Central sponsored & NABARD funded projects reviewed
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 19 Jun: Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan today reviewed the progress and the current status of various centrally sponsored schemes, externally aided projects, NABARD initiatives and Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) programmes for the financial year 2026–27 at the Secretariat. During the review meeting, the CS directed all the departments concerned to set quarterly targets and upload them promptly on the IFMS portal.
Bardhan instructed the Finance Department not to impose budget ceilings under NABARD for livelihood-related sectors such as animal husbandry and fisheries, emphasising that these schemes should be utilised extensively in Vibrant Villages to generate employment opportunities. He asked the Planning and Finance Departments to coordinate with all departments and keep proposals worth Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 crores ready, shortlisting schemes and preparing a tentative list on priority basis. He stressed that departments must continue to prepare strong proposals and forward them to the government, while funding sources could be decided subsequently.
Special attention was also paid during the review to infrastructure development in education and health. In this regard, Bardhan asked the departments to strengthen the school and hospital buildings under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) of NABARD. He instructed the Irrigation Department to prepare a financial timeline for the construction of the Song and Jamrani dams and submit it at the earliest, ensuring strict monitoring and adherence to deadlines.
The CS also asked the Irrigation Department and Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) to extend the benefits of the PM Kusum scheme to more farmers and he also directed the Principal Secretary Energy to convene a coordination meeting with these agencies. The Transport Department was told to saturate all major travel routes, including the Char Dham corridors, with EV charging stations. Bardhan said that the locations of these stations should be displayed on Google Maps to instil confidence among tourists bringing electric vehicles to the state’s long and challenging hill routes.
Among those present at the meeting were Principal Secretary Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram, PCCF Kapil Lal, Secretaries Dilip Jawalkar, BVRC Purushottam, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, V Shanmugam, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, C Ravishankar, Yugal Kishore Pant and SN Pandey along with other senior officials.
