Urban development plans should be drawn with 50-yr timeline in mind: Minister Kharra

Born in a political family, Jhabar Singh Kharra, unlike others, was not inclined towards politics in his early years. However, owing to situations that unfolded before him, he had to walk in his father’s footsteps and one victory after the other he ascended to the hallowed halls of power, the Rajasthan Assembly. CEO & Managing Editor of First India News, Pawan Arora, speaks to UDH Minister Kharra about his political journey, his ideas about why plans and projects fail on the ground and his commitment to PM Modi’s direction of ‘zero tolerance’ to corruption along with servitude to people. Excerpts...

• Minister Kharra, you have a farming background and have been appointed as Minister for UDH. Don’t you think it would have been better if you would have been given Agriculture Department instead of UDH?
  Jhabar Singh Kharra: I don’t have any problem in carrying out the role assigned to me by the Party High Command. I belong to rural Rajasthan and have been associated with farming. But I have also been a student of Commerce. Besides, I also love to learn and research about laws and history. Hence, I won’t face any problem in working in any of the departments.

• You have also been a member of the Urban Development Committee of the State Assembly. So you must have had exposure regarding urban issues in the Committee?
  Yes, I was the member for Committees on Local Bodies, Panchayati Raj & Urban Development from 2014 to 2018. We carried out tests and inspections of these depts across Raj, hence, I have a good understanding and knowledge about the departments.

• How has your political life been, since your family has been involved in it for a long time, as your father late Harlal Singh Kharra was a renowned Minister? Were you inclined to join politics since a young age?
  My father was a Sarpanch when I was born. When I started receiving primary education, my father became Pradhan and then an MLA. In the beginning, I wasn’t inclined towards politics because the political developments I saw during my life as a university student, did not go down well with me. But unfortunately, my late father was cheated by those, whom he trusted the most. I then decided to help him in his political work. In the year 2000, I became the President of BJP’s Sri Madhopur ‘Rural Mandal.’ In 2005, I contested the Panchayat Samiti polls and became ‘Pradhan.’ In 2014, the party gave me the responsibility of District President. Now again in 2023, the people have sent me to the Assembly. The Central leadership & the CM have given me this responsibility, which I would fulfil with much devotion.

• As soon as you took charge, you chaired meetings of all the departments under you and I remember you had stressed that your policy will be of ‘zero tolerance’ against corruption. Is this something that PM Modi had stressed upon in the past when he said ‘Na Khaunga, Na Khane Doonga’?
  Definitely. I have told them three things. First is definitely, ‘zero tolerance.’ Second is ‘complete transparency’ in works and thirdly, the developmental works and works of the general public should be carried out without any corruption and maintaining proper quality.

• You also said that all facilities and services should be provided to people through online medium. But I have seen for better part of a decade that these services, for one or the other reason, couldn’t take shape on grassroots & also lack monitoring. I went through the website of LSG Department, but it isn’t working properly. How will you manage to better the situation?
  From the time this concept of providing facilities and services through online medium was introduced, some works have been carried out at a fast pace. But some individuals, due to clash of interest, created disturbance in the entire process. I have directed officials to conduct public works via online mode after Jan 31, which I would personally monitor on monthly basis.

• Institutions like JDA, UIT and even municipalities are considered as mere lease providing institutions. These institutions carry out their routine work, but there is a dearth of long term planning or vision in such institutions. Do you think these institutions should be provided with a vision to be able to plan in a phase-wise manner?
  This is correct that till date, plans & projects created for a 20- year timeline, the first 10 yrs are wasted in merely drawing the basics. And by the time it comes to the ground, its 20- year timeline concludes. I would ask the officials to chalk out a plan not for 20 but for 50 years. And what ever plans & projects are made, should be open for public suggestions and should be finalised after considering this aspect. Public representatives of all parties, ‘prabuddhjan’ and subject experts including professors of various subjects should be called to have a ‘say’ in the issue. I will try that this is followed from now on.