The State Rural Development Minister presided over a State-level vigilance and monitoring committee here on Monday.
Addressing the officials in the meeting, the Minister stressed upon the official responsibility of executing schemes for facilitating rural development while also ensuring the desired quality of the works. The Minister also expressed concern stating that eight settlements with a population of about 1,000 persons and 45 villages with about 500 residents each had not yet been covered under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the State of Uttarakhand.
Singh opined the probable reason for these villages not being covered so far under the PMGSY could include factors like forest rules . He said, “It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that we are presently in the phase 14 of the PMGSY though eight villages of 1,000 populations had not yet been covered under this scheme. The Government of India has set up a target of covering such settlements with down to a population of 250 persons under the PMGSY by the year 2019,” he said. Addressing the Members of Parliament, the State Rural Development Minister expressed hope that the MPs will make necessary effort to advocate strongly in favour of the interests of the State when it comes to central assistance for the facilitation of rural development.
Stating that the SECC-2011 survey undertaken by the Government of India as part of the Indira Awas Yojana was inadequate, he directed the officials concerned to ensure that the families eligible for benefit who have been left out of the list should also be added to the same.
Regarding this issue, the principal secretary of rural development brought it to the cognizance of the Minister that the Centre had stated that after cover is provided to the families listed in the SECC-2011 survey, work will then be started on providing cover under the scheme by listing the families left so far.
According to the SECC-2011 survey data, the 13 districts of Uttarakhand have 21,930 families are to be provided under the cover of benefit facilitated under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural).
So far since 2011, about 4,033 eligible intended beneficiaries have derived the benefit of the PMAY (rural), he informed.