Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday held a public darbar in Ramban and interacted with groups and delegations of public in the presence of senior government officials including those from NHAI and the UT administration. This was Singh’s second such event in Ramban in recent months.
Speaking on the occasion, Jitendra Singh said, “The government has taken several path-breaking measures in the last decade to scale up infrastructure development in Ramban district of J&K.”
The Minister said, during the period, the steps taken were two-pronged. “The first and foremost was to overcome the deprivations of the past as well as resume the stalled projects, and latter to initiate ambitious projects to boost connectivity in the district.”
Singh said earlier the travel from Jammu to Ramban would take an entire day but now the distance is covered less than two hours. He stated that Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee Tunnel connecting Ramban with Udhampur is one such example of boosting connectivity in the region.
Singh said the Union government is focused on bringing state-of-the-art facilities to rural areas of the country under the auspices of ‘Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur’ programme, and improving grievance redressal mechanism besides ushering in more transparency in governance.
He also chaired the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee Meeting (DISHA) in the office of Deputy Commissioner to review the status of ongoing projects and public welfare schemes.
He called for maximising awareness at the local level about the salient features of the schemes, namely PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijili Yojana, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, with focus on providing health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above.
Underscoring the importance of PM Vishwakarma Yojana, Jitendra Singh said it aims to uplift individuals skilled in various traditional crafts, thereby preserving India’s rich cultural heritage. He said the initiative is also aimed at improving the quality and reach of handicraft products as well as ensuring that craftsmen are integrated with the domestic and global value chains.
He directed the officials to work in close coordination for effective implementation of the schemes related to water, electricity, housing and other civic amenities. He said all out efforts must be made for ensuring ease of living for inhabitants of far-flung areas of the district.