AMARAVATI: There should be a Standard Operation Procedure in the important services being provided to people at the village and ward secretariats by the volunteers as part of the government’s welfare programmes, said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Addressing a review meeting on the functioning of the village and ward secretariats in the state here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said the volunteers and the staff at the secretariats trained one month in advance about the directives for the new welfare programme that is going to be implemented by the government so that the selection of beneficiaries becomes easier. He said a process has to be maintained by the secretarial staff and the volunteers in the implementation of the new welfare programmes and in the section of beneficiaries.

Officials of the departments concerned have to directly send information to the secretariats regarding the directives to be followed and the eligibility criteria of the beneficiaries and also paste posters about it at the secretariats. While asserting the importance of appointing officials of all departments concerned at the village and ward secretariats, the Chief Minister said they need to be present there till the Rythu Bharosa centres are established there.

The officials should immediately respond to the requests that are made in the portal to the 541 services offered at the secretariats such as that of a pensioner. The portal is not only linked to the department concerned but also to the Chief Minister’s Office. Even the secretaries of the department concerned should be involved in the process.

If there is a lapse anywhere it is the poor beneficiary who would be at loss and it amounts to the failure of the official concerned, said the Chief Minister and added that the volunteers should personally go to the houses of the beneficiaries of pension and ration cards to enlist their particulars and see that nobody is left out.

He said a phone call to the beneficiary was a must from the secretariat by the volunteers to inform about the status of the request made. Despite all the efforts being made by the secretariats to maintain transparency in their functioning some news channels and a section of the media were promoting negative results.

This can be avoided by maintaining periodical indicators, said the Chief Minister and directed the officials to maintain an attendance register for the volunteers. He said since each volunteer was entrusted with 50 houses, there should not be any scope for delays in implementation of any scheme. As the system was introduced to take administration to the door-steps of the people, there should be no scope for corruption and third-party verification would solve the problem, he said and by conducting a monthly review of the functioning of the secretariats, he added.

Chief Secretary Neelam Sawhney and officials of the other departments concerned were among those present.

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