To overcome frustrating power shortage, poor infrastructure, ever-increasing farmers’ problems, high rate of neonatal death, increasing network of mafia and above all red-tapism, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is trying to make a challenging effort — motivate babus.
The next state Budget will be based on suggestions made by them.
To encourage them and bring them out of habit of making half-hearted efforts on development and make the government machinery work, Chouhan today set the deadline for development as 2013.
“We have to be aggressive on seven points — infrastructure development, investment promotion, to make agriculture a profitable business, improve education standard, ensure better law and order, women empowerment and good governance,” he told a platoon of officials at a workshop ‘Manthan 2009.’
The workshop was second in its series, as earlier, he had organised such a workshop two years ago.
The chief minister admitted that his government had a challenge to ensure sufficient power by 2013, improve irrigation facilities and ensure good governance.
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In-principle, the agenda is knowledge sharing so that district collectors, secretaries, and senior bureaucrats can work closer and develop an understanding about flaws in the system and practical difficulties of rules and regulation at implementation level.
But insiders have a different tale to tell. “The government has changed a number of clauses and sub-clauses of various Acts in name of ensuring better facilities to public but the commoners are yet deprived. Instead, only the influential enjoy the benefits,” said a senior bureaucrat.
Citing an example the bureaucrat said, “To promote investment in the state, the chief minister had floated a concept of single-table clearance. But there are number of instances when investors withdrew their plan to invest due to harassment at the single table.” Other insiders also pointed out problems in the system that hindered development in agriculture, power, irrigation and health system.
“Is there any plan on agri-extension work? Does the government have sufficient staff to implement agri-extension schemes? What happened to heights of Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects? How many mega irrigation projects the state has added during the last 20 years?” another official asked.
Of his seven pronged-agenda, the chief minister seems to have skipped employment, a major challenge, besides corruption and red-tapism.
Instead, he harped more on changing “redundant” rules and forming more laws, rules and regulations.