Govt report on next-gen civil services stresses on tech in governance

Governments need to proactively plan for attracting and retaining the next generation of talent for its civil services, an official report has said.

It said that trainings should enhance digital awareness and new skills, enabling the government workforce to meet the demands of an increasingly digital society.

"Continuous reskilling and upskilling are crucial to keep pace with the greater incorporation of technology in governance,” said the report, while suggesting the ”way forward” for ”future workforce for governments”.

Every government's strategy roadmap for a digital government should also incorporate plans for talent retention, knowledge development, overcoming talent shortages and enhancing the delivery of public services, it said.

The government officer of the future should be able to build on people's values and ambitions and drive a culture of people-first governance, said the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) 2021 report, which was released by Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh on Monday.

Governments need to proactively plan for attracting and retaining the next generation of talent for its civil services, it said.

”A whole-of-government approach is required across departments and between levels to provide integrated services to citizens. However, this approach should be supported by a high level of political and administrative will,” the report said, suggesting the way forward for "integrated service delivery" to the citizens.

Innovative processes and mechanisms for service delivery, and citizen engagement as well as empowerment are essential, to make services inclusive and accessible to all groups in the society, it said.

The report also recommended a single window system which enables automatic tracking of service requests.

”The facility should be accessible from anywhere across the web, easy to use, and reduce the issue/request resolution time which increases overall productivity,” it said.

The report emphasised on offering best-in-class experience to all citizens by providing round-the-clock call centres supporting multiple languages, e-mail or messaging platform based helpdesks and mobile based applications to ensure that citizens are able to access the services in a cost effective manner.

”Premium SMS services may be offered as an optional value added service for applicants to get SMS alert and automatic updates on their mobile for their application status at every stage,” it said, adding that the governments should strive to offer best-in class experience for support through multilingual services, 24x7 availability and omnichannel presence.

The report, prepared at the initiative of the department of administrative reforms and public grievances (DARPG) under the ministry of personnel, also recommended a mobile-first approach.

”From banking to online shopping to entertainment, citizens are increasingly expecting a mobile-first approach for service delivery. Considering the penetration of mobile devices in India, governments should also prioritise a mobile-first design for government service delivery,” it said.

This mobile-first approach is important as it helps to increase user engagement and can improve their experience, the report said.

Websites should be designed with citizen centric approach, ensuring an intuitive experience with the most relevant content being visible across a variety of handheld devices, it added.

The NeSDA report has assessed states, Union territories and central ministries with regard to delivery of e-governance services on seven key parameters -- accessibility, content availability, ease of use, information security and privacy, end service delivery, integrated service delivery, and status and request tracking.