Orientation-cum-awareness camp held at Anantnag

ANANTNAG, JANUARY 15: An orientation-cum-awareness camp organized by the Social Welfare Department was held here today.

The District Development Commissioner, Mohammad Younis Malik and Director Social Welfare Department, Kashmir, Hashmat Ali Yatoo were the chief guests on the occasion.

The awareness camp was aimed to create public awareness among the people so that the benefits of different schemes reach the deserving beneficiaries.

Speaking on the occasion, the DDC said that the department is playing a pivotal role in ameliorating the conditions of the downtrodden sections of the society. "There is a need to disseminate the information about welfare schemes to those beneficiaries which have hitherto not benefited so far," said the DDC.

He said that a compendium of different schemes has been formulated which shall be distributed among the people for taking due benefits of the schemes under execution of different departments. Besides, he impressed upon the employees of the department for proper identification of beneficiaries in a transparent manner.

The DDC also requested the Director Social Welfare Department to look into the pendencies under different schemes.

On the occasion, the Director Social Welfare Department highlighted the departmental schemes which he said have changed socio-economic conditions of the weaker sections of the society to a large extent.

District Social Welfare Officers of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian gave detailed description of different schemes including National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Integrated Social Security Schemes (ISSS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), State Marriage Assistance Scheme (SMAS), CSSS, Hunnar, Aasra, various scholarship schemes, grant-in-aid to handicapped and downtrodden sections of the society, rehabilitation schemes for militancy affected victims,  and like schemes being implemented by the department and State Rehabilitation Council.

A sensitization lecture on drug de-addiction was also organized to educate the people about the ill effects of substance abuse.

The function was also attended by Assistant Director, Schemes & Chief Accounts Officer of Directorate of Social Welfare Kashmir, TSOs, and officials of Social Welfare Department, besides village heads, representatives of political parties and a large gathering of people.