Raje takes govt to Bikaner today

CM Vasundhara Raje is likely to hold a meeting of all ministers, bureaucrats and divisional officers on Thursday to set the agenda for the tour

Starting Thursday, nine ministers and top bureaucrats in the Rajasthan government will take their respective departments to four districts of the Bikaner division for the next 10 days, as part of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's initiative to bring the administration to peoples' doorsteps.

Raje is likely to hold a meeting of all ministers, bureaucrats and divisional officers in Bikaner on Thursday to set the agenda for the camp. She has been trying for an image makeover after becoming chief minister for a second time in December last year. Raje faced public ire over inaccessibility and limited public interaction during her first term from 2003-2008.

On Friday, her ministers will take turns to visit the districts of Bikaner, Churu, Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, some 350 km from the state capital. They are expected to visit panchayat samitis in villages and hear grievances. They will also review the functioning of their departments. The Bikaner camp is Raje's second after the one at Bharatpur. The state government launched the government-at-your-doorstep scheme just before the 2014 general elections in Bharatpur, which has never been a stronghold of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Around 45,000 people had approached ministers and officials with grievances during the Bharatpur camp. This was followed by a cabinet meeting.

BIKANER CALLING

“SARKAR AAP KE DWAR”: Bikaner visit begins Thursday
MINISTERS LIKELY TO ATTEND: Vasundhara Raje (chief minister), Gulab Chand Kataria, NandLal Meena, Rajendra Singh Rathore, Kali Charan Saraf,
Sanwar Lal Jat, Prabhu Lal Saini, Prabhu Lal Saini and Yunus khan
ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED: Irrigation, agriculture, education

• Special camps to be organised in Bikaner, Churu, Sri Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh

PREVIOUS INITIATIVE: IN BHARATPUR (FEB 2014)

• Around 45,000 complaints received during the 10-day camp
• Lessons learnt, now acknowledgement slips to be issued to complainants
• Complaints to be tracked and followed
• By the end of 2014, the state government will reach other divisions – Jodhpur, Kota, Udaipur and Ajmer

"Some complaints were solved on the spot but most were marked to secretaries for further action," said a senior minister in Raje's cabinet. "The biggest advantage of such meetings is that it shakes the lower bureaucracy. When they know the chief minister or minister is coming for a review, they begin building roads and maintaining public properties. staff report on time and maintain official records."

After the Bharatpur meeting, the state cabinet decided to upgrade the city with a municipal corporation at a par with Jaipur and Jodhpour. The other major decisions were to create tourism infrastructure around the Kailadevi temple in Karauli, the Madanmohan temple in Kama and Giriraj Ji near Bharatpur.

It is expected after the Bikaner visit, the cabinet is likely to announce some projects related to irrigation and education. Bikaner often witnesses protests over water. Special emphasis will be given to problems concerning power, public works and agriculture. Issues related to the international border along the Sri Ganganagar and Bikaner districts are expected to be highlighted in the meeting.

The chief minister, too, is likely to address a few public meetings.

Officials said the Bharatpur experience had taught them some lessons. "This time, we will issue acknowledgement slips against all the complaints received. This will allow both the government and complainant to keep track," said an official on condition of anonymity.

The state government plans to hold similar meetings in the state's remaining five divisions by the end of this year. The next stop could be Jodhpur.