CM's report card

He came, he saw, but did he conquer? MiD DAY analyses Prithviraj Chavan's first 90 days as CM

Important cabinet decisions taken

Dec 22, 2010: The first decision by Chavan and his Cabinet was announcing financial support for farmers who suffered losses because of the untimely rains in November.

Dec 24, 2010: The CM took delegates from Maharashtra to meet PM Manmohan Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar seeking financial aid for farmers hit by the untimely rains. While the PM sanctioned Rs 400 crore, Pawar gave another Rs 200 crore


I used to play badminton. I plan to take out 30 to 45 minutes every morning to play, after shifting to my official bungalow (Varsha) shortly - Prithviraj Chavan

Jan 11, 2011: The Cabinet inferred that Section 17 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, empowers the Governor to refer the dismissal case of any IAS officer to the Supreme Court.

Feb 9, 2011: The Cabinet revised the fee structure of all Ayurveda and Unani medical colleges in the state.

Feb 9, 2011: The Cabinet created 20 new posts for technicians operating MRI and CT scan machines at GT Hospital.

A day in the life of the Chief Minister

6.30 am to 8.30 am: Starts his day with light exercise/yoga, reading etc

9.00 am to 9.30 am: Goes to his office on the 4th floor of Sahyadri guest house. Meets MLAs, visitors from his constituency

9.30 am to 10.30 am: Meets around 25 to 30 guests, including a few MLAs and government officials at visitors' lounge

10.30 am:u00a0 Leaves for Mantralaya (Every Wednesday the CM has to attend the Cabinet and on that day he reaches Mantralaya by 9.30 am)

1.30 pm to 2.00 pm: Lunch and personal meetings with friends and relatives

2.00 pm to 4.00 pm: Reserved for MLAs and ministers

4.00 pmu00a0 to 6.30 pm: Discussions on important files and meeting visitorsu00a0

6.30 pm to 2.00 am: Leaves for Sahyadri. Meets people and visitors, gets briefed on important files

2 am: Dinner

A quarter into his tenure as the State's head, and Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is grateful, hopeful, pressed for time, and still adjusting to the novelty of heading the state, and all with good reason.

In an exclusive interview with MiD DAY, Chavan (64), who completes 90 days as Chief Minister today, said, "I have not worked in Maharashtra before.

I need to adjust to the work culture of the Mantralaya and the Vidhan Bhavan. I have a lot to do for the people but I am falling short of time.
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I wish I could manage my time better. I need to improve my time management skills."

He continued, "Initially, I had difficulty understanding the expectations of politicians, bureaucrats and the common man. But I am settling down slowly."

Chavan, who was in the Prime Minister's Office in Delhi before being anointed the state's head, handled six portfolios. Then, he had more time to apply his mind to important issues.

His meetings and engagements were restricted to a handful of people daily. But heading a state turned out to be a different ballgame altogether. Today, he meets 300 to 400 people daily, his office in Mantralaya said.

"In Delhi, I would restrict myself to high-level policy discussions and decisions. In Maharashtra, I am constantly connected to the grassroots. Here, I smell the earth and can feel the issues of common people. It is a unique experience," he said.

And for this one-of-a-kind experience, he is indebted to the party leadership. "I am grateful to the Congress high command for giving me this opportunity. In Delhi, I was away from my people. But here, I am close to them. It is different. It cannot be expressed in words," he said.

No badminton

Of course, the long hours that the CM puts in at work take a lot away from the time spent on personal inclinations.

His daily, cardiovascular ritual a 60-minute game of badminton has become a casualty to his crippling workload.
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Often working till 2 am, the CM has no time to indulge in his favourite sport. But that is just a professional hazard, he believes.u00a0

"I used to play badminton and I feel I can easily take out 30 to 45 minutes every morning to play badminton. I will do that upon shifting to my official bungalow (Varsha) shortly," Chavan said.u00a0

Hope soars

Asked about his vision for the State, Chavan said he wanted the state to occupy the glorious place it earlier held. "It is my goal to bring back Maharashtra to the prominent position it had before.

I want to end the suspicion, mistrust and fear in the minds of the people. We should pull everybody in one direction of growth, and stringently deal with those who violate the law."

Taking a step in this direction, the CM has instructed all the departments to write down three important goals and work towards them.

Asked what he expected from opposition leaders in order to accomplish his goal, he said, "They should provide constructive opposition by suggesting what should be done and how to improve."

Relieved that his first Assembly Session concluded without a hitch, the CM aims to perform well all across the state in the forthcoming Municipal and Zilla Parishad elections.

"People vote for good governance and a government which works for the people with transparency will surely win the public," he said.


Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan with wife Satvasheela at a function

The Important Decisions

Important cabinet decisions taken after Chavan was sworn in as Chief Minister

December 22, 2010: The first decision by Chavan and his Cabinet was announcing financial support for farmers who suffered losses because of the untimely rains in November 2010. Each farmer whose paddy and onion crops were damaged was given Rs 7,500 per hectare. Fruit farmers were given Rs 10,000 per hectare, and others Rs 5,000.

December 24, 2010: The CM took delegates from Maharashtra to meet PM Manmohan Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar seeking financial aid for farmers hit by the untimely rains.
While the PM sanctioned Rs 400 crore, Pawar gave another Rs 200 crore. And after a report submitted by a Centre-appointed committee that visited the affected areas on December 30, the state got Rs 600 crore.

January 11, 2011: The Cabinet inferred that Section 17 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, empowers the Governor to refer the dismissal case of any IAS officer to the Supreme Court. Accordingly, acting on the Governor's request, Ramanand Tiwari, state's chief information commissioner, was dismissed by the highest
court of the country.

The cabinet decision was sent to the Governor the very day, without waiting for the minutes, which take a week to be prepared and re-approved by the Cabinet.

February 9, 2011: The cabinet revised the fee structure of all Ayurveda and Unani medical colleges in the state. It has been increased from Rs 18,000 to Rs 40,000 annually.

Other hikes in other colleges:
Dental: Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000
Physiotherapy: Rs 7,500 to Rs 15,000
Diploma in medical lab technician course: Rs 18,000 (unchanged)u00a0
Nursing: Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000.

February 9, 2011: The cabinet created 20 new posts for technicians operating MRI and CT scan machines at GT hospital.u00a0

Also a fund of Rs 4.22 crore has been kept aside for setting up Civil Defence units in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, which are said to be prone to natural disasters. Some 40 posts have been created for this purpose.
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Miscellaneous
According to officials at the Chief Minister's office, he has played a pivotal role in important infrastructure cases:
> Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project, the largest nuclear power generating station in the world in Ratnagiri district, which would generate 9900 MW power
> The sanction for the Navi Mumbai airport project
> The Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) notification, 2011, which provides for redevelopment of coastal areas along the city's 720 km coastline.

Trivia
Prithviraj Chavan loves listening to old melodies sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi. He has a huge collection of their songs.
He has an exhaustive personal library in Delhi.
He played cricket in his college days.
He believes that time used in performing daily rituals can be utilised better by clearing official issues.
His wife, Satvasheela (58), was a teacher in a convent school in Delhi until he was made the CM.
His elder daughter, Ankita (27), is an architect by profession.u00a0 His son, Jaisingh (25), is an entrepreneur who graduated in computer science. Both are in Delhi.