BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directed officials to ensure proper implementation of drought-related works in all districts.
At a review meeting, he directed all district-in charge secretaries to spend at least two days a month in their respective districts to inspect the works. He warned officials that delay in benefits reaching the people or corruption would not be tolerated. He urged the secretaries to monitor the works and guide district-level top officials like the Deputy Commissioner, heads of Zilla Panchayat and CEOs on how best to help the beneficiaries of various government schemes.
“You have been appointed district in-charge officers because of your experience in district administration. Visit your district once a month and review all the programmes being undertaken there,” he said.
Those secretaries, who are in charge of taluks which have been announced as drought-affected, will not only have to visit the areas, but also inspect and collect data on the number of cattle sheds and status of fodder banks.
Officials have also been instructed to make arrangements to provide drinking water and provide employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Siddaramaiah also instructed officials to treat housing on priority and finish construction of houses at the earliest.
Officials have been asked to check whether the flagship schemes like Anna Bhagya are being implemented correctly, as in whether ration shops are distributing 7 kg of rice per member of a family as announced in the this year’s budget.
He also stressed on checking whether the Jan Sampark meetings to be held in each district by Deputy Commissioners were being conducted.
Action against erring officials
The Chief Minister has warned of stern action against officials if they delay processing of benefits due to families of farmers who have committed suicide. This includes compensation amount to the families, monthly pension to the widow, education for the children and health services.
Compensation for crop loss
The government released a fresh tranche of input subsidy to be delivered through direct benefit transfer (DBT). An amount of D198.40 crore has been released as compensation for crop losses due to failure of kharif crop to 2,94,279 farmers. An amount of D93.82 crore has been released as compensation for rabi crop losses to 1,82,270 farmers.