Rediff On The NeT: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh's panacea for better governance

It is essential the highest offices in the country are under public scrutiny: Singh

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on Saturday demanded that the Lok Pal Bill be immediately passed in Parliament, and the Centre transfer all sponsored programmes to the states along with resources for implementation.

He said the Lok Pal Bill must include the highest offices at the national level in its purview. ''To correct the public perception about the political leadership, it is essential the highest offices in the country are under public scrutiny,'' he said.

Today the responsiveness to people's needs was, to a large extent, compromised by having to operate Centre-sponsored programmes in a country of considerably uneven development and sub-continental size. The need of the hour was to transfer all such schemes to states along with resources, Singh observed.

The chief minister supported the code of ethics proposed for improving conduct of people in high positions, but felt this should cover all the three pillars of democracy -- the legislature, judiciary and executive.

''There should be a crackdown on known offenders. Such people should be weeded out," Singh said, "Property returns should become public documents available on demand.''

He said strengthening human rights commissions at the national and state levels would increase responsiveness and accountability.

The chief minister said the administrative reforms should focus on shifting accountability-structures from being upward to outward.

He was of the view that government departments should set apart funds for non-governmental evolutions of government activity.

Singh said the prerequisite for responsive and accountable governance was decentralisation. Decisions, in fact, should be taken at levels closest to the people.

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