‘Strive for maximum allocation under incentive-based components’
Jammu, Nov 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress of works and projects taken up under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), taking stock of financial and physical performance, funds utilisation and plans for the coming financial years.
The review covered the physical and financial progress of projects undertaken during FY 2025-26, availability of funds and expenditure targets for FY 2026-27, besides steps taken for effective implementation of projects during FY 2027-28.
The Chief Minister reviewed progress across key sectors, including Public Works, Jal Shakti, Youth Services and Sports, Power Development, and Housing & Urban Development.
The Chief Minister called for special focus to be given to Disaster Management component, aimed at strengthening disaster mitigation and resilience, besides restoring infrastructure damaged in natural disasters.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary; Ministers Ali Mohammad Sagar, Javed Rana, Javid Dar, Mir Saifullah and Shamim Firdous; Acting Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar; Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta; Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments, senior officers of the Finance Department and other concerned officers.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed expediting SASCI Part-I works and ensuring full utilisation of approved funds by March 2027 to qualify for the second instalment. He stressed strict adherence to revised deadlines for completion of works under the SASCI 2025-26 Disaster management Component and directed departments to achieve the prescribed financial targets within the stipulated period.
Emphasising financial discipline and transparency, the Chief Minister directed strict compliance with Public Financial Management System (PFMS) uploads and timely submission of action plans on BEAMS. He also called for the closure of all Single Nodal Agency (SNA) bank accounts relating to Centrally Sponsored Schemes.In view of the forthcoming visit of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to assess damages, departments were asked to finalise comprehensive, sector-wise damage assessment reports to facilitate the assessment process.
The Chief Minister further directed all departments to identify and prepare a robust shelf of encumbrance-free projects by March 2027 to facilitate timely tendering and smooth execution during FY 2027-28. He stressed advance planning and close inter-departmental coordination to ensure that the next year’s SASCI plan is finalised well in time.
Reviewing the performance for FY 2025-26, the meeting was informed that against an overall allocation of ₹5,166.46 crore, comprising untied funds, Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) shares, incentive-based allocations and disaster management components, an expenditure of ₹3,367.64 crore had been incurred.
The meeting was also informed that the State Executive Committee (SEC) has approved ₹1,416 crore for the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) across social, infrastructure, productive and cross-cutting sectors, against the NDMA ceiling of ₹1,534.58 crore. An amount of ₹424.79 crore has been proposed for immediate release.
For FY 2026-27, ₹811 crore is available under SASCI Part-I Untied Funds, including ₹541 crore in current-year receipts and ₹270 crore carried forward as unutilised funds from the previous financial year. Departments have been assigned an expenditure target of ₹608 crore to qualify for the second instalment.
Under Part-II, relating to Centrally Sponsored Schemes, J&K has received ₹116 crore, constituting 66 per cent of the ₹176 crore SASCI loan assistance sought for 10 major schemes linked to J&K.
The meeting also reviewed the J&K Administration’s efforts to leverage the incentive-based funding pool of ₹2,890.51 crore available for FY 2026-27, linked to governance reforms, improved financial management and sector-specific performance benchmarks.
Significant progress was reported under the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture initiative (AgriStack), with 7.59 lakh Farmer IDs generated, representing 59 per cent of the target. The Digital Crop Survey (DCS) has been completed in 5,714 villages, covering 83.3 per cent of the target and more than 30.27 lakh land parcels.
The meeting was informed that the pilot distribution of AgriStack-enabled fertilisers through Farmer IDs commenced on November 5, 2026, in Jammu and Srinagar districts, marking another step towards strengthening technology-driven agricultural service delivery.
Progress was also reviewed under other incentive-linked reform areas, including Mining Reforms, with a target of ₹350 crore; Livestock Sector Reforms (₹150 crore); Efficiency in Financial Management (₹400 crore); implementation of Right of Way (RoW) Rules (₹50 crore); and achievement of Capital Expenditure targets (₹218 crore). Proposals in these areas have either been submitted or are at various stages of verification.
The Ministers also shared their inputs and suggestions during the meeting, highlighting key priorities and issues concerning their respective departments. They emphasised the need for coordinated efforts to accelerate the implementation of SASCI-funded projects and ensure optimal utilisation of available resources.
The Chief Minister emphasised that SASCI should be leveraged not merely as a special funding window but also as a strategic instrument for accelerating capital investment, strengthening public infrastructure and improving governance outcomes across Jammu and Kashmir.
He underscored the importance of timely execution, efficient financial management and sustained coordination among departments to maximise the benefits available under the scheme. (KNO)
