Ap Ministers And Officials Undergo Re-Orientation Programme

Fourteen Ministers on the Chandrababu Naidu cabinet and an equal number of senior bureaucrats at the level of principal secretaries yesterday completed a five-day re-orientation course at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) here.

This is the second such re-orientation programme organised at the College, the first one having been held earlier this year. Conceived by the Chief Minister and the ASCI as a periodical retreat, the main aim is to bring senior ministers and senior bureaucrats together to interact freely in an academic environment.

It also provided an opportunity to the participants to interact with faculty members of the ASCI as well as guests from outside.

During the five-day programme, the participants were addressed, among others, by Abid Hussain, Ramakrishna Hegde and Upendra Baxi on different aspects of administration and the challenges posed by the rapidly changing economic scenario.

In his valedictory address at the retreat yesterday afternoon, the Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu underlined the importance of such interaction to provide a responsive administration to the people.

Naidu said that the credibility of a politician and administrator in public perception continued to be at a rather low ebb.

Outdated systems and discretionary elements in administration led to corruption with the administration becoming totally inaccessible and insensitive to peoples needs. Retreats like the one planned jointly by the State Government and ASCI were the answer.