Team News Riveting
Raipur, January 10
Good governance should not remain confined to paper, but must be reflected in positive changes in the lives of the people and in the functioning of officials.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said this on Saturday while addressing the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award 2025–26 programme organised in Nava Raipur.
On this event, which was organised by the Department of Good Governance and Convergence, Chief Minister Shri Sai honoured five-five departments and districts respectively with the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award for good governance and innovations. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also launched the e-Pragati portal, through which construction works costing more than Rs 25 crore across all departments of Chhattisgarh will now be monitored. Through this portal, every aspect—from project approval to budget, wages, payments, MIS and structure level—will be monitored by the Chief Minister’s Office.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that the objective of good governance is to ensure that the ‘last person’ in society does not have to run from pillar to post for basic services. Through Atal Digital Service Centres started in panchayats, rural citizens are now getting facilities such as Aadhaar services, pensions, banking and bill payments at a single location. The government has taken several initiatives through technological innovations to ensure effective delivery of good governance to citizens. In this sequence, the e-Pragati portal has been launched today with the aim of making the implementation of major state projects and schemes more effective, transparent and time-bound. The portal will provide real-time data on the progress of schemes and ensure better coordination among departments, district administrations and the Chief Minister’s Office. This will further strengthen e-governance in the state and enable citizens to receive the benefits of schemes in a timely and convenient manner. He directed all collectors, secretaries and concerned officers to regularly update the progress of schemes.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that the philosophy of good governance has been deeply understood through Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s concept of Integral Humanism, revered Atal Ji’s vision of Antyodaya, and the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that Chhattisgarh has established the country’s first Department of Good Governance and Convergence, which acts as the hub for coordination and effective implementation of all schemes. Over the past two years, more than 400 policy reforms have been undertaken, obsolete and redundant laws abolished, and several others amended. These reforms have simplified the lives of citizens and made administration more efficient. Today, innovative efforts of five districts and five departments have been honoured through the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award, which will motivate officers doing good work. From the coming year, this award will be given in eight different sectors, including e-governance, service delivery, and rural and urban development. This clearly reflects the emergence of a strong culture of innovation and good governance in Chhattisgarh.’
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that to promote innovation in governance, the “Pahal” and “Prerna” schemes are being launched. “Pahal” will support new ideas, while “Prerna” will help scale up successful initiatives. A Chief Minister Helpline will also be launched soon to strengthen grievance redressal and public participation. To improve service availability, procedures are being simplified and the Public Service Guarantee Act is being developed as LSG-2.0.’
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that in changing times, technology has become an integral part of lifestyle. Recognising the power of digital resources, the government has made technology a key tool of good governance. Making all citizen services available online is the top priority. E-Office has ensured both speed and transparency in government functioning. Files now move with a click instead of taking weeks or months. This has enhanced accountability of employees and officers and reduced the scope for corruption. E-Office was initially introduced in the Secretariat and has now been implemented in the offices of heads of departments. In the coming months, it will be rolled out across all divisions and districts.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that recognising officers and employees for excellent performance in e-Office by Chief Secretary Shri Vikas Sheel is a commendable initiative that is bringing positive changes in work culture. Biometric attendance is also being implemented in all offices in a phased manner.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has emerged among the world’s largest economies, with good governance being the biggest contributing factor. India’s global leadership in digital payments is also a result of good governance.’
He said that the permit system for mineral transportation has been made online, curbing corruption and ensuring protection of resources for development works. Similarly, government procurement has been linked to the GeM portal, enhancing transparency and competition. He directed officials to ensure timeliness and transparency in procurement processes.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that due to 10 revolutionary initiatives undertaken in the Registry Department, citizens can now complete property registration from home. Under the new industrial policy, investment proposals worth over Rs 7.83 lakh crore were received in the past year. Through Single Window System 2.0, investors are being provided faster approvals and clearances.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that under Sushasan Tihar, 41 lakh applications were resolved by reaching villages directly, which is a strong example of public participation. He said that letters and applications from MPs and MLAs should be resolved in a timely manner, as dialogue, coordination and feedback are essential for good administration.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that along with strengthening law and order, effective implementation of schemes in Naxal-affected areas is necessary. Proper communication of government decisions and achievements is equally important.
He said that under the Chhattisgarh Anjor Vision, a clear roadmap has been prepared by reviewing targets up to 2030 to make the state prosperous and developed.
Addressing the programme, Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel congratulated all teams that participated in the award process.
Winning Innovations in District Category
Dantewada district’s “Blockchain-based Land Records Digitisation” initiative emerged as a prominent example. By eliminating manual and paper-based processes and implementing a tamper-proof blockchain system, the time required to obtain land records was reduced from weeks to just a few minutes. This initiative completely eliminated document fraud and significantly accelerated service delivery, setting a new benchmark for revenue administration in tribal and remote areas.
Jashpur district’s “Nirman Jashpur” initiative demonstrated how integrated digital monitoring can make infrastructure project implementation more effective. Covering over 7,300 projects across 16 departments and 444 gram panchayats, the system enabled real-time monitoring, geo-tagged verification and GIS-based planning, improving quality and significantly reducing delays.
The Augmented Take-Home Ration (A-THR) innovation implemented in Mohla–Manpur–Ambagarh Chowki presented an effective solution to the challenge of severe malnutrition. Developed with support from national and international institutions, this nutrition-dense intervention recorded a 77.5 per cent improvement rate among severely malnourished children, demonstrating the impact of evidence-based nutrition strategies.
Gariaband district’s “Elephant Tracking and Alert App” highlighted the role of technology in reducing human–wildlife conflict. Through AI-based tracking and real-time alerts, human casualties were reduced to nearly zero, along with a significant decline in crop damage and compensation burden. This initiative, now adopted outside the state as well, has emerged as an effective model of conflict-sensitive governance.
Narayanpur district’s “Intify Intelligence Tool” showcased the utility of data integration in internal security. This real-time, geo-spatial and predictive platform enabled the execution of over 100 planned operations, improved inter-agency coordination and strengthened situational awareness in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas.
Winning Innovations in Departmental Category
In the departmental category, the Education Department’s “Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK)” emerged as a strong pillar of data-driven education governance. This AI-enabled platform monitors over 56,000 schools, 2.83 lakh teachers and 57.5 lakh students, enabling early identification of dropouts, better resource utilisation and evidence-based decision-making.
The Commerce and Industry Department’s “One-Click Single Window System” made notable contributions to improving ease of doing business. Integrating 136 services across 16 departments, it streamlined approvals, incentives, grievance redressal and inspection processes, reducing delays and enhancing investor confidence through transparency.
The comprehensive e-governance reform initiative of the Commercial Tax (Excise) Department strengthened revenue collection and compliance systems. Through end-to-end digitisation, track-and-trace mechanisms and real-time dashboards, the department generated revenue of Rs 5,425 crore and established new standards of transparency and regulatory oversight.
The Forest and Climate Change Department’s “FDS 2.0 – e-Kuber Digital Payment System” eliminated manual cheque-based processes and implemented a fully cashless, RBI-integrated payment mechanism. Through this system, over 18 lakh transactions worth more than Rs 1,776 crore were completed, ensuring timely wage payments, livelihood security and transparent fund flow even in remote and Naxal-affected forest areas.
The QR code-based information disclosure system implemented under MGNREGA by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department strengthened citizen-centric governance. By providing real-time scheme information to villagers through QR codes, the initiative reduced dependency on intermediaries and enhanced transparency across more than 11,000 gram panchayats.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Secretary, Department of Good Governance and Convergence, Rahul Bhagat, and concluded with a vote of thanks by Joint Secretary Mayank Agrawal. Director General of Police Arun Dev Gautam, Additional Chief Secretary Smt Richa Sharma, SCS Home Manoj Pingua, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Singh, Principal Secretary Smt Niharika Barik, Director of the Department of Good Governance and Convergence Rajat Bansal, along with other senior officials, were present on the occasion.
