJDY accounts crossing 23 lakh, PMSBY enrollments at 23.8 lakh, and PMJJBY covering nearly 9.83 lakh individuals—the Chief Minister noted that registration under the Building & Other Construction Workers Board remains low despite ₹166.90 crore being disbursed to 2.5 lakh beneficiaries in 2024-25.
He stressed strengthening monitoring of expenditure and revenue, ensuring 100% upload of works on BEAMS, accelerating administrative approvals and tendering, and running awareness campaigns to improve access to social security schemes and faster settlement of claims.
The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to social security, inclusive growth, and fiscal discipline, urging all departments and deputy commissioners to work closely with the Finance Department to achieve set targets. (Agencies)
