The chief minister said this while chairing a review meeting of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department here on Wednesday.

"These programmes will be held at the block level and chaired by the respective MLAs. Clusters of gram panchayats will be formed for the purpose, with each cluster comprising a maximum of 10 gram panchayats," he said.

Sukhu said that the poorest of poor families identified by the Rural Development Department from all gram panchayats across the state would be invited to participate in these programmes.

"The discussions will focus on their socio-economic development and welfare through various government schemes and programmes. Based on the feedback received during these interactions, the state government will formulate targeted interventions and ensure their effective implementation at the grassroots level," said the chief minister.

He said that nearly 1.78 lakh ultra-poor families had been identified through the Rural Development Department following an extensive eight-phase survey.

"The government's objective is to ensure that every deserving family receives the benefits of welfare schemes, particularly those who had remained deprived of their rightful entitlements. Around 85,000 poorest of poor families in the state had never been included in the BPL (below poverty line) category and had not received the benefits of any state government welfare scheme," he said.

The chief minister said that the survey for identifying the poorest of poor families had been conducted with complete transparency and integrity. He added that the officers concerned had been made fully accountable to ensure the credibility of the entire process. (PTI)