In order to make the system more accountable and taking stock of the developmental activities regularly in each District, the UT Government having asked the Mentor Secretaries to conduct review meetings of their respective districts forthwith could enable where each level of different projects underway stood at. It could provide opportunities to set out a mechanism to suggest and implement corrective and remedial measures and all in time. In fact, such an approach is definitely loaded with fairly knowing what was going on where, as projects involving high cost and carrying importance could not be left to be lavishly arranged extensions of timelines for completion. However, critically analysing the issue, it must be known as to what was the outcome of the instructions similarly given to the Mentor Secretaries in the past.
Needless to add, the twin aspects of handling developmental activities, that of fixing targets and conducting (performance) review meetings were extremely important for result oriented projects completion process. Unless these two aspects were accorded due and pointed importance and element of accountability made an inalienable part, expected results would keep eluding the high projections made.
In an era when the Government is embarking upon the need to provide facilities to and serve the people right at their doorsteps to let a feel be really had about good and responsive governance and redressing of peoples’ problems, hardly can it be afforded not to have ready information, data and levels of completion in respect of a project related to developmental nature. It had the other advantages too in that how funds allotted were utilised and how at any given time, the stocks of material, inventory etc required for such projects could be verified too, would be easily known. The other aspect of such review meetings was to be seen whether funds allotted were really spent or allowed to get lapsed for example funds earmarked for carrying out the Swatch Bharat Mission in urban and rural areas equally. On many occasions, in the absence of taking timely decisions due to whichever reasons, funds are not utilised thus defeating the very purpose of a particular scheme even though of much importance. It could, therefore, also be construed as failure of a scheme.
In fact, the idea of a sort of exclusiveness imparted to monitoring process of developmental activities by designating Mentor Secretaries is a sound professional idea looked at from the point of view of how sales could be promoted in any concern . Here in the instant case, it is with the same principle but how different projects underway in Jammu and Kashmir could reach levels of completion within fixed time and how bottlenecks and problems could be identified and solutions provided which could happen and got known only after a review on regular intervals was made. It was equally important, therefore, that post review monitoring and actions taken including fixing accountability were done properly to accord credibility to the concept of Mentor leadership. It is, therefore, the duty of the Mentor Secretary to suggest a change even recommend a revamp of a design or of the procedure or even in respect of the executing agency but backed by cogent and professional logic.
We appreciate the initiatives of the UT and hope some of the concerns shared and suggestions conveyed through these lines would be given a proper required thought in order to make the role of Mentor Secretaries really productive.
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