Bhubaneswar, 02 September (H.S.): In a move aimed at strengthening field-level governance and ensuring effective implementation of government programmes, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh has directed all Secretaries and senior officers of the Odisha government to visit their allotted districts by October 2026.

In a letter , the officers have been instructed to undertake a two-to-three-day visit to their respective districts at least once during the period and stay overnight at the district or sub-divisional headquarters.

During the field visits, the officers will review the implementation of various state government schemes and centrally sponsored schemes, with particular emphasis on the delivery of public services and the progress of infrastructure projects.

The officers have been directed to visit District Headquarters Hospitals (DHHs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs). During these visits, they will interact with patients and their attendants and assess the availability of essential healthcare services, human resources and medicines.

They will also review fire safety arrangements and emergency preparedness at healthcare facilities to identify any gaps requiring immediate attention.

As part of the field assessment, officers have been advised to randomly select and visit inaccessible, hard-to-reach and tribal-dominated areas to obtain a first-hand assessment of ground realities.

Wherever required, they will also review the implementation of welfare schemes targeted at Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Officers have further been asked to visit at least one Gram Panchayat to assess the saturation of development schemes and the availability of basic facilities.

The directive also places emphasis on rural drinking water supply. Officers will review the progress of ongoing rural water supply projects, identify bottlenecks and take necessary steps to ensure the early completion of Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs).

The field visits are intended to enable senior officers to directly assess the implementation of government programmes, identify gaps and address bottlenecks at the grassroots level rather than relying solely on desk-based reviews.

Under the latest arrangement, 30 IAS officers have been assigned responsibility for the 30 districts of Odisha, with each officer expected to undertake field-level monitoring of development and welfare programmes in the assigned district.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda