Chandigarh, Sep 16 (IANS): With his government completing its half term, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday directed his ministers to draw up comprehensive action plans and engage more closely with the MLAs to give further impetus to the development works in their regions.

The Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers discussed the progress made by the government over the past 30 months, and the way forward, as they geared up to take the state's development plans forward.

Amarinder Singh expressed satisfaction over the work done so far by all the departments, despite the severe financial crunch faced by his government as a result of the "gross mismanagement of the state by the SAD-BJP coalition in the 10 years of their rule".

Terming the half-way mark of his government as "an occasion to stop and review the work of the past and to draw out a detailed strategy for the second half", the Chief Minister underlined the need to go forward with focused action plans.

He asked the ministers to work closely with the MLAs in their respective areas to get their inputs and feedback on a regular basis.

He also directed them to pay special attention to the development works identified and initiated by the MLAs in their constituencies.

It was important, said the Chief Minister, to look at the future strategy from both, political and administrative viewpoints.

"Politically, we need to identify how to engage better with the people, take our achievements to them, and prioritise their issues that need urgent attention," Amarinder Singh stressed.