Nandahandi, 21st July 2025: A Panchayat Samiti meeting was held in the conference hall of the Nandahandi Block Office in Nabarangpur district. The meeting was attended by Nabarangpur MLA Gauri Shankar Majhi as the chief guest. Discussions covered multiple departments, during which the MLA strongly criticized departmental officers and staff over alleged corruption in the MGNREGA scheme and neglect in drain cleaning.
The meeting was chaired by Group Development Officer Kshirod Chandra Sahu. Among others present were:
Zilla Parishad Member Arun Kumar Mishra
Block Chairperson Rashmita Majhi
Vice-Chairperson Sadan Gauda
Tahasildar Chandra Das Mahanandia
Assistant Executive Engineer Shankar Budek
MP Representative Janaki Kant Bishoi
Sarpanches and Samiti members from all 11 panchayats also attended the meeting. Representatives from various departments such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Child Development, Food Supplies, Soil Conservation, Forest, Police, Excise, Rural Development, Skill Training Centers, Electricity, Rural and Drinking Water Supply were also present.
During the meeting:
Departmental officers responded to questions and concerns raised by the MLA and panchayat representatives with data and facts.
Problems were discussed with the aim of finding actionable solutions.
Particular dissatisfaction was expressed over the working style of Jay Prakash Mishra, the department engineer responsible for rural water supply and sanitation. Despite repeated reports of issues, no effective steps had been taken.
It was noted that officers from three key departments—Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India), Health, and Lift Irrigation—were absent from the meeting.