New Delhi: For a little over two months starting 20 November, officers from 12 allied central government services including income tax, customs and central excise, audit & accounts, forest, postal, telecom, Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service, will don a different hat.
They will be deployed as “rath prabharis” (special officers) and move around 2.69 lakh gram panchayats of the country in specially-fitted “raths”, showcasing the achievements of the last nine years of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, as part of a special campaign called ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’.
The campaign will be organised across the country for disseminating information and awareness and extending services at the gram panchayat-level from 20 November to 25 January, 2024. It will reach out to beneficiaries of the central government’s welfare schemes in rural areas, including those who are yet to get the benefits or have been left out, ThePrint has learnt.
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra coincides with assembly elections in five states starting next month and the parliamentary elections scheduled for early next year, when Modi will be seeking a third term in office.
This is not the first time that the Modi government has roped in bureaucrats to showcase and disseminate information about its welfare schemes.
Since 2014, when Modi came to power for the first time, the government has deployed officers, mostly from the Indian Administrative Service, across districts from time to time to create awareness and review implementation of its flagship schemes such as the Aspirational District Programme.
It is, however, the first time that such a large number of officers from allied services such as income tax, customs, statistics and forest are being deployed for showcasing the achievements of the government.
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‘Idea to ensure saturation of schemes targeting rural India’
A senior government official, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint that the idea was to ensure saturation of welfare schemes targeting rural India, such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), Garib Kalyan Yojana, Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Fasal Bima Yojana, National Rural Livelihood Mission and the recently launched Vishwakarma Yojana, among others.
“The idea for launching a special campaign to review the implementation of these schemes and ensure that they reach saturation came from PM Modi himself in one of the recent cabinet meetings,” the official said.
In all, 170 officers from Income Tax, Custom & Central Excise (Indian Revenue Service), Audit and Accounts Service, Indian Forest Service, Indian Postal Service, Indian Telecom Service, Indian Economic Service, Indian Civil Accounts Service, Indian Cost and Accounts Service, Indian Ordnance Factory Service, Indian Statistical Service, Indian Post & Telecom Accounts & Finance Service will be deployed.
The Union agriculture ministry is the nodal ministry for coordinating the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra.
Following a letter from the agriculture secretary, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on 17 October sought nomination of officers from the respective cadre controlling authorities for deployment as district rath prabharis.
“In order to coordinate for the preparations, planning, execution, monitoring of the Rath Yatra, it has been decided to deploy joint secretaries, directors, deputy secretaries of the Government of India as district rath prabharis (special officers). In this regard, it is requested that a requisite number of officers from various services, deputed across the country, may be nominated by the respective cadres,” the communication from the personnel ministry stated. ThePrint has a copy of the letter.
The ministry has said that while nominating officers, care must be taken to ensure that officers should be ready to undertake the assignment at short notice and be in a state of physical fitness to undertake the necessary travel, etc. Deployment of officers to various states/districts will be done shortly, it added.
The campaign ahead of the assembly elections has raised the hackles of the opposition Congress.
“How can civil servants be ordered to do political propaganda for a government going into elections? IAS officers will be ‘Rath Prabharis,” Pawan Khera, chairman of Congress’s media and publicity department, posted on social media.
How can civil servants be ordered to do political propaganda for a government going into elections?
IAS officers will be ‘Rath Prabharis.’ @IASassociation pic.twitter.com/tgVukmU8SK
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) October 21, 2023
In May, the Indian Army’s Ceremonials and Welfare Directorate had also advised soldiers that when they go on leave, they should take up activities such as educating local communities about government schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and engage in social service to contribute to the nation’s development.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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