It was a big opening for the new government on Friday, with a governance drive that put an end to the old ways and made room for a new agenda: no drugs, more for the young, and a focus on women. The first cabinet session put 436 projects in motion, with the message of prompt action and accountability ringing out from every department.
What the first decisions mean for people
You can tell the government wants to see results, not just red tape. CTR Nirmal Kumar, the minister for energy resources and law, says they have zeroed in on a few key areas: the well-being of women and the youth, the fishermen, and a Tamil Nadu without drugs.
When you build a project around a community and not a ministry, you’re taking a delivery-first view. The proof will be in how fast these 436 undertakings become something you can see and feel.
Anti-drug offensive accelerates
The state has already made its move. We’ve closed 717 of our own liquor outlets, said Kumar. And the chief minister has given the police no choice but to put an end to the flow of everything from ganja to meth.
There’s been a run on the shops with banned tobacco, too. In Madurai, we saw over 24 of them put out of business in a week once we found out what they were up to. Enforcement is where it’s at in those hotspots.
Here is the bottom line on what has been done so far:
– 717 state-run liquor shops are off the map
– Police have been ordered to make an example of drug dealers
– No more gutkha from the sealed-up stores in the districts
– The Goondas Act is being used on the ones peddling synthetics
Inside the cabinet’s first session
An hour or so at the Secretariat was enough to figure out how to put the pedal to the metal. The chief minister, C Joseph Vijay, has put a number on the 436 projects and told each department what to do with them, according to Kumar.
That’s one way to put the onus on your subordinates. They can’t just put a plan in front of you; they have to have some progress to show for it right from the start.
From announcement to execution
Kumar says the word from the top is for ministers to get with their people, have a talk and put together a plan of action for every project on their plate. Then it’s up to the departments to figure out the best way to make it happen in a hurry.
It’s a way to cut down on the time between the press release and the actual work. If they stick to it, you can track and audit the kind of promises they’ve made.
Why these priorities matter now
Making a drug-free state is as much about public order and health as anything. The last five years have seen a lot of that, from the common stuff to the hard drugs, and the government is here to put a stop to it, Kumar says.
As for the women and the young, it’s about giving them the means to make something of themselves, not just handouts. And with the fishermen in the mix, it’s a question of putting food on the table in the coastal towns.
The governance stakes
You don’t put 436 projects in play without raising the bar for how fast and how big. The next few weeks will be a test of whether the departments can pull together when it comes to the nitty-gritty of plans and oversight.
The message to the public is plain: we’re on to the drug problem, we’re looking at outcomes, and we want to be held to account. The rest is the tough part – making 436 numbers mean something out there on the ground.
