With his eyes set on the panchayat polls scheduled to be held in February next year, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday urged the District Collectors (DCs) to concentrate on qualitative aspects of implementation of the welfare schemes in the rural areas.
Inaugurating the two-day conference of the DCs here, Mr. Patnaik said that the State government had achieved significant milestones in several flagship programmes in quantitative terms – be it rural housing, rural pipe water supply or rural electrification etc. “Now we have to concentrate on qualitative aspects – how to reduce harassment to the beneficiaries, how better people’s participation can be encouraged in the development process, how effectively public grievances can be addressed,” Mr. Patnaik told the District Collectors of the 30 districts of the State.
“We have to constantly find out ways and means to improve our performance in every sector, both quantitatively and qualitatively,” he added.
Mr. Patnaik told the DCs that the people of Odisha have reposed great faith in his government and as chief field level functionaries, they have to work in such a manner that every common man is enabled to reap the benefits of good governance.
He asked the DCs to reduce harassment to the beneficiaries of various schemes as large scale irregularities had been committed in the issuance of new ration cards under the National Food Security Act, and irregularities had also been alleged in implementation of different welfare schemes.
Stating that the District Collectors play a pivotal role in the development process, Mr. Patnaik directed them to work hard so that the benefits of all development and welfare schemes reach the intended beneficiaries.
Referring to the best practices adopted by the District Collectors in some districts, Mr. Patnaik said that the departments concerned should take note of it and try to replicate it at other places. He announced formation of a six-member committee, comprising three Ministers and three bureaucrats, headed by Excise Minister Damodar Rout to judge the best practices adopted by the Collectors in their respective districts. The committee will select the top three best practices, which will be awarded at the valedictory session of the conference on Saturday.
