Swadha Dev Singh has joined as Rayagada Collector and taken charge from outgoing Collector Saroj Mishra. During the regime of his predecessors like Pramod Kumar Behera and Saroj Mishra, managing Covid-19 in the district took precedence over implementation of Government development schemes.

As now Corona cases have subsided in the district, Singh has several challenges ahead. She needs to work on restoring 506 acres of land from Jeypore Sugar Company, conducting Rath Yatra peacefully with fresh tender of Gundicha shops for self sustaining Jagannath temple at Sraddha Sriksetra, emphasizing on different irrigation projects, checking rampant corruption in CAMPA, Mo Jungle Yojana, poaching of wild animals,  accelerating drinking water projects, strict monitoring of CSR/DMF activities, reassessing Municipality/NAC administration in the context of water, cleanliness, waste disposal, communication, promoting tourism , revamping labour issues, responding to social security issues of PwDs and elderly persons, widows and destitute, ensuring MSP for agricultural and forest produce, facilitating RORs to landless and thorough FRA, accelerating livelihood programmes through MGNREGA, OLM, Mission Shakti, etc.

“It is really unfortunate that lakhs of rupees are spent on mobile dispensary tents. There is rampant corruption in road projects. Maintaining a balance between pollution caused by industries and development of the district is need of the hour. She has to take stock of the situation, reflect as a team and then finally act,” said Rashmiranjan Dora of Rayagada Nagarika Manch, a farmer entrepreneur.