SYSTEM OF AREA OFFICERS INTRODUCED FOR BETTER
COORDINATION WITH STATES, UTs AND NGOs
Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment has introduced a system of Area Officers who will
act as facilitators with States/UTs as well as NGOs for ensuring
effective implementation of Government schemes, speedier utilisation
of funds and better coordination with States/UTs. Under this system,
Joint Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Secretaries of the Ministry
have been allotted one or more State/UT. Chief Secretaries of
all the States have also been addressed in this regard by the
Secretary (SJ&E) for their cooperation in implementation of
Government schemes at the grassroots level.
The basic purpose
of the Area Officer System is for the officers to act an effective
link between the States and the Division in the Ministry. The
specific duties of the Area Officers will be as follows:-
- To
visit the allotted State(s)/UT(s) at least once in four months
and
put up detailed report and to follow up the Ministry's
programmes.
- To
provide effective liaison for utilization of funds allotted
to the States/UTs including the scheme of the Ministry being
implemented by NGOs.
- To
inspect the functioning of the NGOs
in the State and other programmes of the Ministry being implemented
there and to deal with problem areas.
- Discussion
with the concerned Secretaries and Directors in the
State Administrations about any problem that they may have
in
the State vis-à-vis implementation of this Ministry's
schemes and
attempt to resolve these.
