Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra: EC tells govt to ensure no govt scheme yatra in poll-bound states

In its letter to the Cabinet Secretary, the EC said it had been brought to its notice that a letter had been circulated in ministries to nominate senior officers as “District Rath Prabharis” for the yatra.

The EC said it had, on October 9, announced Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana and by-election in the Tapi Assembly constituency in Nagaland.

“The provisions of the Model Code of Conduct for the guidance of political parties and candidates have come into force from the date of announcement tentatively till 5th December, 2023. In view of the foregoing, the Commission had directed that the aforesaid activities should not be taken in the constituencies where Mode Code of Conduct is in force up till 5th December, 2023,” the EC letter stated.

The EC had received complaints from retired IAS officer E A S Sarma and the Congress regarding the government’s plan.

Stung by criticism from the Opposition over drafting Central government officers as “rath prabharis” for the upcoming Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the government has now replaced “rath prabharis” with “nodal officers”, specifying that they would be in-charge of the information, education and communication (IEC) vans.

Officials said the modalities of the yatra are still being worked out and the number of officers to be involved in the exercise and their seniority level will be finalised in the coming days.

Through an October 17 letter, all the departments were told that Joint Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Secretaries would be deployed as “rath prabharis” to coordinate the preparations, planning, execution and monitoring of the programme.

The two-month-long Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15, the birth anniversary of freedom fighter and tribal leader Birsa Munda from his birthplace in Khunti, Jharkhand. The day is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in Munda’s honour.

Official sources said there has been an admission that “rath was probably not the proper word to use for IEC vans”, and that henceforth it will not be used in the context of the yatra.

A circular issued by the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, last week on the nomination of bureaucrats as “rath prabharis” for “showcasing/celebration of achievements of the last nine years of the government of India through the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra” sparked a political row.

The Congress alleged it was an attempt by the BJP to politicise the bureaucracy by inducting civil servants into government propaganda ahead of elections. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also wrote to the Prime Minister in this regard.

The Opposition also claimed that this would tantamount to a violation of the Model Code of Conduct as five states are going to polls next month and the “yatra was a ploy by the BJP-led Centre to influence the upcoming elections”.

The BJP countered the Congress by saying that public service delivery is the government’s task and no one should object to public servants reaching out to the grassroots to ensure saturation of schemes.

I&B Secretary Chandra said around 2,500 such vans will be dispatched to rural areas while another 200 will cover urban districts. He said this is purely a “government programme and it would be wrong to attribute political motives to it”.

“Besides highlighting the facilities and benefits extended to people in the last one decade (coinciding with the NDA government’s term), the vans will also highlight India’s achievements in terms of Chandrayaan landing on the Moon, holding a successful G20 Summit and the recent Asian Games,” an official said.

The IEC vans will cover 2.5 lakh gram panchayats and 3,700 urban local bodies in over 14,000 locations, officials said, adding that the yatra will conclude on January 25 next year.

As many as 20 Central government schemes pertaining to eight different ministries will be covered, highlighting benefits such as sanitation facilities, essential financial services, electricity connections, access to LPG cylinders, housing for the poor, food security, nutrition, healthcare, clean drinking water and quality education among others.

The objective of the yatra is to reach out to the last person, the poor and the downtrodden who may not be able to register themselves on government portals or may not be aware of the facilities that they can avail of. It intends to highlight the Central government schemes and their benefits through personal stories, experience sharing, nukkad nataks and quizzes, officials said.

While the urban outreach is being taken care of by the I&B Ministry, the more extensive rural leg of the yatra is being managed by the Agriculture Ministry. A major focus area of the yatra will be on fertilisers and natural farming, officials said, adding that interactions will be held with “progressive farmers” from each panchayat on how they can utilise government schemes to boost their income.

On any given day, the IEC vans, which are equipped with LED screens and WiFi, will make two stops at a location – of approximately four hours each. In case the pit stop coincides with the time of the Prime Minister’s monthly radio show, Mann Ki Baat, it will be beamed live. A highlight of the programme is getting the Prime Minister to respond to 20 “pre-selected” questions asked by the people.

These vans will be hired on contract by the Central Bureau of Communication, which operates under the I&B Ministry, from several private agencies. Officials say no extra budget has been allocated for this yatra since each of the Central government schemes has a percentage of funds for publicity, and a part of that component is being utilised here.

Chandra said since the schemes concerned are run by the Centre, government officials are being involved as van in-charge or nodal officers. He said the role of states will also be very important and state governments will be requested to cooperate and get involved in the initiative.

Drone shows will also be organised at certain places, and camps will be held to enrol beneficiaries for Ujjwala, soil health card, and the MY Yuva portal cleared by the Union Cabinet recently.

Two months, 20 schemes

The schemes to be highlighted include

* Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for Fisheries and Fish Farmers

* Har Ghar Jal – Jal Jeevan Mission

* Ayushman Bharat Yojana

* Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

* Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana

* Jan-Dhan Yojana

* Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

* Suraksha Bima Yojana

* Atal Pension Yojana

* M Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

* DAY–NRLM

* PM Awas Yojana (Rural)

* PM PRANAM Yojana and Urea Subsidy Scheme

* Pradhan Mantri Poshan Abhiyan

* PM Ujjwala Scheme

* PM Kisan Samman

* Kisan Credit Card

* PM Awas Yojana (Urban)

* Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana

* PM SVANidhi Yojana