BARAMULLA, JULY 10: In an initiative aimed at strengthening grassroots governance and ensuring effective implementation of development programmes in the border areas, the District Administration Baramulla successfully conducted a 3-day intensive field outreach under the Vibrant Villages Programme-II (VVP-II).
During the outreach programme District Level Officers undertook mandatory 24-hour night stays in the 18 identified Strategic/Vibrant Villages of the district.
The unique initiative, on the directions of District Development Commissioner (DDC) Baramulla, S.F. Hamid, was designed to provide senior officers with first-hand exposure of public service delivery in the Vibrant Villages by living among the local population and directly engaging with them to understand their aspirations and concerns.
Speaking about the initiative, the DDC said that it was aimed at obtaining a first-hand assessment of the developmental progress under VVP-II, understanding the aspirations and concerns of the people, and ensuring that future interventions are aligned with the actual needs and priorities of the border communities.
Over the course of the programme, officers stayed overnight in 18 Vibrant Villages across the border blocks of Uri, Boniyar, Bijhama and Paranpeela. During their visits, they conducted extensive inspections of developmental works and reviewed the implementation of various flagship Government schemes.
The officers also assessed the availability and quality of essential services and evaluated the status of critical infrastructure including roads, electricity, drinking water supply, healthcare, education, mobile connectivity and other public amenities.
Meanwhile, the visiting officers held detailed interactions with Panchayati Raj Institution representatives, Village Level Nodal Officers, frontline workers, youth, women, senior citizens and other members of the local community.
These interactions enabled the administration to gather valuable grassroots feedback regarding the progress achieved under the Vibrant Villages Programme, identify developmental gaps, and understand the genuine needs and expectations of the people living in these strategically important border villages.
Unlike conventional inspection visits, the overnight stay component allowed officers to experience village conditions during both day and night, helping them assess the effectiveness of public services and availability of other civic facilities from the perspective of the residents themselves.
The exercise also facilitated on-the-spot resolution of several public grievances, while issues requiring departmental intervention were documented for immediate follow-up. Officers identified priority areas requiring focused attention and recommended measures for accelerating developmental works and improving service delivery.
The reports collected will form the basis for a comprehensive district-level action plan aimed at ensuring saturation of developmental indicators and further strengthening infrastructure, public services and livelihood opportunities in the Vibrant Villages.
Additional District Development Commissioner Baramulla, Pranjal J. Hazarika; Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore, S.A.Raina; ADC Baramulla, Syed Altaf Hussain Musvi; SDM Uri, Prince Kumar; ACR Baramulla, Arshad Ahmad Khan; CPO Baramulla, Nisar Ahmad; ACD Baramulla, Mudasir Ahmad; SDM Pattan, Gulzar Ahmad; DIO Baramulla, Iftakhar Naseem and other district officers led the teams that visited 18 vibrant villages over the course of 3 days.
