Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, has called for sharper focus and accountability in regional governance, saying service delivery must take center stage if citizens are to feel the full impact of government’s work.
The minister recently met with Regional Executive Officers, Regional Education and Health Officers, engineers, and senior officials from her ministry in what she described as a “productive” closed-door session. The goal, she stressed, was to ensure regional bodies are working effectively, since when they do not, it is people and villages that ultimately suffer.
Manickchand made clear that the government’s vision of good governance means more than policy on paper — it is about ensuring every household experiences what she described as “love and kindness through the various services” that government provides.
She emphasised that regional officials have committed to stepping up their performance, even as she acknowledged the challenges raised during the meeting. Issues that can be addressed at the ministry level will be tackled immediately, while others requiring higher intervention will be taken to Cabinet.
A major priority, the minister said, is the completion of projects that have stalled across the country. She pressed officials to explain why key works remain unfinished and outlined a plan for moving them to completion without further delay. The review also touched on bottlenecks in project delivery, gaps in local-level execution, and the need for closer collaboration between the central ministry and regional administrations.
“We are going forward with a more effective delivery of service that reflects good governance and accountability,” Manickchand said, underscoring that evaluation of performance will be continuous.
