Brought revolutionary changes in Andhra Pradesh, says CM Jagan Mohan Reddy
VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that the government has succeeded in bringing revolutionary changes in the State in the past 20 months with coordinated efforts, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that apart from the Disha Act, village/ward secretariats and volunteers system, the government has rolled out several other initiatives. Giving the credit of success to teamwork, he thanked the Almighty for giving him a team with good experience and efficient officials and urged them to continue their support and cooperation. The CM said all achievements mirror the performance of the State and it stands as a symbol of efficiency and dedication of the officials. Reviewing with the Secretaries and Heads of all departments in the Secretariat on Wednesday, the Chief Minister wanted officials not to relax and focus on improving the good work they have done in the first 20 months of his government, which is one-third of his five year tenure. Using cricket analogy, he said,
“Now we have entered into the middle overs and it is natural to opt for taking a break. However, there should be no scope of relaxation at this juncture, as only then we can proceed further.’’ Stating that the Centre has also appreciated the steps taken by the State to reduce power costs and the policies implemented in power purchases, which have received the attention of not only the Union Government but also other States. He said judicial preview of tenders in contracts to curb corruption, reverse tendering policy, English as a medium of instruction, setting up of Rythu Bharosa Kendras and YSR village clinics, concept of village and ward secretariats, comprehensive survey of lands have shown the commitment and transparency in governance. Stating that the State Government has credited nearly Rs 90,000 crore into the accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), he said the initiatives of Nadu-Nedu scheme has brought revolutionary changes in health and education sectors.
House site pattas were distributed to 30.92 lakh beneficiaries and probably never in the history of the country such a programme was undertaken, he said, adding that Andhra Pradesh might be the only State which effectively utilised Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (PMAY). Underscoring the need for better coordination among departments, the Chief Minister appreciated the Chief Secretary for convening the meeting with secretaries and felt that such meetings should be held at regular intervals for effective coordination among departments and also bridge communication gaps. It also helps to give direct orders to the Finance Secretary regarding problems related to funds for other departments. He asked all secretaries to give their suggestions and share their ideas for effective governance. The government has fulfilled 95 per cent of promises made in the election manifesto, he said.
Rectified all shortcomings
Recalling that bills to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore remained pending by the time he took over reins of the State Government, the Chief Minister took a dig at the previous TDP regime. Large scale corruption had taken place in the State through Janmabhoomi Committees, Centre-State relations and interstate relations were poor. That’s the situation when the YSRC formed the government. But, I can proudly say that we came to the point rectifying all the shortcomings, he said. He said the governance was at mandal level during the previous government and administration has now reached to a v i l l a g e l eve l i n t h i s government. He said there was corruption and delay in services when every issue needed to be addressed at mandal level.
Thus, the administration now being extended in the village-level without any scope for corruption, he said. Suggesting officials to own the village/ward secretariat system and to respond to the complainants filed at secretariats, he said welfare schemes should be implemented to all the eligible beneficiaries and volunteers play a key role and added that they were doing service and they should be motivated. Volunteers should be felicitated on the eve of Ugadi in every constituency by recognising their services and by honouring them with awards like Seva Ratna and Seva Mitra. He said a felicitation programme should be conducted in one constituency every day in each district starting from Ugadi. He said the District Collector, Superintendent of Police, Joint Collector, Ministers and MLA s should attend these felicitation programmes to motivate and encourage volunteers. He directed the officials to prepare an action plan to organise these programmes. Chief Secretary Adityanath Das, DGP Gautam Sawang and Secretaries of various Departments were present in the meeting.