What are the indicators of the state’s economic development during your tenure as the Chief Minister of Haryana?
The state government’s singular focus on development during the last 10 years is visible in the trajectory of economic growth, industrial development, and the overall well-being of its people. We promoted five ‘Ss’: Shiksha (education), Swasthaya (health), Suraksha (security), Swabhiman (self-respect), and Swavalamban (self-reliance) to build human capacities. Exports have surged from Rs 68,032 crore in 2014 to Rs 2,45,453 crore in the fiscal year 2022–23, and Haryana has attracted investments worth Rs 18,422 crore, leading to the establishment of 1,59,622 MSMEs in the state. Growth in businesses at the local and international levels is proof of the upswing in economic prosperity. Industrial expansion has created large employment opportunities for approximately 12.60 lakh individuals.
Focusing on ‘Maximum Governance and Minimum Government’, how did you drive accountability within the state?
A major indicator of good governance is its accountability and accessibility to the people it serves. Focusing on ‘Maximum Governance and Minimum Government’ in Haryana, 572 services and schemes of 42 departments were made available online on the Antyodaya Saral Portal to reduce human intervention and ensure that the benefits reached the grass-roots level. We have introduced e-services through ‘Common Service Centers’, including a biometric attendance system in all government offices that monitors and records the attendance of all officers online. No department was left unmanned by e-governance reforms, thus making the government more approachable and efficient. With numerous radical reforms, the state government instilled a culture of sensitivity and transparency. Another achievement was the amendment of the Panchayati Raj Act in 2015 by fixing a minimum educational qualification for the Panchayat representatives to ensure their accountability and prevent corruption.
Under your leadership, the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra has been a significant success. What are the highlights of the initiative?
Aligning with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, we commenced the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ on November 16, 2023. More than 6.28 lakh people had actively taken part in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in Haryana, with the participation of 2.59 lakh women. The impact of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is still being witnessed regularly in more than 100 panchayats. The Bharat Sankalp Yatra was marked with grit and determination. Women’s empowerment being an important aspect, through women’s self-help groups, small-scale female entrepreneurs showcased their talents by presenting product portfolios they had made. In addition, the Yatra provided access to various public service facilities. E.g., health camps were conveniently set up at doorsteps, ensuring that over 4 lakh individuals have undergone health check-ups at various locations and received free medication.
How did the introduction of the Parivar Pehchan Petra (PPP) scheme in Haryana gain popularity at the national level?
The objective of the PPP scheme is a solution-based approach that takes into account the family as a unit. To address the needs of these units, all the benefits of various welfare schemes, programmes and services run by the state government are collectively provided on a single platform. Today, all welfare schemes are linked to PPP. We are effectively providing the benefit of 397 schemes and services to 45 lakh families from the comfort of their homes. Under the Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Parivar Utthan Abhiyan, steps have been taken to identify about 2 lakh poor families in the first phase with an annual income of less than 1 lakh and increase the income of these families up to ₹1 lakh.
What was the core purpose of launching Meri Fasal Mera Byora, a robust web portal for the farmers of Haryana?
In today’s market environment, IT is an important enabler; therefore, all the stakeholders in the agriculture sector need to be connected through technology. The Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) web portal is a platform that acts as a single window for farmers. By registering under MFMB, farmers gain better access to various government schemes, subsidies, loans, and other agricultural assistance programmes. Their personal information related to crops sown, land and bank details, schemes availed, and payment through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for products sold is consolidated on a single platform. The Mere Kisan Bhai scheme, along with its benefits, provides a platform for farmers to share detailed information with the government online. To encourage usage of the portal, while presenting the budget for 2024–25, I have announced a waiver of interest and penalty on the crop loan in case the crop loan was availed until September 30, 2023, for farmers registered under MFMB.
What are the consistent efforts made by the Haryana government to promote sports?
The Haryana Government has taken a holistic approach towards achieving sports excellence, which includes the allocation of extra budget for sports, ensuring the best infrastructure, imparting quality training to sportspersons, giving huge amounts of cash prizes, providing government jobs on a merit basis, and encouraging youth to perform better in sports of their interest by setting up gymnasiums, stadiums, and sports nurseries in the villages. To achieve better results, the government plans to map and assess those sports that are popular in specific regions of the state, and promote them accordingly. The display of sportsmanship by the players of Haryana at national and international sports competitions and the awards received in large numbers have proved the effectiveness of the sports policy being implemented in the state towards making Haryana a sports hub. As a result of our consistent efforts, Haryana government has been awarded the ‘Best State Award for Promotion of Sports’.
Which are the exemplary initiatives undertaken by you for Haryana that are being replicated at the national level?
The Haryana government has taken large strides to implement the Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao Yojana scheme towards the upliftment and education of the ‘girl child’, which was flagged off by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The child gender ratio has ever since improved in the state and is now 889 girls per 1,000 boys, which is the first step to achieving gender equality.
The government launched a scheme on January 26, 2020, granting ownership rights to villagers to eliminate Lal Dora and put an end to property disputes. It was later implemented across the country under the name of the Pradhan Mantri Swamitva Yojana.
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Why this sudden change of guard just before the Lok Sabha election and barely 7 months before the assembly election?
I have been representing Karnal since becoming a first-time MLA, being nominated as Chief Minister in 2014, and serving the second term until March 12, 2023. Following my resignation as Haryana Chief Minister, I will be participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Karnal. After nearly nine-and-a-half years in Haryana’s electoral politics, I have been offered a chance to serve at the national level, and I will fulfill whatever responsibility is entrusted upon me with dedication and integrity. In the event of the NDA forming the government at the Centre post-2024 Lok Sabha elections, I expect a prominent role in New Delhi. We will continue with the work for social and economic development in Haryana, which was started by the Bharatiya Janata Party government under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
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The Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) web portal is a platform that acts as a single window for farmers.
