Lethargy on the part of district officials is depriving beneficiaries of the Union government’s welfare schemes, Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar has alleged.
“Majority of the district authorities don’t have idea of the Central government schemes and they are not showing interest in launching them or taking them to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries,” he said while demanding that the photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi must accompany posters and ads of all Central government schemes.
Note of sarcasm
Chairing the first district vigilance and monitoring committee meeting to review the progress of various Central government schemes in the town on Monday, Mr Sanjay Kumar introduced himself as the Karimnagar MP rather sarcastically, stating that a majority of the officials did not know him.
Claiming to have a close rapport with several Union Ministers, he instructed the officials to prepare proposals for sanction of new schemes for the district’s development.
Fund diversion blame
Faulting the district officials for diverting the 14th Finance Commission funds towards payment of power bills in gram panchayats instead of using the general funds of panchayats, he said Central funds should be used for the purpose of its allocation and there should not be any kind of diversion.
The Karimnagar MP also blamed the district officials for not educating farmers about the importance of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, a Union government scheme that aims at supporting sustainable production in agriculture by providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen events.
Stating that he is one to talk about politics only during elections and later commit himself to the development of the district, he stressed the need for coordination between officials and elected representatives in implementation of Central government schemes.
He also informed the DRDO officials to conduct training for unemployed youth and help them secure employment by organising job melas. “Past is past and now onwards the authorities should not repeat such mistakes and focus on taking the welfare schemes to the doorstep of beneficiaries,” he instructed.
Collector K. Shashanka instructed the district officials to present a detailed report about the implementation of various welfare schemes. He said they were taking up construction of toilets and kitchen sheds in schools with NREGS funds apart from construction of dumping yards and graveyards in the villages.
Rajya Sabha member V. Lakshmikantha Rao and DRDO Venkateshwarlu were also present at the review meeting.
