Mandi: Perturbed by delays in implementing Centre-sponsored schemes, development works, and utilisation of public funds, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut came down hard on officials during a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in Mandi, questioning their efficiency, accountability, and commitment to development.
While reviewing development works and schemes under DISHA, Ranaut stressed that government money must reach the intended beneficiaries and should not be misused or remain unutilised. She called for stronger monitoring of centrally sponsored schemes and timely execution of projects.
“The public money should not go into the wrong hands,” Ranaut said, emphasising that negligence or irregularities in implementation could not be ignored.
The BJP MP claimed that 30 to 40 per cent of public money goes into the wrong hands, and stressed the need for greater accountability in the implementation of government-funded projects.
Ranaut expressed particular displeasure over projects that have remained pending for long periods despite allocation of funds. Questioning officials over delays, she said the time for merely discussing or “addressing” old issues was over and that officials should now focus on completing the works and reporting their progress.
“The time for ‘addressing’ things is gone. Those are two-year-old matters. Those are one-and-a-half to two-year-old matters. Now get the job done and report to me that this is done!” she said.
Referring to an allocation of Rs 11 crore, Ranaut said that despite the money being allocated, not a single piece of work had been carried out. She described the situation as “so incompetent” and “wretched”.
The MP also expressed concern over how she would respond to questions from the media regarding the pace of development in her constituency.
“What am I supposed to say before the media out there? That people come here only to draw their salaries?” she questioned.
Ranaut further criticised what she described as a lack of work ethic among officials and questioned whether she should tell the national media that people holding official positions were “utterly lazy” and “utterly incompetent”.
“What am I supposed to say about their work ethic? That they are utterly lazy, utterly incompetent people occupying these chairs? Is that what I should say to the national media? About my own constituency? And about my own mountain people?” she said.
The Mandi MP directed officials to ensure that Centre-sponsored schemes did not remain confined to paperwork and that their benefits actually reached villages and people who genuinely needed them.
She also called for close monitoring of the quality of development works, progress of schemes and utilisation of government funds. Officials were directed to ensure that projects were completed within stipulated timelines and that bottlenecks causing delays were addressed promptly.
Ranaut’s remarks came amid a review of development programmes being implemented in Mandi district under the DISHA framework, which is aimed at monitoring the implementation of various Central government schemes at the district level.
The BJP MP has previously expressed displeasure over the functioning of officials during DISHA meetings. During a meeting in October 2025, she had also warned officials against taking the review exercise lightly and called for greater seriousness in development-related work.
Her latest criticism has once again put the spotlight on delays in development projects, implementation of Centre-sponsored schemes and accountability in the utilisation of public funds in Mandi.
Ranaut maintained that officials must move beyond paperwork and ensure that sanctioned projects translate into visible benefits on the ground, particularly for people in rural and remote areas of her constituency.
