The DRDA is the principle organ at the district level in implementing various anti-poverty Schemes of Government of India as well as of State Government. The DRDA is visualized as a specialized and professional Agency, capable of implementing the anti-poverty programmes, and in effectively carrying out the objectives to the rural masses. It helps in strengthening the rural infrastructure and bringing up the economic prospective of the villages with a key for the eradication of backwardness and poverty. The DRDA is implementing a number of schemes with an aim of enabling the rural people, in improving their standard of living and in eradication of poverty. The main thrust of the programmes implemented are being removing the economic disparity and bringing up the people below poverty line.
The DRDA established in 1980 is a registered society under the Tamil Nadu societies Act. The District Collector is the chairman of the DRDA. Governing body carries out the administration of the DRDA. The governing body governs major policy decisions including planning and functioning of DRDA and nevertheless the control and monitoring aspects are also being carried out. The meeting of the governing body of the DRDA is being conducted at least once in a quarter.
The administrative cost of DRDA is met under the head ” DRDA ADMN” shared between the central and state shared between the ratio of 75:25 . A maximum of 30% of the salary cost is allocated towards contingencies inclusive of Rents, POL, office expenses, etc. Salem district comes under category D ( >15 Blocks) the allocation is Rs.171.503 Lakhs per year. The ceiling will be raised every year , on a compounding basis, upto 5% to set of the increase due to inflation etc.