Ahead of Bengal Polls, Mamata to Roll Out ‘Duare Sarkar’ Outreach Programme for Doorstep Delivery of Govt Schemes
Kolkata: One of the biggest outreach programmes by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee under the banner of ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at door step) is going to roll out from December 1 onwards and will continue till January 30, 2021.
As part of ‘Duare Sarkar’, the government schemes will be delivered to the people at their doorsteps through camps organised at the Gram Panchayat and Municipality Ward level. The entire machinery of the state government will work in a mission-mode to ensure the success of this programme.
The schemes which will be made available for registration for the beneficiaries at this camps include ‘Swasthya Saathi’ (health and family welfare), ‘Aikyashree’ (minority affairs and madrasah education), ‘Krishak Bandhu’ (agriculture), ‘MGNREGS’ (panchayat & rural development), ‘Khadya Sathi’ (food and supplies), ‘Sikshashree’ (backward classes welfare & tribal development), ‘Kanyashree’ (women & child development & social welfare), ‘Rupashree’ (women & child development & social welfare), Caste Certificates (SC/ST/OBC – backward classes welfare and tribal development), ‘Jai Johar’ (tribal development) and ‘Topashili Bandhu’ (backward classes welfare).
Besides that, services related to other government schemes, including ‘Social Pensions’ for old age persons, widow, persons with disabilities, ration would also be provided during the outreach camps.
The camps will be set up in four phases and the first stage will start from December 1 and end on December 11. The second phase will take place from December 15 to 24. The third phase will start from January 2 to 12, and the fourth phase will take place from January 18 to 30.
‘Duare Sarkar’, the brainchild political strategist Prashant Kishor, has been planned to ensure that camps are organised in such a manner that every Gram Panchayat, Municipality Ward are covered in each round at least once.
Feedback from the beneficiaries and attendees will be collected centrally during and post campaign. The findings and experience of each phase will be used for better delivery of services to the common people of Bengal.
While sharing more details about the camps, a senior TMC MP, said, “The camp will be functional from 10 am to 4 pm. However, the local administration may make necessary changes in timings to suit the convenience of the local people. There will be arrangements for registration of attendees where their information will be collected including their names, mobile numbers, voter ID card.”
“In this case Aadhaar card is not mandatory. In all the camps, trained officials of all the schemes will be deployed to assist the attendees and to provide on spot solutions. Such initiative was never taken before in Bengal where the government is reaching out to the people at their door steps. This is undoubtedly a historic move,” the TMC MP added.
Most importantly, there will be a separate desk to receive miscellaneous applications from the members of the public for which suitable personnel with due training will be deployed. The local administration will take appropriate action for efficient and effective execution of cases from these ‘Duare Sarkar’ desks.
As BJP intensifies its campaign to take on the ruling TMC in Bengal, ‘Duare Sarkar’ initiative is Mamata Banerjee’s big move ahead of the crucial 2021 assembly elections.
Ground reality suggests that in the last few months, TMC aggressively managed to regained its lost ground in most of its slippery part in Bengal, while BJP is struggling with Muslim votes and Centre’s decision to implement the NRC.
Speaking to News18, political expert Kapil Thakur, said, “The BJP doesn’t have enough leaders to contest in all the 294 seats. The only option before the party is to break the ruling TMC and other parties. Therefore, it has started poaching leaders from the TMC, CPIM and Congress. Already two TMC leaders left and joined the saffron brigade and it seems that few more will join before the polls.”
He said, “This shows that BJP leaders alone – despite their tall claim – can’t win the Assembly Polls in Bengal. They have to depend on TMC leaders to win any election in Bengal (at least for another couple of years). In 2019 Lok Sabha also, we have observed that TMC leaders (those who joined BJP) helped the saffron brigade to improve their tally. Similarly, in the upcoming assembly polls they are banking on TMC leaders as they don’t have enough strong leaders on ground. We have to understand that it is not Lok Sabha polls. This is state polls and going with the last by-poll results (where TMC won all the seats), it appears that it will not be an easy task for the BJP to form the government in Bengal.”
