BHOPAL: The wings of several powerful babus in the Madhya Pradesh Secretariat will soon be clipped. This comes as a result of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan deciding to delegate a major portion of the Secretariat’s work to a team of private professionals.
This team, according to officials, will be composed of graduates of the IIMs and IITs. Some of the brightest minds of the country will help the CM build his image effectively. They will also help in preparing the CM’s speeches and rolling out customized welfare programs for the state.
The core objective of this team, which has been named ‘Vision Document Project Unit’, would be to make sure that Chouhan’s ‘Vision Madhya Pradesh 2018’ is successful. The 77 page-long vision document contains policy programs for the inclusive growth of every sector .
Officials said the recruitment of professionals for the team would be done through a tender floated by the government. “The CM feels that trained professionals are better equipped to execute his ambitious plans and hence a team is being assembled to make sure that the objectives of the project are achieved. “These professionals will also keep a close tab on the CM’s flagship programs such as the Laxmi Yojna, Kanyadhan Yojna and Janani Suraksha Yojna. They will report directly to the CM,” an official said.
Chouhan, according to people privy to the development, has modelled this idea after the office of former Gujarat CM and present PM, Narendra Modi.
“Modi’s office and some of his key programs are managed by a group of private professionals. The only difference is that Modi’s office uses volunteers, whereas Chouhan has gone for a paid service. Chouhan is very keen to market his image and his achievements at the national level,” an official said. However, this development has angered several senior bureaucrats as they will now be replaced. “The issue of confidentiality too needs to be taken into account as the Secretariat contains vital information that can be misused. To allow private individuals into the Secretariat is not a very good idea,” a senior government official commented.