Srinagar, July 09 (KNS): The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (GoI) has sought detailed report from the Jammu and Kashmir government on the series of schemes meant for the poor and downtrodden people in the State to ensure proper monitoring and implementation.

The MHA led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah under the slogan of “poorest of poor should benefit from the series of Central sponsored schemes.”

Reliable sources told Kashmir News Service (KNS) that after the recent visit to Kashmir by the Union Home Minister, Jammu and Kashmir government, especially the social welfare department was under pressure to implement dozens of schemes that otherwise were going on at snail’s pace in the State, to ensure poorest of poor are benefited.

Sources said in the presentation made before the Union Home Minister at SKICC on June 26, about various developmental schemes especially those managed by the Social Welfare department, were found running at a very low pace and that there was a need to speed up the implementation.

“Yes the Union Home Minister has passed the directions to the State government ensure the benefits reach poorest of the poor,” sources, privy to the June 26, meeting revealed. They said that in the presentation, many loopholes were found such as less implementation, while as beneficiaries’ were left out in many cases unheard.

The implementation of schemes that are under scanner include Integrated Child Protection Schemes where in free nutrition is being provided to the poor children aged between 0 to 6 years. “Besides there are other schemes that include old age pension, old age benefits, widow pension etc where State has a huge backlog,” sources said.

They said in a fresh direction passed by the MHA to the J&K government especially the Social Welfare Department to ensure timely implementation and has sought detailed report on the progress achieved on the various schemes.

“The MHA has sought weekly report from the social welfare department stating that there is lot of backlog in the schemes and that the poor were being left out and forced to wait for months and years together,” a source in the MHA told KNS. “The fact is that MHA is keen to ensure that the real benefit reaches to the poorest of poor.” (KNS)