Lok Sabha Question No. 2596 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-05
Subject: DISHA Committee Meetings
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Jyotirmay Singh Mahato

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2596 ANSWERED ON 05/08/2025

## DISHA COMMITTEE MEETINGS

2596. Shri Jyotirmay Singh Mahato:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government  has  issued  any  guidelines regarding the holding of District Development Coordination and Monitoring  Committee (DISHA) meetings in the State of West Bengal, including the mandated frequency of such meetings;
- (b) whether  the  Ministry  has  received  regular  reports  on  the conduct of DISHA Committee meetings from various districts in the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is a fact that in the State of West Bengal, including in the district of Purulia, DISHA meetings are either not being conducted  at  all  or  are  conducted  very  irregularly,  if  so,  the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Ministry is aware that despite clear guidelines, not a single district in West Bengal Conducts DISHA Meeting; and
- (e) the action by the Ministry to take in cases where the DM/DC, who serves as the Member Secretary of the DISHA Committee, fails to convene the meeting within the stipulated time frame?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a): For effective implementation of District Development Coordination  and  Monitoring Committee  (DISHA),  Ministry  of  Rural Development (MoRD) has formulated comprehensive guidelines and uploaded on MoRD's website, <disha.gov.in/guidelines>which interalia  define  the  objectives,  composition,  scope  and  the  mandated number of DISHA Committee meetings. The provisions of the DISHA guidelines  are  applicable  to  all  the  States/  UTs  including  West Bengal. As per DISHA guidelines, meetings of District Level DISHA Committee  should  be  held  at  least  once  in  every  quarter,  after

giving  sufficient  notice  to  the  Hon'ble  MPs/MLAs  and  all  other Members of the DISHA Committee. During a year at least 4 meetings are to be organized. However, if chairperson so desires, number of meetings  to be convened  can  be  more  than four. Similarly, meetings  of  the  State  Level  DISHA  Committee  should  be  held  at least once in every six months, after giving sufficient notice to the Hon'ble MPs/MLAs and all the other Members.

- (b): In  order  to  support  the  operations  of  DISHA  Committees,  a 'Meeting Reporting Portal' (https://erp.disha.gov.in) has been developed for State and District Level DISHA meetings. The Minutes and  ATR  of  the  DISHA  Meetings  are  uploaded  by  the   District Administration concerned on the 'Meeting Reporting Portal'.
- (c) to (e): As per records, no DISHA meeting has been convened in any  district  of  West  Bengal  State  including  Purulia  district  since 2019-20.

Timely convening of the DISHA meeting is crucial for ensuring effective governance and promoting the holistic development of the districts. Recognizing the critical importance of DISHA, Ministry of Rural  Development  (MoRD)  is  persistently  working  to  ensure  that these  meetings  are  convened  on  a  regular  basis.  All  States/  UTs have been urged to take necessary actions and instruct the relevant Member Secretaries (District Collectors, Magistrates, Deputy Commissioners)  to  ensure  that  District  Level  DISHA  meetings  are held as per DISHA guidelines. The Hon'ble Members of Parliament have also been requested from time to time to hold DISHA meetings in their respective districts on regular basis.

*****