PANAJI
With Assembly elections a few months away, the BJP-led government on Saturday rolled out its flagship Sarkar Tumchya Dari outreach programme across Goa, in what many political observers see as the ruling party's move to shift into election mode while projecting an image of accessible and responsive governance.
The programme, held simultaneously at district headquarters and led by ministers and senior officials, brought the government directly face-to-face with citizens, offering a platform to air grievances, seek redressal of long-pending issues and secure access to various welfare schemes.
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant himself led the North Goa leg at Pernem and used the platform to warn of swift action against panchayat secretaries obstructing the 'Mhaje Ghar' scheme, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who spearheaded the South Goa programme in Margao, fielded concerns over bed shortages at the South Goa District Hospital and ordered an inspection into the long-standing discharge of raw sewage into the Comba storm-water nullah.
The 'Sarkar Tumchya Dari' initiative comes at a time when the government is keen to showcase its delivery record and reconnect with grassroots voters.
The Opposition parties and critics, however, call it the government's 'event management' exercise and an early election outreach, pointing out that many of the grievances raised at the camps relate to problems that have persisted for years despite repeated assurances.
Even so, the programme succeeded in drawing significant public participation, with citizens using it to flag issues ranging from delays in housing schemes and bureaucratic hurdles to grey areas in healthcare infrastructure, sanitation and civic services delivery.
