Hans News Service Khammam:

DistrictCollector Divakara TS on Thursday directed officials of all departments to work towards clearly defined development goals, setting a six-month deadline for completing all short-term targets.

Reviewing district development plans with Additional Collector P Sreeja at the Collectorate, he instructed officials to classify targets into short, medium and long-term categories. Short-term goals must be achieved within six months, medium-term targets within six to 12 months and long-term objectives within 12 to 24 months. Progress should be reviewed monthly, and revised plans submitted in the prescribed format.

The Collector stressed the need to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates through 100 per cent registration of pregnant women and continuous monitoring of maternal health, deliveries and immunisation programmes. He also called for measures to reduce Caesarean deliveries, enforce the PCPNDT Act and tackle child malnutrition, particularly in tribal, forest and remote areas.

Emphasising educational improvement, he directed officials to prepare school-wise plans to enhance academic standards, increase student enrolment and improve the quality of meals provided to students.

Officials were asked to inspect drinking water facilities in all residential educational institutions and submit a comprehensive report within a week to ensure access to safe drinking water.

The Collector called for expanding skill training through Advanced Technology Centres, the Skill University and vocational programmes, aligning courses with industry requirements to improve employment opportunities for youth.

Highlighting the potential of agriculture-based industries, he said chilli processing facilities should be expanded in view of the district’s substantial chilli production. Officials were asked to explore processing units for chilli and other agricultural products and specify their potential for employment generation and economic value addition.

The Collector called for wider adoption of online administrative systems and a dashboard to monitor departmental performance and development targets.

He also stressed improving drinking water supply, sewage treatment, sanitation and footpaths in urban areas, besides preparing long-term plans to address population growth and urban expansion.