Commissioner Secretary Planning Reviews Vibrant Village Programme-II in Border Villages of Kathua
Kathua, May 15 (PTK): Commissioner Secretary, Information, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, R. Alice Vaz on Thursday visited Bobiya village in Kathua district to review the implementation of Vibrant Village Programme-II and convened a public outreach camp to assess the developmental needs and aspirations of border residents.
R. Alice Vaz, who has been assigned the twin border villages of Bobiya and Gajnal under the programme, interacted with local stakeholders and reviewed developmental plans aimed at strengthening infrastructure and public services in the border areas.
Addressing the gathering, the Commissioner Secretary said the objective of the Vibrant Villages Programme is to ensure holistic and sustainable development of border villages by bridging developmental gaps in connectivity, healthcare, education, livelihoods and digital access.
She emphasized the importance of convergence and saturation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and UT-sponsored schemes and urged local residents to cooperate with the administration for smooth execution of developmental works.
The Commissioner Secretary also laid stress on effective implementation of individual beneficiary schemes with special emphasis on Holistic Agriculture Development Programme and Mission YUVA to maximise benefits for people living in border areas.
Former PRI members of Bobiya village appreciated the district administration for conducting an inclusive and participatory planning process while preparing developmental plans for the villages.
During the programme, Nodal Officer for Vibrant Village Bobiya and BDO Marheen Javed Iqbal and Nodal Officer for Vibrant Village Gajnal and Tehsildar Marheen Lekh Raj presented the proposed development plans for Bobiya and Gajnal villages.
Later, the Commissioner Secretary chaired a meeting with district and sectoral officers to review the status of proposed works and assess implementation of schemes being executed by departments including JPDCL, JAKEDA, Rural Development Department, Social Welfare, Agriculture, Jal Jeevan Mission and PMGSY.
She also stressed the need for organising awareness camps regarding welfare schemes and skill development opportunities so that maximum benefits reach eligible beneficiaries in remote border villages.
Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma informed the meeting that Kathua district has 216 border villages, of which six villages located near the International Border, including Bobiya, Gajnal, Rathua, Karol Krishna, Kadyala and Gujar Chak, are being covered under Vibrant Village Programme-II.
He said an extensive exercise had been conducted to gather developmental aspirations of the residents and prepare an inclusive development plan by involving all stakeholder departments and local inhabitants.
Earlier, Sub Divisional Magistrate Hiranagar Phulail Singh presented the border profile of Hiranagar Sub Division and highlighted the strategic importance of villages situated near the International Border.
(PTK)
