PUNJAB TO TAKE STEPS TO SIMPLIFY OFFICE
PROCEDURES
Chief Secretary reviews reports of Working Groups on BPR and Education
Chandigarh, July 8, 2008
Mr. Ramesh Inder Singh, Chief Secretary Punjab today laid stress
on providing corruption-free governance to citizens through greater
accountability and better delivery of public services in the Government
sector. He stated that simplification of office procedures along
with strengthening of infrastructure in Government offices with
greater public interface was high on the priority of the State
Government. The Chief Secretary expressed these views while going
through the presentation made by Mr. Suresh Kumar, Secretary Irrigation
and Power and the Chairman of a Working Group set up by the State
Government on BPR (Business Process Re-engineering).
The State Government had set up two Working Groups last year,
viz. on BPR in Government and Improving Access to Language and
Higher Education. These were based upon the deliberations held
with a team of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) led by
Sh. S. Reghunathan, Advisor that had visited Punjab in September
2007 and interacted with the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary.
While presenting the report prepared by the Working Group on
BPR, Mr. Suresh Kumar stated that they had analyzed certain important
functions with major citizen-interface in different Departments
and had suggested new, simplified procedures. The entire approach
was based upon the cornerstone of reducing redundant hierarchies
and empowering lower levels of administration through capacity
building and use of technology. The higher levels of decision-making
must engage in improved supervision and monitoring and devote
their time to more productive use, he stated. This could be achieved
through codification of existing processes and their dissemination
to the common man. The guiding principle was better output for
the Government, reduction in processing time and higher satisfaction
levels of the general public, he added.
Another brief presentation was made by Ms. Kusumjit Sidhu, Financial
Commissioner Cooperation as the Chairperson of the second Working
Group on Language and Access to Higher Education. The Group had
examined the recommendations of the NKC on the teaching of English
language in the State-run schools and at higher education levels.
The Group had made certain concrete recommendations for the Departments
of School and Higher Education taking into account the constraints
as well. She emphasized that Graduates with high proficiency in
English and good communication skills should be inducted into
teaching along with retraining of existing teaching staff.. The
Group suggested that SCERT must be strengthened and made nodal
agency for textbook development. The Group also suggested that
the Department of School Education should consider introduction
of a semester system so that there was no academic burden on the
students at the fag end of the academic session. The Chief Secretary
advised the Education Department to consider utilizing the services
of the British Council to impart exclusive English training to
in-service teachers as well as new recruits.
The Chief Secretary appreciated the work done by both Working
Groups and stated that the Government would work on preparing
an action plan to implement their recommendations through specially
constituted Task Forces. Other officers that were present in the
meeting were Mrs. Tejinder Kaur, Principal Secretary Technical
Education, Sh. Navreet Kang, Secretary Employment Generation and
Education, Smt. Anjali Bhawra, Secretary, Higher Education, Sh.
Ashok Goel, Secretary Coordination, Sh. RK Verma, Director IT,
Sh. Tejveer Singh, Director PR, Smt. Jaspreet Talwar, Special
Secretary, Finance and Sh. Krishan Kumar, DG, School Education.
PUNJAB GOVERNMENT TO SOON FILL UP VACANCIES
FOR BLIND
CHANDIGARH JULY 8, 2008
The Punjab Government has decided to immediately clear the backlog
of the posts reserved for the blind and partially blind persons
in the state.
An assurance to this effect was given by Punjab Chief Minister
Mr. Parkash Singh Badal to a delegation of Naterheen Jagarities
Sangh Punjab (visually challenged persons) led by General Secretary
Prof. Rajnish Mahal which called on Mr. Badal and submitted a
charter of demands to him here at his official residence this
afternoon.
Mr. Badal asked the state Chief Secretary to direct all the Administrative
Secretaries and Heads of the Departments to intimate the position
of vacant posts in their concerned departments reserved for the
blind and partially blind persons so that these posts could be
filled on the top priority. The Chief Minister also asked the
Secretary Social Security to undertake an exercise to identify
the posts where such visually challenged persons could be adjusted
as they had tremendous capabilities and capacities. Mr. Badal
also asked the department of school education to utilize the services
and skills of visually impaired persons for teaching the subjects
like vocal & instrumental music and art & craft.
Likewise the Chief Minister also assured the members of the delegation
that state government would soon seek an opinion of the Advocate
General to ensure that the posts reserved for blind and partially
blind persons should be strictly given to the eligible persons
only under this category on the Haryana pattern and not to the
other categories like hearing impaired and orthopedically challenged.
The Chief Minister also asked the Secretary Social Security to
personally visit the state institute for blind at Jamalpur in
Ludhiana district this week to have first hand information about
the short comings in the institute in terms of infrastructure
and staff besides the hardships faced by the blind students. He
also promised to install a new in browsour machine for the printing
of brail books and literature for the blind students at a cost
of Rs.32 lakh for the Jamalpur Institute during the current financial
year. The Chief Minister also assured that the state government
would extent all possible help and financial assistance to the
institute to make it as one of the best institutes in the region
after Dheradun in Uttrakhand.
Prominent amongst who were present in the meeting included Social
Security Minister Ch. Swarna Ram, Principal Secretary to Chief
Minister to Chief Minister DS Guru, Principal Secretary Social
Security NS Kang, Commissioner for Disabilities Harjit Singh,
Director Social Security Ms.Rakhi Gupta Bhandari, Additional Principal
Secretary to Chief Minister Parveen Kumar and DPI Schools Dr.JS
Khatra.
BRAHAMPURA FINDS 60% OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES
ABSENT FROM THEIR OFFICES DURING SURPRISE CHECKING
Chandigarh, 8 July, 2008
The Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Punjab S. Ranjit
Singh Brahampura today found about 60% officers and employees
absent from their offices during surprised checking in the morning
in the offices of the department situated at Chandigarh.
In a press release the Minister said that he had received complaints
from the public about the routine absenteeism of employee of the
department and he had conveyed the same to them to be punctual
and do hard work for the removal of grievances of the public as
well as elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions.
He added that in recent meetings held at districts as well as
state level, he had also conveyed his displeasure to the field
officers to become proactive in dealing with the public issues
and inspect the ongoing developmental works in the villages by
visiting on the spot.
Mr. Brahmapura said that in order to personally check the routine
working of the officers of the department, he visited the various
offices situated at Chandigarh at 9.15 AM today. During inspections
in the various branches in the Directorate offices situated at
Sector 17 and Sector 22, he was astonished to see the empty chairs
of senior officers as well as their subordinate employees. The
Minister said that he has found about 60% officers and employees
were absent from duty till 10.30 AM.
He added that to his surprise no body was present in the pensions
cell of the directorate. An IAS officer was also found to be absent
from the office. Mr. Brahampura summoned the absentee senior officers
and cautioned them not to repeat the same in future and work with
great zeal and full dedication so that the public grievances could
be resolved at the earliest by disposing of the pending cases.
The Minister said that he would recommend disciplinary action
against the absentees and would take hard measures against the
habitual absentees in future.
