Top official to push work in Nabarangpur, CM Naveen Patnaik to monitor

Top official to push work in Nabarangpur, CM Naveen Patnaik to monitor 

The decision comes barely a month after The Indian Express launched a year-long assignment titled District Zero on August 15 to track poverty and transformation in Nabarangpur, India’s poorest district.

The decision comes barely a month after The Indian Express launched a year-long assignment titled District Zero on August 15 to track poverty and transformation in Nabarangpur, India’s poorest district. “These officers will travel to these districts at least once a month. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will review the progress of development work in these four districts every month,” Pati said.

Apart from Balakrishnan, the Chief Minister’s Additional Chief Secretary, Aditya Prasad Padhi, will oversee work in communally sensitive Kandhamal, while Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Upendra Nath Behara, will monitor Malkangiri. Ashok Tripathy, Member, Board of Revenue, has been given the responsibility of Maoist-affected Nuapada.

Apart from Dr Taradatt, Chief Administrator of the KBK region, which includes Nabarangpur, these four senior officials will “further accelerate developmental projects”, Pati said.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Balakrishnan, who has served in neighbouring Koraput earlier, said: “I will chart out a detailed plan for the development of Nabarangpur after holding discussions with district officials.”

Pati, meanwhile, said that “poverty, lack of infrastructure, communication hurdles, a low literacy rate, and high infant and mother mortality rates have been major challenges in these districts”.

“The Chief Administrator of KBK has been doing an excellent job of covering eight districts under his charge, but we felt that these Additional Chief Secretary-level officers for the four most backward districts would further accelerate developmental projects,” Pati said.

”The officers will focus on issues related to agriculture, irrigation, health, education, rural electrification, drinking water and other welfare programmes. Since all these officers are based in the State Secretariat in Bhubaneswar, they will be able to follow up pending proposals from the district administrations,” he added.

On August 15, The Indian Express had reported that Nabarangpur had no government college or a railway line, and had a literacy rate of only 46.43 per cent, with approximately one government doctor for 27,000 people and 1,667 hamlets without electricity.

Source :The Indian Express.