University students assess implementation of government projects in East Burdwan

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dream that more students should get involved in day to day functioning of government has come true with the East Burdwan introducing a project where university students are getting the opportunity to go to blocks and assess implementation of various projects.

Reports submitted by the students followed by a presentation mainly on six crucial projects will be scrutinised by the top brass of the district authorities and recommendations will be sent back to respective blocks where the assessment survey was carried out by students of Burdwan University for rectification of errors, if any.

This is for the first time in the state where projects, whether properly implemented or not, are being examined and scrutinised by students.

It may be mentioned that after coming to power in 2016 for the second consecutive time, the Chief Minister had decided to allow university and college students to be present at the administrative review meetings held at districts. The whole idea is the participation of students in functioning of the government along with their studies. This will on one hand help them to have a firsthand experience of how a state government administration functions and on the other inspire them to take up the career of bureaucrats in future. The initiative that is being taken up by the East Burdwan district authorities has been named "Parichiti" and it has been taken up following the directions of the Chief Minister as some students from the university had requested her during the last administrative review meeting in the district to take steps so that they get such opportunities.

East Burdwan district authorities have engaged 250 students from Burdwan University to carry out a survey to assess the implementation of six projects including different scholarships schemes for students, 100 days job under MGNREGA, housing projects of the government, assistance to elderly people and Nirmal Bangla. They also took note of the electoral role that is going on. The 250 students were divided into 12 groups and they were sent to 12 villages in different blocks to undertake the survey. Before sending them to carry out the field work, they underwent a 4-hour-long training session in which they were given detailed knowledge about the projects and how the administration works to implement the same up to the grassroot level. The students interacted with people in the villages about the schemes and did a detailed survey work to find out whether the projects have been properly implemented. They prepared a presentation as well as a survey report on their findings and submitted it to the district authorities. Each of the 12 groups have given their presentations of their surveys separately in front of the district magistrate Anurag Srivastav, Vice-Chancellor of Burdwan University Prof Nimai Chandra Saha and other concerned senior officials of the district.

Srivastav said: "We will continue with the project and more students from colleges will be engaged so that they get more opportunity to have a firsthand experience of how the system works and projects get implemented."

According to a senior official, it also helped in creating more awareness among people about the government schemes and at the same time the state government officials are also getting a third party feedback on implementation of the projects.