Bihar Welfare Department Principal Secy Urges Officials to Hit the Hinterlands for Grassroot Execution

Patna: In a state-level review meeting held at in Patna, Principal Secretary for the Backward Classes and Extremely Backward Classes Welfare Department, H.R. Srinivas, directed officials to intensify grassroots engagement by visiting villages, hamlets, and neighbourhoods to ensure the effective implementation of welfare schemes.

The meeting, attended by divisional deputy directors, district and sub-divisional welfare officers, and senior departmental officials, focused on evaluating ongoing welfare programmes and identifying areas for immediate action. The session opened with formal courtesies as senior officials welcomed each other with flower bouquets, setting the tone for a high-level administrative dialogue.

Srinivas underscored the vast potential of the department’s work, highlighting the need for sincerity and diligence, particularly from newly appointed young officers. Citing Karnataka’s success in running over 2,500 government hostels, he urged Bihar to adopt a similar ambition, advocating a bottom-up approach to development.

One of the key concerns raised was the under-enrolment in OBC Girls Residential plus- two High Schools. Srinivas instructed welfare officers to ensure that no school operates below capacity and urged a proactive approach to student outreach. He further directed the Building Construction Department to expedite the completion of pending school infrastructure.

Reviewing the Janayak Karpuri Thakur and OBC Hostels, the Principal Secretary scrutinised both admission numbers and construction quality in districts such as Madhubani, Banka, and Kishanganj. He stressed the need for uncompromised building standards and mandated the submission of warranty papers for machinery used in new hostel facilities.

Attention also turned to scholarship schemes. Delays in disbursement were noted in districts like Katihar and Madhepura, where thousands of pre-matric scholarship payments remain pending. Srinivas called for immediate resolution. Similarly, Sitamarhi’s Utility Certificate backlog of Rs 4898 lakh was flagged as a critical issue requiring urgent attention.

Additional programmes reviewed included food supplies in hostels, the Chief Minister’s Hostel Grant Scheme, staff cadre mapping, digital service book updates, pending AC/DC cases, and vocational training initiatives. The Principal Secretary emphasized that every aspect of the department’s welfare schemes needs continual oversight and improvement.

Concluding the meeting, Srinivas announced plans for a more extensive full-day review session in the future, with comprehensive scheme-by-scheme evaluations and updated status checks.