The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
took several new initiatives during 2010 for raising the efficiency of
bureaucracy and better service delivery mechanisms. Steps were taken towards
capacity building and strengthening of the historic Right to Information (RTI)
Act, 2005. Major policy initiatives taken by the Ministry are as under:
Whistleblowers’
Bill tabled in Lok Sabha
The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection
to Persons making the Disclosure Bill, 2010, (commonly known as Whistleblowers’
Bill) was tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The bill is presently under
examination with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public
Grievances, Law and Justice.
The
Bill provides for adequate protection to the persons reporting corruption or
wilful misuse of power or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable
loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence by a public
servant. The identity of the complainant
is kept secret. It also provides
punishment for revealing the identity of a complainant, negligently or
malafidely.
The pattern of
UPSC exam for Civil Services has been changed. The Government has approved the
proposal for introduction of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in place of
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination. The CSAT will come into effect from Civil Services
Examination, 2011. This will enable screening of candidates having a right
aptitude for Civil Services.
In CSAT, one of optional
subjects, which a candidate could have chosen out of 23 optional, is being
replaced with a common paper on aptitude test. The CSAT is aimed at providing a
greater degree of level - playing field to candidates of different backgrounds.
Steps
to Strengthen RTI Act
i).
A new Central Sector Scheme on ‘Improving
Transparency and Accountability in Government Through Effective Implementation
on RTI Act’ has been approved. The
scheme aims at Awareness Generation and Capacity Building of Stakeholders.
Draft RTI Amendment Rules have been posted in the website persmin.nic.in for
seeking comments finalising the same.
ii).
The provisions related to RTI
applications received by a public authority regarding information concerning
other public authority/authorities have been clarified.
iii).
35000 RTI Posters on Regional Languages
i.e. Bangla, English, Marathi, Oriya, Kanada and Malayalam were displayed in
Regional Post Offices.
RTI Logo & RTI Portal
launched
Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) launched RTI logo & RTI portal with a view to give this
historic legislation an iconic symbol and one stop knowledge bank for
information seekers. The simple and iconic logo represents people’s empowerment
through transfer and accountability in Governance. The logo’s shape and
structure make it easy to remember, recall and replicate with minimal
distortion.
In the last five years the RTI
regime has heralded a regime of transparency and accountability and
strengthened the democratic structure of the country. Success stories of
citizens using the RTI Act abound. The Act has achieved great success in
empowering the citizens of India.
However it was felt that the core values of the RTI regime – Empowerment,
Transparency and Accountability- need to be given a shape in the form of a
logo. The logo would be displayed at all
public authorities and will be used in various communications related to RTI.
The Right to Information Portal www.rtigateway.org.in is one stop knowledge bank for
information seekers, information providers, trainers, Information Commissions,
students and academicians. It provides
for a digital library, discussion fora, e- newsletter and a blog.
Measures to strengthen CBI
It was decided to set up 71 additional Special Courts
for CBI in various States of the country to expedite adjudication of the
pending cases. Out of these 51 courts
have already been sanctioned, and 204
posts of Prosecuting Officers and Supporting Staff have been sanctioned
for manning these courts. In order to expedite investigation and prosecution of
cases, CBI has been permitted to engage 60 Law Officers and 75 Technical
Officers on contractual basis for a period upto 5 years. An amount of RS.49.54
crores has been sanctioned for Mumbai Building of the CBI.
Group on Data Protection
& Privacy set up
A Group of Officers under the
Chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has been
constituted to develop a framework that could balance the country’s interests
and concerns on privacy, data protection and security and which could respect
the domain legislations on the subject. The framework developed by the Group
would include legal provisions, principles and elements of data protection,
security and privacy. While developing the framework, the Group will keep in
view the existing provisions of various laws regarding protection of data and
privacy of individuals. The Group has asked for suggestions from all interested
/ knowledgeable persons / observers in this regard.
DoPT & IGNOU signed MoU on
distant learning for Govt. employees
The Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding for offering Distance & E-Learning Programmes
to Government employees. The Government employees can now enroll for a wide
spectrum of Programmes offered by IGNOU and get their fees reimbursed on
successfully completing the programmes. The courses are open to central government
employees working in Ministries / Departments / Attached offices and the
faculty members of State Apex Training Institutions.
The purpose of the Programme
is to increase the availability and flexibility of options open to employees
for enhancing their knowledge and skills in order to improve the functioning of
Government organizations and the delivery of services to the public.
The categories of courses
open for enrolment under this programme are Short-Duration Specialised modules;
Certificate Programmes and Masters, PG and PG Diploma Programmes.
46th Meeting of the National Council
(JCM)
The 46th Meeting of
the National Council (JCM), the apex body of the Joint Consultative Machinery
for the Central Government Employees, was held under the Chairmanship of Cabinet
Secretary Shri K. M. Chandrasekhar.
Senior leaders of the Central Government Employees’ Unions/ Federations
and Secretaries of various Ministries/Departments actively participated in the
deliberations. the need for the Staff Organizations to work in harmony with the
official side to enhance productivity and efficiency and the endeavour of the
Government to maintain a sustained level of contact with the Staff
Side to take forward the process of consensus building were highlighted at the
deliberations. Various issues of importance to the Central Government employees
and their families were also discussed with a view to find amicable solutions
and to ensure harmonious relationship.
Flexible Complementing Scheme for scientists modified
Under the Modified Flexible
Complementing Scheme (FCS) five upgradations are possible from Scientist B to
Scientist G, after prescribed residency period, without linkage to
vacancy. The criteria for identifying
institutions/organizations as scientific and technical institutions and
defining scientists/ scientific posts have been made more objective and
stringent. In tune with the merit
orientation of the scheme, peer assessment procedure, field experience
requirement, scientific work reporting has been spelt out in detail under the
scheme. Modified ACP scheme has been
allowed as a fall back option so as to allow alternate mode of growth to
scientists and preserve the merit orientation of Modified FCS. This scheme for
scientists is applicable where promotions are made without linkage to
vacancies.
Quality Management System ‘Sevottam” developed
A Quality
Management System (QMS) ‘Sevottam’
framework has been developed for bringing improvements in the quality of public
service delivery. This is a citizen centric initiative for institutionalizing
an assessment-improvement framework for improving the quality of service
delivery on a continuous basis through the involvement of Ministries /
Departments and citizens. Sevottam
includes three dimensions of a public service organization as follows: (a)
Citizen’s / Client’s Charter that specifies the service delivery standards (b)
Grievance Redress Mechanism that gets activated if the service delivery is not
as per standards in the charter (c) Service Delivery Capability of the organization
to delivery service as per standards in the charter. A ‘nine point quality of
compliance’ criteria based on published standards has been developed. Pilot Projects on Sevottam in 10
Central Ministries / Departments has been concluded in June 2010.
The Depertment of Administrative Reforms &
Public Grievances (DARPG) organized four workshops/seminars for 62
Ministries/Departments on Designing & Implementing Sevottam Complaint
Citizen’s Charter and Grievance Redressal. Sevottam framework focuses on improved
service delivery through setting of standards and monitoring the performance of
service delivery as against Results Framework Document (RFD) standards.
CPGRAMS
upgraded
An upgraded version of the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and
Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) was inaugurated in September, 2010. CPGRAMS is an
online internet based facility for citizens to lodge their grievances from any
part of the country or the world. It is accessible at http://pgportal.gov.in and also through www.darpg.nic.in . It is also a tool for
effective monitoring of redress of grievance received through the Grievance
Redress Mechanism, established in
Government of India. The System networks 89 Central Ministries /
Departments / Organizations including all responsibility centres under them.
Through CPGRAMS citizens can lodge complaints online and immediately get a
unique registration number for further reference. The number is useful for checking
the progress on redress of their grievance and for sending reminders. Citizens have a choice to lodge the grievance
directly with the Ministry / Department concerned or to send it to DARPG. The
grievances received in PG Division are forwarded online to the Ministry /
Department concerned for redress. Reports can also be generated through the
System for analyzing grievance prone areas for taking remedial action for
preventing similar grievances from arising in future.
All grievances received by post / by hand are also lodged on to the
CPGRAMS by PG Division on behalf of the citizens. Acknowledgements are
generated and issued by post, and final redress response is also sent by post
in all such cases.
India- Brazil-South Africa Web Portal on
Public Administration Launched
The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) web portal on public
administration was launched by DARPG under IBSA Co-operation Programme in the
field of public administration and governance. The web portal which is a
virtual centre of excellence in public administration is a wide ranging
web-based resource and an interactive platform for the IBSA partners to
facilitate among them an exchange of ideas and knowledge on public
administration.
The purpose of the web
portal is to create a knowledge base for sharing IBSA experiences and best
practices in the field of public administration and development related issues.
The IBSA web portal is a landmark achievement in mutual cooperation of the
three countries in the field of public administration and governance, providing
further impetus to the already flourishing IBSA relationship.
E-Office Pilot Project launched
DARPG has taken up the e-Office Mission Mode
Project (MMP) under National Governance Plan (NeGP).
The project has been conceptualized to modernise the Central Government Offices
through introduction of Information Technology.
The e-Office MMP envisages a user-friendly and
integrated file and records management software solution with implantation of
associated process reforms. Under the e-Office Mission Mode Project, DARPG
proposes to devise an e-Manual to be adopted by the various Government of India
offices in the e-office environment. The e-Office MMP is aimed at
introducing the concepts of e-file in the government offices leading to a
paperless office.
The broad objectives of e-Office are: -
(i)
To improve efficiency,
consistency and effectiveness of Government responses.
(ii)
To reduce turnaround time and to
meet the demand of the citizen charger
(iii)
To provide for effective resource
management to improve the quality of administration.
(iv)
To enhance transparency and
accountability
Detailed studies have been conducted
through National Institute for Smart Governance on various
processes involved in the implementation to ensure successful
implementation of the Project.
The project will
be implemented in other Government Ministries/Departments in phased manner
after its successful implementation/assessment at the pilot locations. Presently the MMP is targeted
Central Government Offices only.
13th Conference
on e-Governance
The
thirteenth National Conference on e-Governance was organised by DARPG
in coordination with the
Department of Information Technology, Government of India and Department of
Information and Technology, Government of Rajasthan, at Jaipur.
National Awards for e-Governance 2009-10 were given away in seven
categories to 17 organisations. These awards are given to recognise and promote
excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives. These initiatives
could be from Government to Government (G2G), Government to Citizen (G2C) or
Government to Business (G2B). An exhibition showcasing the capacities, products
and e-Governance initiatives of the Government and private sector will also be
inaugurated.
The theme for this year’s Conference was “e-Governance from
Citizens’ Perspective”. The Conference explored how the use of ICT had
transformed governance from the perspective of the beneficiaries of the
services. It made an attempt at a reality check to ascertain the outcome of the
services rendered and whether it has achieved the intended objectives of
transparent, effective, responsive and accountable governance. The focus sector
this year was Education with the agenda, “ICT in Education-enhancing quality
and reach”. During the Conference, discussions were held on e-Governance from
Citizen’s Perspective; leveraging mobile technology for better service delivery
– financial inclusion through mobile technology; public distribution system
(direct access to the citizens through e- Governance) and ICT in education –
enhancing quality and reach.
Conference of Chief Secretaries
The first Conference of Chief Secretaries of
States/UTs was organised by DARPG. It was inaugurated by Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. This conference will be held annually henceforth.
The conference is aimed at institutionalising the process
of interaction with States / UTs. It will serve as a standing forum for
exchange of views between the Centre and the States and provide an occasion for
interaction on internal matters. The issues relating to the latest trend in
technology, emerging global challenges & opportunities and key security
concerns & the role of state governments would be discussed. Global
developments that have a bearing on the country would also be deliberated upon.
Conference of AR Secretaries
of States/Union Territories
DARPG organized a Conference of Secretaries of Administrative
Reforms of the States/Union Territories. The objective
of the conference was to create a national platform to share experience of the
states in the field of reforms/initiatives undertaken by the departments of
Administrative Reforms in the state/union territories and to improve public
service delivery, make the administration effective, transparent, accountable
and citizen-friendly. It will also provide a forum for the A R departments of
the States/UTs to highlight the challenges faced by them and their expectations
from the Department of AR &PG, Government of India.
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