category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal who has always positioned himself as Jan Sevak and is known for his simplicity and frugality in public life is now winning the hearts of every Haryanvi through his Jan Samvad Programmes. Started since April, these Jan Samvad Programmes are not only playing a key role in bridging the gap between Janta and Sarkar but are also proving to be a big hit among the villagers as this platform facilitates the villagers to directly interact with their Chief Minister and share their rights-based demands. Besides this, these programmes have become an effective platform for the villagers to have an appropriate outlet to report and seek on-the-spot redressal for their grievances. Getting not much affected by the scorching heat, Sh. Manohar Lal, in last six days along with his administrative wing has conducted whirlwind tours to attend Jan Samvad programmes in the Sirsa and Mahendragarh. Interestingly, the six days that the Chief Minister had spent in Sirsa and Mahendragarh districts turned out to be more special as during the Jan Samvad Programmes in these two districts, which borders with Rajasthan, on many occasions, villagers became emotional as they got a closer glimpse of their dear Chief Minister for the first time. Through these Samvad programmes, Sh. Manohar Lal is not only taking the responsibility for linking the villagers directly to the government but also understands the nature and extent of the grievances faced by his citizens, which he considers as his own family. Sh. Manohar Lal s Jan Samvad is not only realizing Mahatma Gandhi s vision of Gram Swaraj but also the concept of panch-parmeshwar in the true sense. This can be gauged from the fact that during these programmes he along with the sarpanches interacted with the villagers while sitting on charpoys (cots) and muddha (stool); which garnered appreciation from the locals. Fervent and traditional welcome of the Chief Minister in every Samvad remained the key highlight as not only were the youngsters enthusiastic about the programme, but women dressed in traditional Bagdi and Ahiri costumes gave traditional welcome to the Chief Minister. Also, Namdhari Sikhs of Sirsa district, who are associated with the Kuka movement, gave a warm and special welcome to the Chief Minister. It is worth noting that Sirsa district is one of the few in the state where Bagri and Punjabi are spoken by everyone. Dabwali village is one such village in the district that existed before the country s independence, but no leader ever visited this belt to enquire about the well being of the villagers. , known for taking pioneering public welfare initiatives since he assumed power in 2014, Sh. Manohar Lal became the first Chief Minister to address a Jan Samvad in Dabwali. Yes, big leaders from Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan have organized large political rallies at Mandi Dabwali, but after that they never cared to come back. The Chief Minister also interacted with the villagers in their local language. The Jan Samvad became a key platform for the villagers to get new buses, on the demand raised by the villagers the bus service was started from Baghpur to Palwal and Palwal to Ballabhgarh via Baghpur in Palwal district, Pehowa to Karnal via Abhimanyupur and Kurukshetra University in Kurukshetra district, Kalanwali to Bani in Sirsa district, Sirsa to Sangaria and Sirsa to Hanumangarh via Bani in Sirsa district, Nizampur to Jaipur. The Chief Minister has been vocal about the fact that he follows the mantra of Sach Kehna Sukhi Rehna . On various occasions, in the Jan Samvad, he has clarified that he never believes in offering freebies. The Chief Minister himself invites the public to choose one welfare work done by his government which they find laudable. Merit based jobs, state government s campaign of rooting out corruption are among the few which have gained praises by the people. (editor dailyworld.in)