HPAS/Allied Mains 2022 Answer Writing Challenge Day 124 : Model Answer

QUESTION: A vibrant and progressive Himachal Pradesh, that is what reforms should aim for. Substantiate this statement in accordance with administrative reforms for effective public service delivery in Himachal Pradesh. (20 marks, 400 words)

Answer.

The Sevottam model has been developed with the overarching objective of improving the quality of public service delivery in the country. The model has three components. The first component of the model requires effective charter implementation. The second component of the model, ‘Public Grievance Redress’ system. The third component ‘Excellence in Service Delivery’.

The following initiatives have been taken by government for Administrative reforms for effective public service delivery, which are as follows:

Enactment of the HP Public Service Guarantee Act, 2011 , the state government has brought 188 time-bound services under 27 departments, in which nearly 13,000 authorities are designated and monitored by nodal officers at state and district levels so that public service becomes a reality for the people of state.
The departments covered under the Act for assured time-bound services include health, forests, Panchayati raj,  revenue, industries, irrigation and public health department, agriculture, animal husbandry, social justice and empowerment department, home (fire services), MPP and power, urban development, town and country planning, housing, transport, home and health etc.

Some of the services under this Act include grazing permit within 24 hours, mortgage permission within two weeks, action on online police complaints within 24 hours, birth, death and marriage registration within two days, BPL certificate within 24 hours, water connection within 30 days, identity card to senior citizens within three days, soil testing (sample) within 60 days, water connection (domestic/commercial) within one month and identity cards to persons with disabilities within three days among others.

The First State to pioneer the District Good Governance Index for measuring governance performance on seven themes, 18 focus subjects and 100 indicators as a self-evaluation mechanism. Nearly 73 major services are being provided online through nine web portals so that people from remote areas need not travel long distances to state or district headquarters for availing facilities and redressal of their grievances.
“Efforts are being made to provide services speedily to citizens without any delay. These initiatives are comprehensive and ready for officers and citizens and it helped in increasing awareness about various entitlements of the citizens. This will not only improve the standards of governance but also provide society a strong foundation for good governance.

CM Dashboard has also been started for this purpose so that the CM can monitor the progress of various developmental schemes.

‘Public Grievance Redress’ system through Jan Manch Program and Mukhyamantri seva sanklap helpline(1100) and other helplines numbers like Gudiya Helpline(1515) , Hoshiyar Singh Helpline(1090), Disaster Management(1070) etc.
The Government has launched e-registration portal to save people from tedious process of registration, standing in queues and paper forms to sign up. Under National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), Department of Information Technology, Himachal Pradesh (DITHP) created secure network called HIMSWAN (Himachal State Wide Area Network). The HIMSWAN provides secured network connectivity to all the State Government Departments till block level and provide various efficient electronic delivery of G2G (Government to Government), G2C (Government to Citizens) and G2B (Government to Business) services.

Setting up of Lok Mitra Kendra : The scheme aims to establish LMK’s (CSC) at Gram Panchayat level in the State and to act as front end delivery points for Government, Private and Social Sector Services to rural citizens at their door steps, in an integrated manner using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as tools. The LMKs are acting as front end delivery points for delivery of G2C services to the citizen of the State at Gram Panchayat Level.

Capacity Building under NeGP : Under the Capacity Building scheme of Government of India, there are different components like training of Government employees, sourcing of technical and professional manpower for assisting the State Government in the implementation of various e-Governance Projects

Revenue Court Case Monitoring System (RCMS) : System captures the routine proceedings of revenue courts, interim orders and Judgments. The details of the revenue cases are available online for the general public. The citizens can access the status of their cases online, see cause list and download interim orders/ judgments.

e-Peshi Video Conferencing Facility in District Courts, Jails and other Governments of Himachal Pradesh.

e-Procurement: This is a Web based online tool to make the Processes of Procurement and tendering more efficient. The e-Procurement System of Himachal Pradesh enables the Tenderers to download the Tender Schedule free of cost and then submit the bids online through this portal. The Objectives of the system are: Minimize Procurement Costs, Maximize Procurement Efficiency, Competitive and Uniform Rates across State, and Transparency in official procedure, No manipulation possible, Time Saving and No Pooling of Tenders.

Effective implementation of RTI, Act 2005 with focus on infrastructural development and capacity building programmes. i.e. efficient record management system, training of APIO/ PIO’s etc.

Conclusion: There are at least three critical issues that will impact realization of benefits in the form of actual service delivery improvements.

• Commitment from the highest political and administrative levels
• Stakeholder involvement
• Change Management interventions. We can also learn from successful international practices:

Charter Mark: This is specifically used by the Government of UK to publicly acknowledge effective implementation of Citizens’ Charters by government agencies. The exercise is conducted by Cabinet Office and requires external assessment by accredited organizations. Participation is voluntary and suitable prestige is associated with the Awards to encourage prospective assessees, and make the exercise worth the effort and expense.

Malcolm Baldrige:  This is a more wholesome model and defines ‘Excellence’ as a combination of process and results. It has spawned the largest number of variants and most countries, including India, have instituted awards for business organizations based on this model. The model has been extended to assess service delivery by government organizations as well, and specific models for health and education sectors are also in use. The U.S. Department of Commerce is responsible for the Baldrige National Quality Program and the Award. External examiners are drawn from a pool of qualified assessors who volunteer every year when assessments are advertised. The incentive to participate in the process as examiner or assessee is created by the prestige associated with the award