ITANAGAR, 17 Jan: Advocating decentralisation of power and planning through a bottom-up planning process, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that reforms are in their final stages of compilation, and that once the reforms are finalised, another round of conference with all the DCs will be held.
Khandu said this during his concluding remarks at the two-day ‘Sashakt Arunachal’ conference of deputy commissioners here on Friday evening.
He said that reform in the education department is also in the final stages and will be soon placed before the Cabinet.
Khandu sought cooperation of the DCs in implementing the reforms in toto once they are circulated.
Talking about Cabinet meetings, he said that such meetings are held monthly in line with the government’s decentralisa-tion policy, and that such meetings will be held across the state, “out of Itanagar.”
“To showcase our commitment to decentralise power and planning, we will start by holding the next Cabinet meeting in Nyapin in Kurung Kumey district,” he informed.
Khandu advised the DCs to conduct brainstorming meetings at the district level by January-end on takeaways from the conference and prepare roadmaps for the districts’ development. He informed that in February the guardian ministers and mentor secretaries will visit their allocated districts and hold review meetings with the DCs and HoDs.
He also asked the DCs to identify unused or defunct assets like polytechnics in their respective districts and put these to proper use.
Khandu said that shying away from problems is not the way forward but finding a solution to problems and moving ahead is. “There will be problems faced by the deputy commissioners, yes. But we need to find solutions and move forward. It is said that we humans use at the most about 9-10% of our brain. Therefore, if we even utilise 40-50% of our brain, solutions will be there,” he said.
Expressing appreciation for the DCs for their active participation in the conference, Khandu urged them to take a cue from the best practices presented by various DCs during the technical sessions and implement them in their respective districts.
He assured that all the presentations made by the DCs would be shared with all other DCs after the conference.
The CM said that each district will be measured in terms of its contribution to the state’s revenue collection henceforth. Informing that the state’s revenue generation is witnessing a growing trend by each year, he advised the DCs to review their respective district’s contribution to it and if it’s not satisfactory, implement measures to make it satisfactory.
“We will soon share with each DC how much their district is contributing to the state exchequer and how much are the contribution of others. This will help you know where your district stands in terms of revenue generation and which sector needs your attention,” he said.
Khandu also informed that soon the DCs will be provided with a list of “action to be taken” points for their respective districts.
“The CMO will monitor the actions being taken by the districts as listed and their achievements,” he added.
For better coordination, Khandu said that each non-engineering department will be allotted one working department for all infrastructure development of that department. Giving an example, he said that the public health engineering department will undertake all construction, renovation or infrastructure development works of the health department.
The two-day conference revolved around six thematic areas, each designed to address specific dimensions of governance and development. These included ‘Sundar Arunachal’ – focusing on enhancing the state’s natural and cultural beauty, promoting ecotourism, and preserving the state’s unique heritage; ‘Samridh Arunachal’ – driving economic growth through sustainable use of resources, fostering entrepreneurship, and ensuring equitable wealth distribution; ‘Shikshit Arunachal’ – advancing education and skill development to empower the youth and create a knowledgeable society; ‘Swasth Arunachal’ – strengthening healthcare infrastructure and ensuring access to quality healthcare for every citizen; ‘Surakshit Arunachal’ – enhancing safety, security, and disaster resilience across all districts; and ‘Swachch Arunachal’ – promoting cleanliness, sanitation, and environmental sustainability for a healthier future. (CM’s PR Cell)
