PM suggests young officers to visit states to understand best practices; “writing of Gazettes by officers should be made compulsory in districts”

A section of chief secretaries while listening to PM

A TEAM of young officers from across states should deliberate and learn from the best practices of each state by visiting those states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested while interacting with chief secretaries of states and union territories in New Delhi on Monday. Some of the best practices highlighted by chief secretaries during the interaction included…themes such as rural development, skill development, crop insurance, health insurance, tertiary healthcare, welfare of divyang children, reducing infant mortality, tribal welfare, solid waste management, sanitation, drinking water, river conservation, water management, e-governance, pension reform, emergency services, development of mineral-rich areas, PDS reform, direct benefit transfer of subsidy, solar energy, cluster development, good governance and ease of doing business. He further said that writing of Gazettes by officers should be made compulsory in the districts. PM in his speech highlighted the following 10 points among others:

1. Priority and approach matter a lot in governance. 

2. We have a lot to learn from the experiences of states which could provide the best solutions to problems and challenges.

3. Top government officials have the collective vision and capabilities to overcome challenges. 

4. Experience sharing is also very important.

5. Districts and cities must also be a part of a virtuous competitive environment of development and good governance. 

6. The successes of small states and union territories could be replicated by large states in one district to begin with. For example, how Haryana and Chandigarh could become kerosene-free.

7. The states must come out of the silos, and work cohesively with the Centre and with each other.

8. Relatively junior officers in states must spend adequate time in field visits, so that they are aware first-hand about issues on the ground. 

9. There’s a need to preserve institutional memory. 
10. Writing of Gazettes by officers should be made compulsory in the districts.