Additional charge syndrome derails MGNREGA execution

Srinagar, May 18: The shortage of Block Development Officers (BDOs) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district is severely affecting the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The authorities have ordered for withholding salaries and honorariums of 10 BDOs and field functionaries over “extremely poor” performance in execution of works and generation of persondays under MGNREGA.

As per the order, only 10 Block Development Officers (BDOs) are currently overseeing 22 blocks in the district.

Among them several officers are holding additional charge of multiple blocks simultaneously.

In some cases, a single officer is managing four blocks while other BDO is manning three blocks and other BDOs are managing two blocks.

As per the order issued by the Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD) Kupwara, the district administration has found the performance under MGNREGA during the first quarter of the financial year 2026-27 “extremely poor and unsatisfactory” against the assigned labour budget targets.

“Despite repeated review meetings, monitoring exercises and strict directions from the authorities, the concerned officers and field-level functionaries failed to improve the pace of developmental works and employment generation under the rural job scheme,” the order reads.

It reads that the poor performance reflected “gross negligence, lack of seriousness and non-compliance towards official duties.”

“The failure of supervision and monitoring adversely affected achievement of targets in the district,” the order reads. In wake of this, ACD Kupwara has ordered withholding of salaries and honorariums of all the 10 concerned BDOs along with Assistant Executive Engineers, Assistant Engineers and other field staff working under their administrative control “with immediate effect till further orders.”

The move has brought focus on the “additional charge syndrome” prevailing in the Rural Development Department in Kupwara district as a limited number of BDOs are handling multiple blocks. As per the order, one BDO has been assigned charge of four blocks including Kalaroose, Machil, Wavoora and Sogam, while another officer is simultaneously overseeing Herri Qadirabad, Kralpora and Kupwara blocks.

Other BDOs whose salaries have been withheld are also managing two blocks each. The ACD has warned the officers of strict disciplinary action, including attachment or termination “if there was no substantial improvement in performance within the shortest possible time.”

“All Block Development Officers are hereby directed to personally monitor the progress on day-to-day basis and ensure immediate acceleration in personday generation and execution of approved works,” the order reads.

The BDOs have also been directed to submit daily progress reports to the ACD office.

“Any negligence or non-compliance would invite action under the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Rules and other applicable laws,” it reads.

Minister for Rural Development Department (RDD), Javid Ahmad Dar was not available for his comments about the dearth of BDOs in the department.