New Delhi, Nov 29: In a significant development, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday conducted a thorough review of the arrangements with the administration for the successful conduct of the “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra” in Jammu & Kashmir, with a particular emphasis on his Lok Sabha constituency of Udhampur-Kathua-Doda.
The review meeting, held via video conference, included key officials such as Nodal Officer for the Yatra in J&K Piyush Singla, DC Kathua Rakesh Minhas, DC Kishtwar Devansh Yadav, DC Udhampur Saloni Rai, DC Doda Harvinder Singh, DC Ramban Bashir-ul-haq, DC Reasi Vishesh Pal Mahajan, and Central Bureau of Communication/I&B Incharge Ayushi Puri. Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, although travelling, provided his inputs via audio.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15, 2023, the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra aims to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the Central Government, ensuring the benefits reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner. The Yatra includes on-spot services, with health camps organized at the places of halt in Gram Panchayats.
Dr Jitendra Singh directed district officials to ensure maximum local participation, urging efforts to ensure all eligible citizens avail themselves of Central Government welfare schemes. The meeting discussed the deployment of 107 IEC vans in the UT of J&K, with a focus on reaching out to people and creating awareness about various welfare schemes.
The Yatra, flagged off by the Prime Minister, started from districts with significant tribal populations initially and is expected to cover all districts across the country by January 25, 2024. Similar vans were flagged off from 68 districts across the country by dignitaries such as Governors, Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, and Ministers of State.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the Sankalp Yatra commenced from Budhal and Gurez areas of Rajouri and Bandipora districts, respectively. Dr Jitendra Singh stressed the importance of the Yatra in creating awareness and providing benefits of welfare schemes to the people. He emphasized the need for enrollment of potential beneficiaries through details ascertained during the Yatra.
The IEC vans, customized for effective dissemination of information, showcase major schemes, highlights, and achievements in Hindi and state languages. Various Jan Bhagidari events, including interactions with beneficiaries, celebration of scheme achievements, and health camps, are part of the ground activities.
The Viksit Bharat Campaign, among the largest outreach initiatives, aims to cover over 2.55 lakh Gram Panchayats and over 3,600 urban local bodies by January 25, 2024, reaching every district in the country. As of November 26, 2023, 5,470 health camps have been conducted in 995 Gram Panchayats, reporting a total footfall of more than 7,82,000 people.
The entire campaign is being planned and implemented with a ‘whole of Government’ approach, involving active participation from State Governments, District authorities, Urban Local Bodies, and Gram Panchayats. The ongoing efforts seek to ensure the benefits of government schemes reach every citizen across Jammu & Kashmir and the entire country.
