Arvind Kejriwal taking charge as Delhi chief minister

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said the people of Delhi would form their own budget as part of a "new experiment."



"We are going to start it on a pilot basis. The people of Delhi will form the budget, To start with, we will go to five or 10 constituencies where people will get together and form a budget according to their needs," Mr Kejriwal said in his first speech in the Delhi assembly today.



He also said his government would start work on its 70-point agenda for Delhi, which includes slashing power bills and distributing free water to every household.



Announcing "one more experiment", he said, "Let's set a target for departments and the officer who comes up with the best plan to meet the target will be granted a posting. This will improve efficiency and productivity in bureaucracy."



Mr Kejriwal took charge on February 14 after his Aam Aadmi Party won a spectacular victory in the Delhi election, taking 67 seats and leaving just three for the BJP and none for the Congress.





Reaching out to all lawmakers today, the Chief Minister said, "I urge all members, including the BJP legislators to give me feedback on the water situation in your respective constituencies. I will work on it."He had earlier asked each of his party's 67 lawmakers to set up offices in their constituencies and meet people every day between 9 and 11 am to discuss their problems.Mr Kejriwal, who represents the New Delhi constituency, too will set up such an office, party sources said.

Every day, Mr Kejriwal, who has decided not to hold any portfolios directly in the Delhi government, will be briefed by four MLAs on the feedback they have gathered from their constituencies.Mr Kejriwal reportedly plans a powerful Chief Minister's Office as the nerve-centre of the new state government; his team will include experts from various sectors and parliamentary secretaries to advise the government and help implement AAP's action plan for Delhi.