1. SPARSH –
Special Project for Assistance, Rehabilitation & Strengthening Handicapped
– A Caring Touch for the PwDs
This initiative was conferred Gold award in the
category of “Specific Sectoral Award” in the National e-Governance Awards, 2013
[Uploaded on 5th July, 2013].
The objective of the SPARSH project is to leverage the use of ICT
to facilitate effective management and administration of the activities related
to the welfare of target population in a manner so as to ensure better
services; use of ICT for proactive and effective implementation of various
provisions as per the spirit of the "persons with disabilities"; to
facilitate identification and registration of Persons with Disabilities (PwD),
mentally retarded, mentally disabled and dependent old age persons without
financial income etc.
Through the project, all major functions, processes and services
related to all the stakeholders have been automated and facilitated by ICT
intervention and online applications facilitated by the portal. The portal
provides a common & integrated platform for effective implementation,
monitoring, evaluation and enabling environment for this project.
2. iBhuGoal
(Bihar Infrastructure Mapping Geomatics Oriented Application Model)
This initiative was conferred Gold award in the
category of “Innovative Use Technology in e-” in the National e-Governance
Awards, 2013. [Uploaded on 27.06.2013]
The project was launched on
01 June 2011 with the basic objectives of creating State Spatial Database
Infrastructure for use by various departments, and integrating Geo-spatial data
and MIS data of different departments for informed decision-making. Through the
project an in-house WEBGIS portal for Bihar has been developed [http://gis.bih.nic.in/].
The project has enabled proximity analysis for opening new schools, GIS mapping
of national highways, state highways, major district roads, and rural roads on
1:1000 scale with integration of key indicators for all blocks, digitization of
irrigation canals, rivers and streams on 1:1000 scale, mapping of 1,08,000
Habitations as per National Habitation Survey for micro level planning etc.
3. Excellence
in Rural Management and Development in the Challenging Physical Environment of
the Sikkim Himalaya
The initiative was Conferred Prime Minister’s
Award for Excellence in Public Administration for 2011-12 in the Organization
Category. [Uploaded on 19.06.2013]
Sikkim is
a region that has no rail or air access. The combination of a fragile
ecosystem, weak geology along with heavy rainfalls has resulted in frequent
natural calamities and road blocks. The households are scattered over the steep
terrain. The project deals with providing basic infrastructure and services,
providing earthquake resistant housing, increasing tourism activities,
increasing accessibility and development of the citizens who are living in
difficult physical conditions. This is done by adopting a decentralized
planning approach with the preparation of perspective and multi-sectoral plans
at the gram panchayat gram panchayatlevel under the Village
Development Action Plan (VDAP). Rural water security has been initiated through
climate change related vulnerability assessment and adaptation measures. The
project has significantly reduced the number of households living below the poverty
line by 17.8 percent, in the period 2004-05 to 2009-2010.
4. Kaushalya
Vardhan Kendra(Skill development ) Project of Gujarat
Kaushalya Vardhan Kendra is an Institute to
Impart desired skill training at the door steps of the rural population.
With a goal of providing employment to the youth
of Gujarat, the Directorate of Employment & Training, Government of Gujarat
started imparting skill development training to youth through village cluster
training centres in villages, under Swarnim Gujarat Gramya Kaushalya Vardhan
Kendra (KVK) Yojana. It was decided to establish KVKs in urban villages having
more than 10,000 population in general area and 7,000 population in tribal area
for a cluster of around 7 to 10 villages. The emphasis was also on the villages
where the vocational training facilities were not initiated by the State
Government.
5. Saving Open
Spaces and Urban Lakes (SOUL)
Saving Open Spaces and Urban Lakes (SOUL)
&
Cultural Rejuvenation in the twin city of Hubli Dharwad
&
Cultural Rejuvenation in the twin city of Hubli Dharwad
Lack of recreational and open spaces encouraged the then Deputy
Commissioner, Dharwad to initiate revitalization of the city by restoring its
open spaces and urban lakes to achieve sustainable development. This would also
reinstate the trust of the citizens towards the development authorities. In
addition to the restoration of parks, open and recreational spaces, the second
objective of the project was to restore the cultural legacy of Hubli - Dharwad,
which was once the citadel for Hindustani music.
The
initiative has been successful in creating infrastructure worth Rs. 40 crores.
More than a lakh people are enjoying the various facilities created under the
infrastructure every month. This is a testimony of the effectiveness of the
initiative. The urban development along with the cultural development of
Hubli-Dharwad has been successful in building an environment friendly,
culturally strong and healthy city. The generation of revenue through user fees
makes the initiative fully sustainable.
6. Pancha Tantra
Online System
Pancha Tantra Online System is an innovative ICT
based intervention aimed at improving the functioning of gram panchayats in the
state of Karnataka through an automated process of accounting and budgeting of
rural expenditures.
The efficacy of an online
system such as Pancha Tantra lies in its innovative use of information and
technology to improve the functioning of gram panchayats in the state of
Karnataka. The effective delivery of services of most gram panchayats was
greatly affected by poor accounting and maintenance of rural expenditures. The
traditional system was based on a single entry accounting process. Cash based
entries were managed through inadequate and inefficient book keeping methods
resulting in incorrect entry of details, non reliability and lack of
authenticity of data, outdated entries and such others.
Under the 2007 amendments
to the Panchayat Raj Act 1993, the state government enforced the new Karnataka
Panchayat Raj Rules. The amendment made it mandatory for all gram panchayats to
follow a Double Entry Accounting System. However, most gram panchayats were ill
equipped to understand and implement the new accounting method effectively. In
response to these challenges, the state government introduced the Pancha Tantra
web based application to assist gram panchayats in fulfilling the basic
requirements of a Double Entry Accounting System. It has enabled all gram
panchayats in Karnataka to enter and monitor all activities at the village
level in a more efficient, accountable and transparent way.
The Pancha Tantra system
has several unique built in features that make the application user friendly
and citizen centric. Moreover, it ensures effective monitoring of gram
panchayats through a workflow system that ensures all the procedures and
processes prescribed by the system are fulfilled in a timely and transparent
manner. The information generated by the system can be accessed by the public
and the government in real time.
In all, the Pancha Tantra
Online System has been designed to facilitate greater accountability and
transparency in local governance. In view of its contributions in the field of
governance through ICT-based solutions, it has been awarded the National
e-Governance Gold Award 2010.
7. Children's
panchayat in Karnataka
The Concerned for Working Children is
effectively leveraging the decentralised democratic set up of the country for
children’s engagement, by creating several local children councils, known as
makkala panchayats, in rural Karnataka.
In Karnatka, following the
Panchayati Raj Institutions model, the Concerned for Working Children has
created several local children councils, known as makkala panchayats that act
as a forum of and for children. Beginning in 1995 with just five panchayats,
today there are makkala panchayats across 56 gram panchayats in the state.
These panchayats have representation from various interest groups, and have
constituted their own guidelines for operation.
The members are responsible
for identifying their own needs and assess issues in the community through
applying various research tools. On the basis of the information collected,
children draft five-year plans and negotiate solutions with the Gram
Panchayats.
The engagement of children
in governance processes through makkala panchayats has resulted in a range of
positive effects on children as well as the communities. Children’s
participation in the political process has created awareness among the village
communities about children’s ability and their potential to act as agents of
change.
In 2006, CWC’s efforts were
taken up at the state level when the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
Department in Karnataka, issued an order to make it mandatory for all
panchayats within the state to hold annual children’s Gram Sabhas.
8. mGovernance
for municipal services
The mGovernance project of Rajkot Municipal
Corporation leverages the simple, ubiquitous, affordable mobile technology to
catalyse organisational efficiency and improve public service delivery.
In 2009, to take an optimum
leap in its performance by increasing operational efficiency and transparency,
improving government citizen partnership and providing cost-effective services,
Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) introduced mGovernance initiative. This was
an extension of eGovernance applications as with mGovernance, the municipal
services are taken to the door steps of citizens.
Presently RMC is providing
75 different services under four categories of alert services, interactive
services, management services and payment reminder services. Under alert
services reminders are sent to citizens on dates of vaccination under national
Immunisation programme, property and professional tax transactions, statuses of
birth and death certificates etc. Interactive services include SMSs on property
tax outstanding dues, water charges outstanding dues, and details of the SMS
services etc. The call centre operations, and daily income and expenditure SMS
to higher officer etc come under management services. Payment reminders are
also sent for property tax dues, water charges dues and Awas Yojna instalment
dues.
Major success of the
project is reflected in the increased revenue collection by the RMC through
improved and efficient system of service delivery. Regular reminder SMS and
hassle free payment options brought in the desired changes. mGovernance project
has a major role in aiding the National Immunisation Programme in Rajkot as the
personalised vaccination alerts have decreased the dropout rates to zero.
Given the higher usage of
mobile phones compared to the internet, mGovernance has successfully to bridge
the digital divide in service delivery. With effective m-governance now
services come to the citizen’s door step reducing the cost and time of
travelling to the municipal offices for information and services. Now the
services are more transparent and hassle free. The single point communication
through call centre has made grievance redressal faster.
This project, developed
in-house by RMC, has been honoured with Citizen’s Choice Award, eIndia 2010,
Manthan (South Asia) 2010 Awards, National eGgovernance Awards 2010-11, Nagar
Ratna Award, All-India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG), 2011 and
mBillionth (South Asia) 2011 award.
9. Sustainable
development in north east India
NERCORMP, a joint development project of IFAD
and Government of India, works towards the objective of creating livelihood for
vulnerable groups while contributing to environmental conservation.
The North Eastern Region
Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP) aims to address the existing
issues of inefficient government service mechanism in the livelihood sector and
the absence of ideal development projects in the north-east region of India.
The project, implemented jointly by the International Fund for Agricultural
Development and the Government of India represented through the North Eastern
Council, brings together the knowledge, expertise and ideologies of the
government, IFAD, local civil societies and the communities to unleash the
potentials for development tapped in the backward areas.
This case study captures
the impact of the project in Meghalaya, and describes the bottom-up model as
the project emphasizes on active community participation in the planning and
implementation processes. Formation of community building organisations are a
key to implementation - Natural Resource Management Groups and Self Help Groups
are formed in the project villages for this purpose.
Further, NERCORMP assists
in generating various livelihood options focused on agriculture and forest
based, such as organic agriculture, sustainable shifting cultivation, livestock
and fisheries, forestry, Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), medicinal and
aromatic plants, and non-farm enterprises such as eco-tourism, handloom and handicrafts.
While creating these livelihood opportunities, efforts are made to conserve the
rich biodiversity in the region. A major endeavour in this direction has been
the awareness campaigns that were taken up to demonstrate effective environment
friendly ways of managing shifting cultivation.
While the absence of
efficient local NGOs is identified as its major challenge, its sustainable
success in the conflict areas is highlighted as the project’s major impact in
the region. Nevertheless, positive response to the initiatives in two hilly
districts of the Meghalaya has encouraged the Government of India to launch its
second phase in 2012. The Planning Commission, the Ministry of DoNER and the
North Eastern Council will be supporting the activities of this phase.
10. Water
supply for informal settlements
JUSCO's initiative, in Jamshedpur, aims to
connect the urban poor residing in the informal settlements to adequate water
supply network at an affordable cost.
The Jamshedpur Utilities
and Services Company (JUSCO) was set up in the industrial city of Jamshedpur as
a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Steel in 2004. JUSCO is a one-stop utility
service provider in water sector and waste water management, construction,
municipal solid waste management, horticulture, integrated facility management
and power sector. JUSCO's initiative in slum areas was selected as a best
practice because of its unique model of a private sector undertaking providing
citizen centric services to the urban poor while ensuring profitability and
sustainability of the venture.
This initiative was
triggered when the community expressed their disagreement at the state
government’s decision to constitute a municipal corporation in the industrial
township. In response to the local preference, JUSCO started its pilot project
in two slum areas on citizen corporate partnership basis. After successful
completion of the pilot project JUSCO utilised its learning to upscale the
project in all other informal settlements across the township. Keeping in mind
the feasibility of low income households a unique shared cost model was
developed by the organisation. While JUSCO at its own cost undertook the
back-end investment, the customers paid the connection charges in installments.
Though initially a flat rate system was introduced, the metered tariff regime
took over the operation subsequently.
For continuous improvement
of service delivery standards JUSCO undertook several measures such as periodic
free chlorine test, following ISO 9001 and 14001, implementation of Total
Productive Maintenance, technical tie up with world’s largest supplier of water
services- Veolia Water, and establishment of a round the clock customer
complaint centre etc. The success of this initiative is largely based on its
bottom up approach as a part of which JUSCO has involved the communities in
every step of planning, implementation, financing and monitoring. Another
highlight of this initiative is its success in reducing the huge volume of non
revenue water and redistribution of these in the unserved areas.
This initiative has
provided close to 13,000 water connections since 2005–2009 covering a
population of 90,000 people across slum pockets of the city that have been
deprived of such service for more than 50 years. In the year 2008 JUSCO won the
prestigious Global Water Intelligence Award and in 2009 the Japan Institute of
Plant Management (JIPM) Award for TPM excellence.
11. Participatory
planning to strengthen decentralization
The People's Plan Campaign in Kerala is the
largest decentralisation programme in India where participatory approach was
followed successfully to devolve financial powers upto the panchayat level.
Despite the widespread
popularity of the idea of decentralisation in the country, not many Indian
states have given adequate attention to decentralised governance. In 1996,
Kerala has put forth a prominent exception with the launch of the People’s Plan
Campaign (PPC) that offered a pro-active methodology for decentralised planning
with direct participation by citizens. The driving idea behind PPC was that the
local bodies plan for themselves, identify the felt needs of the people,
analyse the development problems, assess the local resources, make feasible
development schemes, and prioritise and integrate them into a local Five Year
Plan document.
A variety of participatory
institutional systems and practices were developed to attain these objectives.
These include macro level institutions like district and block level expert
committees for plan appraisal and approval; micro level participatory
institutions like Task Forces for plan formulation and Beneficiary Committees
for plan implementation. Neighbourhood groups and Self Help Groups were also
promoted as part of the People’s Planning Campaign. The constitutional entity
of gram sabha was innovatively employed as a tool for mass mobilization in the
democratic process during the PPC period in Kerala.
The PPC for the Ninth Five
Year Plan represented an initiative that made use of the legacy of collective
social intervention and the strength of mass movements to meet the erstwhile
crisis of development. It was the single largest experiment in local democracy
and local community empowerment at the time of its launch. It directly impacted
nearly 31 million people in the state of Kerala. Several landmark mass
programmes have come out of the PPC. These include the country’s largest
women-centric poverty alleviation programme, Kudumbasree, the EMS Housing
Scheme and the Kerala Food Security Programme.
12. Capacity
building for women PRI leaders
The Panchayati Raj Campaign, initiated by The
Hunger Project, is a comprehensive programme to empower women leaders in
panchayat to strengthen their participation in decision-making process.
The presence of women
representatives in grassroots democracy has increased over the years because of
affirmative action policies implemented by the government. However,
representation is not synonymous with their participation. In a male-dominated
political sphere, there is a wide-spread scepticism in trusting the capability
and effectiveness of women leaders as rural women are percieved to be incapable
of discharging the constitutional responsibilities. To address this concern, in
2001, the Hunger Project, a global strategic organisation designed a
comprehensive capacity building programme called the Panchayati Raj Campaign.
Under Panchayati Raj
Campaign, the Hunger Project collaborates with local civil society
organisations, government bodies and the media to impart trainings through
organising workshops and forming community federations. The participatory
workshops that aim to inform women of their rights and responsibilities as
panchayat leaders and federations facilitate bottom-up approach to development.
These activities are carried throughout the entire five year term of the
elected leaders. Each year a new skill is focused upon to ensure effective
intervention.
Presently the campaign is
operational in nine states, training more than 78,000 women representatives.
One of the important achievement of this initiative is the formation of
successful women leaders federations that have given a collective platform to
make their voices heard at the bureaucratic and policy level. As the country
that has the distinction of having the highest number of women leaders in the
world, this all inclusive capacity building model can be considered as a
suitable initiative to be replicated in all the states for ensuring gender
justice and decentralised democracy.
13. Converting
urban waste into resource
Trash to Treasure is a CHF International's
initiative to strengthen waste industry by regular collection, sorting and
recycling processes. Efforts are also made to give recognition to waste
pickers’ role in keeping the city clean.
In India, waste collection
is an unorganised sector that suffers from enforcement of waste management
laws. In order to address the concerns, the Cooperative Housing Foundation
(CHF) International introduced a decentralised model of waste management to
improve facilities and support livelihoods. The initiative, named Trash to
Treasure, is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Caterpillar
to revamp the waste management and recycling industry in Bengaluru.
The project has two
implementation models. One is a traditional approach where waste is collected
directly from 2000 households in Rajendranagar and Ambedkarnagar area, and
taking it to a facility centre to sort them for recycling purposes. These
centres are known as Parivarthana meaning ‘change’.
Second model includes
collection of waste from BBMP employees in Kasa Rasa centre. The centre is
managed by Saahas, CHF’s partner specialised in waste and recycling management.
Saahas supervises the centre’s staff, manages the operations and manufacturing
of compost heap in organic waste convertor machines and finally sell it to
recycling entrepreneurs. In all three areas, BBMP has provided the space to
construct centres for waste sorting and recycling services.
14. Ghogha
Rural Drinking Water Supply Project
The Ghogha Rural Drinking Water Supply Project
is a demand driven initiative to develop a sustainable water supply and improve
sanitation in the rural areas of the coastal Ghogha Region of Gujarat.
This project was the first
ever participatory sector reform model of the government of Gujarat.
The objective of the
project was to achieve sustainability in rural water supply and sanitation
through decentralisation and community involvement in conception, operation and
maintenance of the project.
Ghogha Project was started
in the year 1997. It was implemented in Bhavnagar, Ghogha and Talaja blocks of
Bhavnagar district covering an area of about 614 sq. km. 82 villages were
included in the project with an estimated population of 2, 00,000 according to
2001 census.
The project was successful
in facilitating dual source of water supply in villages, enhancing the quality
of water, providing household piped water connection and also managing water
resources for sustainable use. Other important components of the project were
to improve sanitation and hygiene practices in the region. Waste water disposal
system, latrines and sanitation units were constructed for the purpose.
The project was unique in
its approach as it institutionalised the decentralised participatory model in
development projects in Gujarat. Active participation of NGOs, formation of
community mandated pani samitis and inclusion of women ensured meaningful
participation and effective decentralisation of resources and responsibilities
in the project. The project was a success as it was built on mutual trust and
invoked a strong sense of ownership among the community.
Ghogha experience resulted
in the formation of Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO), a crucial
organisation of the government of Gujarat that is promoting community
participation in the water sector beyond Ghogha.
15. Right to
Service
The Government of Madhya Pradesh has implemented
legally enforced penalties for 19 services if they are not delivered within a
stipulated timeframe to citizens who demand them.
In 1991, the UK government
first articulated and implemented a Citizen’s Charter to provide quality
services within specified time frames to its citizens. On 24 May, 1997, a
conference was held by chief ministers from various states of India and chaired
by the country’s Prime Minister, during which an “Action Plan for Effective and
Responsive Government” was adopted at the Centre and State levels. The central
department of administrative reforms and public grievances (DARPG) took on the
whereby there neglect in quality service delivery is a punishable offense.
Despite the achievement of
framing a charter, the Government of Madhya Pradesh realised that the charter
alone would not serve the objective of effective and efficient service delivery
without a support mechanism that would operationalise the commitment. As such,
the government enacted Lok Sewaon Ke Pradan Ki Guarantee Adhiniyam on 18 August
2010 to give its citizens the ‘Right to Service’ in a timely manner.
Today, this scheme includes
19 services for which there are legal consequences if they are not delivered
within a stipulated timeframe to citizens who demand them. Penalties and
compensation for service delays have been outlined clearly within the scheme.
16. RUDI
- Rural Distribution Network
RUDI was launched to raise the economic status
of women farmers within the SEWA network in a sustainable, scalable and
systematic manner by nurturing livelihoods at all levels of the rural supply
chain.
Supply chain management of
farming activities in rural India is often disadvantageous for marginal
farmers. Surplus grown and sold may be minimal, and middlemen buy from farmers
at very low prices, resulting in profit margins on production that barely allow
for survival. Poor access to both preservation units for bulk storage and a
wide network of suppliers leave many farmers with little choice but to sell
small quantities to the middlemen.
RUDI Multi Trading Company
aims to generate funds, internal to the SEWA network, that would enhance the
quality, capacity and efficiency of rural production. By leveraging their
large-scale membership for nurturing local skilled businesswomen along the
rural production value chain, SEWA piloted the RUDI initiative in Sabarkantha
district of Gujarat.
Today, there are five RUDI
processing centres catering to 14 districts in Gujarat. Each centre is
comprised of technical teams that nurtures rural business women at all levels
of the supply chain – from purchasing to marketing. The sales turnover has been
doubling year over year and aims to reach 6 crores in 2010-2011. The profit
margin has already reached 12 percent.
17. Bangladesh
Legal Aid Service Trust (BLAST)
BLAST aims to provide assistance in justice
matters through the local provision and promotion of legal aid. The programme's
major objective is to make local populations aware of how to seek legal
assistance when battling a range of issues.
In 2004, the
non-governmental organization BLAST, in collaboration with the Government of
Bangladesh, launched a legal aid initiative. The programme was implemented in
19 of the 64 districts in Bangladesh. It consists of three major components:
one, community organized awareness meetings; two, district aid committees; and
three, district referral offices with legal aid services. The effort objective
is to assist the poor and marginalized towards achieving sufficient levels of
gender- , work- and health- related rights.
Results suggest that
effective justice service delivery has been achieved particularly through the
use of informal aid offices and a well-functioning NGO and government
partnership. In all districts where BLAST has been implemented, government allocated
legal aid money has been utilized; from this, it can be deduced that locals are
not only aware of BLAST services, but are also using them.
18. Community
Led Total Sanitation Campaign in Bhiwani District of Haryana
This practice termed as Community Led Total
Sanitation Campaign (CLTS) addresses the problem of sanitation in rural areas
of Bhiwani district in Haryana.
The practice has taken an
initiative to solve the issue of defecation by creating awareness on health and
hygiene to the village communities. Measures have been taken to educate the
economically and socially backwards inhabitants on issues related to
sanitation.
Besides open defecation,
other concerns addressed were collection, storage and use of drinking water,
disposal of waste, and maintenance of clean environment.
Other efforts included
participation by community members in sanitation programmes, training sessions
for inhabitants on health and hygiene matters; and campaigns organized on
similar concerns.
19. Bhagidiri:
Citizen-Government Partnership: An initiative of Government of NCT of Delhi
Bhagidari is a project designed by the Delhi
government in 2000 to involve its citizens in facilitating city wide changes by
creating a formal system between resident, civil society organizations and
relevant government departments.
This initiative made
institutional arrangements and implemented decentralization measures to meet
the needs of the citizens through which they could participate directly and
carry out their societal responsibilities.
The principles of Large
Group Dynamics and Bhagidari workshop were adopted for peoples engagement in
intensive and participatory dialogue with the stakeholders on issues of common
concern.
The people felt as though
they were part of the government as they had their say in the solutions to
their problems. As a result, citizen associations have emerged as a key player
in shaping policies.
20. nnovative
Methods in Fighting Insurgency in Nort- East India Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), Government of India
This innovative strategy is a departure from the
Armed Forces Special Powers Act and addresses the problem of insurgency through
positive means of partnership of the government on one hand and with the
related government agencies on the other.
In order to restore
normalcy in the region, the state has adopted counter-insurgency measures that
includes a strategy of agreements and negotiations rather than fighting
directly against the insurgent groups. The signing of the Ceasefire Agreement
or the Suspension of Operations between the State, the Center and the insurgent
outfit indicates positive developments such as the groups will not engage in
violent armed conflict or in any illegal activities. Institutional mechanisms
have been developed to initiate a dialogue process during conflict between the
parties such as the Church in Nagaland. A Joint Monitoring Group comprising
representatives of the Government of India, State Government, Security Forces
and the concerned outfits also periodically review the implementation of the
code of conduct. The Ministry of Home Affairs, State Government, paramilitary
forces and the willing insurgent group plays a pivotal role for the success of
the Ceasefire Agreement or the Suspension of Operations.
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