Srinagar, Oct 22: Union Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Sudhansh Pant, on Thursday lauded Jammu and Kashmir’s grassroots outreach under social welfare schemes and its coordinated approach to tackling drug abuse, saying the initiatives could serve as a model for replication across the country.
Pant made the remarks during a review of various social welfare schemes and programmes in the Union Territory, co-chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo. He appreciated the administration’s efforts to take welfare interventions to villages and panchayats and stressed the need for stronger interdepartmental coordination to ensure benefits reach all eligible beneficiaries.
Highlighting the importance of outcome-oriented welfare delivery, Pant called for documenting beneficiaries’ experiences and showcasing success stories to raise awareness about the impact of government schemes. He also encouraged the administration to work towards making urban centres begging-free through focused rehabilitation, sustained support and collaboration with non-governmental organisations.
During the meeting, the Social Welfare Department presented progress under several centrally sponsored and UT-level schemes covering drug de-addiction, educational scholarships, senior citizen welfare, rehabilitation, sanitation-worker safety and protection of vulnerable communities.
Under the Nasha Mukt J&K 100 Days Abhiyan, more than 7.21 million outreach events have been conducted across the Union Territory through coordinated efforts involving multiple departments, according to the review.
Addiction Treatment Facilities have handled 66,594 outpatients, while the department’s drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres have provided care to 1,053 individuals.
On the enforcement front, police registered 1,187 FIRs and arrested 1,349 persons.
Financial investigations into drug trafficking also resulted in the seizure or attachment of 125 immovable properties valued at ₹98.28 crore and 60 movable assets worth ₹7.04 crore.
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 framework.
Dr Arshad Hussain, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Government Medical College Srinagar, outlined J&K’s Circle of Care approach to substance use disorders. The model aims to ensure continuity of care through treatment, rehabilitation, social reintegration and long-term monitoring.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to inclusive growth, social justice and community empowerment. He stressed that welfare schemes must reach every eligible beneficiary, particularly those from disadvantaged and underprivileged sections.
The department also reviewed progress under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, under which 419 villages have been selected for development as model villages. Of these, 28 have been declared Adarsh Grams, while 81 development works have been completed so far during 2026–27.
Under the Grants-in-Aid component of PM-AJAY, ₹496.59 lakh has been utilised for basic infrastructure, skill development and income-generating assets.
For senior citizens, 17 homes are operational across J&K under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana. Eight facilities in Jammu division and nine in Kashmir division accommodate around 450 senior citizens.
The review meeting also covered educational scholarships for OBC, EBC and DNT communities under PM-YASASVI, along with schemes for Scheduled Caste students.
As of October 15, 2026, authorities had received 20,611 applications against a target of 24,817 under PM-YASASVI for the 2026–27 academic year. Under Scheduled Caste scholarship schemes, 5,613 post-matric and 2,866 pre-matric applications had been submitted through the National Scholarship Portal. Special drives and individual follow-ups are underway to clear pending cases and expedite Aadhaar seeding.
Under the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), 741 sewer and septic tank workers had been profiled across 74 Urban Local Bodies, of whom 734 had been validated. The department also profiled 5,862 urban waste pickers, with 4,508 validated.
A total of 721 personal protective equipment kits had been distributed to sewer and septic tank workers and 3,854 kits to waste pickers.
The meeting further reviewed safeguards under the Protection of Civil Rights framework and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The SAMBAL 2.0 portal has resolved 63 of 66 registered online grievances, while ₹58.60 lakh in relief was disbursed through direct benefit transfers to 50 victims of atrocities between 2022 and 2026.
During the deliberations, the J&K administration flagged the pending central financial share for certain OBC hostel projects, stating that the delay had affected their completion. It sought the Ministry’s intervention for the release of the required funds to facilitate the early completion of the facilities.
Pant also acknowledged the role of Chief Secretary Dulloo in guiding the Social Welfare Department and emphasised sustained coordination among departments to improve implementation.
The review concluded with an emphasis on timely resolution of bottlenecks, wider beneficiary outreach and better documentation of success stories to ensure that welfare interventions translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.