Camps will be held twice a week — Tuesday and Thursday  — across the 21 blocks of Palamu district to clear all pending dues of the work force here. Cases related to salary and honorarium of contractual workers, pensioners, Sewikas and Sahayikas of Anganwadis would be addressed in these camps.

The camps will be held at panchayat and block levels. Stating this, Deputy Commissioner of Palamu, Shantanu Kumar Agrahari said all officials – BDOs, COs, district social welfare officer, district welfare officer, and assistant director social security – have been asked to expedite payment process of all pending dues.

Agrahari said a similar order has been given to expedite distribution of blankets among the poor as the distribution process, which started in the last week of October, got stuck up following the imposition of the model code of conduct.

He said that blanket distribution is in full swing. Palamu has got 66,650 blankets but Agrahari said the administration would go for more blankets. The DC said that he has asked officials to go round the areas after sunset so that genuine and needy can be easily identified.

As for students of all government and private schools DC has ordered the schools to be closed till January 4 but for teachers of the schools – be it government or private – attending work has been made compulsorily.

DC said COs have been asked to arrange evening fire for the poor and the destitute to beat the winter.

Sources said chief minister Hemant Soren in his very first cabinet meeting had directed the DCs to ensure that payment of pending dues is started in all categories of work force beginning from contractual to the para teachers.

Soren has also asked the DCs to prepare a dossier on existing vacancies in departments that are to be filled at priority level.

Agrahari said “I have asked officials to find out about vacancies and to fill them up as well.”

However sources said an obstacle in filling of vacancies is the reservation roster’s compliance.

Sources said the outgoing year found sewikas, sahayeekas, para teachers on war path for their wages to be paid on time.

DC said that officers have been informed that their leave will not be granted easily as they have to report to the headquarters.