IAS officers asked to evaluate on-ground impact of development schemes in Odisha

In an initiative to assess the efficacy of Odisha’s governance strategies, the Mohan Majhi government has directed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to visit local panchayats to evaluate the implementation of welfare schemes, sources said on Tuesday.

The officers are to spend at least two days in these locations between February and March, including overnight stays, to engage with the community and address their issues.

Also Read: Odisha nominates 16 senior IAS officers as Secretary-In-Charge of aspirational districts & blocks programme

The directive from the Development Commissioner requires the submission of reports to the Chief Secretary after these visits. Each district in the State has been assigned to one IAS officer, focusing primarily on the rural and tribal regions.

Bureaucrats will monitor programmes including food assistance initiatives, midday meal (MDM) schemes, and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes hostels, verifying the quality by partaking of meals. The officers will also inspect Anganwadi centres, primary healthcare facilities, and social health centres, facilitating direct interaction with local citizens.

The deployment sees Deoranjan Kumar Singh tasked with overseeing Jagatsinghpur district. Similarly, Surendra Kumar tasked with Jajpur, G. Mathivathanan with Bolangir, Hemant Sharma with Sambalpur, Arabinda Padhee with Puri, Saswat Mishra with Dhenkanal, Vishal Dev with Balasore, and Usha Padhee with Bhadrak.

For districts with mines, there will be additional oversight on the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) projects.

This strategic initiative reflects a focused approach to governance, as the appointed officials are expected to evaluate and address key regional issues, ensuring that public services meet the communities’ needs.

Must Read: Odisha launches 'Gramodaya' for overall development of 10 LWE-affected districts

Although a prior initiative proposed an independent website for feedback and resolution, its practical implementation has not yet been achieved.

“All that matters is to what extent it (the reports) will be implemented. The officers (IAS) concerned will report to the ministers and action will be taken accordingly, based on the gist of the to-be-submitted reports,” former Chief Secretary Sahadev Sahu said.