Yogi 2.0 signals ‘perform or perish’ mantra for top bureaucrats

Lucknow

Soon after being sworn in as the Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister (CM) for a second consecutive term, Yogi Adityanath 2.0 has signalled a stern ‘perform or perish’ mantra for bureaucrats.

Presiding over a recent meeting of top-rung officials, Yogi underlined the government would need to put in extra efforts, since “we are now competing with ourselves” to underline the trust reposed by the voters in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government by re-electing it.

The dropping of several BJP legislators, who were ministers in the previous Yogi regime (2017-22), from the fresh council of ministers, is a stark reminder for officials to attune to the agenda of the government.

The new UP ministers are yet to be allocated their respective portfolios. A minor reshuffle in the state bureaucracy is a strong possibility in the coming days.

Since the composition of the Yogi cabinet 2.0 has been done in view of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the CM is expected to fine-tune the different wings of the government to align with the larger road map to reward performers and shunt out inefficient officials from key postings.

“We have to be sensitive towards citizens, and ensure that villages, poor, farmers, women and youth remain at the centre of every policy of our government,” the CM said in a terse message to the state mandarins.

Stressing efficiency and transparency in governance, Yogi emphasized inter-departmental coordination and harnessing information technology in better implementation of schemes.

Meanwhile, he directed officials to identify 10 key sectors to bolster the state’s socio-economic growth so that UP becomes a trillion-dollar economy in the coming years.

In this regard, the department heads have been asked to prepare action plans for the next 100 days, six months and a year. These plans have to be tabled before the UP council of ministers for vetting and timely implementation.

The officials have been directed to fully implement ‘e-office’ as also the ‘citizen’s charter’ which mandates the resolution of public complaints within a specified timeframe.

“It is imperative that officials ‘ memorize’ each point of the ‘Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra’ (BJP manifesto) and start working towards achieving the desired goals,” he said, adding they have to make sincere efforts to convert all the pre-poll promises into reality.

The CM reiterated his resolve to make UP India’s top economy, which would require the cohesive functioning of ‘Team UP’ at every level by fostering inter-departmental coordination.

Meanwhile, Yogi stressed increasing the state revenue by mobilizing resources and optimum utilization of budgets by the different departments.

He has asked officials to start preparing the Full Budget for the current 2022-23 financial year. In December 2021, Yogi Adityanath government 1.0 had tabled an interim budget for 2022-23 since UP elections were due in the subsequent months.