Parliament Question: DISHA Committee Meetings

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 inter- alia 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 Page 1 of 2giving 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.

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