Half tenure up, Adityanath takes minsters for lessons in governance, leadership

Anxious to better his government’s public perception and improve the delivery of its schemes and services, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath led his 56-member ministry to the campus of IIM-Lucknow for a novel crash course on Sunday.

The Adityanath-led government completes the half-way mark of its tenure – 2.5 years of its stipulated five-year term – on September 19. With a mini electoral test in the shape of UP by-polls to 13 assembly seats around the corner, the IIM-L gurus, have their task cut out.

A first of its kind exercise for the state government as well as for Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, the sessions will be held over three days, separated with a week’s gap for ministers to catch up with their departments, their training exercises and modules. They will focus on leadership, governance, decision making, risk assessment and political management.

The weekly break will help both the politicians as well as the institute assess the learning process and see if the sessions could help ministers approach work differently, said a government official present at the workshop. The next meeting, probably outside the IIM-L campus, will happen on September 15 and the final one on September 22.

The first day of the course was devoted to three crucial elements aspects: economy, leadership and communication.

“Learning is a continuous process. This is a newer programme and we would all benefit because, in the end, the bottom line is to reach out to the poorest of the poor,” the state’s minister for rural and integrated development Moti Singh said.

Seated in different groups, the ministers would take part in modules that are a blend of individual and group learning methods. They would also include class discussions, case analysis, exercises, simulations, audiovisuals and group/individual assignments.

Suresh Pasi, the minister of state for skill development, said they were happy to take the course at IIM-L where top CEOs are trained.

“It’s our good luck that because of CM Yogi Adityanath we got a chance to enter a management institute to learn management techniques, which would help us improve our public interface,” the MLA from Jagdishpur, said.

This leg of the Yogi Adityanath government’s image makeover, planned on the advice of government’s economic advisor KV Raju, began after IIM-L director Professor Archana Shukla’s briefing and focuses on giving the ministers an understanding of the state’s economic environment.

The module, which will also compare UP’s position with states ranked higher on several parameters, would focus on the state’s economic scenario and what needs to be done to better delivery mechanism in the present set up.

In UP, ministers and top officials across successive governments have been unable to utilise funds meant for infrastructure and public welfare to the fullest, an area where IIM experts are expected to lend a helping hand.

After the recent expansion and reshuffle of Adityanath’s 30-month-old government, as he forced some ministers to put in their papers, apparently to raise the bar on ‘performance and probity in public life’, 18 new faces were inducted.

“That’s why the session on what is expected of leaders is going to be very important,” said a government official.

Almost halfway into his tenure, Adityanath wants to ensure that his ministers communicate and connect effectively with people to live up to the perception that his is an accessible government, the chief minister’s aides admit.

“The session on communication and persuasion skills – another key element as the ministers in the run-up to by-polls and subsequently the 2022 UP polls would be required to counter opposition charges – would thus be extremely important,” said an official.