Welfare schemes soon to reach at people's doorsteps : Minister

Jammu, Feb 16 (KNS): Minister for Social Welfare, Science and Technology, ARI & Trainings reviewed UNICEF program in J&K with Social Welfare Department. The meeting was conducted at Convention Centre Jammu where the Minister talked about stronger support for strengthening a new regime of development where the dignity of beneficiary is central to the Department.

Sajad Lone articulated the vision of department which is undergoing a transition form the charity driven values to the values where the rights of disempowered communities and their entitlements will guide the restructuring of social welfare department in the state.

“In addition to the competent and able administrators we also need people with passion in social sector and the department has designed a model through which the entire welfare will be taken to the community level through the social welfare councils that will handle every social welfare vertical whether children, women, senior citizens, differently able and several other welfare vertices that department empowers through number of schemes,” Lone said.

UNICEF was represented by Country Chief Luis Georges who assured the Minister complete support to the department especially in capacity building, system strengthening, monitoring, management information system as long as the befit is directly transacted to children.”

Faroogh, Chief of Field Services stressed upon the need for ensuring that the State does not focus much on institutional care and the initiatives like councils are the best forms of community based child protection or non-institutional care for the children who deserve special attention. The meeting was attended by Secretary Social Welfare, Sajad Ahamd Khan, Special Secretary Social Welfare, Tariq Ali, J&K State Mission Director ICDS/ICPS, Talat Parvaiz, OSD to Minister Social Welfare, Science and Technology, Ari & Training, Iftikar Hussain Kakroo, Director Social Welfare Jammu. Vir Ji Hangloo, Director Social Welfare Kashmir, Hasmay Ytoo. UNICEF was represented Chief was accompanied by Faroogh , Chief of field services, Vandhana Kandjari, Child Protection Specialist, Amita Tandon, Education Specalist and Hilal Bhat , UNICEF child protection Consultant for J&K.

The discussion started with setting for the context through a presentation by Hilal Bhat. (KNS)