Tuesday 19 August 2014

Citizen Service Chart

Objectives: Every Institute, agencies, organizations, NGOs, private organisation, etc, are seeking innovative modes and manners to improve delivery of public services. And every citizen has right to expect high quality services.
Samtse Dzongkhag is also committed to overhaul the system to provide high quality services to citizens. In order to improve the quality of services the service providers have to stick on the service delivery principles enunciated in the service delivery policy. Behavioral patterns or the service providers tremendously influence the quality of services rendered to the citizens. This is the core principle of service delivery which calls for recognition of a new relationship between providers and recipients of the public service. Therefore, development of Citizen Service Chart is to empower the customers on various services and to improve the services delivery.
Background: Our leaders, Policy Developers and Planners had developed the Service Oriented Manual Guidelines/Service Delivery Standard. All the guidelines listing the functions/services of an agency, the procedures required to comply along with submission of forms & documents, indication of time taken to provide the services and contact details of a focal person/officials/staff delivering the services were circulated to all the relevant agencies and institutes. However, the information had not yet reached to majority of our customers. Moreover, Service Delivery Standard has the institution and indication of a redressal mechanism accountable to service receivers in case the services are not delivered within the standard time indicated.
Citizen Report Card (CRC) team of Samtse is intended to speed up service deliveries by public agencies, improve transparency & accountability, build trust & confidence and minimize public grievance. To achieve the above services, team consisting of Dasho Dzongrab, Planning Officer and two GAOs had conducted the sensitization programme to all the relevant sectors heads regarding the importance of Citizen Report Card and Citizen Service Chart to further improve our services. CRC team would be accountable not only to the Dzongkhag but also to citizen. Our main focus was to develop the Citizen Service Chart in the form of booklet and CRC team is responsible for compilation, educating and creating the awareness so that information is reach to all service recipients. The Citizen Service Charts' information must reach through Gewog Office, RNR, Education and NFE centre.
Scope: Most of the rural people are not aware of services available to them and left out from the services. They hardly avail the services due to ignorance and even they avail, the take longer time since they have no information how to avail the services, necessary procedures are not informed by the service provider. For example, to avail new born child birth registration they are not aware of necessary documents to be attached. CRC team is intended to address those issues and make it aware the services available and procedures to avail the services. By doing the task, there will be better service delivery and cut down the hidden cost.
CRC team were trained by the Indian Consultant firm who are working with government and public to address the issues. The training were supported by ACC, DLG, Helvatas and Dept. of Information and it was given first time to Bhutanese people. It was conducted at Gewog Centre, Samtse Gewog. 
Group Photo during training period
ACC Chairperson, Dasho Neten Zangmo was also participant.

Shared by: Pema Tenzin, GAO, Samtse Gewog
 

Wednesday 13 August 2014

5th Gewog Tshogdu

                                                GT (Gewog Tshogdu)

On 12th August, 2014 the Gewog Tshogdu (GT)-the highest decision body in the Gewog was held at Gewog meeting hall chaired by Gewog Gup or the Thrizen of the GT.
It compromised of all the Tshogpas of five chewogs, Mangmi (Deputy Chairman), Gup as Chairman and all the staffs/civil servants under the Gewog Administration and the Gewog Lam which were present.
It began with the briefing of the past year’s achievement of the activities and the activities for the coming year 2014-2015 were also shared with the progress report of this year’s fiscal year 2014-2015.
The need of farm roads were also raised of which it was decided that it has to be in line with guidelines of Farm Road and to do the pre survey or assessment if it full fills the criteria in the GDG guidelines by departmentally or if there is a funding from others. The need of the maintenance of Irrigation channels and source protections were also in the planned activity and some to see whether there is a need for it or not. The suspension bridge was also in the planned activity for this fiscal year. About the wild animals destroying the crops and the need of electric fencing, a committee was to be formed to see and assess the crops damaged and the wild life conflict was not only at Gewog but a nation’s problem.
A few Gungtongs at Sunkosh were to convey by Tshogpa for their need to contribute equally if availed the schemes/resources benefitting the community. The need of ECCD by the Gewog primary school was also found to be benefitting for all the residents.
The additional work of a  retaining wall and the small play ground for the school were also to be put up to Dasho Dzongda formally in writing.
The Budget of one lakh has been kept for annual plan and later to be re-appropriated for the site development or to be incorporated in the coming year.
The partial and untimely services provided for the AI crates by officials were to be verbally discussed with the concerned sector head. The need of a permanent staff of the Gewog Livestock Extension supervisor was to be put up to the DT (Dzongkhag Tshogdu).
The amounts which is to repay in installments for the Bio gas and the lump sum amount for Diary sheds were also to be given for the interested farmers only.
The need of Rangthangling meeting hall’s toilet was to be discussed with the District Heath officer or to see other source for budget and the electricity bills to be paid by Gewog office. The Donations collected by the Gewog was also as per the people’s wish to have the events like the School opening and the Farm road opening. For some events like the Nga gay Dendur, Gewog annual Rimdro it was also not a mandatory for all to donate rather it was as per their wish to contribute the amounts they can.
If need for TV cables for the Rangthangling Village then they were to bring the name list of those households and to submit it to Cable for the installation of TV cable lines.
It concluded with the vote of thanks by Gewog Tshodrung and followed with the prayers.

By Lobzang Choda
Rangthangling Gewog Adm. Officer

Thursday 7 August 2014

Women's participation in Zomdu

Women's participation in Zomdu

As compare to my initial appointment in the year 2007, now I have seen more improvement in women participating in Zomdu, Gewog Renewal Natural Resources Training or even in carrying out the developmental activities like Rural Water Supply Schemes and Irrigation Channel Work.

Earlier, men were the one who always take part be it in Zomdu, training or any other activities and women they stay at home doing house whole work. Even when some of the women they come for meeting or training they were very introverted. Now, at this juncture women in the rural village are also doing well and some are even doing much better than men and the main reason I see behind is because of Non- Formal Education (NFE), where most of the learners were women.


I being the women at the Block level and a volunteers of Respect Educate Nurture and Empower Women (RENEW), whenever I get an opportunity to meet with the women in  chiwog or even during the women  programmers I encourage women to come forward by taking part in all the meeting in order to have better understanding above the country plans and policies.


By Damcho, Kilkhorthang Gewog, Tsirang.

To promote transparency, accountability and participation

To promote transparency, accountability and participation

To have more transparency, accountability and participation, we discuss the approved financial year budget with all the stakeholders and elder people of the village, we also display the approve budget on the gewog notice board for public information.

We involve all the Gewog Renewal Natural Resources staffs, Tshogpas and with consultation of site engineers make work plan and budget utilization for different quarter, issue a copy to the Tshogpas and even display on gewog notice board for public information.

To have more transparency especially when we initiate departmental work we form a Road User Committee with consultation and consensus of all the public. So, the committee together with the Gewog Agriculture Extension officer looks after the daily activities and the gewog administration do time to time monitoring.


In this way we can directly involve the public in carrying out the work, which will at the same time make them accountable by promoting transparency, participation and mostly to have full ownership among the public.

Stories from Damcho, Kilkhorthang Gewog, Tsirang.

How monitoring of developmental activities are done in gewog

Ø  The monitoring committee in the gewog comprises of Gewog Administrative officer, Respective extension officers, Gewog Accountant, concern Tshogpa and site engineer. When we go for monitoring we inspect the quality of work, progress of work, availability of raw materials at site and the no. of laborers at work place.

Ø  After monitoring we submit the report to Gup and in case if work is not of quality or delay in progress, we inform the Dzongkhag Monitoring committee and contractor immediately.

Ø  We also instruct the concern Tshogpa to do the monitoring of activities, which falls within their jurisdiction. But sometimes it is very difficult for them to find out the defects in work or whether the activities are going as per the approve drawing, due to lack of technical knowledge.

Ø  Rural Water Supply Scheme and Irrigation manual work were done by the public with technical support from Dzongkhag, but at the time of implementing the work public come across a shortage of masons, which leads to delay in completion of work and also hampers the quality. As one technician have to look after many gewog.

Ø  The system of doing Monitoring also differs from Dzongkhag to Dzongkhag. In some Dzongkhag they develop a standard monitoring format and it is used by all the gewogs. Whenever, the Dzongkhag monitoring committees come for monitoring they inform the gewog administration in advance and one representative from the gewog were involved in monitoring.


By Damcho, Kilkhorthang Gewog, Tsirang.