Governance is good if it improves quality of life of poor

Raipur, December 3, 2011

    Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh said good governance is the one that paves way for poverty reduction and improves the quality of life of poor people in the country. He said a government can play a vital and proactive role by ensuring that good governance is guided by an ethic of effective implementation. “Administrative polices of Chhattisgarh are formulated with the help of inputs provided by the rural population. The government takes note of the requirements of poor people while formulating the policies. Our policies and programmes have set an example of good governance in the country only because they are directly linked or related with the people of the state,” he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.
     Dr. Singh said there were many challenges before him when he became the chief minister of a newly-carved state in 2003 but the administrative policies helped him in overcoming them. “I had to face many challenges as the chief minister, the state had highest malnutrition rate, there were no ration in ration shops, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate and health index were at the lowest level. Every year more than 20 lakh labourers use to migrate from the state in search of jobs,” he said. The chief minister said that his government took suggestions from the people of the state and incorporated them in administrative policies. “With the help of these policies, we have set up a unique system of production, procurement and distribution. The system is a success as it looks after the requirements of poor people,” he said. 
     He also elaborated on various schemes in Chhattisgarh such as providing rice to 50 % population of the state at the cost of Rs 1 and 2 per kg, distribution of free iodised salt and free footwear to those collecting ‘tendupatta’. “My main aim was to provide a stable system to the people of the state, a system which remain unaffected by the change of guard in the power,” Dr. Singh said.  The chief minister also said that the four-time increase in the per capita income of the state is an example of good governance in Chhattisgarh. “I am confident that with the help of good governance, Chhattisgarh will come in the list of top three states in the field of development,” he added.