Vijayawada: Bureaucrats are suddenly feeling that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu isn’t giving them much importance, as compared with his tenure between 1995 and 2004.
At that time, bureaucrats are given more powers than even ministers. Mr Naidu took pride in being called the Chief Executive Office. The situation has changed now.
The Chief Minister is not taking bureaucrats into confidence as well. He is taking decisions on his own by consulting a few persons confidentially.
A senior IAS official said that whether it was with regard to the role of Transstroy in the Polavaram dam construction, key decisions in irrigation projects, capital city construction work or others, Mr Naidu was taking the decisions without discussing them with bureaucrats and directing to implement the orders.
In his previous tenure, Mr Naidu had introduced market-based reforms. The IT and ITES sectors boomed, giving rise to a separate IT policy. During this time bureaucrats had played key role and ran the government, reducing the role of ministers, and legislators. The recommendations of bureaucrats were considered in policy making over those of the public representatives.
He got a name for running the administration professionally and came out with a Vision 2020 document. Mr Naidu faced severe dissent from political circles as he strictly implemented reforms suggested by the World Bank through bureaucrats.
A senior IAS officer who is observing Mr Naidu since his first stint as CM said, “We are now looking at the other side of the Chief Minister.”
The official said Mr Naidu had ignored bureaucrats and amended the AP Infrastructure Development Act for Swiss Challenge method to choose the developer for the Capital city. He also assigned irrigation projects on nomination basis or by drawing up eligibility criteria in favour to some companies by ignoring the bureaucrats.
The focus is now on welfare
Till 2004, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu use to talk of Vision 2020, which spoke of development rather than welfare. In recent times, he has switch focus to welfare.
Even in the recent two-day collectors’ conference, Mr Naidu spoke of the effective implementation of welfare schemes.
There was criticism that Mr Naidu had ignored welfare schemes during 1995-2004. He had lifted prohibition and increased the price of '2 per kg rice — a prestigious scheme introduced by TD patriarch N.T. Rama Rao — given in fair price shops for the poor to Rs 4.9.
He regulated subsidy schemes and hiked power tariff, which ultimately resulted in a police firing on protestors.
His focus on welfare, therefore, came as a surprise. Mr Naidu is watching the ‘Happiness Index’ as an indicator of effective governance and welfare schemes reaching the public.
Accordingly he is reviewing the happiness index of districts by considering pensions, ration cards, Chandranna Bheema, MNREGS, self-employment subsidy loans, scholarships, wom-en and child welfare schemes and others.
A senior Cabinet minister said Mr Naidu had to change focus according to the political requirements. For making development possible, one must be in government. And to win the elections, one must focus on welfare activities, he said.
