Gujarat govt introduces Atal Good Governance Awards

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has introduced the ‘Atal Good Governance Award’ scheme to recognise officials for outstanding performance, citizen-centric administration and contributions to strengthening good governance across the state.

The scheme, introduced through a resolution of the General Administration Department (GAD), will be implemented from the 2025-26 financial year and continue in subsequent years. The performance assessment period will run from April 1 to March 31 each year.

The award has been introduced as part of the state’s initiatives to promote good governance during the year-long celebrations marking the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which began on December 25, 2024.

Under the scheme, officials from seven key departments who are directly involved in public service delivery at the district and taluka levels will be evaluated annually.

The departments and eligible posts are:

• Health and Family Welfare Department: Chief District Health Officer (CDHO), Class 1
• Education Department: District Education Officer (DEO) and District Primary Education Officer (DPEO), Class 1
• Roads and Buildings Department: Executive Engineer, Class 1
• Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department: District Supply Officer (DSO), Class 1
• Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department: District Sports Officer (DSO), Class 2
• Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department: Taluka Development Officer (TDO), Class 2
• Revenue Department: Mamlatdar, Class 2

Cash prize of up to ₹31,000

The award amount will depend on the officer’s cadre. Class 1 officers will receive ₹31,000, while Class 2 officers will receive ₹21,000.

Each awardee will also receive a ‘Certificate of Excellence – Atal Good Governance Award’, recognising their contribution to public service, citizen-centric administration and good governance.

Performance-based selection

The awards will be based on predefined performance indicators and evaluation criteria rather than routine performance alone.

According to the GAD resolution, separate evaluation committees will be constituted by the concerned departments to assess the performance of officials. For officials in categories 1 to 5, the committee will be headed by the secretary of the concerned department and will include the head of the concerned department and the Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary/Deputy Secretary of the concerned establishment.

For the evaluation of Taluka Development Officers and Mamlatdars, a district-level mechanism has also been prescribed. The committee will be headed by the District Collector and will include the District Development Officer, District Superintendent of Police and Resident Deputy Collector.

Separate departmental-level arrangements have also been prescribed for TDOs and Mamlatdars. For Panchayat-related performance, the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary, Panchayat, will head the committee, while the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary, Revenue, will head the committee for revenue-related performance.

Top three officers to be selected

Following the evaluation, outstanding officers will be ranked from first to third, with the top three being selected for the award based on the prescribed performance criteria.

The government has also set deadlines for completing the selection process. The concerned departments must complete the evaluation by November 30 each year. Details of the selected officers, along with award certificates and cheques, must be prepared and sent to the ‘Vasutapra-2’ branch of the General Administration Department by December 10.

Awards to be presented on Good Governance Day

The selected officers will be felicitated during the Good Governance Day programme held on December 25, the birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The award expenditure will be borne by the respective departments from the budget provision under the head ‘0500 – Awards’.

The scheme effectively creates an annual mechanism for identifying and recognising officials involved in public-facing government services across sectors including health, education, infrastructure, civil supplies, sports, rural development and revenue administration. DeshGujarat