At the outset, I thank all the Ministers, Advisers and officials who have taken time out from their busy schedule to attend today's assembly. The intent behind this conference is to encourage a meeting of minds- the convergence of our political goals and their actualisation into executive action.

2. This being our first mandate to power, WE - Ministers, myself included; and legislators, lack experience in Governance. The transformation of our policies into reality and their success therefore, cannot, but rest largely on your shoulders. I solicit your cooperation in this endeavor and urge you all to approach this challenge with a positive mindset.

3. The current Government came to power on the pillars of inclusive government (Mipui sorkar) and a new approach to governance (Kalphung thar). The importance of civil servants in the achievement of these objectives cannot be over-emphasised. The 'Iron Man of India'- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel referred to the civil servants as the ‘Steel Frame of India’, - the executors of the policies of the government of the day. On a smaller scale, the civil servants of Mizoram continue to be the ‘Steel frame of Mizoram’.

4. ‘Mizoram First’ must ever be our guiding principle. Those out of line need to reflect and revisit their thought process, as anything otherwise will be antithetical to the policies of the Government. Government servants need to have the conviction and courage to say ‘NO’ to unlawful directions which are bad in law but must, at the same time proactively work towards fulfillment of the policies of the Government.

5. We should focus upon service delivery to the common man. Technological involvement has sped up service delivery and these platforms should strive towards eliminating the long-standing menace of ‘middlemen’. Lest we forget, they are the masters and us, the servants.

6. Oral directions have been a bane on governance and we continue to be burdened with the consequences to this day. May I reiterate that ‘A member of the Service who has received oral direction from his official superior shall seek confirmation of the same in writing, as early as possible’. In most parts, this is still observed in breach.

7. Transparency and accountability are now inalienable parts of governance. Scrupulous adherence to the Conduct Rules and related legal regime is not optional. We must inculcate discipline and always remember that “Be you ever so high, the law is always above you!”. None is above and beyond the reach of law. To ensure that the voice of the common man is heard, the portal ‘Mipui Aw’ has been launched for the public to air their grievances and suggest corrective measures to the Government. This is being monitored by the Chief Minister's Office.

8. Prompt follow-up of directions, and monitoring of these directions should also be inculcated amongst all levels of government servants. Feedback and frequent meetings are expected to ensure effectiveness in government. Towards this, those of us in field offices must shed the so called ‘Babu Culture’ and move out of our offices for field inspections and faithfully report on ground realities so that corrective and timely action, where required, can be taken.

9. In our democratic ecosystem, civil servants, by convention, are expected to ensure neutrality and faithfully abide by the policies of the Government of the day. Political convictions should be reserved for the polling booth and should not be manifested in our official dealings. Confidentiality and integrity in our official dealings should always be maintained. Posting of confidential documents in the public domain must  therefore  be  avoided.  Government  servants  using pseudo-anonymous identities on social media in violation of conduct rules will be strictly dealt with.

10. We must also shed our indecisiveness and boldly take decisions within the ambit of rules and regulations of the government. Keeping ‘Mizoram First’, we must remind ourselves that wilful negligence and delay in official transactions is an injustice to the people of Mizoram.

11. To fulfill the promises made to the people of Mizoram, reiteration needs to be made of the priorities of the Government:

a) Anti-corruption: Zero-tolerance towards corruption shall be enforced. Collusion of government servants with contractors, suppliers and consultancy firms continues to be the primary source of corruption. The system of government servants and political dignitaries having vested interests in firms having dealings with the Government should cease henceforth. The signing of ‘Integrity Pacts’, as is being done in the Central Government, for all firms aspiring for government business is under consideration. Any transgressions by firms and government servants involved shall be strictly dealt with. All government business should not only be transparent but seen to be so.

b) To ensure probity in public life, filing of online Annual Property Returns have now been made mandatory. All government servants must ensure that these are submitted in time. As prescribed under the conduct rules, private travel abroad, constructions, procurement of movable assets, etc either in our own name or in the name of our dependants should faithfully be reported to the competent authority. Adherence to these instructions should be taken into account for issuance of Vigilance clearances for promotions, etc. Non reporting of such transactions and cases of assets disproportionate to known sources of income shall be pro-actively pursued.

c) This Government is committed to ensuring quality of work. All works shall be actively monitored and cooperation of all officers with the Project Monitoring Committee is also solicited. Works and supplies below par shall be actively monitored and both contractors/suppliers and officers responsible for supervising quality control shall be held accountable.

d) Ease of doing business: The success of the ‘Hand Holding Policy’ of the Government rests very largely on the ‘Ease of Doing Business’. All departments need to identify Nodal Officers to enable our entrepreneurs and identified beneficiaries under the scheme. We need to be ‘enablers’ and not ‘inhibitors’. Accountability shall be fixed for any lapses.

e) Towards our policy of promoting ‘Ease of doing business’, a policy  of  having  a  common  pool  of  suppliers and contractors cutting across departments for similar work content has been approved by the Cabinet. The current system of departments having their own registered contractors/suppliers has also been examined by the Cabinet.

f) Similarly, to ensure a level playing field for aspiring entrepreneurs, opportunities for them to enroll as suppliers/contractors/consultants has been devised by relaxing existing guidelines and by creation of more categories for their registration. Work experience requirements in contracts/supplies have also been re-examined by the Cabinet.

g) In line with the Year of Consolidation announced by the Government, all departments should observe utmost economy, be it in purchase of vehicles, office equipment or in the filling up of posts. Exceptions shall be considered only in rare cases.

h) Side by side with these economy measures, emphasis should also be given to revenue generation, either by exploring new sources of revenue or by overhauling our current revenue generation mechanisms. Leakages at collection points, at check gates, etc with the active connivance of officials must be proactively checked.

i) To make the most of our meager resources, emphasis must be on convergence of schemes. To avoid duplicacy and to ensure that schemes have a state-wide impact, all schemes, either by way of loans (SASCI), Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) or Central Sector Schemes should necessarily be routed through the Planning and Finance Department. No department should submit proposals directly to the funding agency/ministry. An OM to this effect has also been issued by the Finance Department.

j) This is primarily to avoid projects being executed without proper research into their viability and subsequently being abandoned halfway through. We must stand up to local pressures and avoid projects which are unsustainable and incur liabilities of a recurring nature. A SIT dashboard is being developed in the Planning Department to monitor all past and future projects.

k) Isolated schemes without economic viability and verifiable outcomes should be avoided. A list of Non-performing assets is being compiled by the GAD to enable other departments to gainfully utilise existing assets. The Committee on Resource Mobilisation is in the process of submitting it’s recommendations in this regard.

l) The current staffing pattern is skewed and top-heavy with manpower deficiencies at lower levels at critical levels and in some cases on the verge of collapse. To right this inverted pyramid, Administrative Reforms in line with the Central Government’s policy of ‘Less Government, More Governance’ by way of Right-sizing of government is therefore the order of the day. This would entail reduction of levels in offices and the re-deployment of surplus manpower to offices which require them. This is expected to address the scarcity of manpower in some offices. All departments should undertake an internal exercise to identify overstaffing and for rationalisation of manpower. The Committee on Resource Mobilisation is expected to examine this issue shortly.

m) Concomitant to the rightsizing of manpower is the rationalisation of departments. There is a lot of overlap in the allocation of business amongst departments. A thorough review needs to be undertaken and if necessary, merger of departments to ensure a more converged approach to governance.

n) Similarly, we need to address the service rivalries within our small state as this has a very disruptive impact on good governance. Keeping with our policy of ‘Mizoram First’, we need to collectively introspect and set aside our differences and rivalries. Creation and filling of posts should be need based and should be done keeping in mind the requirements of financial discipline and revenue generation.

o) Punctuality in office was one of our priorities set out in our 100 days program. All employees should ensure registration and marking of attendance in the newly launched biometric attendance system. The Government is closely monitoring the implementation of the new attendance system and further action will be taken now that the MCC has been lifted.

p) The government is open to Innovations and out of the box thinking in governance. Suggestions such as as QR Code based petrol coupon system, to ensure pilferage and misuse of petrol coupons, online appointment system to streamline the appointments of ministers, etc have been received. Similar innovative ideas are encouraged.

q) To encourage innovation in governance, the Planning Department is in the process of formalising the competition based Chief Minister’s Innovation Award amongst Departments, Districts and Colleges. Details will be announced shortly. I urge all departments and district administrations to actively participate in these competitions.

12. Having outlined the broad strokes of our expectations as a Government, let me delve deeper into specific issues requiring attention from all here today:

a) Greater emphasis needs to be given to financial discipline in departments. For this, knowledge of the General Financial Rules, Central Treasury Rules, Procurement Rules, etc are important across all levels. No work should be executed without first obtaining Administrative/ Expenditure Sanctions and without issue of a proper Work Order. Works executed in breach of these will not be honored by the Government. Wherever possible, a copy of the sanction order for works falling within an assembly constituency should also be endorsed to the concerned MLA.

b) Procurement through GeM for economy and transparency; and adherence to the Preferential Store Purchase Rules issued by the Commerce & Industry Department- to promote local entrepreneurs and production should be ensured. Wherever possible, items produced locally, should be used for furnishing of offices and official residences/ bunglows.

c) No work shall be implemented departmentally without the express approval of the concerned Minister. A proposal to streamline the execution of works departmentally and the requirement of the prior concurrence of the Finance Department is also under active consideration and shall soon be put up for consideration of the Cabinet.

d) To ensure effective financial discipline in departments, all HoDs should ensure that Finance Officers are actively associated with all Purchase Committees, formulation of projects, proposals and schemes from the inception stage. Certain departments like Samagra Shiksha, who handle large volumes of money but do not have a JD/DD (Finance & Accounts) should speedily take steps to ensure the inclusion of a Finance Officer in the Department. Other similarly placed departments should also undertake the same exercise.

e)Priority must be accorded to audit reports and reconciliation with the Accountant General’s Office and the Treasury. Training of manpower in compilation of Financial Achievements, Expenditure Statements, Utilisation Certificates, monitoring of GST and in budgetary processes like re-appropriation and redistribution should be emphasised.

f) The issue of long pending K-Deposits is also a major concern with some deposits dating as far back as 2016. Departments with K- Deposits as on 1st March, 2024, either undrawn or partially drawn should take necessary steps to liquidate them. No deposit, older than 3 years should remain outstanding.

g) On the issue of Bank Accounts, it is learnt that some departments have opened bank accounts without the concurrence of the Finance Department. Such departments are advised to regularise them at the earliest. Similarly, those departments who have not converted their Current Accounts to Savings Account should do so at the earliest.

h) It is the responsibility of all Ministers and senior officials to ensure that policies flow from the top to the bottom and resultant proposals that flow from the bottom to the top are properly scrutinized and examined before approval.

i) All Departments must ensure that the Right to Public Service is introduced in their respective dealing with members of the public and to make a realistic assessment of their current services.

J) Pursuant to our Handholding Policy, utmost caution should be exercised by concerned departments in the selection of Nodal Officers as they would not only be vital in the selection of deserving businesses and entrepreneurs but also in the monitoring and mentoring of their growth. To the extent possible, Departments should ensure that these officers are not transferred for the duration of the project.

13. Last but not the least, I may also emphasize the importance of the ongoing exercise pertaining to the 16th Finance Commission and urge all Departments to cooperate with the Finance Department in consolidating our recommendations for their consideration.

14. I encourage all officers to actively participate in todays deliberations, engage in an open, candid discussion and not hesitate in airing their problems and concerns.

THANK YOU