After rejecting Modi's plan, Odisha appoints own officers

Bhubaneswar: After rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to appoint senior officers as in-charge of backward districts to review implementation of government schemes, Odisha government has passed a resolution to appoint its own officers as observers to take stock of various government programmes.

The State government has prepared a resolution to have a panel of 32 State Level Observers (SLOs) at the State level to monitor the implementation of various programmes/ schemes at the field level.

However, such a step has surprised many as earlier the State government had rejected a proposal from the Centre for appointment of in-charge officers in eight backward districts to monitor execution of developmental initiatives.
BJP alleged that the State government is depending on bureaucrats as BJD legislators have failed to ensure that benefits reach the intended people.

“This shows he (Naveen) does not have confidence on elected representatives and has more faith on bureaucrats,” stated BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra.

These are all political gimmicks ahead of polls, he added.

Refuting the charges, BJD spokesperson Amar Prasad Satpathy said, “For speedy and timely implementation of development programmes, such administrative decisions are taken on a regular basis.”

On the other hand, Congress lambasted both the Centre and the State government over appointment of such officers to review schemes. Opposition chief whip and senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati alleged that bureaucrats will act as political agents of the ruling party ahead of the polls.

“The Centre has no moral responsibility to appoint observers while the decision of the Naveen Patnaik-led state government is also wrong. The bureaucrats will act as agents of the ruling party," Bahinipati added.

Experts believe that while allegations about irregularities in government schemes continue to surface, it is to be seen how effectively the State will ensure implementation of the schemes with appointment of such observers.