Bihar launches governance improvement mission

Patna: The Government of Bihar on Tuesday launched Bihar Prashasanik Sudhar Mission (BPSM) to enhance the administration prowess of the state government as well as to provide better services for the poor and the excluded.

The programmes, supported by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), aims at facilitating best-in-class administration and human resource management within the government, providing training to motivated and performance oriented officials and offer more effective, efficient and accountable service delivery to citizens.

It also aims at setting up a Centre for Good Governance (CCG) in Bihar, which would help the state government improve quality of governance—particularly for the poorest and excluded groups.

Under BPSM, the Bihar government will offer easy access to land and registration information on Internet to public.

The mission initiatives include modernisation of District Collectorates with streamlined procedures, better organisational and staffing structure, increased delegation and extensive use of IT to facilitate speedy disposal of files through e-file movement starting with a few collectorates.

The state government under the mission would develop a medium term staffing plan for the entire government with a clear road map for recruitment and an improved performance management system to reward good performers.

Besides creating transparent recruitment and transfer system for government staff, it would include modernisation of commercial tax collection systems to improve state revenue.

Initially, the mission will focus on Department for Personnel and Administrative Reforms; Revenue and Land Reforms (including District Collectorates); Commercial Tax; Registration, Excise and Prohibition; and Human Resources Development, while other departments will follow gradually.