Rattled by the BSP’s defeat in 15 of the 17 reserved Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Mayawati has asked her top bureaucrats to visit Dalit-dominated areas in the state and address the grievances of the people.

Twenty-four officials of the principal secretary and secretary rank, including officials posted at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, have been handpicked for the task. They have already begun touring the areas. By June 15, they will submit their reports to the chief secretary.

Each official has been allotted three districts where he will spend two days, meet villagers to inquire about the ground reality relating to the implementation of various welfare schemes. Since Mayawati has directed the officials to make on-spot inspections, they are also visiting hospitals and schools to get first-hand information.

The officials have also been asked to inquire about construction of toilets, drains, roads and the condition of hand pumps in the villages. Moreover, they are looking into the beneficiaries of pension schemes for the aged, widows and the disabled. Other areas of investigation include the status of land allotted to lease holders, progress of NREGA, distribution of kerosene and ration to BPL families and the condition of power supply.

Principal secretaries to the chief minister, Ravindra Singh, Arun Sinha and Shailesh Krishna have been to Faizabad, Allahabad and Jaunpur respectively.

Principal secretaries in the Department of Medical and Health and Urban Development, Pradeep Shukla and Alok Ranjan, have visited Farukhabad and Mau.

According to sources in the government, the exercise was planned after Mayawati’s recent meeting with party legislators, who had complained about the bureaucracy. “The officials have given a distorted picture of the ground reality to the chief minister. Dalit voters are angry because they feel neglected. Even the Ambedkar village scheme has taken a backseat in the BSP regime,” said an MLA.

... contd.