Gujarat Hardlook | Bridging the gap, a work in progress

These reforms are being implemented based on the recommendations of the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission (GARC).

Constituted in February this year and headed by Principal Adviser to the Chief Minister and former union finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the GARC has received over 3,500 suggestions on its official website so far, officials told The Indian Express.

Physical recommendation boxes with QR codes have been installed in government offices across the state and several of these suggestions from the general public have shaped some of the GARC reports.

Along with furniture and vehicle disposal protocol for old furniture and fleet used by government departments, repairing of toilets, installation and repairing of air-conditioners across departments has been implemented, officials said.

Other GARC recommendations such as QR code-based payments for government services, live-tracking of public transport buses, and postal delivery of documents like caste certificate, income certificate and ration card are at various stages of implementation, say officials.

From how office spaces in the government should be, to spending of funds, implementing the Single Sign-On (SSO) system, transparency in appointments to encouraging optimisation of public transport, the GARC has till date put out five reports since March 2025 and recommendations of some of which are in the process of implementation.

Centred around the Kaizen philosophy (a Japanese concept that means “change for the better” or “improvement”), the commission hopes to see the reforms as a continuous work in progress.
The reforms look toa “reduce pain points in transacting with the government and nudge all the departments to offer a seamless experience for the citizens”, the second GARC report had said.

The report had noted that citizens and external stakeholders seeking to understand government policies face the daunting task of navigating hundreds of departmental websites, circulars and notifications. “The current information asymmetry undermines the principles of transparent and efficient governance,” it said.

Recognising that transparent governance requires not only availability of information but also its accessibility in a user-friendly format, the GARC proposed a citizen-centric portal that hosts systematic consolidation of all government resolutions (GRs) by thematic topics, enabling efficient indexing, keyword search functionality and unified access.

The finance department issued a circular on September 9 for preparation of estimates for the next financial year (2026-27) and revised estimates for 2025-26 in which it mandates compliance with the recommendations of the GARC, according to a note The Indian Express has seen.

A senior member of the commission told The Indian Express, “Every suggestion is reviewed and those with implementation potential are mapped to departments with draft formats provided. A formal acknowledgment from the commission will soon be issued to contributors whose ideas have been adopted. Responsiveness is our foundation. In most cases, we have provided draft government resolutions, implementation formats and department-specific action pathways. This ensures that our proposals move swiftly from ideation to execution, without getting lost in abstraction. Together, we have conducted over 50 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) across departments and cadres—including direct consultations with Secretaries of key departments. These FGDs are not symbolic—they are the backbone of our reform process, enabling us to test ideas, refine recommendations, and build ownership across the system”.

Calling this embedded and consultative model as the biggest achievement, the GARC member says this reflects a shift from ‘top-down reform’ to ‘participatory governance redesign’.

“It also ensures that our recommendations are not only technically sound but also administratively feasible and politically aware,” the GARC member said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Principal Secretary (Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs) Mona Khandhar, who is also a member of the GARC, said many of the recommendations are in the implementation stage.

“Many of the recommendations, including single sign in for citizens integrating all the government schemes so that all citizens have a single digital identity and there is no need for them to log in again and again, for ease of doing governance are in the implementation process. Also, upgrade of government websites under the Department of Science and Technology, which was already initiated, has been expedited,” Khandhar said.

GSRTC: A case study

A case in point is the public transport system operated by the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), which covers the entire state and some border areas of the neighbouring states.
The GSRTC operates a massive fleet of 8,322 buses across 125 depots, conducting 41,446 daily trips and catering to 25.18 lakh passengers.

The GARC found that although GSRTC tops the country in online bookings with around 75,000 daily reservations, most of them are advance bookings. The immediate travel needs depend on cash transactions, leading to “inconvenient delays”.

The commission noticed that the absence of real-time information systems led to long wait times during peak hours and underutilised buses during off-peak hours, requiring a need for “intelligent scheduling.”

The GARC notes that although the corporation covers 99.34 per cent of villages and 99 per cent of Gujarat’s population, the system’s user experience lags behind contemporary digital standards. The commission recommended : (a) enabling UPI-based payment systems for seamless ticket purchases, (b) real-time information displays for bus schedules and occupancy, (c) integrated fare systems (single pass) across all public transport modes (GSRTC, metros, BRTS, city buses), and (d) QR code-based passenger feedback mechanisms for continuous service improvement.

A senior government official told The Indian Express, “Since all GSRTC buses have an embedded GPS, live data of all these buses is already available at the backend. This can be made available through an app or a similar system for live tracking of the buses. Similarly, payment of tickets through UPI code available with the conductors is also being worked out”.

Among the pain points the commission identified in Gujarat’s administrative systems were how the decentralisation was limited and technology was under-leveraged and monitoring and evaluation was weak, affecting the last mile delivery to citizens.

“Our goal is clear – to future-proof Gujarat’s administrative architecture and ensure that governance becomes a true enabler of dignity, opportunity and trust for every citizen. This is not just a reform exercise, it is a commitment to building a responsive, transparent, and accountable administration that can meet the aspirations of every citizen by 2047,” a GARC member said.

The official asserted that although the GARC draws inspiration from states such as Kerala and Karnataka, its thematic actions are designed “to equip every government official with practical tools to deliver better outcomes”.

“Our recommendations are not sweeping ideas; they are precise, department-owned, and implementation-ready. Our approach is equally distinct,” the member explained.

The official stresses that while the ARCs in other states are headed by retired officers, the GARC is driven by serving officers—”individuals who have spent years in the field and understand the granular challenges of governance”.

“Their insights are complemented by a secretariat trained in public policy, data analytics and research methodology. This blend ensures that our reports are both grounded in administrative reality and rigorous in design,” the official added.

For sharing details of action taken online – Kerala and Karnataka have been doing it – the GARC website will have an “Action Taken” section within the next few months, the official said.

“While most Administrative Reforms Commissions typically publish “Action Taken” updates after 2–3 years of groundwork, Gujarat’s ARC — established only in late February this year — has launched a dedicated website for citizen engagement, released five thematic reports and initiated wide-ranging stakeholder consultations, official sources said.

Pain points identified by GARC

1. Fragmented administrative structures that hinder agility and inter-departmental coordination

2. Inefficient manpower deployment, with skill mismatches and limited performance-linked systems

3. Resource utilisation gaps in financial planning, expenditure tracking, and outcome budgeting

4. Limited decentralisation, which affects last-mile service delivery and restricts local governance autonomy

5. Under-leveraged technology, with legacy systems impeding seamless, citizen-facing service delivery

6. Weak monitoring and evaluation frameworks, resulting in inadequate feedback loops and accountability gaps

Areas covered by GARC reports so far

Human Resource Management Reforms

-Enhancing and optimising cadre strength as per the increase in the state budget

-Work allocation and portfolio restructuring

-Requisite changes in work culture and methods for enhanced productivity

Performance appraisal

-Revamping the Human Resource Management System

-Universal usage of HRMS for effective management of employee talent

-Designing metrics for performance appraisal

Information Technology and e-government reforms

-Redesigning government platforms, portals, and service delivery mechanisms

-Creating robust infrastructure for databases & storing citizens’ & administrative data

-Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Reforms in Public Finance

-Analysis of allocation and expenditure patterns

-Developing capacities for auditing the performance of schemes

-Effective debt utilisation

-Asset monetisation and identification of novel revenue sources

Reforming urban local bodies & panchayats

-Devolution of powers to local levels

-Capacity building of these institutions

-Review of the decentralised institutional design

Other state models in GARC reports

Telangana’s ‘TS ePass’ system launched in 2014, consolidating 14 scholarship schemes across various departments into a single portal- facilitating online applications and disbursement of scholarships to eligible SC, ST, BC, EBC and Disabled Welfare Students. The system processed (facilitated and disbursed) over 90 lakh student applications in the past 4 academic years. In 2024-25, Rs 929 crore was disbursed to 7.20 lakh pre-matric and post-matric beneficiaries.

Odisha implemented “Odisha Scholarship Portal” integrating 21 scholarship schemes of six major departments. Key achievements include reduction in administrative costs, elimination of duplicate beneficiaries through Aadhaar-based verification, and high beneficiary satisfaction rate through unified grievance redressal.

Maharashtra’s “Mahadbt Portal” consolidated schemes across departments, serving 1.2 crore students annually. An amount of Rs 7,227.58 crore was disbursed as scholarships by 10 departments of Maharashtra government during 2018-19 and 2019-20 through the online DBT system.

Kerala’s ‘E-Grantz’ system unified several pre-matric and post-matric scholarship schemes with biometric authentication and AI-powered document verification. Results include faster application processing, increase in scheme uptake among tribal students and comprehensive tracking of educational outcomes.

Rajasthan consolidated multiple smaller grants into a unified “Panchayat Raj Fund” managed at district levels, reducing multiple funding streams like discretionary, backward area grants and discretionary festival grants, streamlining disbursement and allocation protocols. Grants now flow through a unified channel and decisions are aligned with Gram Sabha resolutions.

Andhra Pradesh’s university internship programme placed undergraduate and engineering students in district and mandal offices to assist with planning and technical mapping. Similarly, under the Government of India’s NATS program, states like Maharashtra and Odisha use graduate apprentices for developmental engineering assignments, often mentored by retired engineers. A notable practice from Kerala’s People’s Plan was the mobilisation of a Technical Volunteer Corps of retired experts and graduate volunteers to help gram panchayats with project design and vetting, addressing local staff shortages. These approaches highlight the potential of student apprenticeships and expert volunteering to bolster technical capacity for local-level planning.

People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) — Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, etc.

Under the People’s Plan Campaign, states implement a standardised planning calendar: Gram Panchayats prepare development plans with fixed timelines for surveys, Gram Sabha approval, and consolidation into Block Panchayat Plans, State Plans.

Sikkim – “Aafno Gaon Aafai Banau” Integrated Planning
The Sikkim state development initiative mandates village plan preparation with clear timing: participatory rural appraisal, gap analysis, and prioritised Gram Sabha-backed plans, feeding into district-level plan by December

Karnataka’s District Planning Division issues annual calendar guidelines for preparing Village Development Plans through April (survey) to December (District plan finalisation), including specification of stages for technical estimates and administrative approvals.

Tamil Nadu pioneered the State Balanced Growth Fund (SBGF) in 2012, which identified 100+ most backward blocks using a composite index of socio-economic indicators (poverty, income, health, education, gender disparities). Special grants were given to these blocks, and critically, the list of target blocks is revisited periodically as development indicators change. This is a close parallel to what Gujarat envisages: using a scientific index to drive resource allocation at sub-district level. The SBGF also mandated preparing block-level Perspective Plans and focused on convergence of schemes in those areas.

First Movers: Kerala, Karnataka

Kerala saw four ARCs, with the first one during the Left government headed by EMS Namboodiripad in 1957, the first elected government of the state after its formation in 1956. The commission had then circulated a questionnaire inviting suggestions from organisations,institutions, service associations and individuals against which it received 114 responses which were taken into account. Two of the ARCs were headed by the then chief ministers, while the fourth was headed by a former CM. The ARCs have submitted 14 reports and its website lists the actions taken against the recommendations in each of the reports.

Karnataka constituted its first ARC in 2000, under the chairmanship of member of legislative council Haranahalli Ramaswamy. This commission made 256 recommendations of which 234 were implemented. The second KARC was a one-man body with retired IAS officer Vijay Bhaskar as its chairman. This commission made 5,039 recommendations of which only 99 had been implemented. The commission’s term was extended and MLA and former minister R V Deshpande was appointed chairman last year. So far, of the total 5,228 recommendations, 1,852 have been implemented. The KARC has submitted nine reports so far, the last on October 16, 2025, with 449 recommendations.

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