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UPA Minister learns from BJP-ruled state

UPA Minister learns from BJP-ruled state

Author: Ravish Tiwari
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 5, 2007
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/208566.html

Introduction: Asks other states to implement Rajasthan model to reduce corruption

Stung by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remark terming corruption in road projects as "cancer", Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has decided to take a lesson from BJP-ruled Rajasthan.

The Rural Development Ministry, which handles the Rural Roads Programme under Bharat Nirman, has amended its guidelines at the instance of the Minister and incorporated the unique feature from Rajasthan for better inspection of rural roads work under Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Raghuvansh wrote letters to all state Governments to adopt the Rajasthan model in just over a month's time after the PM's remark.

"Corruption in road construction projects has spread like a cancer to every corner of our country. I hope we can implement both PMGSY and Bharat Nirman without this affliction and in a transparent and accountable manner," the Prime Minister had said while inaugurating the National Conference on Rural Roads organised by the Ministry on May 23 this year. Official sources in the Ministry said the Minister himself talked to the CVC and also consulted officials from CAG seeking their advice to fill the gaps, if any.

However, the consultations with CVC and CAG did not help him much. An internal quality check information helped him to figure out the model Raghuvansh was looking for. The data collected from random inspections of road works under PMGSY carried out by the independent National Quality Monitors (NQMs) under the Ministry during July 2004 and September 2006 indicated that Rajasthan had the lowest percentage of completed as well as ongoing road works that were found to be of "unsatisfactory" quality. (See: BOX)

For the rural road works, the Rajasthan Government introduced a system of inviting public representatives along with Government officials for joint inspection of PMGSY works. Under this model, while the superintendent engineer of the concerned zone goes for a joint inspection with the local MP every six months, the executive engineer of a division goes for joint inspection with the local MLA or chairperson of intermediate panchayat every three months.

Under this practice, the assistant engineer of the sub-division undertakes joint inspection with the concerned sarpanch every two months. And these officials are instructed to request the public representatives for joint inspection at regular intervals.


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