Jagan assures transformational governance, asks officials to

Farmers welfare, improvement in education and healthcare sectors would be the top-most priority of his government, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said Monday.

Committing himself to delivering a transformational governance with transparency as its hallmark, he said there should be no "corruption".

Inaugurating the first two-day conference of district Collectors under his government, aimed at setting the agenda for the administration, he asked the bureaucrats to go full blast against anything thats illegal.

This government is not going to support any illegal activities or looting (of public money). Say no to illegal activities, say no to looting, say no to sand mafia, say no to gambling dens. Say no to any sort of corruption. This is my humble request, Jagan told the state bureaucrats.

Stressing that they are all here "to bring about transformation" and transparency should be visible in every step of the government, the Chief Minister wanted Andhra Pradesh to become a role model.

The entire country should look at us in this regard and emulate us. It is not difficult. If we take a firm decision at our level that we are not going to be corrupt, then it is very easy to percolate it to the bottom," he said.

Lamenting that people were forced to pay bribes for everything, the Chief Minister said everything should change.

Bribe for everything...birth certificate, death certificate, pension, rationeven for a toilet. This is what should change. System should change totally from the CM to the district Collector and to the village level. There should be no corruption anywhere, he said.

Remarking that we are not rulers, we are only public servants, he wanted ministers and bureaucrats to remember this all the time.

Highlighting the governments flagship Navaratnalu programme, the Chief Minister said every deserving person should get (welfare) benefits on a saturation mode, irrespective of party affiliation, caste or creed.

Even those who did not vote for the party should get benefits, if they are eligible. That should make them vote for us the next time, he said.

Pointing out that law, justice and Constitution were the fundamental principles of democracy, Jagan accused the previous Chandrababu Naidu government of having set a very bad example by ridiculing and making a mockery of it.

If we dont respect democracy, our own laws, how do you expect people to follow us? We need to change. Respect towards government and government employees should grow. Thats our mandate. Lets do it, the Chief Minister exhorted.

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said they have inherited a government of jargon in the name of policy, extravaganza in the name of development and indiscipline of all sorts in the name of dynamism.

Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam and others addressed the opening session.

At the end of the days agenda, the Chief Minister held one-on-one interaction with the Collectors of 13 districts.

This practice has been revived after more than a decade, a move widely welcomed by the bureaucrats.

In the evening, the AP IAS Officers Association hosted a dinner for the new Chief Minister. Senior IPS officers also attended the event.