Dulloo reviews progress on financial inclusion, welfare schemes across J&K; stresses saturation of all social security, insurance initiatives
JAMMU: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a comprehensive review meeting of the Finance Department to assess the progress of financial inclusion and extension of key social security and welfare schemes across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya; MD, J&K Bank; Secretary, IT; Secretary, School Education; DG, Budget; DG, Economics & Statistics; MD, Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (BOCWWB); and representatives from other banks and departments.
Emphasizing the goal of achieving universal coverage, the Chief Secretary directed the district administrations to ensure the enrollment of all eligible beneficiaries—especially those in the unorganized sector—under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM) scheme, which guarantees a monthly pension of ₹3,000 after the age of 60. He instructed that local Labour Offices, EPFO, and ESIC offices be designated as facilitation centres to promote awareness and assist with registrations.
Dulloo further directed the Finance Department to share consolidated data of eligible beneficiaries, including building and construction workers, MDM workers, and street vendors, with banks to expedite their enrollment.
Reviewing the district-wise performance, he urged officers to adopt a targeted, coordinated approach to bridge existing coverage gaps and align J&K’s performance with national averages. He emphasized clear identification of target groups, defined outreach strategies, and institutional accountability to ensure saturation under each welfare and financial inclusion scheme.
Presenting an overview, the Principal Secretary, Finance, informed that around 5.46 lakh unorganized workers have been identified for enrollment under PMSYM. He highlighted notable progress under key financial inclusion schemes:
77,208 new enrollments under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), taking the total to 23.13 lakh accounts.
4.30 lakh new enrollments under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), raising the total to 27.64 lakh accounts.
1.57 lakh new enrollments under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), bringing the total to 11.06 lakh accounts.
33,500 new subscribers under Atal Pension Yojana (APY), taking the cumulative total to 2.81 lakh.
It was highlighted that APY, PMJJBY, and PMSBY form the backbone of the Government’s social security framework—ensuring affordable insurance and pension coverage for citizens. Under APY, subscribers are guaranteed a monthly pension between ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 from age 60, with women constituting over 43% of its 2.15 crore national subscribers. PMJJBY offers life insurance coverage of ₹2 lakh for individuals aged 18–50 at an annual premium of ₹330, while PMSBY provides accidental insurance of ₹2 lakh (for death or full disability) and ₹1 lakh (for partial disability) for citizens aged 18–70 at a nominal ₹12 premium.
The meeting also reviewed the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCWW) Welfare Board, which has registered 5.90 lakh workers as of October 2025. In addition, the Social Welfare Department has extended old-age, widow, and disability pensions to nearly 8.6 lakh beneficiaries, achieving a beneficiary ratio of approximately 600 per 10,000 population in the UT.
Commending the progress made, Chief Secretary Dulloo called for intensified, time-bound, and mission-mode efforts at all administrative levels to achieve complete saturation under all welfare and social security schemes across Jammu and Kashmir.
