Karnataka - Bellary   

Pull your socks up, Minister tells officials

Shobha Karandlaje

Bellary: “Pull your socks up and work sincerely or face action”, Shobha Karandlaje, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, warned the officials on Sunday after reviewing the progress achieved with regard to implementation of the government schemes in Bellary district.

She expressed grave concern over the laxity on the part of officials in implementing drinking water schemes and other works such as the collection of revenue, providing employment under National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP), submission of the diary on their day-to-day work and in the construction of toilets in villages. Ms. Karandlaje threatened officials of stern action if they failed in taking up development work in the next two months.

“The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department can earn credit or discredit to the Government depending on how the officials function. My observations, after the review of the works taken up by various departments in Bellary zilla panchayat, has been that the officials have not been functioning with keenness to pass on the benefits of the government welfare schemes for the benefit of the poor and the needy”, she said.

On getting to know that revenue collection was on the lower side, Ms. Karandlaje threatened that if things did not improve, officials would have to be ready for transfers.

Minister for Health B. Sriramulu said that salaries of officials should be withheld for six months if they failed to mobilise revenue at the gram panchayat level.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj secretary Srikant said if revenue was not mobilised, it would affect government schemes.

Ms. Karandlage instructed the officials to launch campaigns to create awareness among the public about the NREG programme and also about the total sanitation programme. She said they should inform people how important if was to have a toilet in each house. She appealed to the elected representatives to extend their full cooperation for the implementation of various government schemes.

She instructed officials to expedite work on drinking water supply schemes. She also said proposals for development work should be sent immediately so that approval can be got from the Government at the earliest and the work can be taken up before elections are announced.

When told that funds meant for maintenance of roads were being utilised for laying new roads, she instructed the officials to guide the elected representatives properly so that funds meant for a particular purpose is not used elsewhere.

Zilla panchayat president Pushparekha, vice-president Savita Bai, legislators M.S. Somalingappa, G. Somashekar Reddy and Nemi Nayak and zilla panchayat members K.A. Ramalingappa, N. Rudragouda and Rafique were among other who participated in the discussion.

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