Minister for Social Welfare, Education and Health & Medical, Sakeena Itoo chaired the 45th Board of Directors (BoDs) meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Backward Classes (JKSCSTBC) Development Corporation at Civil Secretariat here.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare department, Sanjeev Verma; Secretary Tribal Affairs department, Prassanna Ramaswamy; Secretary Planning, Development and Monitoring department, Talat Parvez Rohella; DG, Development Expenditure, Sajad Hussain Ganie; MD JKSCSTBC, Ranjeet Singh; representatives of National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC), National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation (NDFDC), National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC), National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) and other concerned officers, either in person or through video conferencing.

During the Board meeting, Minister Sakeena, who is also Chairman of the BoDs, minutely assessed the Corporation’s progress in promoting social and economic upliftment of the SC, ST, BC and Specially abled communities across Jammu and Kashmir. She emphasized on the need to enhance outreach programs, streamline the loan disbursal process and ensure transparent implementation of welfare schemes.

Underlining the importance of inclusive growth, Minister Sakeena called for coordinated efforts among various stakeholders to empower marginalized sections through skill development, financial assistance and entrepreneurship support.

The Minister further reaffirmed the Government’s commitment towards driving equitable development and reiterated that proactive governance, community engagement and sustained financial inclusion remain central to Omar Abdullah led Government.

During the meeting, the BoDs took some significant decisions for improving the Corporation’s efficiency for divulging services to remote and underserved areas, including the introduction of digital platforms for beneficiary support and real-time monitoring of schemes.

In a landmark decision, the Board extended the benefits of Direct Financing scheme (DFS) and Education loan scheme (ELS) of corporation to Pahari Ethnic Group, including Paddari Tribe, Koli and Gadda Brahmin communities.

The BoDs also allowed the Corporation to fill up some urgently required positions on outsourcing basis in consultation with Finance department by following proper procedure laid down by Government.

The Board also approved the draft Annual Accounts of Financial year 2023-24 for onward submission to Statutory Auditor/CAG, besides Budget Estimates for the F.Y 2025-26 and Actuals for F.Y 2024-25 were also approved by the Board.

During the meeting, the BoDs also took some significant decisions in the interest of human resource welfare of the corporation.