Manish Das, Kaku Goswami and Mrinal Saikia are three names that the people of Assam can be proud of. They have defied the perception among the masses that Government employees generally do not work with zeal and enthusiasm for the amelioration of the plebeians.
The trio is among the 10-winners at the State-level of the Lok Seva Award, instituted by the Government of Assam to acknowledge, recognise, and reward the good performance of non-gazetted employees. Besides them, there are 89 others at the district level who have been bestowed the Award.
The award carries a citation, ₹ 25,000 and an extension of one year of their total service. Hence, an awardee of Lok Seva Award will be superannuated at the age 61 years.
The parameters of selecting the awardees were work ethics, punctuality, integrity, and any other yardstick which was decided by the committees constituted to select and evaluate the nominations received.
Saikia, a senior administrative assistant in the Finance Department, thanked the Government for recognising him. “I joined as a junior administrative assistant in 2013 and was promoted to senior administrative assistant in 2019. I am overjoyed today. It is a recognition of my sincere works over the years. This will enthuse employees to bring efficiency in their day-to-day functioning in the office,” he told Asom Barta on the sidelines of the event.
Goswami, a senior administrative assistant in the Department of Housing & Urban Affairs ,(T&CP) echoed Saikia. “I joined as a junior administrative assistant in 2010. Right from Day One, I have been performing my duties sincerely. I think this recognition comes to me for my sincere works over the years,” he said.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, in his speech, said that the celebration on July 5 marked the culmination of Mission Sadbhavana Phase I in Assam. He informed the gathering at the Dispur Playground that under the Mission, the Government could dispose of all petitions received in relation to 2.75 lakh files out of the 3.24 lakh files opened hitherto in the Assam Secretariat. These 2.75 lakh files will now be classified. Some files will still exist in physical form, some will be sent to the archives while a majority will be shredded. He launched the process of shredding of files in Janata Bhawan on the day.
Das testified to this approach of the Government. “I have been with the Personnel Department since the beginning of my service in the Assam Secretariat. I have noticed, especially in the last one year, that the Government has been emphasising to make the administration efficient. Sadhbhavna will go a long way in achieving this,” he said, unable to contain the joy of being a recipient of the Lok Seva Award.
The Chief Minister reiterated that beginning October 2, Assam Secretariat will become a digital or e-office to ensure that people from any part of the State or even outside can petition to the Government for their issues without physically making it to the Janata Bhawan.
Earlier, he paid tributes to Bharat Ratna Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi on his 72nd death anniversary and said that the day shall be celebrated as Lok Kalyan Diwas as a mark of respect to the first Chief Minister of Assam and his unparalleled service to the State and its people.
Minister, General Administration Department, Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah, Additional Chief Secretary, Transformation and Development Department, Paban Borthakur, were among those present in the meeting.