Deputy MPDOs appointed to monitor village secretariats

To strengthen the Village/Ward Secretariat system and improve the delivery of civic services, the coalition government has introduced a multi-tier monitoring mechanism, including the appointment of Deputy Mandal Parishad Development Officers (Deputy MPDOs) at the mandal level and the establishment of a Divisional Development Officer (DDO) system at the revenue division level.

The new arrangement will place secretariats under closer supervision by Deputy MPDOs, DDOs, and the district nodal officer for secretariat administration. The focus will be on monitoring secretariat operations and ensuring the effective implementation of welfare schemes.

As part of the reforms, the government has also made facial attendance mandatory for all secretariat employees. Under the new guidelines, staff must record attendance twice daily — once before 11 a.m. and again after 5 p.m.

The Deputy MPDO system was introduced in December last year to reduce the supervisory burden on Mandal Parishad Development Officers (MPDOs), who, officials said, were unable to effectively monitor secretariats due to their workload. This, in turn, had contributed to public dissatisfaction over the functioning of some secretariats.

To fill Deputy MPDO posts, the government promoted eligible Grade-1 Panchayat Secretaries and senior assistants from the Panchayat Raj Department based on their service records. Though they were part of the Panchayat Raj set-up earlier, they have now been placed under the Village/Ward Secretariat Department for monitoring purposes.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to upgrade village secretariats into ‘Swarna Gram Secretariats’, a proposal that has received Cabinet approval and the Governor’s assent.