CM presses for administrative reforms in Revenue Day programme

Published in The Hitavada on February 27, 2013

ALL SMILES: Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Minister of State (Revenue) Prakash Solanke, Minister of State (Finance and Planning) Rajendra Mulak, Chief Secretary J K Banthiya, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Swadhin Kshatriya, Divisional Commissioners B V Gopala Reddy, Prabhakar Deshmukh, Chandrakant Dalvi, and other IAS officers working as Divisional Commissioners, District Collectors and other capacities, posed for a group photograph after ‘Revenue Day’ function held at Deshpande Hall here on Tuesday.

CM presses for administrative reforms

* Asks top bureaucrats to undertake cadre review, focus more on proper training of officers in State Civil Services, and prepare plan of recruitment as per requirement

By Kartik Lokhande
Good work fetches recognition. For officials and employees of Revenue Department in Maharashtra, Tuesday was the Recognition Day. Revenue Department awarded the officials and employees taking novel initiatives, implementing them, and becoming change-makers, in a glittering function here. While congratulating the awarded officials and employees, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan underlined the need for putting administrative reforms on a fast track.
“The administrative machinery must work to prevent leakages/corruption in the system by way of increasing use of e-governance. Adoption of newer technologies requires proper training and exposure. The officers need to be imparted proper training for one year before their induction into State Civil Services,” Chavan said while addressing the Revenue Department officers, officials, and employees from across the State in the first such ‘Revenue Day’ programme held at Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall here.
Speaking further, Chavan asked the top bureaucrats to undertake cadre review programme. A new method to allot IAS cadre to State Civil Services officers might be adopted from next year to ensure their induction into IAS cadre by the age of 35 years. “Currently, such an allotment witnesses long delays or comes at the fag end of career of State Civil Services officers. Conducting an examination after 10 years of their induction into State Civil Services, and ensuring allotment of IAS cadre to these officers will make the administration faster,” he felt. He also asked Chief Secretary J K Banthiya and Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Swadhin Kshatriya to submit details of vacancies in the department and manpower requirement so that a proper recruitment plan could be devised. At present, recruitment of only 3 per cent of total staff strength is done per year. The Government may extend the limit to 10 per cent if required, he added. He appealed officers to work ‘politely but firmly’.
On the occasion, Chavan awarded 13 District Collectors including five from Vidarbha region. These included five District Collectors from Vidarbha. Of a total 53 officials and employees felicitated in the programme 17 were from Nagpur and Amravati Divisions. Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat presided over the programme while Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Dr Patangrao Kadam, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anil Deshmukh, Minister of State (Revenue) Prakash Solanke, Minister of State (Finance and Planning) Rajendra Mulak, Chief Secretary J K Banthiya, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Swadhin Kshatriya also shared the dais on this occasion. Kshatriya threw light on the unique initiatives of officials and employees, who got awards in the first such programme organised under Swarna Jayanti Rajaswa Abhiyan.
Balasaheb Thorat, in his speech, said that Revenue administration was over-burdened and under-staffed. He urged the Chief Minister to increase budgetary allocation for the department and also increase cadre of Deputy Collectors. He pressed for declaring a specific day in the month of January every year to be celebrated as ‘Revenue Day’. He also appealed ministers to stop frequently calling Collectors to Mantralaya. Solanke raised the demand of designating District Collector as District Administrative Chief and Development Co-ordinator. Besides, he said, the outdated systems of calculating paisewari, average rainfall to be revised. He advocated simplifying procedure for obtaining non-agricultural (NA) permissions.
In his speech, Banthiya called for reviving the institution of District Magistrate. “Collectorate represents the Government at district level. We need to strengthen the institution and not burden it with residue of residual work,” he said. He also pressed for business process re-engineering in administrative set-up to make the system more transparent.
Divisional Commissioner (Nagpur) B V Gopala Reddy, Divisional Commissioner (Pune) Prabhakar Deshmukh and others were present prominently on the dais.
Renuka Deshkar compered the programme and Joint Secretary Rajendra Surve proposed a vote of thanks.

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Awardees from Vidarbha
Of a total 13 District Collectors felicitated in the programme five were from Vidarbha. Though some of them are working out of Vidarbha or at other places at present, they were honoured for commendable job done during their posting in Vidarbha districts. These included Dr Anup Yadav (earlier at Wardha), Shravan Hardikar (earlier at Yavatmal), Richa Bagla (earlier at Amravati), Saurabh Rao (Nagpur), and Abhishek Krishna (Gadchiroli).
Among 53 officials and employees felicitated on the occasion, 17 were from Vidarbha region. These included M A H Khan, Deputy Commissioner (EGS), Nagpur; Kiran Kulkarni, Sub-Divisional Officer, Gadchiroli; Prakash Patil, Special Land Acquisition Officer, Nagpur; Jitendra Wagh, Resident Deputy Collector, Akola; Prasad Mate, Tehsildar (earlier at Nagpur); M N Sapate, Naib Tehsildar, Nagpur; M B Jagtap, Head Clerk, Wardha; R N Watghare, Circle Officer, Ghugus; V M Gedam, Talathi, Rajuta; Manasi Joshi, Junior Clerk, Nagpur; Sanjay Khadse, Tehsildar, Chikhli; Sachin Patil, Naib Tehsildar, Chikhli; R S Sheikh, Head Clerk, Digras; Suresh Bute, Circle Officer, Akola; Sanjay Sarage, Talathi, Chikhli; Mohan Sathe, Junior Clerk, Akola; and Haridas Bhatkar, Kotwal, Barshitakli.

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Chavan assures to sort out Zudpi jungle issue soon
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, on Tuesday, assured to sort out the issue of Zudpi jungle haunting Vidarbha region for a long time. Owing to vast stretches of land classified as Zudpi jungle, there is a problem in availability of land for various developmental projects. As a result, despite being a leader in protecting forest, Vidarbha region is deprived of benefits of various projects including irrigation reservoirs, mineral exploration etc. “We have sorted out Nazul land and occupancy-related issues that were peculiar problems of Vidarbha. Zudpi jungle issue also could have been sorted out earlier if there were no changes in related ministries. Now, we will soon sort out Zudpi jungle issue,” he added in his speech.