New Delhi: Ahead of the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, scheduled to be held in November this year, the BJP government led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan plans to rope in retired officers on a voluntary basis to monitor effective implementation of several tribal welfare schemes announced by the state government, ThePrint has learnt.
On Monday night, CM Chouhan held an unofficial meeting with around 450 retired class I and II employees of the state government in Bhopal. The retired tribal officials were called from five different departments — revenue, public works department (PWD), education, medical and judicial.
An official who was present at the meeting pointed out that this was in line with the CM’s vision of ‘jan bhagidari’, which means effective governance through public participation. He added that the officials will work purely on a voluntary basis without any remuneration and be based in districts or blocks they presently reside in.
The modalities of the initiative, the official said, are being formalised by Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis in Madhya Pradesh, and a policy to that effect will be announced shortly.
Those privy to the meeting told ThePrint that the retired officers will monitor the implementation of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, in the state; of the schemes rolled out for enhancing education and hostel facilities for tribal youth; the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana; MP’s sickle cell disorder elimination mission; and the state government’s Swarojgar Yojana aimed at aiding entrepreneurship without collateral.
“The CM sought assistance from retired officers to find a way to ensure effective implementation of these schemes and of the 450 odd retired employees who were present during the meeting, over 300 volunteered to assist the government in its work,” said an official who was present at the meeting.
Explaining the need of such a mechanism, another official who was at the meeting told ThePrint, “There is PESA that empowers the panchayat through sarpanch, but sometimes the education level of sarpanches is questionable…These officials will ensure that all such schemes rolled out by the government are effectively implemented on the ground.”
Jagdish Kanoj retired in November 2022 as joint commissioner in the co-operatives department, Indore division. On Monday, he was among the retired force present at the meeting with Chouhan. Kanoj is now one of the volunteers.
Speaking to ThePrint, he said, “There are a lot of initiatives started by the government, but somewhere it was felt that the last person on ground was not getting its benefits. Maybe it is due to lack of information. Sometimes, those with more influence are able to avail the benefit sooner and some are left behind. We will ensure that all such schemes started for the welfare of the tribals are available to all the beneficiaries.”
This comes at a time when Union Home Minister Amit Shah is setting off on a six-day long Rani Durgavati Guarav Yatra from Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district, starting today, to honour Rani Durgavati, the ruling queen of Gondwana from 1550 until 1564. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present at the conclusion of the yatra at Shahdol on 27 June.
Past efforts
According to data from the state government, Madhya Pradesh has a tribal population of about 1.53 crore, accounting for 21.10 per cent of state’s 7.2 crore population. Of the state’s 230 assembly seats, 47 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 35 for Scheduled Caste (SCs). In the 2018 assembly elections, of the 47 seats for STs, the BJP had managed to win merely 16, as opposed to 31 in 2013.
In a bid to regain its tribal vote bank, the BJP in MP had launched a massive tribal outreach programme in September 2021 with a string of announcements being made, such as the implementation of PESA, which allows for self-governance via traditional gram sabhas for people living in scheduled areas.
At the time, Amit Shah had also honoured tribal icons such as Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah, and announced that one of the several tribal museums planned across the country would be set up in Chhindwara.
This was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to MP in November 2021 during which he inaugurated the revamped Habibganj railway station which was renamed after Rani Kamlapati, the 16th century Gond queen of the region. The state government had also announced doorstep delivery of ration in tribal blocks, legalised ‘mahua’, a staple for tribals, to be sold as heritage liquor, and given a push to the sickle cell elimination mission.
Subsequently, as reported in the media, CM Chouhan renamed the Patalpani railway station in Indore after the tribal icon Tantya Bhil in November, announced a memorial for Bhima Nayak in state’s Barwani district, and named a hospital in Mandla after tribal icon Raja Hirde Shah.
Now, two years later the state government is looking to ensure effective implementation of all its schemes.
Another official present at the meeting, who spoke to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, said: “It was a preliminary meeting and other modalities such as the compensation, if any, for traveling costs for these retired employees will be formalised by the government. In a district, a collector has a whole lot of issues to take care of, their focus is not just on one scheme. These officials should not be seen as monitoring agents but, in fact, as helping hands to the existing district teams to ensure all such schemes are effectively implemented.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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