Leh, December 29: Principal Secretary,Dr. Pawan Kotwal chaired a meeting in his office chamber, to review the formulation of the Annual Action plan under the Special Development Package (SDP) and State CAPEX plan for the financial year 2022-2023 of Health and Medical Education, Forest, Ecology and Environment and Revenue Departments, respectively.

Referring to the circular issued by the Planning Department pursuant to the instruction of the Finance Department and the Integrated Finance Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Principal Secretary, said that the ‘ongoing work’ of the financial year 2021-22 and the ‘new work’ that has been approved by the competent authorities for the current financial year will be treated as ‘ongoing work’ for the purpose of formulating of the ‘Annual Action plan for the financial year 2022-23 irrespective of the fact whether the ‘new work’ approved for the financial year 2021-22 has been initiated on-ground or not.

Further, he added that both the ‘ongoing and new work’ approved in the financial years 2020-2021 and 2021-22 will form the ‘ongoing works’ for the year 2022-23. In this regard, he directed the Deputy Commissioners, Leh and Kargil to give the status of all the projects for the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 on the prescribed format.  He said, if the budget ceiling is high even after accommodating all the ongoing projects, then the various departments should think of new works for the financial year, 2022-23 which could be in addition to the projects that are already in the plan for the FY 2021-22.

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The Principal Secretary instructed that the time period between January 15, 2022, to March 15, 2022, should be utilised to prepare detailed project reports, to get administrative approvals from the competent authorities, finish the tendering process and award the contracts of all the ‘New works’. He said the work on the projects should positively begin by April 2022, so that mobilisation of labour, machinery and other equipment can be done on time.

During the meeting, DC Kargil informed that the land needed to build a hospital in Zanskar has also been identified. The Principal Secretary instructed that all the preliminary work, such as the availability and survey of land for various other projects should be completed within the next two months. He further instructed DC Leh and Kargil to ensure that payment for acquiring land is made to the landowners before a project is started by any department. The compensation of the acquired private land is the first charge on any project, he added.

Additionally, Medical Superintendent, Kargil, apprised the Principal Secretary about the financial expenditure incurred on the up-gradation of the District Hospital, Kargil.

Concluding the meeting, the Principal Secretary directed Health and Medical Education, Forest, Ecology and Environment and Revenue departments to submit a statement of the approved Annual Action plan of FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23 of both the ‘ongoing and new work’ by December 31, 2021.

The meeting was attended by Chief Conservator of Forest/Chief Wildlife Warden Ladakh, Preet Pal Singh; Regional Wildlife Warden, Mufti Sajjad Hussain; Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Shrikant Suse; Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Santosh Sukhadeve; Director Health Services, Dr. Phuntsog Angchuk; Deputy Director Planning Konchok Gyalson; CMO Leh, Dr Motup Dorje; CMO Kargil, Munawar Hussain; OSD to CCF, Tondup Gailson; OSD to CWW, Phuntsog Gelech; Medical Superintendent, SNM hospital, Leh, Dr. Norzin Angmo; Medical Superintendent, District Kargil, hospital, Dr. Liyaqat Ali and SA in Director Health, Dorjay Angchuk.