After a 15-month hiatus, the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) convened its meeting at the DC’s Conference Hall, Chumoukedima, bringing 97 centrally sponsored schemes under review. Chaired by Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir, the meeting marked a renewed push for accountability, inter-departmental coordination, and grassroots implementation.
The MP, addressing Heads of Departments and committee members, stressed that mere formation of a district-level committee is not enough unless it results in coordinated efforts to identify field-level challenges. He reiterated the committee’s purpose: to ensure timely and effective delivery of schemes across sectors—ranging from rural development and agriculture to water supply and industrial support.
According to Jamir, DISHA provides an important platform to understand implementation bottlenecks, assess fund flows, and ensure that only genuine and eligible beneficiaries are selected under central programmes.
He encouraged officials and non-official members alike to collaborate, raise challenges openly, and provide actionable feedback that can be escalated to the State and national levels.
He also highlighted a recent directive from the Ministry, giving non-official members 30 days to ensure active monitoring of schemes and to facilitate better reach at the grassroots. To promote wider participation, he proposed that village council chairpersons be included on a rotational basis rather than as permanent members, allowing more communities to share their concerns and track developmental progress. He further suggested that NGOs and newly formed town councils be given a voice through the district administration.
Deputy Commissioner of Chumoukedima, Polan John, NCS, noted that the last DISHA meeting in the district was held on March 31, 2023. He informed that as per updated guidelines issued on April 15, 2025, schemes under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) now also fall under the purview of DISHA monitoring.
The DC said the committee is mandated to monitor fund flow, address inter-departmental coordination gaps, examine complaints and grievances, and facilitate convergence of schemes for greater impact. He emphasised the importance of timely completion, saturation coverage, and feedback-based design improvements for central schemes.
Several departments, including Rural Development, Industries & Commerce, PHED, the District Agriculture Office, and Lead District Manager (LDM), presented PowerPoint updates on the current status of their programmes in the district.
As a coordination body, DISHA is now expected to meet quarterly, in line with its objective of driving people-centric, accountable, and responsive governance at the district level.
