Want to address the problem of lack of toilets in villages: Pankaja Munde

Q: How will you ensure that your department works well?
A: Speedy disposal of issues and timely implementation of schemes will reduce the wastage of resources. Through better management, we will get the maximum productivity out of our employees. We will implement e-governance systems that will plug the gaps through which resources leak away.

Q: What are your pet projects for the state?
A: In addition to the existing projects and schemes, I want to introduce the Chief Minister Gram Sadak Yojana, which can be implemented in parallel with the existing Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana. The scheme will only ensure that the funding from the central government is used in the right manner. My presentations are ready, and I am yet to get the approval from the CM.

Q: What difference do you want to make in the lives of women in Maharashtra?
A: Rural Maharashtra is very different from our urban areas. People in villages lack for basic amenities. Recently, when a woman sold her mangalsutra to fund the toilet block in her home, I personally met with her to encourage her. I will address the basic needs of those who live in villages. I also want to encourage such forceful women from each village in the state to come forward.

Q: Any schemes for children?
A: I am pained to think of the living conditions in the state's orphanages. The children in orphanages do not get two square meals a day. I want to give them a quality life with good education, and to give them a platform on which to achieve their dreams. This will help them to join the mainstream when they grow up and come out of the orphanages. I also have the complex issue of child labour on my mind.

Q: How do you strike a balance between your work and your family life?
A: It is hard to achieve the work-life balance. My child and husband deserve my time, which is their right. Moreover, I am struggling with guilt as a daughter who stepped out of the house on the very next day after her father's death. I couldn't even offer my mother a shoulder to cry on. But people see my father in me and expect a lot of me, and I have to fulfill their expectations. My family is my greatest support. Even my sisters help me by bringing to my notice the issues from my constituency.