SHILLONG, Oct 17: Top state bureaucrats among others advised and reminded newly recruited Junior Rural Development Officers (JRDOs) of their crucial roles in ushering in development in rural areas of Meghalaya.
This transpired during an orientation programme for the JRDOs organised by the Community & Rural Development department and State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) in collaboration with Meghalaya Administrative Training Institute (MATI), at Yojana Bhavan, Main Secretariat here, on Monday.
It is important to note that this is the first time that the JRDO position has been created in the C&RD department with an aim to bridge the divide between the communities and the government, and to take the services to the last mile of the population. The move is expected to enhance collaboration and inter-departmental convergence activities in the interest of community and rural development in the state.
During the inaugural session of the first phase of the orientation programme, Secretary C&RD department T Lyngwa, addressing the JRDOs, said this is a major milestone not only for the department but the state as a whole.
The chief guest of the inaugural session was Chief Secretary DP Wahlang.
While congratulating the newly appointed JRDOs, the Chief Secretary called upon them to make their profession a mission for the development of the state. He expressed hope that the appointment of the officers will make the system more robust and effective.
Emphasising on the importance of the JRDOs, he added, “Interaction with self-help groups and with people at the last mile is a must. There is a need to communicate in a language that our communities understand and the role of JRDOs is crucial in this regard”.
Strategies implemented in the rural areas will have a direct bearing on the state’s GSDP and will impact the last denominator in the development chain, Wahlang said, while stressing on the JRDOs’ crucial role in impacting the state’s development.
In his keynote address, Principal Secretary C&RD department Sampath Kumar congratulated the JRDOs and talked about the aim and focus of the officers for strengthening and institutionalising a dedicated system for the cause of rural and community development.
The JRDOs will play an important role in strengthening the connection between communities and the government, while bringing a collaborative approach among the functionaries and departments working at the block level, he said, adding that they will focus on realising and achieving the purpose of development as ‘ideators’, strategists and implementers, and not just mere implementers of schemes or programmes. Their work will contribute to building the overall social and economic mobility, Kumar added.
He pointed out that Meghalaya is one of the few states in India which has a dedicated C&RD department as opposed to a mere ‘Rural Development Department’ in others. The concept of Junior Rural Development Officers was announced in 2020, but faced with COVID-19 pandemic, the process was delayed.
Highlighting the various systemic reforms undertaken by the state in the past few months for improving developmental indicators, the Principal Secretary stated that Meghalaya, through the active role of the Village Employment Councils (VECs), has been able to significantly increase the MGNREGA uptake from just Rs 270 crore annual budget to Rs 1,600 crore at present.
He highlighted the steps taken by the state to mobilise a massive pool of social capital through the SHGs led by women.
Currently, there are more than 41,000 women-led SHGs and about 5,000 village organisations (VOs).
The state has also come out with a first-of-its kind policy for promoting gender equality through the policy of 50 per cent reservation for women in VECs as office-bearers.
On this, Sampath Kumar said, “A few years ago, the state had just 250 women office-bearers, but now, there are about 3,000 of them. This also helps to create awareness in terms of inculcating a positive health seeking behaviour among communities, and also reducing maternal and infant deaths by addressing the cyclical relationship between health, poverty and gender roles”.
He also added that in order to ensure effective natural resource management and sustainable development practices, the Natural Resource Management Committees (NRMCs), which are sub committees of the VECs have been formed.
The launch of JRDO cadre is a significant step towards realising the goal of Rural Development 3.0 initiative or RD 3.0, which is aimed at reducing multidimensional poverty, and is slated for a formal launch soon.
The JRDOs will take care of all activities dedicated to the community and rural development, spanning from community mobilisation, field visits and community interactions, inter departmental and stakeholder convergence, weekly check ins, collection of reviews and feedbacks, enhancing connectivity and effective communication between the government and the communities which will all contribute to not only improving development indicators, but more so, in reducing poverty.
It may be mentioned that the orientation programme aims to orient and equip the JRDOs with a comprehensive knowledge of the structure and functioning of the C&RD department and its efforts in coordinating with relevant key partners of the state, contributing to rural development.
The first phase of the orientation will last for two weeks, after which the JRDOs will have an attachment period in the block offices.
After the conclusion of the inaugural session, the JRDOs proceeded for their training session, which will span for about two weeks.
