A day after being sworn in, the newly inducted Ministers in the Manohar Lal Khattar Cabinet on Friday assumed charge here with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar accompanying them to their chair and office.
Home and Health Minister Anil Vij, Education Minister Kanwar Pal, Power Minister and Independent MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala, Women and Child Development Minister Kamlesh Dhanda, Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma and Sports Minister Sandeep Singh — assumed charge at the Haryana Civil Secretariat building here.
Soon after taking charge, the new Home Minister Vij said he will not tolerate laxity on anyone's part and those officials not doing work should be prepared to take voluntary retirement. "My message to them (government officials) is to perform and if any official feels he cannot do so, then he/she can take voluntary retirement," he said. Vij, who has been entrusted with heading the key portfolio of the Home Department during his second consecutive term as minister, said that he will work to improve the image of the police so that its acceptability among the public increases.
He said he will soon convene a meeting of police officers of various departments and take feedback on how things can be improved, stressing that eliminating the drug menace from the State will be among his top priorities.
"Police department is directly connected with people. Though you cannot have a policeman for every person, but the public should feel safe and secure knowing that if they face any trouble at any time, police is there to protect them all the time," he said.
Kanwar Pal, who began his new stint as the State''s Education Minister, said he would focus on providing qualitative education and improving the performance of Government schools students. "People should once again feel that Government schools are at par and even better than their private counterparts," Pal said.
Kamlesh Dhanda, the lone woman minister in the Haryana Cabinet said that coming from the rural hinterland, she will work to improve the lives of women, especially those living in the State''s rural areas.
Ranjit Chautala, son of former deputy prime minister late Devi Lal Chautala, gave the assurance that there will be no shortage of electricity during his tenure as Power Minister.
When reporters pointed out that he was in fact the grand uncle of Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Ranjit replied: "In 1987 when Devi Lal was chief minister, I was in his cabinet. When father and son can be in the cabinet (together), why can''t we both be in the same cabinet. He is doing his work and I am doing mine."
Former Indian hockey team captain Sandeep Singh said his vision as Sports Minister is to take sports forward by providing better facilities for sportspersons. "To make sports strong at the grassroots level will also be my priority," said Singh, who has earlier worked with the state''s police department. On next year''s Olympics, he said, "Haryana is ahead in the field of sports. Players from Haryana representing India are expected to do well in hockey, wrestling, shooting, boxing. We have great hope of winning medals. We will provide better facilities to our sportspersons".
Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma said that he will try to provide better facilities for those using state transport buses.
Nearly three weeks after taking oath, the Haryana chief minister on Thursday gave shape to his council of ministers by inducting 10 new members including one from ally JJP and an independent.
STATE WILL BE MADE DRUG AND CRIME FREE, SAYS VIJ
Home Minister Anil Vij said no stone would be left unturned to make the State drug free and to further strengthen the law and order situation so that the State can be made entirely crime free. Talking to reporters, he said that more reforms will be brought in the police department to make the law and order system more effective.
He said that the communication system between the State police and people will be made friendlier. The Home Minister said that special efforts will be made towards building trust between police and the State people. He further said that he will also ensure to fulfill the needs of the police department and will also work on removing the shortcomings of the department.
The Home minister said that as Police plays an important role in providing justice to the people in the State, so the functioning of the police department will be made unbiased and dispute free. He said that police officials should always have a transparent and unbiased approach towards the State people.
Vij said that he will soon hold a meeting of all his departments so that all the works can be completed on priority. He said that the employees and officers of all his departments will have to live up to his slogan of ‘Kaam Kiya hai Kaam Karenge '.
MINISTERS TO WORK AS A TEAM, SAYS KHATTAR
Describing the newly inducted Ministers as capable and efficient, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that they would work as a team and take all necessary steps which are in the interest of the State. “This being the second consecutive term of the government, besides taking several new initiatives, work which are in the pipeline would be completed at the earliest, he said.
Talking to media persons after he accompanied the newly inducted Ministers to their allotted offices in the Civil Secretariat, the chief minister said that though all the Ministers are experienced and capable as some of them served as Ministers and MLAs earlier also, they have been asked to take the assistance of their fellow Ministers of the first term in case they feel any difficulty.
Khattar said that caste and area factors have been kept into consideration while inducting the Ministers, but there are always some limitations. On being asked about the date of first cabinet meeting of the present State Government, the Chief Minister said that the cabinet meeting could be held on next Monday.