Inspired by Gujarat model of governance, the Modi government at the Centre has asked all its employees to design and implement projects of their choice to help it in improving citizen-centric services and provide new initiatives for welfare of people at large.
As part of government’s “Swantah Sukhaya” (Sanskrit words meaning for one’s happiness) scheme, an order from department of administrative reforms and public grievances said, “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 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 experience, ideas, concepts and capabilities, the order said.
Intending to 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, the draft guidelines issued by the DARPG noted, “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.” It went on to add that the scheme is “structured on the model successfully practised in Gujarat state for the past 10 years”.
The “Swantah Sukhaya” initiatives was first planned by Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration, Ahmedabad and supported by the DARPG.
Further clarifying the modalities, the draft guidelines said, a government servant can design and implement a “Swantah Sukhaya” 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,” it added.
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.