Govt observes Good Governance Day on Vajpayee’s birthday

New Delhi,Central ministers today held events to observe the government’s new initiative — Good Governance Day — on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.The move by the Modi government to celebrate Good Governance Day on a holiday received widespread criticism from Opposition parties, who called it a deliberate attempt to undermine the minorities in the country and the Christmas spirit. Many believed it to be a part of a “larger” plan of the BJP-RSS combine.Though no official work was conducted due to Christmas holiday, several ministries held functions and announced initiatives to mark the day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there was no bigger tribute to Vajpayee than celebrating his birthday as Good Governance Day. Before leaving for Varanasi, he also visited the ailing BJP leader at his residence to wish him on his birthday.The Birender Singh headed Rural Development Ministry celebrated the day as Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Divas. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a flagship scheme of the first NDA government headed by Vajpayee.Seeking more budgetary allocations for the scheme, Birender said his ministry would revisit the specifications, standards and guidelines of the scheme for reducing cost in construction of roads in rural areas. He said by rescheduling the entire fixation of the PMGSY, funds could be saved to build more roads in rural areas. He said 14 per cent administrative expense is too much in the overall budget. The states should bear the burden for maintenance of roads, he said.Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal launched the portal for e-auction of 24 coal mines (www.mstcecommerce.com/auctionhome/coalblock) and started the registration process. The process will be as per the KYC norms and will be available on the MSTC website. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar directed officials to evolve a policy for reducing court cases in service matters including pensions. In a message on the day, he said minimisation of litigation was a priority and that issues of cantonments pertaining to land management and civilian interface should also be resolved without delay.