SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday reconstituted the Union Territory Project Monitoring Group (UT PMG), a high-level committee tasked with monitoring infrastructure and investment projects costing Rs 5 crore and above and resolving bottlenecks affecting their implementation.
An order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) said the reconstituted body, headed by the Chief Secretary, replaces the committee constituted in October 2022. It has been aligned with the framework of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India, to ensure coordinated monitoring and faster resolution of issues related to major projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
The committee comprises Administrative Secretaries of key departments, including Jal Shakti, Power Development, Agriculture Production, Finance, Public Works, Information Technology, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare, Industries and Commerce, School Education and Higher Education. The Administrative Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, will serve as the Member Secretary. District Development Commissioners and other Administrative Secretaries may be co-opted whenever required.
According to the order, the UT PMG will review issues related to projects uploaded on the PMG portal, facilitate inter-departmental coordination, work with Central Ministries and DPIIT to remove implementation hurdles, periodically assess progress, recommend policy and procedural reforms, and review project implementation reports. The committee has also been empowered to co-opt experts and other stakeholders for effective discharge of its functions.
The government has also designated the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department as the nodal agency for the UT PMG portal. Besides coordinating with DPIIT and other stakeholders, the department will monitor registered projects, convene meetings of the committee, ensure follow-up on decisions and maintain the project monitoring portal.
This is the second major restructuring of the UT PMG since Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory, with the government aiming to institutionalise closer monitoring of high-value public and private investment projects.
