Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday unveiled a 100-day transformation program for Maharashtra aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability and speed in state administration.
It also includes a strong mechanism for effective coordination between the state and central governments to speed up the flow of funds to speed up projects and welfare schemes.
In a meeting with state department secretaries, Fadnavis said that all reforms in the administration for “good governance” should be long-term and “citizen-centric”.
A senior official present at the meeting revealed, “The Chief Minister made it clear that the administration should be both sensitive and service-oriented with broad public opinion. Why should people suffer for basic issues? The administration must face the challenges and ensure door-to-door services to the people.”
Stating that the Mahayuti government would last for a full five-year term with such a large mandate, Fadnavis told the IAS officers, “There was no uncertainty about the continuity of the government. It also provides an opportunity to remove systematic errors and initiate measures to correct errors.”
High on the CM agenda is the constitution of a war room – one for flagship projects and another essentially dedicated to infrastructure where bottlenecks and progress will be monitored regularly along with a timeline.
In a subtle message, Fadnavis hinted that officials will be held equally responsible if they fail to address the concerns of citizens.
‘Citizens have the right to know how the work of the government is being done and how their tax money is being spent,’ he told the officials in the meeting.
As part of the scheme, the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal will be activated to provide citizens with a single window to access various government services.
The portal will be aligned with the Right to Service Act, so that citizens can get timely and efficient services.
The Chief Minister has directed the secretaries of the department to address the grievances within the stipulated time frame and inform the citizens about the status of their grievances.
Urging the bureaucracy to adapt to technology to minimize manual work and citizens’ trips to government offices, the plan promises e-governance, updating departmental websites, and creating a dedicated mechanism for automated reports and data management.
During the meeting, Fadnavis also asked officials to explore the use of technology and best practices from other state governments.
To make the administration effective, 1.5 lakh newly recruited employees will be trained. The promotion process of the existing ones will be accelerated. The state government will also focus on training staff for procedural and domain knowledge, ensuring that the administration is equipped to deliver efficient services.
Investments will be made in capacity building to help staff develop the skills and expertise needed to deliver high quality services.
The Chief Minister has directed departmental secretaries to identify areas requiring capacity building and develop tailored training programs to address these gaps.
The state will organize hackathons, take up technology-enabled services, and connect Anganwadis and other institutions with fiber optic networks. Fadnavis highlighted that innovation and technology can play an important role in improving development and governance.