Uttarakhand: For the first time in the state, the Chief Minister addressed the Secretary Committee and said – Officers should focus on innovation in schemes

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the meeting of the Secretary Committee at the Secretariat on Wednesday. Pushkar Singh Dhami is the first Chief Minister of the state to participate in the meeting of the Secretary Committee. In this meeting which lasted for three hours, various topics related to state interest were discussed in detail.

The Chief Minister said that secretaries play an important role in policy-making of schemes related to state interest and in taking the public welfare schemes run by the government to the public. Secretaries act as a bridge between the government and the public. Governance and administration are two sides of the same coin. Along with development in every sector of the state, we all have to make collective efforts to raise the standard of living of the people. The overall development of the state cannot be imagined without improving the standard of living of the people.

He said that along with better construction of schemes, a complete action plan should be made for their successful implementation. The schemes and decisions of the government affect the lives of crores of people, hence national interest and public interest should be the first priority in schemes and decisions. The Chief Minister directed the secretaries to send the requisition of vacant posts of the departments to the commissions soon. The appointment process for vacant posts should be completed in the next two years with a definite action plan.

Special attention should be given to innovation in the formulation of works and plans

The Chief Minister said that special attention should be given to innovation in the formulation of works and plans and maximum use of modern technology should be made. For quick solution of public problems, everyone should have the feeling of finding the right way in works related to public interest. All officers should work wholeheartedly in the direction of what specific work we can do in our field of work to solve their problems as per the public expectations. The Chief Minister said that special attention should be given towards good governance. Special attention should be given to the indicators in which we need improvement in the Sustainable Development Goals issued by NITI Aayog. It will also be a challenge for us to maintain the indicators on which good work has been done in the state.

Roster should be made for implementation of important schemes for the next one year

The Chief Minister instructed the officials in the meeting that the subjects related to state interest should be reviewed regularly in the meeting of the Secretary Committee. Everyone has to work together for the construction of a better Uttarakhand. He said that a roster plan of important schemes should be made for the next one year, which should include such schemes which are of wider public interest. The secretaries in charge of the districts should visit the districts from time to time and regularly review the schemes and cooperate in various arrangements.

The Chief Minister said that the major projects of the state should be reviewed separately at a large level. He said that to protect various projects from natural calamity or any other possible damage, their safety audit should also be done. Safety standards should be fully followed in the works related to old bridges, STP, hydropower projects, tunnels and other infrastructure, so that there is no loss of life and property in any way.

The Chief Minister said that special attention should be paid to frugality in the state. It is necessary to work in the direction of how to control the necessary expenses along with increasing revenue. We have to work towards giving better output with limited resources. He said that it should be ensured that the subsidy being given in various schemes run by the government reaches the beneficiaries on time. Regular camps should be organized by the departments to provide the benefits of the schemes to the beneficiaries soon.

The study and tour of innovation and new schemes by the secretaries should be used in the interest of the state

It was told in the meeting that by 2070, India has decided to move forward in the direction of ‘net zero emission’. In this direction, the possibilities of thermal energy in the state and the MoU to be done in the field of geo thermal energy in the state were also discussed. While discussing the efforts being made to increase energy productivity through various means in the state, the Chief Minister said that whatever secretaries go on tour to different states of the country and abroad for better implementation of schemes in the state and study of new technology, their various aspects and output should be presented in the Secretary Committee.

Important suggestions given by the secretaries in the interest of the state

Many suggestions were given by the secretaries in the meeting. Suggestions were given to increase the revenue capacity in the state and reduce capital expenditure, to make plans keeping in mind the elderly people, effective measures for the protection of destitute cattle, special attention to the field of cyber security, to work on effective measures to prevent crop diseases in the field of agriculture and horticulture, to make effective arrangements to provide better plants and seeds to farmers and to manage solid waste. To promote employment and self-employment, attention should be paid to the outcome of training along with better training, implementation of schemes keeping in mind the increasing population in urban areas, increasing road connectivity in villages, fixing responsibilities of Transport, Police and Public Works Department to prevent road accidents, working in coordination with each other between departments for works of similar nature, effective implementation of Uttarakhand Gatishakti Portal and various suggestions were given by the officers in other areas. Chief Secretary Mrs. Radha Raturi, Additional Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary R. K Sudhanshu, L. Fanai, Principal Secretary Justice Pradeep Pant and all the secretaries were present.