Publication of Book

CSD-2022-Sining Horizons- Priority_Scheme Book

Government of India every year recognises the performance and accomplishments of civil servants - individuals and teams and the organizations they lead, that are truly excellent, exceptional and emulation-worthy. Inspired by the guidance of the Prime Minister, the Department of Administrative Reforms prepared an Action Plan for replication of 14 Awarded Initiatives in 23 States and one Union Territory. This book is an attempt to bring the significant details of seven of the most relevant and contemporary Awarded Initiatives and the efforts of select States in replicating them. It is envisaged that it would bring wider acceptance and stronger traction to the replication efforts, inspiring adoption by more states and union territories in the days to come.

‘Thinking Out of the Box’ is a compilation of fourteen articles which stand testimony to the endurance of the champions to display excellence in administration, innovate within the broad framework of Government functioning and assume leadership to manage change. With the authenticity of being written by the champions of these initiatives, each of the articles reveals the process of conception, designing and implementation of governance initiatives.

Ranging from mobilisation of community in Tripura to achieving health and nutrition to improving the habitat for urban poor in Surat, Gujarat; from Socio-economic empowerment of rural poor through sustainable community institutions in Bihar to liberating manual scavengers in Uttar Pradesh; from participatory scientific watershed management in Gujarat to home based palliative care in Kerala.

The common string that runs through all these articles is the zeal of the champions to do something beyond the call of duty to improve public service delivery and to achieve something which was perceived to be difficult, if not impossible. These case studies are believed to stimulate others to adopt, replicate and further innovate in their own sphere of activity.

This comprehensive collection of nine initiatives showcases innovation in India that received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2008-09. Documentation has been planned with methodological rigour and has the authenticity of coming straight from the initiators. The book is an excellent source for comprehending the dynamics of innovations and management of change. The book has been published by M/s Unicorn Books Pvt. Ltd. on behalf of this Department and is available with the leading book stores.