TN appoints officers to monitor special projects in districts

A GO issued by Udhayachandran said the FNOs will undertake field inspections in the allotted districts at least 4 days a month of schemes, programmes, and projects

With an aim to effectively implement special projects conceived by the government, the DMK dispensation in Tamil Nadu has decided to strengthen the monitoring mechanism by designating field officers to 37 districts who will undertake inspection in their allotted regions for at least four days in a month.

Special Programme Implementation Department, which is helmed by seasoned bureaucrat T Udhayachandran who is also the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, is the monitoring body of the Government as it collects data from various departments concerned to monitor the status of policy announcements.

As the department is responsible for preparing progress reports for important coordination meetings and analytical reports for high-level review meetings, the government decided to strengthen the monitoring mechanism up to the district level by appointing field nodal officers (FNO).

A GO issued by Udhayachandran, a copy of which was accessed by DH, said the FNOs will undertake field inspections in the allotted districts at least 4 days a month of schemes, programmes, and projects. The officers will monitor implementation of flagship schemes of the government.

“During the inspections, the Field Nodal Officers have to verify the genuineness of the beneficiaries under various welfare schemes, actual stage of works under implementation and also to report the Incidental findings, if any,” the GO said, adding that they should also verify whether the schemes are being implemented as per the guidelines and instructions.

The DMK government has been focussing on several social welfare measures including free travel for women in town buses, breakfast for students of class one to five, and Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to girl students of government schools who opt to pursue higher education.

A senior government official said the FNOs will also document best practices, if any, that are being followed in the field that have better quality outcomes or contribute to speedy implementation of the works which could be replicated in other areas.

“They will also report any malpractices, issues, bottlenecks in the implementation of programmes for rectification and appropriate action,” the official added.

The GO added that the FNOs should send their field inspection reports immediately on completion of each inspection and attend all the meetings conducted by the Special Programme Implementation Department without fail.

It also asked district collectors to provide all necessary support including logistic support to the Field Nodal Officers for successful carrying out of their inspections as mandated by the Government.