SHIMLA, Jul 30: The Himachal Pradesh government will conduct a three-day Himachal Jan Samvad programme from August 6 to 8 under the Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar Yojana to strengthen outreach among economically vulnerable households and improve access to welfare benefits.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced the initiative while reviewing the functioning of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department on Wednesday. He said the campaign would be organised at the block level, with local MLAs presiding over the meetings.
To ensure wider participation, groups of up to 10 gram panchayats will be brought together into clusters for each event. Families identified by the Rural Development Department as the most economically disadvantaged will be invited to interact directly with government representatives.
The chief minister said the discussions would focus on understanding the challenges faced by these households and exploring ways to improve their living conditions through existing government welfare initiatives. Feedback collected during the meetings will help the administration design targeted measures and strengthen implementation at the village level.
According to the state government, an extensive eight-phase survey conducted by the Rural Development Department has identified nearly 1.78 lakh extremely poor families across Himachal Pradesh. The exercise was aimed at locating households that remain outside the reach of government support despite being eligible for assistance.
Sukhu noted that around 85,000 of these families had never been included in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and, as a result, had missed out on several state welfare programmes. He said the government is committed to ensuring that every deserving household receives the benefits intended for them.
The chief minister also stressed that the identification process was carried out with complete transparency and accountability. Officials involved in the survey were assigned clear responsibilities to maintain the credibility and accuracy of the exercise, ensuring that assistance reaches the most deserving beneficiaries.