Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has directed bureaucrats to keep in mind the local language and culture of villagers while greeting them.

Interacting with deputy commissioners (DCs) of all the 24 districts through video-conference in Ranchi on Thursday to ensure the success of the much-touted Apki Yojna Apki Sarkar Apke Dwar (your scheme, your government at your doorstep) campaign, Soren asked them to use the word “Johar” while greeting people in the rural areas during camps.

Johar is a tribal word meaning salutation and welcome.

“While visiting camps to be conducted at panchayat level as part of the government at your doorstep campaign, district officials should keep in mind the local dialect and culture and try to greet people using the word ‘Johar’. This would help bridge the gap between officials and the masses,” Soren said.

The chief minister exuded confidence that the second phase of the campaign would be better than the first phase.

“We have started the month-long campaign in a mission mode and ensure that not a single complaint is addressed and not a single beneficiary is deprived of schemes. The officials are also directed to ensure that no villager is sent back from the camps for trivial reasons like panchayat not falling in the place where camps are conducted,” he said.

On the first day of the launch of the campaign, over 1 lakh complaints were registered in the portal.

He also instructed the officials that the benefits of Savitribai Phule Kishori Samridihi Yojana reached every beneficiary in the state.

“We have set a target of covering over 9 lakh girl students under the scheme. Each girl student studying in Class VIII in state-owned schools will be covered under the scheme and would continue to get benefit till the completion of intermediate-level education or attaining the age of 18-19. The government would give Rs 40,000 to each girl student in addition to the scholarship under different schemes,” Soren said.

“The students in state-owned schools should be covered under a scholarship scheme whose amount has been tripled. We are targeting to link 35 lakh poor students studying in state-owned schools with scholarship schemes,” Soren added.

He also asked the deputy commissioners to ensure that not a single pension beneficiary is missed out during the month-long campaign.

“About 10 lakh new pensioners were added during the first phase of the government-at-your-doorstep campaign last year and we hope to add at least 5 lakh beneficiaries this year. All applications received under the Sarvajan Pension Yojana (universal pension scheme) should be disposed of at a fast pace,” he added.

In view of the drought-like situation in the state, the chief minister directed the undertaking of five projects in each village under the MGNREGA so that villagers are not forced to migrate to other states. He also directed the payment of wage under MGNREGA on time.