The Arunachal Pradesh government has appointed 10 ‘guardian’ ministers for 28 districts in the state to review and monitor various development activities. These ministers will conduct quarterly review meetings in their respective districts to assess ongoing important infrastructure projects and follow up on flagship welfare programmes. The guardian ministers are also required to attend at least two meetings of ‘Seva Aapke Dwar’ to understand the expectations of the people from the government. They must submit reports on their activities and actions taken to the chief minister’s office. The monitoring division will compile these reports and prepare notes to brief the government, which will be reviewed at the highest level. The divisional commissioners will assess the work done by the guardian ministers within their jurisdictions and submit their reports to the chief secretary for further necessary action. The state government has also appointed 26 bureaucrats as mentor secretaries for each district to review and implement overall developmental activities.
The appointment of guardian ministers is similar to practices in many other states. It remains to be seen whether these appointments will lead to tangible changes or if they are merely symbolic actions carried out during the winter months. While it is positive that the chief minister and the chief secretary will stay informed about various projects and schemes being implemented or planned, and it enables them to prioritise projects, it remains to be seen whether it adds more to the bureaucracy and paperwork.