Good governance should not remain on paper, but should be visible in positive changes in people’s lives and in the functioning of officials – CM Sai

Chief Minister Shri Sai inaugurated the e-Pragati Portal

Five departments and five districts received the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award for good governance and innovations

Raipur, January 2026 : Good governance should not remain on paper, but should be visible in positive changes in the lives of the people and in the working style of officials. Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said this today while addressing the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award 2025–26 programme organised in the capital Nava Raipur.

Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai honoured five departments and five districts with the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award for good governance and innovations at the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award 2025–26 ceremony organised by the Department of Good Governance and Convergence. On this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Sai also inaugurated the e-Pragati Portal, through which construction works costing more than ₹25 crore undertaken by all departments of Chhattisgarh will now be monitored. Through this portal, all aspects including approval of construction, budget, labour, payments, MIS, and structure level will be monitored by the Chief Minister’s Office.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that the objective of good governance is that the last person in society should not have to wander for basic services. Through Atal Digital Service Centres started in panchayats, villagers are getting facilities like Aadhaar, pension, banking, and bill payments at one place. Our government has taken many initiatives through technological innovations to ensure the effective reach of good governance to citizens. In this sequence, today the e-Pragati Portal has been inaugurated, whose objective is to make the implementation of large projects and schemes of the state more effective, transparent, and time-bound. Through this portal, data on the progress of schemes will be available in real time. Better coordination will be established between all departments, district administration, and the Chief Minister’s Office. This will further strengthen e-governance in the state and citizens will be able to receive the benefits of schemes on time and in a simple manner. He directed all collectors, secretaries, and concerned officers to regularly update the progress of schemes.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that from Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s Integral Humanism, respected Atal ji’s concept of Antyodaya, and the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, we have understood good governance in depth.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that we have created the country’s first Department of Good Governance and Convergence, which is the centre for coordination and effective implementation of all schemes. In the last two years, we have carried out more than 400 policy reforms, abolished old and obsolete rules and laws, and amended many others. These reforms have made the lives of the people of the state simpler and the administration more efficient. Today, through the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award, innovative efforts of five districts and five departments have been honoured. This will encourage officers who do good work. From the coming year, this award will be given in eight different fields, including e-governance, service delivery, and rural and urban development. This clearly shows that a strong culture of innovation and good governance is developing in Chhattisgarh.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that to promote innovation in governance, the “Pahal” and “Prerna” schemes are being launched. “Pahal” will support new ideas and “Prerna” will expand successful schemes. Soon, the Chief Minister’s Helpline will also be started, which will strengthen grievance redressal and public participation. To improve service availability, processes are being simplified and the Public Service Guarantee Act is being developed as LSG-2.0.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that in changing times, technology has become a part of lifestyle. Therefore, recognising the power of digital resources, we have made technology a major weapon of good governance. Making all citizen services available online is our highest priority. e-Office has ensured both speed and transparency in government work. Now files move not in weeks or months, but with a single click. This has fixed accountability of employees and officers and reduced the scope of corruption. e-Office started from the Secretariat and has now been implemented in the offices of heads of departments. In the coming few months, it will also be implemented in all divisions and districts.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that honouring officers and employees who have done excellent work in e-Office by Chief Secretary Shri Vikas Sheel is a commendable initiative, which is bringing positive change in work culture. Biometric attendance is also being implemented in all offices in a phased manner.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has joined the world’s largest economies, behind which good governance is the biggest factor. India’s leading position in digital payments in the world is also the result of good governance.

He said that the permit system for mineral transportation has been made online, which has curbed corruption and secured resources for development works. Similarly, government procurement has been linked to the GeM portal, which has increased transparency and competition. He directed officials to ensure timeliness and transparency in procurement processes.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that due to 10 revolutionary initiatives taken in the Registration Department, citizens are now able to complete registration from home. Under the new industrial policy, investment proposals worth more than ₹7.83 lakh crore have been received in the past year. Through Single Window System 2.0, investors are being given approvals and clearances rapidly.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that through Sushasan Tihar, 41 lakh applications were resolved by going village to village. This is a strong example of public participation. He said that letters and applications of MPs and MLAs should be resolved on time. Dialogue, coordination, and feedback are essential for good administration.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said that along with strengthening law and order, effective implementation of schemes in Naxal-affected areas is necessary. Proper communication of government decisions and achievements is equally important.

He said that under the Chhattisgarh Anjor Vision, a clear roadmap has been prepared by reviewing the targets up to 2030 to make the state prosperous and developed.

Addressing the programme, Chief Secretary Shri Vikas Sheel congratulated all the teams participating in the award process.

District category winning innovations

Dantewada district’s “Blockchain-based Land Records Digitisation” initiative emerged as a major example. Through this innovation, manual and paper-based processes were eliminated and a blockchain-based tamper-proof system was implemented, reducing the time to obtain land records from weeks to just a few minutes. This initiative completely eliminated document fraud and brought unprecedented speed in service delivery, setting a new benchmark for revenue administration in tribal and remote areas.

Jashpur district’s “Nirman Jashpur” initiative demonstrated how integrated digital monitoring can make the implementation of infrastructure projects effective. Covering more than 7,300 projects of 16 departments and 444 gram panchayats, this system enabled real-time monitoring, geo-tagged verification, and GIS-based planning, improving quality of works and significantly reducing delays.

The Augmented Take-Home Ration (A-THR) innovation implemented in Mohla–Manpur–Ambagarh Chowki presented an effective solution to the challenge of severe malnutrition. Through this nutrient-dense diet developed with the support of national and international institutions, a 77.5 per cent improvement rate was recorded among severely malnourished children. This initiative is an example of how evidence-based nutrition interventions can bring large-scale positive change in lives.

Gariaband district’s “Elephant Tracking and Alert App” strongly highlighted the role of technology in reducing human–wildlife conflict. Through AI-based tracking and real-time alert systems, human casualties were brought down to almost zero, along with a significant reduction in crop damage and compensation burden. This initiative, which has also been adopted outside the state, has become an effective model of conflict-sensitive governance.

Narayanpur district’s “Intify Intelligence Tool” demonstrates the usefulness of data integration in the field of internal security. Through this real-time, geo-spatial, and predictive platform, more than 100 planned operations were conducted, coordination between various agencies improved, and situational awareness was strengthened in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas.

Departmental category winning innovations

Similarly, in the departmental category, the Education Department’s “Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK)” has emerged as a strong pillar of data-driven education governance. This AI-enabled platform monitors more than 56,000 schools, 2.83 lakh teachers, and 57.5 lakh students, enabling early identification of dropouts, better utilisation of resources, and evidence-based decision-making.

The Commerce and Industry Department’s “One Click Single Window System” has done remarkable work in improving ease of doing business. Integrating 136 services of 16 departments, this system simplified approval, incentives, grievance redressal, and inspection processes, reducing delays and increasing transparency and investor confidence.

The comprehensive e-governance reform initiative of the Commercial Tax (Excise) Department strengthened revenue collection and compliance systems. Through end-to-end digitisation, track-and-trace systems, and real-time dashboards, the department generated revenue of ₹5,425 crore and set new standards of transparency and regulatory oversight.

The Forest and Climate Change Department’s “FDS 2.0 – e-Kuber Digital Payment System” eliminated manual cheque-based processes and implemented a completely cashless, RBI-integrated payment system. Through this, more than 18 lakh transactions worth over ₹1,776 crore were completed, ensuring timely wage payments, livelihood security, and transparent fund flow even in remote and Naxal-affected forest areas.

The QR code-based information self-disclosure system implemented under MGNREGA by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department strengthened citizen-centric governance. By providing real-time scheme information to villagers through QR codes, this initiative reduced dependence on intermediaries and strengthened transparency in more than 11,000 gram panchayats.

At the programme, the welcome address was delivered by Secretary of the Department of Good Governance and Convergence Shri Rahul Bhagat, and the vote of thanks was given by Joint Secretary Shri Mayank Agrawal. On this occasion, DGP Shri Arun Dev Gautam, Additional Chief Secretary Smt. Richa Sharma, SCS Home Shri Manoj Pingua, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Subodh Singh, Principal Secretary Smt. Niharika Barik, Director of the Department of Good Governance and Convergence Shri Rajat Bansal, and other senior officers were present.

Through all these innovations, it is clear that governance in Chhattisgarh is not limited only to implementation of schemes, but a new administrative culture focused on results, impact, and citizen trust is developing. The districts and departments honoured under the Chief Minister’s Excellence Award 2025–26 are setting new benchmarks of good governance, transparency, technological innovation, and public welfare. These achievements not only reflect the capacity of the state’s administrative machinery, but also strengthen the government’s firm commitment and clear vision for the future towards a developed Chhattisgarh.