Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jun 20: V Ponnuraj, Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner (DC) and his wife, P Hemalata, who is the DC of Udupi district, will be away from the twin districts for about two months. They are scheduled to undergo training at Mussoorie in Uttarakhand for six weeks, followed by additional two-week training at USA from June 29 to August 21.

Both of them are scheduled to leave for the training after June 25. While the chief executive officer of Udupi zilla panchayat will hold charge as the deputy commissioner in Hemalata's absence, the additional deputy commissioner will discharge duties of the deputy commissioner in Dakshina Kannada during the said period.

Under the mid-term vocational training programme, the IAS officers who have completed seven to nine years of service are given a two-year time to complete the third phase of training. Udupi DC Hemalata and V Ponnuraj, who was then the DC of Ramnagar district, were scheduled to attend this training last year, but the government at the last minute, had stopped them from attending the training. As such, it has become mandatory for both of them to attend this year's training.