Ranking of distts to be released by Dr Jitendra, LG on Jan 22
*Step to help in assessing performance of DCs, other officers
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 10: Jammu and Kashmir has become the first Union Territory in the country to have Good Governance Index and the ranking of all the 20 districts for the current year will be released by the Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in a function to be held at Convention Centre here on January 22.
Highly placed sources told EXCELSIOR that Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has prepared Good Governance Index under the guidance of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) of the Government of India and with the pain-staking efforts of J&K Institute of Management Public Administration and Rural Development (J&K IMPARD) and Planning Development and Monitoring Department.
The exercise, which was set into motion in the month of July 2021, has now been completed with the conclusion of trials and with this Jammu and Kashmir has become the first Union Territory in the country to have Good Governance Index.
The ranking of all the 20 districts has been made under the Good Governance Index on the basis of 58 indicators and 116 data sets spread over 10 major sectors recommended by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) of the Government of India, sources said, adding “the data from each district was collated and weightage was accorded to each indicator keeping in view the national and Union Territory specific priorities”.
The 10 governance sectors are agriculture and allied sectors, commerce and industries, human resource development, public health, public infrastructure and utilities, social welfare and development, financial inclusion, judicial and public security, environment and citizen centric governance.
Besides overall ranking, the districts have also been given sector-wise points and the best performing districts as well as sector-wise achievements will be recognized in the form of appreciation letters by the Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha during the function to be held on January 22, 2022, sources informed.
With this, districts will not only compete with each other on different indicators/parameters but Good Governance Index will help in assessing the performance of the Deputy Commissioners as well as District Officers looking after 10 major sectors in their respective jurisdictions, they further informed, adding “there is also a possibility of Government giving some incentives in the District CAPEX Budget to the best performing districts and to the best performing officers on the basis of Good Governance Index”.
“The Good Governance Index will become a tool for the Government to improve delivery of services at various levels as the indicators/parameters have been finalized keeping in view the priorities of the Government of J&K Union Territory and Government of India”, they said, adding “the objective behind developing Good Governance Index is not to use the assessment results with a carrot and stick approach to pressurize districts but to enable them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving living standards of the citizens”.
“The results would lead to healthy and more informed policy discussions between different tiers of Government and all stakeholders. The assessment using the Good Governance Index would mark a shift from data-driven approach to result-oriented approach and management and promote healthy competition among districts”, sources further said.
The Good Governance Index of Jammu and Kashmir is also likely to be adopted pan India by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) of the Government of India as a replication of best practice, sources said.
During next Good Governance Index, more indicators will be incorporated thus making it benchmark and litmus for effective public service delivery and good governance, sources disclosed, adding this Good Governance Index has also helped the Government in updating the District Statistical Handout, which otherwise was not of any use for being complied on the basis of several years old data.
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