Khandre Warns of Action Against PDOs Failing to Provide Jobs Under Employment Guarantee Scheme
Ballari: Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B. Khandre has warned of disciplinary action against officials, including Executive Officers and Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs), if rural workers are forced to migrate in search of employment despite the availability of work under the employment guarantee scheme.
Reviewing the progress of various departmental programmes at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium in Ballari on Sunday, Khandre said the shortage of rainfall in the district had adversely affected agricultural activities and created the possibility of rural people migrating to cities in search of work.
He directed officials to ensure that every eligible family in rural areas is provided employment under the VBG Ram G scheme and stressed that no worker should be forced to leave the village for lack of employment.
Khandre said officials would be held responsible if poor people, women, persons with disabilities, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and backward-class workers were forced to migrate in search of livelihood. Disciplinary action would be initiated against the concerned Executive Officers and PDOs, he warned.
The Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the district achieving only 46% of its targeted person-days up to July. Ballari has set a target of generating 51.30 lakh person-days during the current financial year. He directed officials to accelerate implementation from August and generate at least five to six lakh person-days every month.
The district has 1.84 lakh active job cards covering around 4.60 lakh workers, of which e-KYC has been completed for around 1.30 lakh job cards. Khandre directed officials to complete the pending e-KYC process at the earliest.
He was particularly critical of the performance in Ballari taluk, where nearly 48,000 active job cards are available but only around 11,000 workers are being provided employment each day. He directed officials to immediately prepare action plans and take up both individual and community works without delay.
As many as 318 types of works can be undertaken under the VBG Ram G scheme, and officials were asked to create awareness among the public through door-to-door campaigns. Khandre also stressed that works should result in quality and durable assets and that all assets must be geo-tagged.
The Minister directed officials to closely monitor the employment guarantee programme and ensure timely payment of wages directly into workers’ bank accounts. “Once wages are credited directly to workers’ accounts on time, their confidence and interest in the scheme will increase,” he said, stressing the need for transparent and effective implementation.
Khandre said there was no shortage of funds for the VBG Ram G scheme. More than ₹1,000 crore had already been released to all Zilla Panchayats in the state, while the state government had provided ₹1,200 crore and the Centre ₹1,700 crore during the first quarter.
He directed Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officers to conduct daily virtual meetings to review progress and warned that strict action would be taken if works were shown only on paper while no actual work was carried out. Officials and technical supervisors were instructed to personally visit work sites and verify the quality of works.
Khandre also directed officials to prioritise the construction of field channels and FICs to ensure that irrigation water reaches the fields of farmers located at the tail-end of canal systems. Coordination with the Minor Irrigation and Irrigation departments was also stressed to prevent water wastage.
He further instructed officials to issue job cards within 24 hours after receiving and verifying applications. Job card camps should also be organised so that workers do not face unnecessary delays in obtaining employment.
On drinking water, Khandre said providing clean drinking water to every rural household remains a top priority of the government. He warned that officials would be held responsible if people fell ill due to the supply of contaminated water.
He also directed contractors and engineers to restore roads immediately after laying pipelines under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Panchayat officials and engineers must work together to ensure timely completion of the project, he said.
Khandre called for faster tax collection, improved maintenance and digital facilities in public libraries, and better management of library book inventories across the district.
He also said a system was being planned to deliver e-Swathu and khata documents directly to citizens at their homes, reducing the need for people to visit government offices. Officials were instructed to ensure that khata documents are issued only to the genuine property owners and that transfers to unauthorised third parties are not permitted.
Officials and elected representatives, including Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department Commissioner Dr Arundhati Chandrashekhar, Ballari Zilla Panchayat CEO Mohammed Haris Sumeer, senior departmental officials, taluk panchayat executive officers and PDOs, were present at the meeting.