BHUBANESWAR: The State Government is unlikely to participate in the two-day meeting of collectors of backward districts convened by NITI Aayog at New Delhi from January 4.Sources said the State Government is not happy with the appointment of senior officers by NITI Aayog as in-charge of backward districts. The NITI Aayog had asked the State Government to ask the district collectors of backward districts to attend the meeting at New Delhi. However, the Government is unlikely to depute the collectors for such a meeting.
The NITI Aayog has identified Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, Balangir and Dhenkanal as backward districts in Odisha. Sources said the State Government is not happy with the manner in which the Aayog is meddling in Odisha affairs.The Government has taken exception to the fact that though it has been demanding more Central assistance for schemes in backward districts, funding for programmes like special plan for KBK districts, Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Left Wing Extremists (LWE) Affected districts have been stopped by the Centre.
The State Government has, however, assigned Secretary level officers to each district including the eight districts identified by the Centre for extensive field visits during first week of every month to oversee implementation of development programs. Besides, Additional Chief Secretary level officers have also been appointed by the Government for some of the districts to ensure effective coordination among different departments and suggest various location specific initiatives for overall development. Sources in the Government maintain that appointment of district in-charges by NITI Aayog backward districts is likely to create confusion and may turn out to be counter productive.
A total of 115 districts were identified in the country for development in the field of education, health, nutrition, basic infrastructure like rural road connectivity, rural household electrification, access to potable water and individual toilets. These districts include 35 districts which are affected by violence by Left Wing Extremists.