Chandigarh, May 15
Following drubbing in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, in a swift move, has drawn up a seven-point socio-economic development charter and re-prioritised policy programmes of his government.
The Chief Minister has set up a review committee under Ms Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder to go into issues that emerged during the campaign and had contributed to the rout of the party, mirroring non-performance of the government. He has also shortlisted bureaucrats for key administrative posts to implement the seven-point charter aimed at good governance, bridge growing alienation between the government and the people and erase their impression of cynical opportunism in the Congress.
Informed sources told The Tribune tonight, “More than seniority, will to work and perform will merit attention.” The Chief Minister was keen on net-working of the administrative departments as well as possible assimilation and elimination of ones performing duplicate or multiple functions.
While Ms Bhinder will study as to why and how fundamentals of good governance got neglected in the past two and a half years and suggest means to check influence of power brokers, the Chief Minister proposes to complete the process of administrative reshuffle by the end of May. The key departments where bureaucratic changes are likely to be made include development, co-operation, urban development and housing, industry, excise and taxation and even finance.
The seven-point charter would focus on the power sector, rural development and social security, urban development, fiscal reforms, second green revolution for sustainable agricultural development, infrastructure and industrial development. To monitor, implement and review the charter, a “task force” will be set up in the office of the Chief Minister.
Capt Amarinder Singh has reviewed the key pending issues like disinvestment and restructuring of the government and public sector undertakings and giving subsidy to revive small sector industrial units. Sources said he had realised that accountability of bureaucracy and reforming bureaucracy itself was equally imperative for good governance.
As part of political defence before the party high command, the Chief Minister has equipped himself with complete data and analysed the performance of the Congress in all the 117 assembly segments that make up 13 Lok Sabha constituencies. He has instructed that a blueprint of the seven-point charter be prepared quickly and bureaucrats identified to monitor and implement the same with an inbuilt review mechanism.
Another important issue that had strongly emerged during the electioneering was security. There was a general feeling in the people about lack of security of life and property and questionable means the way the police dealt with the
Singh will have tough time disciplining the Home Department which looks after the police which is faction-ridden.
A close examination of the proposed seven-point charter reveals the following re-prioritised policy programmes. In the power sector focus will be on corporatisation of the Punjab State Electricity Board or its unbundling. The PSEB Chairman, Mr Y.S. Ratra, is all set to get approval of the Council of Ministers on this. This key component of the power sector includes 24-hour supply of electricity to urban and rural areas and additional power generation. This includes Rs 1,700-crore extension of the Lehra Mohabat thermal plant and raising its generation by 500 MW.
Under rural development and social security, priority will be on empowering Panchayati Raj institutions, focus on regular payment of old and widow pensions and “shagun” under the “ashirwad” scheme at the marriage of Scheduled Castes girl, supply of free books and grant of scholarships to Scheduled Caste schoolchildren, rural sanitation, strengthening link roads and providing drinking water.
The urban development would mean giving quality civic services, drinking water, sewerage and sanitation, quality housing and upkeep of roads. The fiscal reforms agenda means the maximum additional resource mobilisation and reforms to facilitate business and trade.
Agriculture development will revolve around implementation of the diversification scheme to break the wheat-rice cycle and procurement, marketing and processing of farm produce.
