Three days after the launching of the fourth episode of the ambitious "Back-to-Village" campaign in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday reviewed the progress and further action plan for saturation of deliverables during the ongoing programme.
"Back-to-Village" is the celebration of inclusive development, "Jan Bhagidari", and public awareness. It is a unique and ambitious exercise of taking the government to the doorsteps of people.
The Lieutenant Governor highlighted the role of the people, public representatives, and government departments in the peace and development process.
He said it is not just the police and security forces' responsibility to establish peace but also the prime objective of every stakeholder of the community as well as those in the civil administration to ensure all sections of society enjoy the fruits of development.
"Back-to-Village" also provides an opportunity for every single individual to foil the nefarious attempt of anti-social elements.
"People should expose justification or condone of terrorism under whatever pretext by those trying to disrupt peace," the Lt Governor said.
He observed that the people are now coming out on the street to isolate individuals spreading hatred and inciting violence. "People want development, prosperity for the society, and a better future for the country. Those with vested interest are rattled by the overall transformation in the Union Territory and fast-paced socio-economic growth", he maintained.
Officers asked to identify youth for skill development, self-employment
The Lt Governor directed the visiting officers to identify the youth for self-employment and skill development programmes as per their abilities.
He further called for taking on board private and government banks for providing financial assistance to youth for self-employment.
He asked the IT department to create awareness among youth about the online gaming gambling, and cyber and information security threats.
On being briefed about the targets aimed to be achieved during the ongoing fourth edition of the programme, the Lt Governor directed the Deputy Commissioners and concerned departments to ensure saturation of all deliverables.
'People First' should be the spirit of the programme. It is the administration's responsibility to watch over the interests of the common man and help them to prosper. Officers on the ground must establish close interaction and cooperation with the people as well PRIs, monitor the quality of delivery of public services and bottlenecks in the field to be assessed, the Lt Governor told the officers.
Earlier three editions of the "Back-to-Village" programme yielded encouraging results
In June 2019, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir embarked on the "Back-to-Village" programme, a unique and ambitious exercise of taking the government to the doorsteps of people.
It involved the visit of over 4,000 Gazetted officers of J&K to each and every Panchayat and spending two days and a night there.
From June 20-27, 2019 over 4000 gazetted officers spent two days and one night in each of the 4483 Panchayats of J&K.
Every officer from the Chief Secretary downwards was allotted a Panchayat where he spent two days including a night halt and every Panchayat was allotted a gazetted visiting officer.
The principal aim of this ambitious initiative was the strengthening of the newly constituted Panchayats and taking administration and its officers to the doorstep of villagers to redress the governance and communication deficit in the villages.
The visiting officers stayed for at least two days including a night halt in the village. The officers lived with the villagers, sharing not just food and accommodation but also their concerns and dreams.
The second phase from November 25-30, 2019
Encouraged by the success of the first edition of the programme, the government decided to embark on its second phase. Like the first phase, here too nearly 4500 officers at all levels visited each Panchayat, one officer per Panchayat, and stayed there for two days and a night, interacting with the people and discussing the various developmental programmes and understanding also how they can be made more effective.
The third edition from October 2-12, 2020
The third edition of "Back-to-Village" was organized from October 2-12, 2020. The third edition was designed in an action-oriented format with a clear focus on implementation and execution. The third edition aimed to not just tabulate the grievances and demands but address them by concrete action on the ground.
