The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards Announced

The inaugural edition of The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards, an initiative of The Indian Express was held in Delhi on August 21, 2019 at the Oberoi.

The special guests at the event for awarding the winners were Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble union Minister for Road Transport and Highways; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises;Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Hon’ble Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Union Minister for Law and Justice; Communications; Electronics and Information Technology; Dr Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office & Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Atomic Energy; Space.

The awards were handed across 16 categories ranging from Agriculture to Education and Technology to Women Development. The winners were chosen from 249 entries received from 84 districts in 24 states. Applauding the winners for their efforts to bring about change at the grass root level included many top bureaucrats, politicians, diplomats, and the who’s who of the capital.

Speaking at the inaugural of The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards, Mr. Gadkari said, “The administrators need positive attitude, out-of-the-box thinking, a fast decision-making process and team work. And if one officer is good based on his performance audit, he can make miracles… social consciousness, team work and fast-tracking decision-making are very important,”

The District Magistrates were also lauded by Mr.Prasad, “In the political administrative structure of India, conventionally, four posts are very important — the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, the DM and the inspector. They epitomise the power structure.But now the DM is his new avatar, has become the focal of good governance and delivery.”

Mr.Paswan said, DMs have become the “focal point of good governance and delivery.”

Dr. Jitendra Singh is associated with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and said, “Express has done what we would be doing”.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing Director of the Express Group, said, “The question was: What is the responsibility of the Express in doing justice to the sweeping change around us? Of course, one way is to keep raising the bar in the newsroom by doing more investigative stories and explanatory journalism. But what is our responsibility beyond the newsroom? Can we find a way to record change, by listening to those who script it? Young Indians who have brought realistic idealism to their professionalism and refuse to give way to cynicism and despair. And the answer was the biennial Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards.”

The winners were selected by an eminent jury, headed by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha and comprising Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, former chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities and the first Chief Information Commissioner of India, Ms. Nirupama Rao, India’s Foreign Secretary, Mr. K M Chandrasekhar, former Cabinet Secretary. KPMG, the knowledge partner for the awards, conducted a thorough check on the parameters of innovation, impact, implementation and people participation for all the entries. The shortlist was then verified by reporters and editors of The Indian Express by field visits and an audit after which the jury chose the winners.