Monday, November 28 2005 18:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Vowing to change what he described as the worst-ever work culture unleashed due to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alleged misgovernance for the past 15 years, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today (Nov 28, 2005) announced that he would have a one-to-one meeting with senior bureaucrats, including secretaries of all departments and police officers of IG rank and above to diagnose the ills facing the state.

Describing as extremely devastating the condition of the state, Kumar while speaking to reporters remarked the state is in a greater mess than we had thought earlier when we were out of power.

"Now we have to overcome the existing situation and work harder to come up to the expectations of the people, Kumar, being described as Mr Hope in newspapers' editorial columns," he said.

Stating that the rotten system cannot be corrected merely by transfers and postings of the officials which was a routine matter, he said, ''We have to achieve the objective of good governance through the bureaucracy we have at our disposal by fixing accountability.''

Asserting that political will was needed if positive results were to be achieved, he said the same officers would have to deliver and come up to the Government's expectations.

Kumar announced that he would set up an Administrative Reform Commission to help tone up the administration.

Asked whether bright positings would be performance-based Kumar said in Government every posting is a prize posting.

"If we talk about a system we have to improve the functioning of all the departments. I don't think that there is any department, which is insignificant, "Kumar said.

Stating that a common minimum programme for real and good governance was in the offing, he said the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) would be based on the previous one released by the Janata Dal (JD) United (U) at its Rajgir convention held in April this year while exploring the ways for Government formation when no party or combination of parties was in a position to form the Government.

Besides making Bihar crime-free in the event of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coming to power, the CMP had also promised a slew of measures for improving infrastructural facilities like roads, drinking water, medical services.

He said a ten-point programme for the uplift of minorities was also being worked out as promised in the CMP which, the Chief Minister said, would also comprise of the salient features of the separate manifestos on which the JD(U) and BJP fought the recently-concluded assembly elections.

Asked whether he would also hold janata durbars as part of his initiative to make drastic changes in the functioning of the Government and know people's grievances, the Chief Minister said he would introduce fully operational grievance cells to have information about the problems facing the people and take corrective steps.

To another question, Kumar said he had first hand experience of the complete collapse of the administrative machinery.