Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu makes it a point to constantly run after the non-performing ministers and keeps them on toes at every cabinet meeting.
On Friday, too, Naidu had a detailed pep talk with the ministers after the cabinet meeting and asked them to pull up their socks, emphasizing that they must act as the driving force behind the government’s functioning.
He said while officials provide inputs and enforce regulations, it is the ministers who must lead their departments.
“Do not depend completely on the officials. You must assert your authority — either by counselling or reprimanding non-performing officials — to ensure results,” Naidu told the cabinet colleagues.
He reminded them that ministers, not bureaucrats, are answerable to the people during elections.
“You have to get elected again, not the officials, as people look at you, not the officials,” he said.
The chief minister expressed dissatisfaction with the energy department’s failure to effectively publicize the government’s decision to reduce power tariffs by 13 paise per unit.
“Even after cutting tariffs, the department could not claim ownership or communicate it properly to the public. Such lapses must be corrected,” he said.
Naidu instructed ministers to develop a comprehensive understanding of all developmental activities in their respective departments and ensure proper coordination between administrative and political wings.
During the meeting, several ministers commented that former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s roadshow in Anakapalli had evoked little public response.
The Chief Minister further stated that his government had saved the Vizag Steel Plant from closure and steered it out of losses.
He also recalled bringing major projects like the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone and Google Data Center to the city.
“These achievements must be taken to the people,” he told the ministers.
