PMO wants report cards on key schemes

Peeved over their failure to submit report cards at the end of 100 days of the UPA II, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked five ministries, including human resources development and health, to present the progress reports to the people by September 16.

Peeved over their failure to submit report cards at the end of 100 days of the UPA II, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked five ministries, including human resources development and health, to present the progress reports to the people by September 16.

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The directive came from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s principal secretary T K A Nair at a meeting held with HRD, health, rural development, housing and urban poverty alleviation and urban development ministers and secretaries last week, PMO sources said.

The UPA government had promised to bring out the quarterly progress reports of the pro-poor schemes in the Presidential address on June 4 and the failure to do so had evoked wide criticism.

As per the directive, the ministers have to present their quarterly progress reports on social welfare schemes to the Prime Minister and also make it available to the people.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal will be the first to present the report on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on September 10 followed by Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy on Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission the next day.

Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Selja will submit the report on Rajiv Awas Yojana on September 12, Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi on National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Indira Awas Yojana on September 15 and finally Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will brief the media on National Rural Health Mission on September 16.

The PMO has also set up delivery monitoring unit under the cabinet secretary to oversee implementation of flagship schemes like NREGA.