Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration

Context: Prime Minister of India conferred the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2024, and released two e-Coffee Table Books highlighting innovative governance models.

About Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration:

• What It Is? The award scheme, instituted by the Government of India, honours outstanding governance practices and innovations by districts, and state and central government organisations. It aims to motivate bureaucrats and institutions to deliver efficient and transparent public service.

• The award scheme, instituted by the Government of India, honours outstanding governance practices and innovations by districts, and state and central government organisations.

• It aims to motivate bureaucrats and institutions to deliver efficient and transparent public service.

• Best Award Winners & Innovations (2024):

• Gamharia Block (Jharkhand): Topped in Aspirational Block Programme for transformative development in health, nutrition, education, and infrastructure.

• Significance:

• Encourages evidence-based policymaking and citizen-centric governance. Promotes healthy competition among districts and ministries for effective implementation of priority schemes. Enhances replicability and scalability of successful models across India.

• Encourages evidence-based policymaking and citizen-centric governance.

• Promotes healthy competition among districts and ministries for effective implementation of priority schemes.

• Enhances replicability and scalability of successful models across India.

Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus

• GS Paper 2: Role of Civil Services in Democracy: Encourages performance-based evaluation and public service delivery through recognition of exemplary initiatives. E-Governance and Digital Governance: Promotes innovative digital governance tools recognized through e-Coffee Table Books and awarded initiatives.

• Role of Civil Services in Democracy: Encourages performance-based evaluation and public service delivery through recognition of exemplary initiatives.

• E-Governance and Digital Governance: Promotes innovative digital governance tools recognized through e-Coffee Table Books and awarded initiatives.

• GS Paper 3: Inclusive Growth and Regional Development: Recognizes efforts in underdeveloped regions, ensuring balanced development through evidence-based policymaking. Innovation in Governance: Encourages scalable and tech-driven models of governance that can be replicated across states.

• Inclusive Growth and Regional Development: Recognizes efforts in underdeveloped regions, ensuring balanced development through evidence-based policymaking.

• Innovation in Governance: Encourages scalable and tech-driven models of governance that can be replicated across states.

• Essay and Ethics Papers: Best Practice Case Studies in Public Administration: Provides real-life examples of governance innovation for use in ethics answers and essays.

• Best Practice Case Studies in Public Administration: Provides real-life examples of governance innovation for use in ethics answers and essays.