Siddaramaiah schools ministers on governance, reviews tender proposals

Bengaluru: With the Lok Sabha polls behind, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet on Thursday shifted the focus back on administration as it gave a month’s deadline for previously-approved tenders to take off.

Siddaramaiah also gave his Cabinet colleagues a pep talk on improving governance and cranking up administration.

In 11 Cabinet meetings held between November 23, 2023 and March 14 this year, administrative approvals were given to 147 tender proposals. On Thursday, the Cabinet, which met after three months, took stock of the progress.

The Cabinet found that of the 147 proposals approved, 94 tenders were invited, 19 are under examination, work orders issued for 18 and works have finished in seven. "There are 53 tenders yet to be floated. The Cabinet viewed this seriously. The CM has said that all tenders for which administrative approval was given should be started in a month's time. The instruction was issued through the chief secretary," Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said, briefing reporters.

The highest pendency is in Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's water resources department in which 15 out of 19 tender proposals have not taken off. This is followed by the urban development department (seven tenders pending) and five each at the health and public works departments.

Patil said the Cabinet also discussed the current state of governance and administration.

"Governance must improve. The state's administrative machinery must be tightened to make it people-friendly and delays shouldn't be neglected. In total, the discussion was about improving governance and the steps that need to be initiated," Patil said.

"The CM has issued a slew of instructions," Patil said. "District ministers have been told what to do. Through the chief secretary, bureaucrats have been told what to do," he said.

The trigger for Siddaramaiah's tutoring is plausibly in the wake of the Lok Sabha results with Congress having to settle for nine out of the 28 seats in the state, while it expected to cross 14. The resignation of B Nagendra from the Cabinet in connection with scam has further dented the government's image.

Siddaramaiah has asked his ministers to resume Janata Darshans (public meetings) in order to address citizens' grievances, therefore improving the government's image.