JAMMU: Today, Dr. Piyush Singla took over as secretary for the Planning, Development, and Monitoring Department (PD&MD). Dr. Piyush Singla presided over a meeting of the department’s personnel and the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, J&K, at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu after taking over the reins. The Kashmir-based officers participated in the meeting virtually. Dr. Piyush Singla received a thorough presentation outlining the duties of the Planning, Development, and Monitoring Department. The Secretary was notified by the Director General of Economics and Statistics that both Gazetted and Non-Gazetted DPCs had been held, and that several officers had been promoted to higher positions. Dr. Piyush Singla was apprised of the ongoing projects, court cases, RTI cases, SRO-43/RAS cases, grievances, and other administrative difficulties by the PD&MD administration unit. The Secretary also received an update on the physical and financial development of centrally sponsored programmes and centre sector programmes like BADP, PMDP, and RMIS. Pro Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI), Project Monitoring Group (Central/UT), E-Smiksha, Prime Minister’s Reconstruction 20 Points Programme, Aspirational District/Block/Panchayat Programmes, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), District Good Governance Index (DGGI), and Departmental Deliverables statuses were also highlighted. The Department conducts 100% physical verification of completed works, evaluation studies of schemes and projects, peak harvesting prices, Index of Industrial Production (IIP), Economic Census, State Domestic Product/District Domestic Product, Civil Registration System (CRS), KAP Surveys, etc., the DG, E&S informed the Secretary. The Secretary instructed the officers and officials to focus particularly on data analysis, orientation/training programmes, capacity building programmes, and sharing the price data with the Deputy Commissioners every two weeks. He claimed that officers in the Planning Cadre are doing a good job of formulating plans, gathering data, and evaluating those plans.Additionally, he stated that the Sustainable Development Goals should receive greater attention because they are a crucial part of the planning process. The meeting was attended by the Director General of Planning, the Director of Finance in the Planning Department, the Special Secretary of Planning, the Joint Directors of Planning, and other senior departmental executives.
