Guwahati, 28 October (HS): Union Secretary of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Sudhansh Pant on Wednesday reviewed the implementation of various central welfare schemes in Assam, focusing on drug demand reduction, Scheduled Caste development, senior citizen welfare, sanitation workers' safety and the rehabilitation of vulnerable groups.

The review meeting was held at Loksewa Bhawan in Guwahati and attended by Ajay Tiwari, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Political Department, Assam; Pallav Gopal Jha, Secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment; and senior state government officials.

During the meeting, Pant stressed the importance of interdepartmental coordination and a whole-of-government approach to ensure the effective implementation of welfare programmes. He underlined the need for the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment to act as an effective nodal agency, facilitating coordination among departments and implementing agencies. He also reviewed convergence efforts under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, PM-AJAY and NAMASTE, appreciating the progress achieved by Assam while identifying areas requiring further attention.

Under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, awareness and outreach activities have covered all districts of Assam, reaching 27.71 lakh people through 6,575 activities conducted across 10,614 educational institutions. The state has registered 13,712 Nasha Mukti Mitra volunteers and recorded 2,24,783 e-pledges. Assam also has 16 Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts and six state government-funded de-addiction and rehabilitation centres, besides other treatment and outreach facilities.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), 721 Scheduled Caste villages have been selected for integrated development. The livelihood component has approved 5,269 beneficiaries, including women from Self-Help Groups and individual Scheduled Caste women, involving financial assistance of Rs 26.34 crore. The scheme also envisages the construction of 28 mini stadiums in Scheduled Caste-dominated areas.

The NAMASTE programme has covered 483 sewer and septic tank workers and 6,365 waste pickers across 96 Urban Local Bodies in Assam. The initiative focuses on occupational safety, personal protective equipment, health coverage and the adoption of mechanised sanitation practices.

Pant also reviewed senior citizen welfare under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), measures for the protection of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and the rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging under the SMILE scheme.

Under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, 10,715 senior citizens in Assam have received assistance, with 48,756 assistive devices distributed during the financial year 2026-27 up to October 27.

The Union Secretary appreciated the efforts of the state department and government officials in implementing the welfare initiatives. He emphasised the need for sustained coordination among departments, improved outreach to eligible beneficiaries and timely resolution of implementation-related bottlenecks.

He also stressed the importance of documenting and publicising successful interventions to improve awareness and ensure that government welfare programmes deliver tangible benefits to people across Assam.----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash