An IAS officer of the 1983 batch, Mrs Rajbala Verma assumed charge as Chief Secretary in March 2016 thus becoming the second lady officer to occupy Jharkhand’s highest bureaucratic post. In this brief period, she carved a niche for herself with innovative ideas that provided fresh direction to socioeconomic development. Her image of a responsible officer also earned her the catchphrase ‘Iron Lady of the Administration’. She was a trainee under then Patna Collector R.K. Singh who went on to adorn the position of Union Home Secretary. In the 1984 disturbances, she came into the limelight and people lauded her efforts to control the situation.

Her maiden posting was as S.D.O., Begusarai, in 1985-87. She was later transferred as A.D.M. (Law and Order), Dhanbad, where she acted against the coal mafia. Mrs. Verma went on to become D.M. of Muzaffarpur and Patna.

After Jharkhand was carved out, she served as secretary, principal secretary and additional chief secretary in various departments including Home, Finance, Food and Civil Supplies, I.T., Cooperatives etc.

In road-lying, she ensured that 99.8 % of funds were allocated and network density enhanced. The state was recognised for its well-maintained roads. Two budgets were presented when she was in charge of Finance and the bureaucrat emphasised on increasing the budget size and also planned to augment revenue from internal sources.

In an exclusive with Ranchi Chief of Bureau Binay Kumar and Senior Correspondent Abhishek Kumar,she talks about her mantra for the way forward.

Q. Chief Minister Raghubar Das often speaks of zero tolerance vis-a-vis graft. Previously Jharkhand was in the news in connection with a chain of corruption cases. How are you toning up the administration to change the system?

A. ‘Transparency and responsibility’ is our motto. Gearing up of the state’s delivery mechanism is in the offing. More and more public services have been included within the ambit of the Right to Service Act. Digitisation is proceeding on a substantial scale. Proffering a clean, sensitive and transparent means of governance is our aim. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (A.C.B.) is not a toothless body; there is more flexibility with societal participation. The A.C.B. is conscious about those who conspire with government servants for taking undue advantages.

Q. It is said that Jharkhand is the most favoured destination for investors. With an altered image, the state is welcoming capitalists with the red carpet of ‘ease of doing business’. What is the latest?

A. Yes, we have laid the red carpet for investors. The state has been transformed into a catalyst that will propel the country’s growth. The nation's most mineral-rich province is also emerging as one of the preferable investment destinations. Progress-oriented governance, e-licensing, single-window application processing and real-time tracking facilities paved the way for ease of doing business. We have a channel for transparent allocation of resources and time-bound clearance of projects. Every district has its land bank reserved for industrial development. We are shortly going to interact with investors in the metros and abroad. The Jharkhand Investment Promotion Board met in Mumbai. The investors would be our partners in growth and all help provided to them. The dispensation is keen on bringing in money in the food-processing, power, automobiles, tourism, I.T., health, education, mining and infrastructure development sectors.

Q. In this changing scenario, faith in governance increased and gave impetus to progress. What are your expectations from the common man, the intelligentsia and the P.R.I.s?

A. Governance is the process by which society manages itself through the structure of the state. Effective engagement by the populace, transparency, responsiveness, consensus orientation, equity and inclusiveness, the rule of law, effectiveness, efficiency and strategic vision are core ingredients of a good executive. I believe in the dictum ‘Democracy is not a spectators’ sport’. Parliamentary democracy becomes participatory democracy only when civil society plays an active role. For this we are working on a system of multi-way communication. The regime, the community and the government machinery are coming on the same path of dialogue so that growth reaches targetted beneficiaries.

Q. You are known for your administrative capabilities and the roads of Jharkhand ‘speak’ of this. How do better performers judge subordinates?

A. During my tenure as Principal Secretary (Road Construction), I endeavoured to do my best to provide finer linkages. I stressed on targets and motivated engineers, contractors and others to maintain quality checks at every level keeping in mind the time-frame. In each fiscal, the dispensation allocates funds for roads but due to lack of close monitoring the work remains behind schedule. Thus the taxpayer suffers because of stakeholders’ approach. If you are finding better roads and connectivity thereof it is all the result of conscientious overseeing of quality control and time-bound implementation. At each level of governance there are fixed responsibilities. If one is slow in performing then there must be either reasons or attitudinal problems. I try to identify these bottlenecks and find solutions.

Q. A few words regarding ‘A.R.Y.A.’…

A. ‘Attracting Rural Youth in Agriculture’ is an avant-garde venture of the Department of Agriculture. Two lads from every village are selected for boosting the agrarian economy. In the mere span of a week, approximately 60,000 youths were nominated and given short-term training by their respective krishi vigyan kendras and the agriculture technology management agencies. These youths are stimulated to usher in a new era in agriculture and – as the primary sector is the link between the peasants, the regime and technologies – fill the information gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Q. In the academic sphere, particularly school education, you came down heavily on non-performers…

A. School education is the primary concern for social progress. The schools inculcate basics of a would-be citizen. We found that in numerous such institutions, the required infrastructure and human resource are there but the results are poorer year after year. There should be no question of failure when all the facilities are available. If a teacher gives his or her best then there shall be no lack of success. The symptoms raised singularly serious questions. That is why we ordered verification of statements. Underachievers have been identified and given fixed-term responsibilities.

Q. Kindly elaborate on steps in healthcare with special focus on women and girls.

A. It has been directed that healthcare centres should decide their ‘catchment’ areas, the sahiyas and the A.N.M.s must make sure that those in the family way are conveyed to hospitals for institutional delivery. Anganwadi sevikasand sahiyas have specific goals and assessment is being undertaken on the number of patients brought by them for institutional delivery. Vaccination, which was incomplete in certain regions, is being taken up on mission mode. Officials were directed to conduct a survey vis-à-vis expectant mothers. There are dark areas where healthcare services are not proper owing to lack of amenities including hospital buildings. Consequently, people have to go afar for treatment. However, the government is committed to provide best medical facilities. Another pivotal initiative is to make urban areas O.D.F by December 2016.

Q. Innovation, responsive governance and timelines are your key words. Programmes such as A.R.Y.A. are a prodigious hit among rural lads. Do you think the state mechanism is capable of bearing this expense?

A. The set-up is working incessantly to achieve objectives. With a view to conserving water, creation of farm ponds has commenced. Cumulative efforts resulted in 2 lakh such bodies within a month’s time. We have begun a campaign to plant saplings for a month. The ponds should be surrounded by trees. Surely, this is going to give a fillip to the concept of Green Jharkhand. All this happened due to earnest teamwork. The government is striving for optimum utilisation of human resource and development of the same is also a priority. Another significant linchpin area is to make 8-9 lakh hectares of barren land fit for cultivation.