Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday said that an audit of the welfare schemes in the new districts will be carried out during the Statewide ‘lok Suraaj Campaign’. ‘lok Suraaj’ campaign is a mixture of Gram Suraaj, Nagar Suraaj and Vikas Yatra launched earlier in Chhattisgarh, he said.
Assessment of the functioning of the Government and various development programmes will be made soon. If there are any deficiencies in the implementation of schemes then they will be rectified, he said. The officers concerned will be answerable for not implementing the various programmes, Singh said. The Chief Minister said that in the month-long campaign of lok Suraaj, a cluster of 15 to 20 villages will be made and the people’s concerns will be addressed immediately.
The authorities would gather feedback from the general public; health camps will also be organised. Registration camps will be held for the unorganised labour in the villages. Singh was speaking to ‘Akashwaani’ and ‘Doordarshan’ here on Sunday.
The Chief Minister said that he will be visiting villages and towns to make a first-hand assessment of the situation on the ground. The Chief Minister will travel by helicopter to tour far-flung regions. The main aim of lok Suraaj Abhiyan is to get the views of beneficiaries and take their opinion into account in carrying the schemes forward.
People’s participation is of top priority to make the campaign a hit. The campaign will help the authorities in plugging the loopholes and in implementing the policies with extra care. The Chief Minister said that MPs, MlAs, Zila panchayats, Janpad panchayats presidents, panchs-sarpanchs, all top officers including Chief Secretary will tour the villages.
The campaign will help in understanding the flaws in the administration at the village-level and see to it that the last village also gets the benefits of State Government schemes. In the earlier campaigns, many rural folks gave useful suggestions which helped the authorities in fine-tuning the policies which suit the last person , he said.
Singh that said he will visit the villages unannounced to observe the conditions prevailing there. He will tour schools, hospitals, Anganwadi centres, hostels, Government offices, Skill Development centres and other places also.
Singh will tour a district and take review meetings of surrounding two-three districts with the people’s representatives and top officers. Developmental activities will be watched closely. Road connectivity issue will be taken up on a priority basis. The works in new districts will be reviewed. There is a radical transformation in the lives of citizens with the implementation of welfare schemes in Chhattisgarh, he said
The Chief Minister said there is lot of awareness among women. Self-help groups has inculcated confidence among women. Cleanliness campaign is mainly run by women. They have shouldered many onerous tasks of the authorities.
Singh will talk to farmers about the availability of fertilizers and seeds as farming activity will start soon. The campaign will try to create awareness among the farmers regarding better farming activity and increased production.
The problems pertaining to electricity and irrigation pump connections to fields will be resolved on the spot. Policies should be tailor-made to suit the needs of the common citizens.
The rural citizen is vastly experienced and his views are more accurate than those of experts. New system has been in place for the Public Distribution System to make it more efficient, he said.
The Chief Minister said that earlier Tamarind was not bought on minimum support price in Surguja and Bastar areas. Godowns are constructed and minimum price is given to Tamarind now. The forest produce is getting a fair price and there is prosperity and faith among the masses.
About 90 per cent women take part in Tendu patta collection. The women collect Tendu patta on bare feet. The State Government had decided to give footwear to women to reduce foot-related health issues. Earlier forest produce was exchanged with salt but now there is a sea-change in the attitude of tribals, Singh said.
Salt is distributed free-of-cost to the tribals. Distribution of ration is streamlined. Free treatment upto a ceiling of Rs30,000 is given under Health Insurance. New schools and hostels have been opened for the children in forest regions, he said. Singh said that citizens are a part of the governance. The authorities cater to the basic food and education needs of the masses.