BALANGIR:Balangir district has been placed among top five performers in implementation of various poverty alleviation schemes in the State. As per the report generated from the Dashboard Monitoring System (DBMS), an online performance monitoring mechanism of Panchayatiraj department, the district has secured 72.83 out of 100 points and is ranked fifth while Sundargarh stands at first position.
During the assessment on implementation of six schemes in March, Balangir got 21.3 out of 30 points and secured 21st rank in rural housing project.
In MGNREGS, the district scored 16.2 points. Similarly, in execution of Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM), the district has secured 8.52 out of 10 points.
The report sent to all 30 district collectors also states that Balangir was ranked second in infrastructure development while in financial related schemes, it has obtained 17.11 out of 20 points. In governance, it has secured 4.67 out of 5 points.
However, information received through RTI revealed that the performance of the district in implementing IAY and BPGY is very poor as it has achieved only 50 per cent of the target for 2015-16.
The DBMS was developed by Odisha Modernising Economy, Governance and Administration (OMEGA), a DFID and State Government partnership programme, to measure and monitor the performance of the districts on 50 indicators clubbed into six groups.
District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Project Director Anupam Saha said the grassroots-level officials are working hard to meet the targets set for different schemes by the State Government.
The proper implementation of schemes, regular reviews and timely submission of reports to the Government have helped the district to get the honour, he added.
Social worker Purna Chandra Panda said one has to take into consideration the fact that the district is frequently affected by drought.