Patna:
He may already have proved his popularity with the people, but Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is clearly not planning to sit back.
After his resounding victory in the Bihar elections, Nitish has promised that fighting corruption and ensuring transparency would be top of his agenda for the next five years. And he's begun with his own government by asking his ministers to declare their assets to the public.
Soon, details of his ministers' assets will be up on the Bihar government website for all to see.
Like the state's Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav owns one scooter, two Ambassador cars and three flats, 100 grams of gold and Rs 5 lakh rupees in the bank.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shyam Rajak owns two pieces of prime land in Patna, has Rs 10 lakh in the bank but doesn't own a car.
"This will certainly not be a one-time affair. It is intended to be a yearly affair, and the list of assets will be constantly updated. About the declaration of assets, I want to you evaluate the results yourself," Nitish Kumar said.
Also on the cards is a Right to Services bill, where essential services like electricity and water connections, issue of new ration cards and many others will have to be provided by the government in a time bound manner to its citizens. But will all this actually curb corruption on the ground? The jury is still out on this.