PATNA: Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday said that good governance with a vision, macro level policy intervention and monitoring of the implementation of plans and policies at the micro level by CM Nitish Kumar in his yatras facilitated a happy change in Biharduring the last six years. 

Speaking at a discussion on "Governance in India: Challenges and Responses", organized under the auspices of Asian Development Research Institute ( ADRI) at Bihar Industries Association here, Modi said that only a stable government can provide good governance. 

Bihar was a well-governed state till 1961, but a gradual decline in governance was reflected thereafter and Bihar suffered badly after 1967 due to frequent change of governments. Inner contradictions in the ruling Congress had affected governance in Bihar from 1980 to 1990, Modi said, adding "we are trying to remove the deficit of governance". 

If governance is correct, two-third problems are tackled, Modi said, adding that a stable government in the last six years in Bihar delivered good governance. Janata durbars at Patna by the CM and other ministers and administrative officials were not only taking cognizance of the problems of the people but also resolving them, he said. 

He said that all the departmental secretaries had been asked to visit every district in the state every year to monitor the implementation of plan and schemes and the DMs had been directed to visit every block in their respective districts to monitor the progress of various works. Modi said that there was budgetary provision for training of manpower to improve governance. 

He said micro-level monitoring of the schemes had vastly reduced the complaints of irregularities in Indira Awas Yojana and old age pension scheme. BDOs were now holding weekly meetings with people to know about their problems. Nagaland governor Nikhil Kumarsaid that 15 years of a stable Congress government had delivered in Bihar by way of setting up of various industries and educational institutions. 

Bihar's first CM Shrikrishna Sinha had lifted it among the two best governed states of the country, he said. Apart from stability of government, social stability with improved law and order situation can bring investment in Bihar, Kumar added. 

Hailing the steps for bringing a Lokayukta bill in Bihar, Nikhil Kumar said this was necessary to check the functioning of the state officials involved in implementation of schemes.