At review meeting, Centre lauds grassroots approach; J&K seeks release of pending funds for OBC hostels
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Oct 23 ; Jammu and Kashmir has conducted more than 72 lakh outreach events under its 100-day anti-drug campaign, with police registering 1,187 FIRs and arresting 1,349 people, officials said.
The figures were presented at a review meeting on the implementation of social welfare schemes, jointly chaired by Union Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Sudhansh Pant and J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo.
Pant praised the Union Territory’s grassroots outreach and coordinated response to drug abuse, saying the approach could serve as a model for other parts of the country. He also called for assessing the impact of welfare schemes on students, senior citizens, destitute women and other vulnerable sections.
According to the official presentation, Addiction Treatment Facilities had treated 66,594 outpatients, while drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres had provided care to 1,053 people.
Financial investigations against drug traffickers had resulted in the seizure or attachment of 125 immovable properties worth Rs 98.28 crore and 60 movable assets valued at Rs 7.04 crore, officials said.
The meeting was also informed about the proposed Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026, which envisages a structured three-year recovery programme.
Dr Arshad Hussain, head of the Department of Psychiatry at Government Medical College, Srinagar, presented the administration’s ‘Circle of Care’ model for addressing substance use disorders. The approach aims to ensure continuity of care through treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and long-term monitoring.
Pant also called for making urban centres “Begging-Free Cities”, stressing the need for targeted rehabilitation, sustained support and collaboration with non-governmental organisations. He urged the administration to document beneficiaries’ experiences and highlight success stories to demonstrate the impact of welfare programmes.
Chief Secretary Dulloo said the administration was committed to ensuring that welfare benefits reached all eligible beneficiaries, particularly those from disadvantaged and underprivileged sections. He also highlighted safeguards against discrimination, harassment and atrocities targeting vulnerable groups.
The review covered schemes related to model villages, scholarships, senior citizen welfare, sanitation workers and the protection of disadvantaged communities.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, 419 villages had been selected for development as model villages, of which 28 had been declared Adarsh Grams. As many as 81 development works had been completed during the 2026-27 financial year so far, officials said.
Under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana, 17 senior citizen homes were operational across J&K, including eight in the Jammu division and nine in Kashmir, accommodating around 450 people.
For the 2026-27 academic year, 20,611 applications had been received against a target of 24,817 under PM-YASASVI, which provides scholarships to students from Other Backward Classes, Economically Backward Classes and De-notified Tribes, as of October 15.
The department had also received 5,613 post-matric and 2,866 pre-matric scholarship applications for Scheduled Caste students through the National Scholarship Portal. Officials said special drives and individual follow-ups were being undertaken to clear pending cases and expedite Aadhaar seeding.
Under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), 741 sewer and septic tank workers had been profiled across 74 urban local bodies, with 734 profiles validated. The department had also profiled 5,862 urban waste pickers, of whom 4,508 had been validated.
The administration had distributed 721 personal protective equipment kits to sewer and septic tank workers and 3,854 kits to waste pickers, officials said.
The meeting also reviewed the implementation of safeguards under the Protection of Civil Rights framework and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The SAMBAL 2.0 portal had resolved 63 of the 66 online grievances registered, while Rs 58.60 lakh had been disbursed through direct benefit transfers to 50 victims of atrocities between 2022 and 2026.
During the meeting, the J&K administration flagged delays in the release of central funds for certain OBC hostel projects, saying the pending funds had affected their completion. It sought the Ministry’s intervention to expedite the release of the required amount.
The review emphasised inter-departmental coordination, timely resolution of implementation hurdles and stronger outreach to ensure that welfare schemes deliver tangible benefits to eligible people.
