21 Apr :`An innovative and pro-active civil service can continue to act as an agent of social change as envisaged by the Constitution’ said the Vice President, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari. The Vice President was speaking at the inauguration of fourth Civil Services Day being held here today. Addressing the august gathering Shri Ansari said, Civil servants are the servants of the State and not of the government alone.
More than any other time in our history, the necessity of the civil servant to be guided by the Directive Principles of State Policy. Underlining the importance of integrity Shri Ansari cautioned the civil servants from excessive careerism and focus on postings. Lauding the role of civil services over the years, the Vice President said, it is an integral part of our society and its structure of governance. Shri Ansari also released a book on initiatives in e-Governance titled “BYOB” compiled by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. The book covers various innovations successfully tried out by different Ministries / Departments, state / UT administrations, national and international organizations.
Earlier, in his welcome note, the Cabinet Secretary, Shri K.M. Chandrasekhar, dwelt upon the elements of governance. Talking of the changing times, the Cabinet Secretary stressed on paradigm shift from administrator to manager. He reflected upon the major trends like knowledge sharing in the public domain and e-governance. Shri Chandrashekhar also talked about knowledge management and good practices.
On the occasion, the Vice President gave away the `PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration’ for the year 2007 – 08. Nine outstanding initiatives in three categories – individual, group and organization – were awarded. These were: (i) Financial Sustainability of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Karnataka), (ii) Evacuation of Indian National from Beirut during the war, (iii) Safe Motherhood and Child Survival Programme (Gujarat) and (iv) Activity Based Learning (ABL) Modules for Primary Education(Tamil Nadu) in the individual category.
In the group category, the winners were: (i) Computerization of Personnel Information System in Manipur (Manipur), (ii) SCORE: e-Registration in Bihar (Bihar), (iii) MCA 21 –an e-Governance Project under the NEGP, Government of India and (iv) Improved Health and Sanitation Practices through Convergence among district administration, panchayats and community in district Surguja (Chattisgarh).The third category of ‘Organization’ included one initiative on ‘Implementation of Risk Management in Customs.’
The award is an acknowledgement of the outstanding and exemplary performance by civil servants. The award comprises a medal, scroll and a cash amount of Rs.1 lakh in the case of an individual. In the case of a group, the award money is Rs.5 lakh subject to a maximum of Rs.1 lakh per person. For an organization, the award amount is Rs. 5 lakh.
The two technical sessions deliberated on ‘Performance Management in Government’ and ‘Civil Service: Accountability to People’,
This Day is observed by all the Central Civil Services to rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the people. It provides a unique opportunity for introspection as also chalking out future strategies to deal with the challenges being posed by the changing times.