Karnataka CM Shivakumar sets 15-day action plan, orders field-level monitoring across departments
Bengaluru, June 4
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday unveiled a broad administrative roadmap, directing officials to adopt a "positive approach" and ensure time-bound delivery of governance priorities, while reiterating transparency, accountability and grassroots engagement across departments.
During a review meeting in Bengaluru with senior bureaucrats, the Chief Minister said, "Our government doesn't believe in partisanship based on any religion, caste, influence and so on. We will be transparent, whichever officer solves people's problems. They have been told to have a "positive" approach", Shivakumar
"He instructed all departments to prepare a detailed action plan within 15 days and ensure strict accountability in implementation. Secretaries were also asked to regularly visit districts and taluks, hold field meetings, and directly monitor progress on government schemes and public issues".
The Chief Minister stressed that no eligible citizen should lose voting rights and raised concerns over potential disenfranchisement linked to enumeration procedures. He directed officials to ensure proper awareness, documentation and compliance with voter enumeration requirements.
Announcing stronger grievance redressal systems, he said a separate mechanism will be created within the administration to address protests and public complaints, and to assess their legal validity in an organised manner.
On financial management, he flagged that CSR funds worth around ₹8,000-₹8,500 crore must be properly tracked and utilised. He emphasised that priority should be given to education infrastructure, including the construction of new schools, and reducing migration to Bengaluru for education.
"In panchayats and all, they need to recognise places. I will release the guidelines of the CSR policy, which was approved by the Cabinet. They need to provide details to the government. Our priority is primary education. For school education and buildings, and so on, they should prioritise building new schools", he said.
We should prevent migration to Bengaluru for educational purposes. Within 5-6 days, we will give you details.
Reiterating his stand on governance ethics, he directed ministers, MLAs and officials not to succumb to any external pressure in decision-making and approvals.
On law and order, he called for special police squads in every taluk to curb criminal activities and keep a close watch on rowdy elements.
The Chief Minister also expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi and said he would personally review its operations and hold discussions with central government officials from the state.
"I am not satisfied with the functioning of the Karnataka Bhavan. I will go to Delhi and have a meeting. We need to file our requests to the union government. When I get to Delhi next. We will have a meeting with officers in the central government from Karnataka, meet retired officers, and see if they can contribute to our state in any way", he said.
Reaffirming welfare commitments, he said there would be no revision of guarantee schemes, but acknowledged misuse of subsidised electricity connections being used for commercial purposes, which would be addressed.
He concluded by reiterating the government's commitment to a "free, fair and corruption-free" administration, seeking cooperation from officials and stakeholders for effective implementation.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The part about voters losing rights is concerning. Hope they fix the enumeration process instead of just creating more paperwork. And those CSR funds need real tracking, not just statements. Action speaks louder than words, but at least the intent seems right.
Good to see a CM saying no to partisanship. The reality in our country is that governance gets tangled in caste and religion. Let's see if this translates to ground-level change. The special police squads for taluks sound necessary too - crime needs local action.
I'm all for transparency, but 'no revision of guarantee schemes' is just populism. We need sustainable welfare, not freebies. The electricity subsidy misuse point is valid though - many people are exploiting it. Hope the grievance redressal system works for common citizens like us.
Building new schools to stop migration to Bengaluru? That's a long-term dream. We need better infrastructure in tier-2 cities too. The 15-day plan is ambitious but typical of political announcements. At least he's talking about monitoring - let's see the follow-up.
Decent start but I've heard this before. 'Free, fair, corruption-free' - every CM says that. The real test is whether those district visits happen or remain on paper. The Karnataka Bhavan dissatisfaction is interesting - shows even Delhi coordination needs work.
R