At Your Service
Accountability has been key in improving governance at all levels in the state
The foundation that Ashok Gehlot laid when he implemented the Right to Information Act in Rajasthan during his first tenure in 2000 resulted in the state having an RTI response rate of 94.3 per cent in 2016-17. And accountability is something Gehlot retains his focus on in his third term as chief minister.
Not only does he go the extra mile in choosing bureaucrats to implement his policies and monitor delivery, Gehlot also consistently monitors their performance. “The CM has issued clear orders that every grievance he receives is attended to,” says his principal secretary, Kuldeep Ranka.” Soliciting feedback from people, MLAs, the concerned minister and weighing the number of complaints and grievances he receives from a region, the chief minister is unforgiving if an officer is found to be incompetent. “If there are many grievances that could have been taken care of at the district collector or superintendent of police level, he looks into the
working of the officers,’’ says his aide.
“Since technology is developing at a great pace, my effort has been to use it to the maximum for people’s welfare,’’ says Gehlot. Delivery is being strengthened through e-Mitras, the kiosks allotted to individuals that provide 349 services. Here too, the CM is intolerant of corruption. For instance, when he learned that many kiosk owners had been overcharging for services and also acting as middlemen between officials and customers, he ordered a crackdown and action against defaulters.
The CM also holds personal charge of the home department and has been critical of the decline in performance of the state police in recent years. When he found that SHOs were not registering FIRs of serious nature as that would lead to media outlets equating it with higher crime rates, he empowered SPs to register FIRs—175 have been filed so far and nine SHOs punished. ■