CM Sukhu on Thursday reviewed the progress of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department’s flagship initiative, ‘Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana’, and announced that block-level Jan Samvad programmes will be held across the state from August 6 to 8.
The programmes will be chaired by the respective MLAs, with clusters of up to 10 Gram Panchayats participating in each event. Families identified as the poorest of the poor through the Rural Development Department’s survey will be invited to interact directly with public representatives.
The Chief Minister said the discussions would focus on improving the socio-economic condition of these families by ensuring better access to government welfare schemes. Feedback gathered during the Jan Samvad programmes will be used to design targeted interventions and strengthen implementation at the grassroots level.
Sukhu said an extensive eight-phase survey had identified nearly 1.78 lakh ultra-poor families across Himachal Pradesh. Of these, around 85,000 families had never been included in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and had consequently remained outside the ambit of state welfare schemes.
He said the ‘Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana’, announced in the current financial year’s state budget, aims to provide comprehensive support to these families, improve their livelihoods and enhance their quality of life, while contributing to the state’s overall economic development.
The Chief Minister also stressed that the identification of beneficiaries was carried out through a transparent process, with officials held accountable to ensure the credibility and fairness of the survey.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
