NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Taking a cue from Gujarat, the Centre has asked all its employees to design and implement projects of their choice to help it in improving citizen- centric services, governance and provide new initiatives of mass welfare.
“It has been decided to launch an initiative to provide a platform to government officials to design and implement projects or schemes of their choice on voluntary basis which would give them a sense of self satisfaction and achievement,” the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) said in an order.
The scheme of ‘Swantah Sukhaya’ (Sanskrit words meaning for one’s happiness) envisages providing an opportunity to all government employees to use their initiative and insights for the benefit of the community and nation at large outside their structured format of work.
The government is trying to meet the challenges of fulfilling diverse needs and expectations of a large number of people. However, due to structure of administration, limited freedom is available to its employees to initiates programmes or projects based on their own ideas, concepts and capabilities, the order said.
The initiative would give autonomy to the employees to make use of their initiative, enthusiasm, energy and innovation as well as their knowledge, understanding and insights of ground level reality for taking up assignments and schemes, it said.
“As the employees themselves design the projects, it creates their own stake in the implementation and thus motivates them to excel. Freedom to collaborate with agencies facilitates direct interaction with local people and stakeholders, and also ensures faster implementation of the project.
“The scheme is structured on the model successfully practised in Gujarat state for the past 10 years,” said the draft guidelines issued by the DARPG.
The ‘Swantah Sukhaya’ initiatives was first planned by Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration, Ahmedabad and supported by the DARPG.
According to the draft guidelines, a government servant
can design and implement a ‘Swantah Sukhay’ scheme without taking prior permission or approval from his or her competent authority in government.
“Leave and all other modalities would be as per conduct rules. The officer has to ensure that he or she is not doing any work at the cost of his routine and mandated job,” the guidelines said.
According to the order, the official can take up any area of work in which his or her passion lies irrespective of the department or cadre to which he or she belongs.
The DARPG has cited some areas of ‘Swantah Sukhaya’ initiatives undertaken by the Gujarat government including nutrition, education, literacy, pollution control, environment, health, hygiene, income generation, providing government service facility, irrigation, agriculture and economic development among others.
However, an officer can take up any area as long as the work is in public and national interest, apolitical and secular in content, it said.
The DARPG has sought comments or suggestions on its proposal from employees in all central government ministries and departments before November 30.
According to the guidelines, the expertise of the resource person can be sought by different departments, states. (PTI)
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