Commissioner Secretary RDD reviews progress on IWMP
Commissioner/ Secretary, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj Nirmal Sharma today convened a review meeting of Integrated Watershed Management Projects being executed in Jammu division.
During the meeting, detailed review of physical and financial progress achieved under different Watershed projects was taken besides deliberating on strategies for further streamlining of functioning of these projects.CEO SLNA, Joginder Singh Rai, Project Managers, Integrated Watershed Management Projects (IWMP) of Jammu, Samba, Reasi, Kathua, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda besides field staff from all the districts and Chairman and Secretaries of different Water Shed Management Committees attended the meeting.
Deliberating upon the role and scope of watershed management, the Commissioner stressed on timely completion of the ongoing projects and asked the project managers and field functionaries to redouble their efforts in order to ensure that water resources are conserved and regenerated in the identified watershed areas of the state. She said that ambitious IWMP has multifaceted role and due stress needs to be laid on promoting farming and allied activities besides ensuring that productivity in the watershed areas is enhanced and sustainable livelihood for people gets promoted.
She took a detailed review of watershed projects in all the districts of the division and stressed on increasing the productivity of the areas under the project.
“Our aim should be to work towards better water management and rejuvenating the water bodies of the watershed areas but all those who are involved in the IWMP have to make sure that the people concerned get help in activities of sustained livelihood as well as production system and micro enterprises.” She added.
Responding to feedback from watershed management committees, Nirmal Sharma asked for regular interactions with the concerned stakeholders so that a positive feedback should be incorporated in the plan formulation.
CEO informed the meeting that a total of 159 IWMPs worth Rs 979 crore have been approved for the state adding that Rs 161 crore have been released till date, of which, Rs 129.39 crore have been expended so far.
Project Managers gave power point presentation outlining the contours of watershed projects underway in their respective districts.
KV Correspondent
