DISHA district-wise meeting series to start from July 9 — MP Jamir

KOHIMA — Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir on Friday announced that the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) will kick-start a district-wise meeting series in Nagaland, beginning with Peren on July 9.

Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Kohima, the MP stated that the committee will cover six to seven districts in the first phase of the district-wise meetings.

The committee will coordinate, monitor and ensure the implementation of the centrally sponsored schemes provided by the Union ministry to the state.

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The committee is headed by Jamir as chairman and Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland as co-chairman. At the state level, the committee is headed by the chief minister as chairman, with the minister of Rural Development as co-chairman, and the principal secretary of Rural Development as member secretary.

The committee will ensure implementation of the schemes, check diversions of funds, and address people’s grievances. If faced with a situation where projects are not reaching out to villages, then the council chairmen have the right to write their grievances to the district collectors or deputy commissioners as the latter is a member secretary of the Disha.

The committee will oversee the departments implementing the schemes, identifying any challenges or funding constraints they face, and provide necessary support to facilitate smooth implementation.

The district-level committee will conduct thorough examinations and forward its observations to the state Disha committee, which will then ensure the report is submitted to the ministry.

Jamir noted that some nodal agencies might not be accessing project sanctions due to communication gaps or lack of awareness about the projects. He also highlighted that many departments are not maintaining proper records.

The MP assured that the committee's role is to provide support in implementing the schemes and will communicate the issues to the ministry.

Additionally, he stated that the committee will report to the ministry if it finds any misuse of funds and will recommend continued support if departments are performing well.

The committee has the power to summon and as well as the right to verify projects, particularly those that are incomplete within the given timeframe. In such cases, an additional 30 days will be granted to complete the project.

On the Gramin Dak Sevaks in postal services, he put up a request to state government to implement and declare local languages and dialects to be recognised as a third language, especially with reference to the GDS employment in the Postal department. Accordingly, the state government is working towards declaring this policy at the earliest and expressed hope for a positive outcome.

Further, the Congress leader emphasised the need for landowners to collaborate with the state government for development purposes, either by permitting land use or understanding the government's vision. He highlighted the importance of leveraging Article 371A, which provides special protections to Nagaland, to drive state development and activities while gaining the trust of landowners.