Chavan wants to evaluate ministers

When Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said the performance of Congressmen in the State Cabinet would be evaluated he was serious, reports Dharmendra Jore.

When Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said the performance of Congressmen in the State Cabinet would be evaluated he was serious.

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Chavan is now thinking of applying the ‘result framework document (RFD)’ (see box) method of performance appraisal to his 18 party colleagues in the Cabinet.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently introduced this method for all Union ministers.

The new system involves assessment of ministers as well as secretaries of all departments. So the bureaucracy would also share the blame for the department’s showing, good or bad. Results of every department will be graded systematically. Every ministry will have to accomplish at least 60 per cent of their work to pass the test.

State Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, who suggested the idea, has already asked every Congress minister to send him monthly progress reports. “PM’s is a result-oriented idea. This will help governments work harder and better,” he said.

Thakre said that the data of the departments held by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ministers would be provided by the CM’s office. Based on this information, Thakre is expected to send his first report to New Delhi after December 7.

NCP ministers will not be covered under this system. Party boss Sharad Pawar, who has warned his 20 ministers against complacency, has his own assessment method. He relies on the feedback from party workers and legislators on every minister’s performance.

Chavan said, “It’s a very good measure. I will follow my party boss’ directives.”

Similar efforts to track the cabinet’s performance were made earlier too but they were not effective. This time, both Chavan and Thakre seem more serious because the high command holds them responsible for fulfilling promises made in the manifesto.

Chavan, a taskmaster, told ministers a day after his Cabinet was sworn in that they would be under watch and the high command would be informed accordingly.

Chavan told Hindustan Times on Thursday that he was serious about adopting the Delhi model but he would need time to implement it. “Right now my government is in the process of settling down,” Chavan said. “I will definitely do it here.”