KCR for spurring welfare schemes

Hyderabad: The Telangana government, which wants to showcase the effective implementation of all developmental activities to the country when Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would work out a roadmap for formation of a new political front against Congress and BJP ahead of 2019 elections, has asked district collectors to put all such activities on fast track.

Coinciding with the new financial year 2018-19 which begins from April 1, the Chief Minister entrusted the responsibility of the implementation of welfare schemes to district collectors and has asked Chief Secretary S K Joshi to monitor the progress on a regular basis.

Sources said the Chief Minister has directed collectors to submit project-wise monthly progress reports to the Chief Minister Office. The collectors have also been given special powers to seek necessary funds from the government to complete the projects in time. KCR also directed the Secretaries of all departments to visit the districts and review the programmes from time to time and tackle any challenges if any, faced by the Collectors.

Ever since the budget session of the Assembly began on March 12, the Chief Minister was holding meetings directly with all 31 district Collectors and reviewed the performance of the district administration mainly the implementation of flagship schemes like Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya, two-bedroom housing, constitution of farmers coordination committees in the villages and BC, SC, ST and minority welfare programmes.

KCR concentrated mainly on the newly-formed 21 districts carved out of the old most backward districts of Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Adilabad and Nizamabad where people depend mostly on farm activities for livelihood. In most of the newly-created districts, collectors were still facing hurdles in streamlining the administration due to lack of required staff. As a result, the enforcement of the programmes was moving at a snail’s pace.

Officials said that collectors were told to visit every mandal and hold meetings with Revenue, Agriculture, Medical and Health, Panchayat Raj and all welfare departments officials to ascertain the programme implementation and utilization of the funds. The officials will take stock of the arrangements being made for the distribution of Rs 4,000 to each farmer before kharif season and the newly-launched farmers insurance scheme in every village.

Collectors will monitor directly the completion of the construction of two-bedroom houses and strengthening of the health infrastructure in PHCs (Primary Health Centres), CHCs (Community Health Centres) and districts hospitals. Officials said that the chief minister will hold a meeting with all district collectors in April in Hyderabad to finalise an action plan for the successful implementation of the programmes.