Promising to bring a “transparent” and “efficient” system of governance, the first BJP Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis in his first Cabinet meeting after the swearing-in, took steps to bring in a Right to Services Bill, which will give citizens the right to timely service.
“The common man suffers due to lack of transparency and efficiency. I will ensure a transparent system,” said Mr. Fadnavis, the second youngest Chief Minister of the State.
Mr Fadnavis has instructed Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya to prepare a draft of the Right to Services Bill. The legislation, which will be a form of a citizen’s charter, will provide better services to the people, who can take legal recourse if they don’t get them, Mr. Fadnavis said.
The Chief Minister further said that he had asked every Ministry to make presentations of policy decisions and prepare a charter for transparency. “Each and every department will be made responsible and have to make a charter,” he said. Mr. Fadnavis also said that he would restore the system of regular media briefings after each Cabinet meeting.
Curiously, Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on Thursday had ordered withdrawal of the notification issued by the previous government to exclude the Anti-Corruption Bureau from the purview of the Right to Information Act.
The BJP had run a high-pitched campaign against the corruption of the previous NCP-Congress regime and regularly targeted their leaders for the irrigation scam saying the accused would be put behind bars if the party came to power.
