Undertake Field Visits 10 Days A Month, Revanth Reddy Tells Collectors

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday strictly instructed district collectors to conduct field visits for at least 10 days every month and have lunch with students in government schools once a week, making it clear that their annual performance reports and promotions will be linked to their work at the grassroots level.

Addressing district collectors at a conference at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said their position becomes meaningful only when they provide services that benefit the public. He emphasized that collectors will continue their duties only if they work efficiently in the field.

He said without visiting villages or interacting with people, officers can never truly understand people’s grievances. He directed collectors to spend a minimum of 10 days every month in field inspections and stated that officials are the “eyes and ears” of the government. He added that collectors should act as bridges between the government and the people.

The Prime Minister instructed that public representatives should be made partners in the “Praja Palana-Pragati Pranalika” program to be conducted from March 6 to June 12. He directed that the details of welfare programmes, including expenditure incurred and village-wise list of beneficiaries, be read in gram sabha. He said the government’s welfare initiatives should be effectively delivered to the people.

Speaking about the education sector, Revanth Reddy stated that there are 26 thousand government schools in the state and directed that an official be made responsible for monitoring the midday meal program in each school. The officer must eat lunch with the students at the school, he said, adding that collectors must eat lunch at a public school at least once a week. He warned that the government would not tolerate negligence towards schools and called for stringent measures to prevent a recurrence of food poisoning incidents.

The Prime Minister also announced plans to set up Telangana Public Schools in 100 Assembly constituencies; One mandal center in each constituency, from kindergarten to XII. It will host a school that provides education up to grade 1. These schools will be developed with all necessary facilities in line with the Arutla model. He asked the collectors to submit a comprehensive report to facilitate taking necessary action.

Stating that the government is spending heavily on health services, Revanth Reddy said that there are plans to merge all public hospitals with medical faculties in the future in order to improve medical services for the poor. He reiterated that providing better healthcare to the underprivileged remains the primary goal of the government.

On administration and law enforcement, the Prime Minister instructed collectors to be wary of outsourcing organizations creating fake employment records and warned of strict action against such organizations. He said it was the responsibility of the collectors to take back the paddy from the millers when necessary and act tough against those who commit corruption. He also warned that if strict action is not taken against sand mafia and illegal mining, the Collector and Superintendent of Police concerned will be suspended.

Revanth Reddy warned that the government will closely monitor the performance of all collectors. He said good work would be appreciated but annual performance reports would form the basis for assessing their efficiency and determining promotions. He announced that another evaluation meeting regarding the performance of collectors will be held in June.