KATHUA: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today directed the district administration to launch concerted campaign against illegal mining and drug abuse. He said, Kathua was earning a bad reputation on these accounts.

Dr Jitendra Singh also disclosed that North India's first Govt Homeopathy College at Kathua will admit the first batch of students this year. Also he said that the much demanded Army recruitment will be held here in the month of March.

The Minister was chairing meeting of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) here today with the district administration and representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). During the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee Meeting (DISHA) held in the office of Deputy Commissioner, the Union Minister was briefed on the status of implementation of several schemes.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Jitendra Singh directed the officials to ensure implementation of schemes related to water, electricity, health and education, in active collaboration with local MLAs and representatives of PRIs. Dr Singh also directed that works pertaining to roads, water and electricity must be accorded the highest priority so that common citizens are put to minimum inconvenience. Dr Singh issued the direction that both officers and public representatives must jointly conduct field visits and address issues expeditiously

The Union Minister suggested that Public Works Department (PWD) should work in close coordination with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) vis-à-vis certain road projects, including Basohli Highway, to remove bottlenecks in their execution. He also underscored that there must be no compromise on the quality of material being used in building roads. Dr Singh also directed that timelines of projects aimed at improving connectivity must be adhered to.

On Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G), Dr Jitendra Singh said all efforts must be made to ensure saturation of the schemes. He issued the direction that the concerned officials must visit villages to check the status of houses built under the scheme, and identify places where no houses have come up till date. Dr Singh said the left-over locations must be catered to without further delay.

The Union Minister urged the MLAs to create awareness about the benefits of PM SVANidhi in their areas so that more beneficiaries can be enrolled into it. He stated that the Narendra Modi is the first dispensation providing incentives to street vendors to earn a livelihood with dignity. In a similar vein, the Minister called for organising awareness camps on schemes like PM-Kisan and PM Fasal Bima Yojana to encourage more farmers to avail the benefits. He said PM Vishwakarma scheme needs to be promoted, and festivals for creating awareness about cultivation of lavender be organised.

Dr Jitendra Singh also called for launching a multi-agency campaign to deal with the twin issues of drug menace and illegal mining. He said these evils have brought ignominy to Kathua.

Today's DISHA meeting was attended among others by MLA, Kathua, Dr Bharat Bhushan; MLA, Barnoti, Rajiv Jasrotia; MLA, Hiranagar, Vijay Sharma; MLA, Basohli, Darshan Singh; MLA, Bani, Rameshwar Singh; DDC, Chairperson, Mahan Singh; DDC, Vice Chairperson, Raghunandan Singh; SSP, Kathua Shobhit Saxena, and officers of various departments of the district administration.