Release state share of funds for districts, CM tells admn

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 24

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has directed the administration to ensure release of state share for the districts, enabling Deputy Commissioners to access the Central share of funding for achieving both physical and financial targets fixed during the District Development Board (DDB) meetings.

Since 50 per cent of the Rs 6,000 crore kitty under Centrally sponsored schemes has been earmarked for the education sector alone, he passed instructions for approaching the MHRD to convene its meeting of the Project Approval Board so that funds under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan were sanctioned at the earliest.

The Chief Minister was chairing a meeting here today to review implementation of decisions taken in the DDB meetings, stock position of essential supplies and commodities, solid waste management plans and flood protection measures.

Giving a brief overview about the status of board decisions, the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon, said of the 223 DDB decisions, 59 had been implemented while 163 were at various stages of implementation.

It was stated that 112 snow-clearance machines had been deployed and buffer stocks of 1 lakh tonne of foodgrain and 1 lakh LPG cylinders were available to meet the demand in the peak winter season. “The LPG stock will be raised to 4 lakh cylinders to meet the requirement of consumers in winter,” he said in the meeting.

Referring to the colossal damage inflicted by the devastating floods in September 2014, the Chief Minister said flood prevention measures had become imperative to avert loss of life and property in the future.

He referred to the component of funds earmarked for flood protection and management under the Prime Minister’s development package announced recently.

Mufti instructed the Irrigation and Flood Control Department to firm up a comprehensive flood management plan which factored in all elements required to substantially increase the carrying capacity of rivers and spill channels and take care of fortification of river banks.