Technology-based governance is no longer an option, but a necessity. Already, technological innovation has become a hallmark of the governance system.
This opinion was expressed by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.
The Minister was speaking after inaugurating “Innovations in Public Administration” program of Capacity Building Commission (CBC) of Mission Karmayogi to identify successful innovations in public service pioneered by civil servants. He said these will serve as case studies for capacity building of present and future civil servants. The Minister said that a CBC Knowledge Repository will be created to be accessed by all to scale up successful innovations in the whole country.
The event marked the launch of the portal, which would be open from February 4th to March 5th for government employees to share innovations undertaken by them. Capacity Building Commission invites all Government Employees to share their successful innovations at https://innovateindia.mygov.in/cbc-inviting-innovations. Selected Innovators will have the opportunity to showcase their leadership, creativity and initiatives to enhance governance and public service delivery in the Annual Health of Civil Services Report.
Lauding the role of CBC for successfully taking forward the vision of the Prime Minister for genuine empowerment of civil servants within a short span of six months, Dr Jitendra Singh called upon them to set up Global Benchmarks to face global challenges head-on.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a special penchant for governance reforms and in the last seven and half years several out of box ideas were implemented for scaling up the administrative output. He said, in 2016 a path-breaking decision was taken making it mandatory for civil servants to undergo a three-month stint as Assistant Secretaries at the Centre before going to their respective cadre.
Similarly, the Minister said, the entire concept and format of the PM's Excellence Award has undergone a revolutionary change since 2014 as the focus shifted from Individual performance to competition among districts for excellence achieved in the implementation of flagship schemes. The Minister said that India’s governance model has become a Jan Andolan with people responding to the Prime Minister’s call for Jan Bhagidari in major schemes.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the training is also undergoing a sea-change in LBSNAA Mussoorie and other Central Training Institutes with a renewed focus on modern curriculum and Integrative Approach. He said, through Mission Karmayogi, the ultimate objective of the Governance is to bring “Ease of Living '' for the common man of India.
Chairman of Capacity Building Commission Adil Zainulbhai in his address said that Innovation Portal will be open for about 3.1 million civil servants to capture the innovations that will have a huge bearing on the efficiency of governance. He said, innovators will be rewarded suitably and the unique projects will be scaled up.
Member (HR) CBC, Shri Ramaswamy Balasubramaniam said that for the 1st time after 75 years of Independence, an Annual Health of Civil Services Report will be released. He also added that India can become a global repository of case studies of civil servants for successful innovations.
Member (Administration) Shri Praveen Pardeshi, Secretary, CBC, Hemang Jani and over 100 top bureaucrats across the country joined the launch event today.
During the event, the Commission invited three innovators from different states to share their experiences of driving innovation projects. Dr Rajendra Bharud, Commissioner, TRTI presented about Soak pit model for gutter-free villages in villages of Maharashtra. Dr Rakesh Gupta, Joint Commissioner, Ministry of Women and Child Development, presented on the Antyodaya Saral project implemented in Haryana to improve citizen service delivery; and Ms Kshipra Agre, Deputy Collector, Valsad presented on the Early flood warning system implemented in Valsad, Gujarat.