Former servicemen, unemployed to ‘guard’ governance in Punjab

Chandigarh: The Punjab government will soon begin the process of recruiting ex-servicemen and unemployed youths for its ambitious ‘Guardians of the Governance’ scheme wherein the members will act as the “eyes and ears’ of the administration at the grassroots level.

For the scheme, which is being conceived to oversee the implementation of programmes and policies at the grassroots level, the state government will enroll around 13,000 ex-serviceman, one from each village across the state.

A brainchild of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the process to recruit the ex-servicemen is expected to start by July.  The state government has a budget of about Rs 170 crore for the scheme. The willing ex-servicemen will be roped in for the programme irrespective of their ranks.

According to Lt Gen T.S. Shergill (retd) senior advisor to the Punjab CM, “GOG scheme is not going to replace, hinder or replicate the administrative arrangement or the grievance redressal system, but assist the administration in providing the information at all levels of  governance village panchayat upwards.”