KCR plans big shake-up

Hyderabad: Apart from introducing more welfare programmes in the 2018-19 budget, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to usher in reforms in the delivery of existing welfare schemes to the target groups.

As proper implementation of the welfare programmes is key to warming up to a vast section of the population, the Chief Minister is contemplating to use information technology to learn the status delivery of benefits in real time to the beneficiaries. He is also understood to be contemplating to create separate wings in each welfare department to plug loopholes in the delivery mechanism.

Taking a serious note of the delay in implementing the welfare schemes launched for the development of SC, ST, BC and minority communities in the recent times, KCR instructed all Secretaries and heads of all welfare departments to come out with alternative mechanisms for the timely delivery of the benefits.

In a recent meeting held with the top officials of the welfare wings, KCR enquired the reasons for the delay in the distribution of the benefits of the schemes to the needy. Delay in the distribution of three acres of land to the poor SC communities, disbursement of the benefits under the self-employment schemes to the different sections, identification of the beneficiaries under many schemes, including sheep distribution, Kalyana Laxmi and so on. A top official of the state government told The Hans India that KCR is worried more about the delay in reaching the benefits to the deserved.

Barring the old age pension scheme, many departments were consuming more time in the implementation of welfare programmes. He found lack of coordination between the HoDs and the implementing agency at ground level and the absence of monitoring mechanism being the main reasons for the delay. The Chief Minister observed that not more than 50 per cent targets were achieved in the SC and ST welfare schemes. In the BC and minority sector, the government could achieve only 40 per cent results.

The issue of brining an effective mechanism for the implementation of all schemes in a scheduled time is also taken up in the meetings held by state Finance department.Officials said that KCR is planning to create a separate wing in every welfare department to monitor the implementation of every welfare schemes regularly.

The utilisation of funds, status of the applications submitted by the beneficiaries, disbursement of the benefits will be made online in the next financial year beginning April one. Under the new system , every official will be able to ascertain the status of scheme implementation round the clock. Sources said that the state IT (Information Technology ) department will be entrusted to create an online mechanism with the coordination of all welfare departments.