RAIPUR: In an election year, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh is walking the extra mile to reach out to the people in the ongoing Lok Suraj Abhiyan which his government claims is the biggest social audit in India.
His surprise visits often lead curious villagers to assemble at ‘chaupals’ (rural gathering) where Singh seeks feedback about his governance, evaluates the working of welfare schemes, takes note of local issues and redresses grievance in locally organised ‘samadhan shivirs’.
Singh, his Cabinet colleagues, bureaucrats and officials will be visiting villages and cities till the campaign ends on March 31.
Real-time proceedings are expected to give out factual ground analysis that can hint any anti-incumbency factor against Singh, who aspires for a fourth consecutive term as the chief minister. More importantly, it may become the deciding factor for selection of the BJP candidates for the state election.
“People-centric policies can best be formulated not sitting in the state secretariat but through ground assessment and response from the masses. Such approach enables the schemes to succeed. We ask the people what they want,” Singh says, and adds that over 30 lakh applications from the people show the popularity of the campaign.
About 98 per cent of the total applications are related to demands and the remaining ones are complaints. “Such campaigns give us countless insights which results in policy intervention and guide the strategy in practicing good governance,” the chief minister says.
The social audit also assesses the working of bureaucrats and officials who are grilled during a review meeting held after interaction with the people. “Prompt action is taken against officials over any dereliction of responsibility... But good work and efficiency draw appreciation too,” Aman Singh, the principal secretary to the CM, asserts.