Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission (GARC) has submitted its third recommendation report to the Chief Minister of Gujarat. According to an official statement issued today, the report aims to promote transparent, efficient, and citizen-centric governance through digital infrastructure and organizational reforms.

The report includes proposals such as consolidating various scholarship schemes and distributing scholarships via a unified platform, enabling ticket booking for government buses through QR codes and UPI, and real-time tracking of buses. Additionally, it recommends providing document services through DigiLocker and offering status updates on government applications via SMS and WhatsApp, enhancing convenience, saving time, and building public trust in government services.

Other suggested measures include automatic pension disbursement, the implementation of a digital service book for government employees, and the introduction of an employee satisfaction survey—each designed to improve the overall efficiency of the administrative system. These initiatives are positioned as crucial steps toward transforming Gujarat into a progressive and digitally empowered state.

While presenting the report to Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, GARC Chairman Dr. Hasmukh Adhia stated that the third report is focused on the theme of “Technological Governance for Empowered Citizens” and emphasized that “the public will not only be participants but also partners in Gujarat’s development.”

The recommendations made by GARC to the State Government in this third report are as follows:

1. Based on the “One Student – One ID – One Portal” framework, the Government will develop a unified, transparent, and technology-based scholarship platform (Gujarat Unified Scholarship Portal) for effective coordination of all scholarship schemes offered by various departments. This portal will expedite scholarship-related work, avoid duplication, and also reduce the burden on employees.

2. The Government will develop a fully automated system for pension disbursement of retired government employees—including generation of pension payment orders, digital verification of service records, and direct deposit of pension amounts into the bank accounts of retiring employees on the very next day of retirement.

3. The Government will constitute a dedicated task force to consolidate Government Resolutions (GRs) of all major subjects in each department and make them available in a subject-wise, easy-to-understand format through a portal. This step will eliminate discrepancies in understanding various resolutions.

4. The Government, in collaboration with expert professional agencies, will develop a robust and comprehensive GIS-based system of all government assets and services located in the talukas and villages of Gujarat, covering everything from inspection to UTC of any project. This system will enable more appropriate and efficient allocation of the budget and will also reduce duplication of work.

5. The Government, in collaboration with expert business agencies, will re-engineer the government process of citizen services with a large footprint and develop systems so that citizens receive automated updates through SMS/WhatsApp at stages like ‘Application started’, ‘Application submitted’, ‘Documents verified’, ‘Application under process’, ‘Under approval’, ‘Application successfully completed’, etc., and will partner with trusted courier services to ensure secure delivery of government documents to citizens.

6. To improve user experience in public transport, tickets can be purchased in advance or as needed through QR code and UPI in all government buses. Bus timetables, seat availability, and bus locations will be available in real-time. Additionally, a system will be developed to capture QR code-based passenger feedback for continuous service improvement.

7. To make official documents easily accessible to citizens, the Government will link every government service delivery system (applications, forms, and services) with DigiLocker with the help of expert professional agencies. This will allow important documents/certificates issued by the Government to be directly available in the citizen’s DigiLocker.

8. The Government will make service records of all employees available in digital format in the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) and will also digitize existing service records to include older details like employee education, training received, postings, etc.

9. The Government will develop a system for publishing a dynamic, comprehensive e-Civil List and automatic provisional seniority list for all government employees in the State.

10. The Government will conduct a comprehensive assessment of work distribution, workload perception, and satisfaction among Class 1 and 2 officers of the Gujarat Government by conducting a digital survey. DeshGujarat