Rs 32 crore for nutritional food, aid to disabled in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 14 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir government has earmarked Rs 16 crore for the purchase of nutritional food for 2.59 lakh children and expectant mothers while an amount of Rs 16 crore was provided to 1.5 lakh physically challenged people in the Valley so far during the current fiscal, an official spokesman said today.

He said about 2.59 lakh children up to the age of six years and expectant mothers were being provided nutritional food, pre-schooling and health cover facilities through 10,288 anganwari centres with 4500 of them newly opened in the Kashmir valley.

An amount of Rs 16 crore had been earmarked for purchase of nutritional food for the current fiscal, the spokesman added.

A high-level meeting was convened by Social Welfare Minister Haji Nisar Ali here last evening to review the performance of the department and also to devise a strategy for further streamlining its functioning.

Reviewing the implementation of the Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS), the meeting was told that Rs 16 crore had been provided as financial assistance to 1.5 lakh physically challenged people in the Kashmir valley so far during the current fiscal.

Besides, 40,000 aged people were covered under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS).

The Minister exhorted the officers to conduct a door-to-door survey to identify the disabled people so that they could be provided with the required financial assistance.

He said innovative measures were underway to make the functioning of the department more effective and in tune with the aspirations of the people.

The Minister called for periodical checking of anganwari centres and other units of the department to ensure accountability and punctuality and also stressed for involving locals to monitor judicious and proper distribution of nutritional food to the deserving children in their respective areas.

UNI