Chandigarh, August 18 – It is night time, people are standing in front of Naib Singh Saini at the Chief Minister’s residence ‘Sant Kabir Kutir’ with papers in their hands, bringing their problems and hopes. Some are worried about their daughter’s future, some have brought the financial problems of the family, while some are hoping to get the benefits of government schemes. Time goes on, but the series of meetings does not stop.
Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini meets people one by one. A natural smile on his face, listening carefully to the person standing in front of him and giving immediate instructions to the officials to solve the problem – this scene is now becoming the hallmark of direct dialogue between the Chief Minister and the general public in Haryana. This direct dialogue between the Chief Minister and the general public is connecting the government’s public welfare thinking with the land of schemes.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini, the Haryana government has emphasized on making social security and public welfare a medium of real change in the lives of the deserving people, instead of keeping them confined to budget announcements. From women to senior citizens and people struggling with drug addiction, several initiatives of the government are taking this thinking forward.
One scheme, financial support for lakhs of women:
The ‘Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana’ has emerged as an important step towards economic self-reliance for the women of Haryana. Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini has announced to increase the annual income limit for eligibility from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.80 lakh while expanding the scope of the scheme. This change is important because with the increase in the income limit, a large number of additional women will be able to come under the ambit of the scheme. Currently, about 10 lakh women are being given financial assistance of Rs 2,100 per month under the scheme.
The government now has to go beyond just providing assistance, but also ensure that no eligible woman is deprived of benefits due to information, documents or complexity of the application process. Under this objective, an action plan has been prepared for collecting data of eligible women, verification of bank accounts, necessary changes in the application system and a comprehensive public awareness campaign. The message behind this initiative is clear, women empowerment does not mean just adding names to schemes, but making women more capable in taking financial decisions. Along with this, the Chief Minister has put a stop to the misleading propaganda of the opposition by saying that no mother, sister or daughter benefiting from the Deendayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana will be deprived of the benefits of any other scheme.
The government will now deliver care to the elderly at home:
Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini has taken a step with a new mindset for the most experienced generation of the society. In an initiative to strengthen the home care and primary medical care system for senior citizens, 1,000 caregivers will be created in the state. This initiative is a response to the changing social situation where many senior citizens need regular care and support at home.
Along with this, instructions have been given to set up ‘Senior Citizen Welfare Clubs’ in the state. The aim is not only to provide health-related assistance, but also to provide a better environment of social connection, respect and security to senior citizens. The Chief Minister’s message is clear – senior citizens are not a burden on the society, but are a valuable heritage of experience and culture.
Caregivers will be trained:
To give a strong foundation to this new system of care for senior citizens, Vishwakarma Skill University and O.P. Jindal University have been identified as training institutions. These institutions are planned to train 500-500 trainees in two phases. Priority will be given to youth and women in training. That is, an attempt is being made to fulfill two objectives with one initiative—to provide trained caregivers to senior citizens and to create new skills and employment opportunities for youth and women.
Fight against drugs now from treatment to rehabilitation:
For those affected by the problem of drugs, Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini has taken the initiative to take it to new dimensions of treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration instead of being limited to just action and prevention. The Chief Minister has announced the establishment of a Center of Excellence for Drug Detoxification through a public-private partnership model. For this, a site inspection has been done in Kurukshetra and work is being taken forward towards developing a center with modern facilities.
The objective of this center will be to provide treatment to drug-affected persons and re-integrate them into normal social life. This is a sign of a change in thinking, not just seeing the drug-affected person as a problem, but as a person deserving of treatment and opportunity.
Beyond schemes, the challenge of reaching the beneficiaries:
The biggest success for any government is not just announcing the scheme, but ensuring that its benefits reach the right person. Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini is laying special emphasis on this last point. Collecting data of eligible beneficiaries, verification of bank accounts, simplifying the application process and increasing public awareness are steps being taken in this direction.
The government is trying to continuously reduce the gap between government schemes and beneficiaries:
A scene of Naib Singh Saini meeting the general public at the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh till late at night and on the other hand, the public welfare schemes being implemented across the state
