Udupi district in-charge secretary M.T. Reju on Saturday asked officials to take up full-fledged implementation of government schemes and programmes during December and January as there was a complete lag in their implementation due to COVID-19. Presiding over a district review meeting in Udupi, Mr. Reju said that the government had announced many schemes and formulated programmes for the welfare of the people during the budget. However, they could not be implemented up to the expected level due to the pandemic. After gathering details about the loss of property and agricultural crops due to heavy rain in the district, Mr. Reju asked officials to extend necessary assistance to people to come out of the trauma and help rebuild their houses. Sufficient attention should also be given to arrange for drinking water facilities to people in rural as well as urban areas. The administration should draw up permanent development plans besides providing employment to people under the employment guarantee scheme, he said. Taking note of unscientific marine fishing activities in the district, Mr. Reju said that he had been getting complaints about them. The Fisheries Department should take necessary action to curb such activities, he told the Deputy Director of the department. He noted that only Rs.31 crore out of the Rs. 38 crore released for loan waiver for fisherwomen was released to 11,000 beneficiaries in the last two years. Officials should set right bank account details of the remaining 4,050 beneficiaries and disburse the amount, he said. The budget proposals are planned on the feedback on needs from the district-level, Mr. Reju said and asked officials from every department to submit the list of demands well ahead of the deadline. Deputy Commissioner G. Jagadeesha, Zilla Panchayat CEO Y. Naveen Bhat, Superintendent of Police N. Vishnuvardhan, Additional Deputy Commissioner B. Sadashiva Prabhu and others were present.