CHIEF MINISTER Mulayam Singh Yadav today expressed concern over rising corruption in bureaucracy, saying that IAS officers were now directly accepting bribe in the same manner in which the subordinate staff had been doing over the years.
The CM gave a lesson or two in governance to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, specifically referring to growing corruption in issuing of arms licences, and said the IAS officers were stooping very low. “Earlier a clerk used to take bribe in such cases. Now district magistrates (IAS) are doing it,” said the chief minister while speaking at the senior administrative officers conference organised on the occasion of Civil Service Week here at Tilak Hall in Vidhan Bhawan complex.
The CM asked officers to expedite preparation of voters’ identity cards. Only 30 to 35 percent cards had only been prepared up to now, he said. He also asked IAS officers to use all the allocated funds. So far a sum of Rs 11000 crore has been used against the annual plan size of Rs 19,000 crore, said the CM. Now a sum of Rs 8000 crore would have to be used in the next three months, said the CM, adding timely utilisation of funds would ensure that the State government did not face any problem in the allocation of plan funds from the Centre in the coming year.
The chief minister lauded the officers for their contribution in development activities and conducting election to urban local bodies in a peaceful manner. He said the IAS officers should now give priority to ensure that Ardh Kumbh-2006 and Vidhan Sabha elections passed off peacefully. He said implementation of the policies of the State government was primary responsibility of IAS officers. A record of sorts had been created on the front development activities during the tenure of his government, he said.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister lauded the officers for their contribution in development activities and conducting election to urban local bodies in a peaceful manner. He said the IAS officers should now give priority to ensure that Ardh Kumbh-2006 and Vidhan Sabha elections passed off peacefully. He said implementation of the policies of the State government was primary responsibility of IAS officers. A record of sorts had been created on the front development activities during the tenure of his government, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Barring few incidents, no riots had taken place during the tenure of his government, said Yadav, adding even no incident of firing had been reported during this period. Significantly, only four out of 14 presentations proposed for the occasion could be made at the conference in view of the late arrival of the chief minister. Four presentations made before the CM included the one on law and order, health and the bureau of public enterprise.
The CM said certain institutions were out to humiliate bureaucracy and politicians alike. Though he did not name the institutions, there was a feeling that he targeted the judicial activism and said even the chief secretary was asked to stand for long durations. The CM also used the occasion to express his concern over the failure of district officers to redress people’s grievances at their own level. People should not be forced to visit tehsils and police stations again and again, he said.