Ranchi, Dec. 31: Chief minister Raghubar Das distributed portfolios within his fledgling ministry of four today, using the occasion of New Year's eve to make public a slew of resolutions to streamline the administration, indicating a strong desire to inject his government with a sense of purpose.
While he kept the bulk of the work with himself, Das entrusted C.P. Singh with urban development, parliamentary affairs and housing departments, Louise Marandi with welfare, including minority, and social welfare, woman and child development and Neelkanth Singh Munda with rural development and rural works. The sole minister from Ajsu Party, Chandra Prakash Choudhary, got drinking water and sanitation along with disaster management.
Congratulating citizens for the New Year ahead, Das cemented his workaholic and clean image by promising to work 24/7 and overhaul the work culture, besides giving a five-point directive to the masses and government employees on how to pitch in for better, corruption-free governance.
For starters, the chief minister himself promised to work 24/7 and make the entire government machinery work in similar vein. 'There should be a complete change in work culture,' the chief minister stated.
These apart, Das said his government would try its best to ensure maximum utilisation of Plan funds in the three months left of the 2014-15 financial year, focus on immediately improving the quality of policing and making police personnel people-friendly, strengthen state vigilance bureau and Lokayukta's office.
The chief minister made it clear that no government official or employee should visit his residence (at present, Sector III in Dhurwa) unless and until called. Second, he asked the masses to immediately inform vigilance bureau and his secretariat in case anyone tries to influence transfers and postings, tenders, contracts or awards by dropping big names or citing political influence.
He said officials should not waste a single minute in 'unproductive work' and asked them to suggest improvements to the CM's secretariat to help the government take better decisions.
And last but not the least, he said any complaint related to corruption would be taken with utmost seriousness.
The new ministers have their work cut out.
For Singh, a seasoned politician who is a five-time MLA from Ranchi and a former Speaker, making cities in Jharkhand better places to live in, with special emphasis on the overcrowded capital, would be his first and foremost task.
The capital has countless challenges such as erratic traffic, delayed flyover projects, held-up or limping JNNURM schemes such as urban transportation, sewerage and solid waste management.
'Among my poll planks was making the state capital a better place. I will ensure that projects related to JNNURM get implemented here as well as all other cities of the state,' Singh told The Telegraph.
Louise, as social welfare minister, would have to work to prevent trafficking of women and children and ensure nutritious food for mothers and children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme.
Although it was perceived that human resource development department would be given to the first-time Dumka MLA, a professor of Santhali who effected a spectacular win by wresting the seat from JMM scion and former chief minister Hemant Soren, it has not been the case yet.
On cabinet expansion, sources in the governor's office said they had not received any intimation so far on the rest of the vacant berths. The Jharkhand cabinet can have a maximum of 12 members.
