Hafeez reviews Social Welfare Dept’s performance

Srinagar, Jul 16: Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez, on Wednesday chaired a review meeting at Women Development Corporation, Bemina here. The meeting took stock of overall functioning, financial performance and key initiatives under Centrally Sponsored and UT-funded schemes.The Commissioner Secretary emphasised that the Social Welfare Department operates as a dynamic, continuous service delivery system rather than a one-time initiative. He instructed the officers to adopt this process-driven approach while implementing the welfare programmes.Comprehensive presentations were made on major missions such as Mission Poshan, Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya, besides pension and scholarship schemes. The department’s financial performance for 2024-25 was reviewed, revealing an overall fund utilisation of 86 per cent. The budgetary provisions for 2025-26 were also discussed.The Commissioner Secretary issued key directives focusing on strengthening the cross-departmental convergence, particularly for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and expediting the completion and timely operationalisation of the ongoing infrastructure projects.He asked the officers to prioritise disposal of pendencies in Marriage Assistance and Ladli Beti Schemes besides ensuring proper gender-responsive budgeting and monitoring mechanisms. He also directed them to ensure the timely submission of Utilisation Certificates and the preparation of impact assessment reports.Reiterating the importance of a proactive and transparent approach, the Commissioner Secretary underscored the need to ensure efficient service delivery to all eligible beneficiaries. The meeting was attended by the senior officers from all the Directorates, mission directorates, boards and Corporations of the Social Welfare Department.