Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday directed the state Deputy Commissioners and Administrative Secretaries to address all issues raised by the MLAs with respect to the problems of the common man and duly apprise them of the action taken.The Chief Minister was chairing separate meetings of the Administrative Secretaries and the DCs here, during which he, however, made it clear that political interference of any kind would not be tolerated in matters of governance, which will be aimed at promoting ease of living in Punjab, with people getting access to basic services without red tapeism.While good governance was his government’s priority, there was need to ensure coordination with the elected representatives to ensure that both work in tandem for the welfare of the people, said the Chief Minister. Stressing the need for a rapport between the two, he said the culture of `you’ and `me’ needs to be replaced with `us’.Taking cognizance of the 30,000 pending service related cases against government employees, Captain Amarinder directed scrapping of all frivolous cases to restore the confidence of the employees and enable them to function in a free and fair manner, according to an official spokesperson.He also ordered Rs. 10 meals to be made available under the government’s Sanjhi Rasoi scheme in all districts by July 1, 2017.Issuing a series of directives to the officials in the two meetings, the Chief Minister pushed his reforms agenda into top gear, and reiterated his commitment to implement the Congress government’s poll promises on priority. He congratulated the DCs and the Administrative Secretaries for the smooth procurement of wheat this season.
The Chief Minister set a deadline of July 31, 2016 for the completion of joint verification of beneficiaries for pension and atta-dal schemes, with DCs to act as nodal officers. He also asked the rural and panchayat department to prepare a plan on the lines of the urban department proposal for free housing for homeless SC and BCs – an important election promise of the Congress government. He directed early finalization of the proposal of insurance for all to execute another poll promise.Stressing the need for the government to be prepared for GST implementation from July 1, 2017, the Chief Minister asked the administrative secretaries to formulate schemes and programmes to take forward the government agenda, with year-wise targets clearly defined. He also directed them to review the Central Government schemes that can benefit the state and to submit their proposals on the same to the Finance Department for Budget 2017-18. He later told the DCs to attend and review the GST training points to ensure smooth transition.Addressing the administrative officers Captain Amarinder called for better coordination between the irrigation and agriculture departments to ensure adequate supply of clean canal water for crops, especially cotton. He also ordered expediting of cases against those responsible for distribution and sale of spurious insecticides and pesticides during the previous regime.
Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh spoke about the preparation for launch of a government portal to take services to the doorsteps of the people. In addition to the 137 services already online, the Chief Minister directed shifting of another 67 from various departments to the Sewa Kendra’s online portal in the next two months.Besides the Chief Secretary, others who attended the meetings included State Congress President, Sunil Jakher, Media Advisor, Raveen Thukral, Chief Principal Secretary, Suresh Kumar, Chief Secretary, Karan Avtar and Principal Secretary, Tejveer Singh.Reiterating his promise to provide jobs to the youth, Captain Amarinder ordered for a time-bound district-wise survey for identification of unemployed youth, while directing to prepare district employment plan under the aegis of District Employment Bureaus.Emphasising the need to provide basic civic amenities to all, Captain Amarinder directed supply of a piped drinking water connection and a toilet for each and every village household, with a greater thrust on making all villages free from open defection.
Later, at a meeting of the DCs, the Chief Minister asked them to launch an all out campaign to educate youth about the ill-effects of drug abuse, while observing that anybody trying to play with the innocent young lives would not be spared and his government was duty-bound to free the state of this menace.The DCs apprised the Chief Minister of the steps being taken to create awareness and ensure prevention on drugs abuse. NGOs were being involved in the process of rehabilitation of the affected youth, who would be imparted vocational training, they said. Also, strict monitoring was being done of Schedule H drugs, they added.The Chief Minister also asked the DCs to take interest in schools in order to improve the standards of education, which was a major priority of his government. He directed them to inspect the schools and send in their feedback to enable the education department to address the problems facing the education system.On the issue of quick and timely disbursal of public services, Capt Amarinder asked the DCs to organize special camps in line with the Government’s scheme 'Sarkar Aapke Dwar’. He directed that all government services be made available online in a time bound manner through mobile apps to make them accessible.