Guwahati, June 10 : Assam’s new Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has proposed splitting the Social Welfare Department into three Directorates. Sonowal says this will give the state a new lease on life. It will also ensure proper development through timely intervention.
The Chief Minister chaired a Social Welfare Department review meeting in the conference room of the Assam Secretariat, in Dispur on Friday. Sonowal asked the Additional Chief Secretary to investigate and write a proposal to create Directorates for the welfare of Women, Children and for specially challenged persons under the Social Welfare Department.
Sonowal also wants the Department to support more welfare-oriented schemes. He is especially interested in programs that act as a force-multiplier for social development.
“The need of the hour is to lend more transparency and accountability to help the Department to render its services effectively for the welfare of women, children and specially challenged persons,” Sonowal said.
Sonowal directed the departmental authority to move to ‘on-line’ and ‘e-tendering.’ He said this would bring more transparency to various areas, including the procurement and distribution of services,
Gender based discrimination has been a problem in government departments and Sonowal asked the department to take action against such discrimination.
Sonowal said the 164 schemes managed by voluntary organisations must be monitored to assess their effectiveness.
Present at the meeting were Additional Chief Secretary T.Y. Das, Principal Secretary of Social Welfare Department Hemanta Narzary and a number of top departmental officers.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
