DEHRADUN: The newly appointed Chief Secretary, Anand Bardhan, chaired his first Secretary Committee meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday. In this meeting, he directed all departments to focus on increasing revenue in line with the budget provisions. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of preparing annual action plans in advance, setting monthly targets, and boosting expenditure on capital items. Departments have been instructed to include physical and financial, outcome-based, and output-related information in their annual plans.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary reviewed the financial year’s income-expenditure status and target achievements for 2024-25. He issued clear directives for departments to prepare their proposals for the upcoming financial year well in advance. Furthermore, he instructed officials to develop a Shelf of Projects, identifying infrastructure-related projects for approval under various schemes.
Bardhan also stressed that the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) process should be conducted through the Gati Shakti portal, with departments required to continuously update their proposals on the portal. He mandated that all activities, from project initiation to implementation, be managed through the Gati Shakti portal. Additionally, he urged officials to ensure that all proposals are fully prepared before presentation in the cabinet and submitted on time. To facilitate swift implementation, he emphasized the need for a readily available land bank.
Chardham Yatra Preparations
The Chief Secretary assigned specific responsibilities to secretary-level officers to ensure robust arrangements for the Chardham Yatra. In preparation for the upcoming travel season, departments have been instructed to complete all necessary arrangements well in advance. Officials must assess travel route requirements and address them before the pilgrimage begins.
The responsibilities for different pilgrimage routes have been allocated as follows:
- Dehradun to Kedarnath: Secretary Yugal Kishore Pant
- Badrinath Yatra Route: Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar
- Gangotri Dham: Secretary Dr. B. V. R. C. Purushottam
- Yamunotri Dham: Secretary Dr. Neeraj Khairwal
All Principal Secretaries and Secretaries attended the meeting.
