When Chief Minister Raghubar Das went into huddle with his counterparts from Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis on Monday in Bhopal, besides the items on cards for ‘Garib Kalyan’ draft, the time of its formal implementation in the State was also on top of his mind.
It is learnt that if all goes as per the plan, the agenda intended to focus on poverty alleviation may be rolled out on November 15 in Jharkhand on its foundation day.
Highly placed sources in the ruling BJP and also close to the Chief Minister revealed that the CM was thinking in that direction.
“Most of the items to be featured in the ‘Garib Kalyan’ agenda have been identified and taken up for discussion. It would be given a final shape now along with the programme about their implementation in different States with minor adjustments depending on local conditions. It would be sent to the party president and put also before the Prime Minister. In all likelihood, the agenda would come into force in Jharkhand next month on its 16th birth anniversary,” said a senior BJP leader.
Notably, Chouhan who also happens to be the chairperson of the committee formed on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made announcement to introduce the agenda in his State on December 4.
Besides Chouhan, Raghubar Das and Devendra Fadnavis, BJP’s national vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is another constituent of the panel. The agenda to line up the best practices adopted by these three States in particular and others in general nationally in terms of poverty reduction would present a roadmap to be adopted by all the BJP-governed States.
“The CM has stressed over initiatives like ‘yojna banao abhiyan’ which is going to resume this month along with devolution of more rights to panchayats, e-governance, regular Janta Darbars and water conservation scheme like Dova construction. Presenting e-marketing platform to farmers’ right at village level is also expected to find place in the ‘Garib Kalyan’ agenda to be replicated by the others,” said the leader.
The Prime Minister, during the meeting of Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled States on August 27, had asked them to work in a “mission mode” to make their respective State’s models for the execution of the Centre’s schemes. The first meeting to draft the agenda had happened on September 12 after that a preliminary report was submitted to BJP president Amit Shah. The Monday meeting is expected to seal the deal for the BJP-led State Governments.
The leader at the same time also added that “excellent” works done in the field of public distribution system in Madhya Pradesh could be adopted in Jharkhand. “There is sense (within the party) that food grain distribution system in the State needs massive revamp. MP’s example is with us and I am sure the agenda would have a mention of it,” he said.
Ultimate objective of the deliberation is to discuss how to bring uniformity to the social welfare programmes being implemented in the nine BJP-ruled States and also in those where the party is in coalition.
This apart, the party think tank is also wary about upcoming elections, including the 2019 battle and the exercise could polish its image on poverty mitigation front well in time. The ‘Garib Kalyan’ agenda is to be implemented in the birth centenary year 2016 of party founder and ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.