Govt limits focus areas to six

The National Democratic Alliance regimes 'panch priorities' have been replaced by the select six of the United Progressive Alliance.

While the UPA plans to focus on more areas in numerical terms, it is being fairly realistic about what governments can really achieve.

The UPA, plans to have a more limited focus. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, provision of nutritious mid-day meals and food for work programmes will be high importance areas for the current regime. In addition, it will focus on drinking water, rural connectivity-roads and communication and sanitation.

It is not possible for the government to deliver all goods and services to the people.  Only a fixed number can be supplied by the government and alternative delivery systems have to be found for the rest, said senior government officials.

A good way to do this would be to transfer most centrally sponsored schemes to states and to allow local administrations to have direct control over services, which directly affect the lives of people, they added.

The five focus areas of the previous regime were fairly broadbased -- enhanced employment and eradication of poverty, a second green revolution in agriculture, infrastructure development, fiscal consolidation and greater manufacturing sector efficiency.

"The point is to focus on specific areas and not divert attention from them. This would enable the government to achieve concrete results," said senior government officials.

Also, these are basis problems, which the country faces. If we take care of the quality of drinking water and of sanitation, a majority of health problems seed in rural areas will be taken care of, they added.

While implementing schemes in these focus areas, the centre should ensure that best practices are picked and implemented across the states.

Currently, each state spends time trying to develop the best way to implement schemes which results in wastage of time. So, if Tamil Nadu has good benchmarks in implementing the mid-day meal scheme and West Bengal has mastered the Public Distribution System, their experience should be replicated in other states.