Bhubaneswar, August 18: As part of the Village Visit Programme of the OAS Officer Trainees of the 2023 Batch, the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) probationers undertook field visits across Koraput, including Kotia panchayat, gaining first-hand insights into grassroots governance and public service delivery, recently.

The field visit included visits to Gram Panchayat offices, Anganwadi Centres, Kotia Panchayat and its villages.

The newly recruited officers interacted with the local people, children, students and people of all walks of life in order to get a first-hand experience on governance particularly in the sensitive Kotia region. Despite the geographical challenges and scattered habitations, the young officers visited several areas of Kotia GP.

These interactions offered the OAS trainees an opportunity to understand local governance, community needs, frontline service delivery and the challenges of administering in remote and border areas.

Moving beyond the classroom, the trainees are learning to observe, engage and understand governance from the perspective of the people they will serve.

For the context, Kotia gram panchayat under Pottangi block has remained at the centre of a decades-old inter-State boundary dispute between Odisha and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The panchayat comprises 28 villages, of which 21 are claimed by both the States. While the matter is pending before the Supreme Court since 1968, both Governments have continued extending welfare schemes to residents in the region.

Notably, Kotia has completed 100% enumeration form (EF) collection and digitisation, marking a major milestone in the electoral roll updation process under the special intensive revision (SIR) programme recently.