Smriti Irani visits Chandigarh, stays mum on Punjab’s claim on UT

Asserting that woman and child development was an important pillar in the governance structure,Smriti Irani said coordination among departments is vital for implementation of the ministry’s schemes.

Union minister of women and child development Smriti Irani who was in the city on Saturday, refrained from commenting on the controversial Punjab assembly resolution on the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab.

Smriti Irani, who was in Chandigarh, requested stakeholders to use the ‘Mission Shakti’ scheme implementation guidelines in their assessment. (HT PHOTO )

Inaugurating the zonal conference with states and stakeholders, the union minister said , “The AAP-led Punjab government has assured us full support in implementation of the centre’s women and child development schemes. Once they get settled in their new roles, officials will share their inputs on the state’s requirements.”

Irani requested stakeholders to use the ‘Mission Shakti’ scheme implementation guidelines in their assessment. Asserting that woman and child development was an important pillar in the governance structure, the minister said coordination among departments is vital for implementation of the ministry’s schemes.

“The poshan tracker with its large sample size helps in improving the quality of the assessment and is an effective tool in monitoring women and child development schemes,” said Irani.

The conference was organised to sensitise state governments and the UT administration on three umbrella missions – Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Shakti and Mission Vatsalya – to facilitate proper implementation of schemes over the next five years.

Representatives from the departments of women and child development from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi and other organisations discussed schemes pertaining to women and child development during the consultation session with the states and UTs.