Bhubaneswar: As part of completion of BJD government’s fourth year in its fourth term this month, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday started reviewing the performance of government departments. The review comes amidst the state government’s media blitz to highlight its achievements and success stories.
On the first day of the review, the CM closely reviewed the performance of the departments of School and Mass Education, Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Development, Law, and Family and Welfare in the presence of ministers and secretaries of the departments concerned.
The ministers were asked to apprise the CM of three major achievements and successes of their departments. After assessing the performance of all departments in a phased manner till May 17, the CM will issue a report card for all the departments. Related matters would be discussed at a meeting of the council of ministers and made public.
“The Chief Minister has been doing such performance review every year, and this is a welcome step,” said School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra.
Meanwhile, shortly after Chief Minister’s review meeting, the School and Mass Education Minister and SC/ST Development Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi addressed the media here to highlight the achievements of their departments in the last four years.
Patra said while 190 model schools have already been set up by the state government in 190 blocks, the remaining model schools will be set up in a phased manner within the next two years to achieve the target to open model schools in all blocks across the state. The minister said that the Chief Minister has asked the department to focus on construction of hostels in these model schools.
School and Mass Education Secretary PK Mohapatra said the state government, from the next academic session, will provide ‘Mukhyamantri Medhabruti’ scholarship to around 35,000 students where each qualified student will get a scholarship of Rs 5,000. The government will also introduce a chapter on road safety, he said.
The secretary said that government will also soon decide about the fee structure of private institutions after receiving the report from a departmentally formed committee in June. Minister Patro said that in view of zero results in Class X board examination in 36 schools, the government has decided to fix responsibility on teachers where the pass out rate is less than 30 per cent.
On the other hand, Minister of SC/ST Development, Minorities, Backward Classes Welfare Department Ramesh Chandra Majhi said that Odisha is a front runner in implementation of the Forest Rights Act in the country by providing forest rights to more than 4.15 lakh beneficiaries.
Majhi said that the CM has asked ministers and officials of the departments to implement the welfare measures of the state government on a time bound manner.