Former chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), a much-feted commandant of the Indian Military Academy, a decorated armoured corps officer, and a military historian, Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd) has worn a variety of hats.
Former soldiers will guard against leaks in social welfare schemes in Punjab by keeping a close vigil at the village level, in a first-of-its-kind scheme by any state government in India. Here’s who’s heading it. Former chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), a much-feted commandant of the Indian Military Academy, a decorated armoured corps officer, and a military historian, Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd) has worn a variety of hats. Now he’s donned a new one, that of heading the ‘guardians of Punjab’. Read on for details of the scheme and excerpts from a conversation with Lt Gen Shergill.
Seed of the idea: “We thought it would be a great way to productively use ex-servicemen, many of whom retire after 15 years of service, when they are only 35. Alexander had said a soldier was at his best at this age.”
The purpose: The General says a study found that of every rupee earmarked for social welfare, only 15 paise reached the target group. “We will plug this leak.” Former soldiers will be appointed guardians in all the 12,710 villages of Punjab. They will educate the villagers about the various schemes, find out if they are reaching them, and then report their findings to a central control room. “It’s an information system to help the administration. It won’t replace, replicate or become a shadow of the administration,” says Shergill.
Appointing guardians: Every village will have one guardian. “He will have to volunteer for the job. The chief selection criterion will be the respect he commands in the village regardless of his rank,” says Shergill, pointing out that “respect” holds the key. He also underlines that it’s an apolitical scheme.
The structure: The CM will be the chairman of the scheme. The guardians will have four layers: one at the village level; second at the tehsil level with a three-member team comprising an officer, junior commissioned officer (JCO) and other rank (OR), headed by an SDM; and third at the district level with a team of two officers, JCOs, and ORs each headed by the deputy commissioner. The 24-hour control room will be set up at the CM’s office.
E-governance: Every guardian will be armed with a check list of schemes and a cellphone. He will file a fortnightly report, and will be free to red-flag any lapse in the interregnum. “The information received by the control room will flow to the administration. The objective is to ensure that rectification or assistance is carried out at the village level.”
Training: Maharaja Ranjit Singh Institute of Public Administration is producing a manual for the guardians who will be trained before they take charge.
Honorarium: A sum of Rs 11,000 is being proposed for the village guardians to cover their daily expenses. They will initially be given tenure of two years.
Job scheme: The government is also tying up the guardians with its scheme of Ghar Ghar Naukri (job for each household) under which unemployed educated youths in the age group of 18 to 35 will be given a stipend of Rs 2,500 a month. “The guardians will approach these youth to serve as their eyes and ears,” says Shergill, adding that over time they will also channel them into sports and skill development.
Rollout: The district-level launch will take place in July.
GoG to supervise execution of government schemes
April 1, 2017
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has begun to set up a place a mechanism which has to be christened Guardians of Governance (GoG), to manage the implementation of government schemes and to collect feedback on the working of officials to ensure not to indulge in corrupt practices. The Congress had promised to fight against corruption as stated in the manifesto.
The Amarinder Singh government’s aim is to recruit and train ex-servicemen at the village and block level. Advisor CM, Lt. Gen TS Shergill (retd.), held a meeting to prepare a blueprint for GoG appointments. It is not clear whether any honorarium or a fixed salary will be given to ex-servicemen who will be recruited for the purpose. Punjab has around 12,000 villages and the number of ex-servicemen are approx. two lakh.
Sources said that ex-servicemen would be trained in information technology and special portal will be created to upload the information. Action would be taken based on the report filed by the ex-servicemen with in a stipulated period.
The ex-servicemen would report on delivery of services such as healthcare, drinking water, power and education.
Former servicemen, unemployed to ‘guard’ governance in Punjab
A brainchild of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the process to recruit the ex-servicemen is expected to start by July.
Chandigarh: The Punjab government will soon begin the process of recruiting ex-servicemen and unemployed youths for its ambitious ‘Guardians of the Governance’ scheme wherein the members will act as the “eyes and ears’ of the administration at the grassroots level.
For the scheme, which is being conceived to oversee the implementation of programmes and policies at the grassroots level, the state government will enroll around 13,000 ex-serviceman, one from each village across the state.
A brainchild of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the process to recruit the ex-servicemen is expected to start by July. The state government has a budget of about Rs 170 crore for the scheme. The willing ex-servicemen will be roped in for the programme irrespective of their ranks.
According to Lt Gen T.S. Shergill (retd) senior advisor to the Punjab CM, “GOG scheme is not going to replace, hinder or replicate the administrative arrangement or the grievance redressal system, but assist the administration in providing the information at all levels of governance village panchayat upwards.”
