Mann urges fellows to bridge governance, people gap

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday exhorted the Senior Punjab Good Governance Fellows to act as a bridge for percolating the benefits of several flagship schemes of the state government to the people.

Addressing an Interactive Session with the Fellows here today, the Chief Minister said that they have been recruited to serve across departments and will be deployed in flagship Programs of the state Government including Punjab Mukh Mantri Nishulk Tirath Yatra Yojana, Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana, Yudh Nashian Virudh, Aam Aadmi Clinics, Schools of Eminence and others. He expressed hope that these fellows will bring fresh perspectives, analytical skills, and execution support to improve service delivery and governance outcomes with dedication, innovation, execution and connecting with the people. Bhagwant Singh Mann urged the fellows to establish direct contact with the people to get acquainted about the realities at ground level for smooth and hassle free execution of the schemes.

The Chief Minister assured fulsome support and cooperation to them from the state government adding that free hand will be given to them to contact the people with personal touch. He said that these fellows are a product of IITs to IIMs and have vast knowledge and expertise to execute the things in proper manner adding that they will be an asset for the state government. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the contemporary world belongs to brainstorming and bringing new ideas, adding that in the recent past billion dollar ideas had come up from a unique idea of one or two people.

The Chief Minister asked the fellows to gauge the ground realities and work wholeheartedly for filling the communication gap between people and the state government, so as to benefit the masses. Bhagwant Singh Mann encouraged them to provide ground information about every decision of the government so that a robust and viable feedback mechanism can be developed. He said that a positive idea and attitude is the key to success and the fellows must inculcate positivity in their outlook and working.

Citing an example, the Chief Minister noted that neither he nor any of his Ministers have ever claimed that the state exchequer is hollow and no stone is being left unturned for the development of the state. He said that now every single penny of the state is being judiciously utilized for the development of the state's progress and prosperity of its people. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann bemoaned that a former Finance Minister used to repeat this rhetoric that the exchequer is empty thereby significantly hampering the state’s development.

The Chief Minister said that the earlier governments had never bothered about spreading positivity and had ruined the system due to which youth wanted to move abroad. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he has always been an advocate of new ideas and innovations adding that it is the need of the hour to empower the common man. He said that the state government was always open for new ideas and innovations to boost up the industrial growth in Punjab and every effort is being made to give wings to the ideas of youth and no stone is being left unturned for this noble cause.

Earlier, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora welcomed the dignitaries.