Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has deployed four dozen IAS officers on the ground. These officers will give impetus to the development plans of the state as well as prepare schemes on the basis of public suggestions and prepare a framework for improving the schemes running on the ground. The officers whose army the government has deployed on the ground also have a lot of experience of working at the district level. With this, along with taking advantage of the experiences of the officers, work can be done at a fast pace towards making Uttarakhand a strong state.
The Uttarakhand government had also started the ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ campaign earlier. But it could not succeed in a better way. In such a situation, now the government wants to feel the pulse of the public through the officers so that the government prepares the schemes to be prepared for the public on the basis of public suggestions. So that they can easily get the benefits of the schemes. The state government has nominated 48 additional secretaries of Uttarakhand government as nodal officers for inspection of development blocks. In such a situation, the nodal officers nominated for the development blocks will not only do on-site inspection of development schemes, but will also prepare a report on public problems and submit it to the government.
48 officers given responsibility of 95 blocks
The Uttarakhand government claims that it is working to take the benefits of the state and central government schemes to the last person in the village. Due to which it has decided to send additional secretary level officers to every development block of the state. All these nodal officers will do on-site inspection of the state and central government schemes.
Along with this, the officers nominated for the development blocks will also stay overnight in one or two villages of their respective development blocks. They will also talk to the local people. 48 additional secretary level officers have been assigned responsibility for 95 development blocks of the state. Out of all these officers, 47 officers have been given responsibility for two development blocks each and one officer has been given responsibility for one development block.
Two development blocks to one officer
While giving more information, Planning Secretary, R Meenakshi Sundaram said that some secretary has been given the responsibility of in-charge secretary for all the districts of the state. Along with this, ministers in charge of the districts are also made. In such a situation, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had directed that Additional Secretary level officers should be made nodal officers in all the development blocks of the state. In view of which, Additional Secretary level officers have been made nodal officers on 95 development blocks present in the state.
The number of development blocks in the state is high while the number of Additional Secretary officers is less, due to which one officer has been given the responsibility of two development blocks. Also, all the officers have been expected to go to their respective blocks within the next 15 days.
Planning according to the situation at the ground level
The Planning Secretary said that the intention of the government behind giving responsibility to Additional Secretary level officers in the development blocks is that the officers sit in the government and formulate policies. In such a situation, they should also understand the ground reality. However, most of the Additional Secretaries have been officers in some district or the other. In such a situation, the more the officers connect with the public, the more information they will have about the real situation on the ground.
Even if the government takes decisions with good intentions, it is not necessary that its effect is correct on the ground. Because the effect of decisions can sometimes be opposite.
The department does impact evolution study
The Planning Secretary said that there is democracy in the country, which means – of the people, by the people, for the people. Overall, the government is for the people and all things should be done only after consulting the public. Before the Global Investors Summit in the year 2023, 27 policies were amended, at that time discussions were held with the stakeholders to amend the policies. Also told that the Planning Department also does impact evolution study. In such a situation, sometimes impact evolution study is done of policies and sometimes of schemes. Therefore, along with the study of the schemes which are running well, the schemes which are not running well are also studied.
Executive has great importance in democratic system
On the question of giving responsibility of development blocks to Additional Secretary level officers, BJP MP and State President Mahendra Bhatt said that the executive has great importance in the democratic system. It is also very important to have public trust in the officers or employees of the executive. Many times such questions have been raised that the officers of the executive are not sensitive towards their work. Due to which all the work stops. In view of this, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has decided that the officers will stay overnight in the villages of the development blocks and interact with the public. Although the public representative is a medium of democratic process, but implementing the work or getting down to the ground is done by the executive.
Let us tell you that the bugle of civic elections has been blown in Uttarakhand. On January 23, 2025, the process of voting will be completed in 102 municipal bodies of the state. In such a situation, it is being speculated that the Additional Secretary level officers will go to inspect the development blocks after the civic elections. However, only time will tell how much the public will benefit from this step taken by the state government, but if this decision of the government is taken correctly, then
