Naveen’s tips for ministers: Surprise checks, grass roots connect to improve governance

Bhubaneswar: From making extensive tours of their constituencies to taking direct feedback from people on government schemes and making surprise visits to offices under their departments — Naveen Patnaik on Thursday issued a series of advisories for his ministers aimed at ushering in better governance.
“Go on extensive tour. This will help you to know about the activities of your department at the grass-roots level. Make surprise visits to different offices and institutions under your department. This will expedite the delivery of governance,” Naveen told his cabinet colleagues here at the state secretariat. This was the third such meeting the chief minister addressed since assuming charge for a fifth consecutive term.
Naveen’s suggestions come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised his party MPs to walk 150 kilometres in the month of October in a bid to reach out to the people and seek their feedback on the government’s work and their expectations.
Emphasizing the need to follow the 5T model of governance — transparency, technology, teamwork, transformation and time — Naveen asked his ministers to personally monitor their implementation.
“Computerization is a must for transparency and ability. Hence, give special attention to your department’s work through the Odisha Secretariat Workflow Automation System,” Naveen said.
During the meeting the chief minister thanked his cabinet colleagues for submitting the monthly report on steps taken by them to fulfill the promises made in the BJD manifesto.
Earlier, during a meeting with top bureaucrats, Naveen had asked them to be more accountable to the public, while his advice to newly elected BJD MLAs was to be humble and keep their feet on the ground.
Political observers feel Naveen’s recent advisories are an attempt to showcase his government’s proactive approach and dispel rumours that bureaucrats run the show in his administration.
The ministers said they would adhere to Naveen’s suggestions. “The chief minister has always emphasized the need to ensure better governance. Because of his good governance, people have reposed their faith on us,” school and mass education minister Samir Ranjan Dash said.
EoM