Minister for Agriculture Production, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Cooperative and Election Department, Javid Ahmad Dar, today chaired a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat here to assess the status of veterinary units across Kashmir and review the progress of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and Union Territory sector schemes of APD.

The meeting was attended by Director Finance, APD, Director Planning APD, Deputy Director Animal Husbandry Kashmir besides other senior officers of the department.

Taking stock of the manpower requirements in the Animal Husbandry Department, the Minister was informed that all requisite formalities for filling vacant posts of Veterinarians and Para-Veterinarians have been completed in accordance with the established guidelines. He was also told that the tendering process for the pending works is set to commence shortly.

Emphasising the urgency of strengthening the veterinary healthcare infrastructure, the Minister directed the officers to ensure that the tendering process is completed within one week while adhering strictly to the procedural norms and maintaining complete transparency.

During a detailed review of the budgetary allocations and expenditure under various developmental schemes, the Minister sought a comprehensive account of the physical and financial progress achieved under Centrally Sponsored and UT sector schemes being implemented across Jammu and Kashmir.

Emphasising timely execution of development works, the Minister directed the concerned officers to further intensify monitoring of all ongoing projects, particularly those being implemented under NABARD and other flagship programmes. He made it clear that random field inspections should be undertaken to verify the on-ground progress and ensure that the intended benefits of these projects are reaching stakeholders effectively.

Highlighting the importance of modernizing the livestock sector, the Minister stressed the need for comprehensive upgradation of farms and strengthening of training infrastructure to equip the farmers with improved technical knowledge and better resources. He underscored that judicious and timely utilisation of allocated funds is imperative for achieving the targeted outcomes, directing the officers to ensure strict adherence to project timelines so that development initiatives are translated into tangible benefits for the farming community.

Earlier, Director Finance APD presented a detailed financial review, outlining the sanctioned allocations, fund releases and expenditure incurred under various schemes for the financial years 2025–26 and 2026–27.