Prioritise issues affecting poor, CM tells Ministers

Pinarayi inaugurates three-day training programme for Ministers

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday encouraged his Ministers to give priority to issues affecting the poor, kicking off a three-day training programme on administrative matters for his Cabinet colleagues at the Institute of Management in Governance (IMG) here.

The Ministers have also been asked to prepare annual progress reports as was done by the previous LDF government.

Many of the files brought before a Minister pertain to topics affecting the poor. That the State government gives priority to such files should be viewed as its finest distinguishing factor, the Chief Minister said.

Underlining the need for impartiality, Mr. Vijayan said it is natural for the people to take sides during the elections. But once a government is formed, such divisions cease to exist. A government has only the people before it, he said.

For choosing the right course of action, Ministers should have a thorough grasp of the laws and rules. Steps should be taken to replace outdated laws with new ones, he said.

The Chief Minister also called for a sensible approach to tackling problems and urged the Ministers to maintain cordial relations with the bureaucracy.

The three-day training programme for the Ministers covers a wide range of topics providing insights into the different facets of effective governance.

Former Cabinet secretary K. M. Chandrasekhar led a session on the government machinery. Muralee Thummarukudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction in the UN Environment Programme, speaking online from Geneva, dealt with the challenges in disaster management. Former IIM professor Mathukutty M. Monippally led a session on leadership.

On Tuesday, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will handle a session on project implementation. Infosys co-founder S. D. Shibulal will lead a session on the efficiency of Ministers, and Dr. Geetha Gopal, Consultant, World Bank, on funding agencies and the structure of projects. IMG director K. Jayakumar will speak on the relations between Ministers and the bureaucracy.

On Wednesday, the concluding day, Saji Gopinath, Vice Chancellor, Digital University Kerala, will speak on e-governance. Anil Swarup, former Secretary to the Union Government; and Citizen Digital Foundation founders Nidhi Sudhan and Vijesh Ram also will speak.

Source: Read Full Article