“The MLAs have to keep a close eye on proper implementation of government schemes in the state. Acting as sentinels, the MLAs have to play a pivotal role in augmenting the process of development,” said Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal while interacting with MLAs and officials of Panchayat & Rural Development department at Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Chief minister Sonowal said that people’s representatives must have a clear conception of each and every scheme meant for welfare of the people. “To grasp on any scheme or policy proper knowledge is a must,” he said, adding that in today’s highly competitive world, proper knowledge is required to tackle any situation with finesse and dexterity.
Sonowal said that to translate Mahatma Gandhi’s Ram Rajya into a reality, the pace of development in the rural areas must be accelerated. “In our state, a vast segment of the populace lives in the rural areas. Assam’s overall development is not possible without the development of rural areas,” he said, adding, “The Panchayat & Rural Development department has been playing a vital role in the development of these areas. If the MLAs can acquire proper knowledge of the schemes of the department in proper perspectives, then the pace of development can be geared up, thus benefiting the people immensely.”
The chief minister said that the 126 MLAs have been elected by the people with great hopes and aspirations. “Each and every MLA is duty-bound to work for the welfare of the 3.20 crore people of the state. The MLAs have to weed out corruption and to make hassle-free the process of implementation of different people-oriented schemes. They have to monitor the implementation at every stage to ensure accountability and transparency,” he added.
Sonowal said that the MLAs generally raise questions during the Assembly session but such interactions help them to obtain vital information about the schemes from the officials. “Our government’s vision is to make Assam a leading and foremost state of the country. To make this happen, everyone has to work wholeheartedly for the development of rural areas of the state.”
Sonowal said that the views expressed by the MLAs in course of the interaction are significant and to ensure that it bears fruit everyone has to work in sync with ‘Saabka Saath, Saabka Vikas’. The chief minister said the outcome of such interactions the MLAs would have had with 56 departments would provide the much-needed impetus to the development process.
