District-wise plans in works to push central schemes in J&K

NEW DELHI: The Centre is preparing a plan to ensure 100% coverage of its direct benefit schemes for students and youngsters in Jammu & Kashmir after a review showed the schemes had failed to meet targets. A series of inter-ministerial meetings chaired by the home secretary in New Delhi last month also decided to draw up district-wise ratings to assess the exact spread, reach and delivery of individual beneficiary centric schemes.

The meetings assessed individual benefit schemes run by the human resource development ministry, skill development ministry, tribal affairs ministry and the ministry of minority affairs. The HRD ministry’s centrally sponsored scholarship scheme for colleges and universities was expected to reach 1,285 students by March 2020, but only 81 students have benefitted so far and not a single student has availed of the special scholarship scheme meant for 983 students in J&K.

The interest subsidy scheme target was 11,079 beneficiaries but only 3,563 have availed of it. The national merit-cum-means scholarship for school goers has reached only 235 children. The tribal affairs ministry reported that no one sought pre-matric and post-matric scholarships in J&K. The minority affairs ministry’s scheme for formal school education and skilling of school dropouts had about 7,000 beneficiaries from J&K against a countrywide target of one lakh. The ministry, however, has met targets and exceeded them in certain schemes. Against expected 1.14 lakh beneficiaries of its pre-matric scholarships, there were 1.72 lakh beneficiaries in J&K in 2018-19. Similarly, over 56,000 students benefited from post-matric scheme against the 19,142 projected beneficiaries. The Maulana Azad National fellowship covered 178 students against a projection of 38 beneficiaries.


The ministries have now been asked to outline the percentage of people covered through schemes vis-à-vis the total population and help draw up a district-wise ratings. The reach of similar schemes in other states will also be assessed and compared with implementation in J&K. It also emerged at the meeting that certain schemes were demand driven and there can be progress only when there are sufficient applicants from the state. Special efforts, therefore, need to be made to reach out to potential applicants.

The meetings also took on board proposals the J&K administration had made. The union territory has sought funds to set up 50 new colleges, 500 new higher secondary schools, 100 libraries, hostels for students from scheduled tribes, a Rs 200-crore skill development programme — proposals which are under discussion at the Centre.