Governance during the lockdown: Samagra’s experience

When the first murmurs of Covid-19 started surfacing, no one could have imagined that the pandemic would fundamentally alter how the world operates. With change becoming the new normal, it is not surprising that governance in Indian states is also undergoing rapid transformation. What is surprising though, and pleasantly so, is how well governments are adjusting to this changed reality.

In the 1.5 months since the national lockdown was announced, there have been several changes in the way government functions: at a procedural as well as programme management level. In our experience working with four states, we are seeing the state administration not only altering how it operates on a daily basis but also how it delivers on key mandates using a forward-looking lens.

Government meetings

Even as the calendars of private sector employees become blocked with Zoom calls, governments have taken to video-conferencing in a big way. Unhindered by the absence of in-person interactions, states have started leveraging video calls for reviews, not just at the state level, but right down to the district and block level. In Uttar Pradesh, Google Hangouts is being used extensively for orientation and review meetings, in some cases with more than 100 participants. In Himachal Pradesh, routine reviews at the district and block level are now conducted through Zoom calls. In Haryana, the results of a state-wide third-party assessment were released via a WebEx call with 250+ district and block officials. The state’s IT Department is also planning ahead and has procured 3,000 Microsoft Teams licenses on trial so that eventually all departments can leverage it for video calls.

This switch has led to several efficiency gains because normally the necessity of physical presence would require officials from different parts of the state to travel long distances to the capital for meetings.

Unlocking efficiency levers

The need for speed in responding to the pandemic has percolated across the system with long-pending reforms meant to improve operational efficiency now getting fast-tracked. In Haryana, e-office, a mechanism to facilitate the electronic movement of files across government departments, has been in discussion for several years. In the last 1.5 months, however, the state has spurred into action to implement the same across departments. Similarly, the state has been trying to institutionalize the use of a Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to bring the service records of more than 3 lakh government employees to a centralized portal capturing details such as leave records, transfers, promotions for a long time. Now the state is trying to implement HRMS swiftly so that government employees don’t have to go to multiple offices to submit physical applications.

In general, there is now an increased pull within the government to adopt technological systems that can reduce the need for paper files and therefore minimise the need for physical interaction between citizens and government, and between government officials themselves.

Systemic reforms paying off

We are seeing previous investments in systemic governance reforms helping states manage Covid-19 in ways they would not have envisioned before.

Over the last 2 years, the Haryana government has streamlined public service delivery through an online portal called Antyodaya Saral. This portal brought more than 500 government schemes and services across 38 departments to one platform, which meant that citizens could apply to any of them without visiting multiple government offices. Today, Saral has become the state’s default mechanism to manage approvals processes. Saral is being used to issue movement passes to citizens for emergencies/ essential services. The Saral helpline, launched initially to help citizens register queries/grievances related to government services/schemes, has now been converted into a Covid relief helpline for informal sector workers. After the Central government allowed partial resumption of economic activities, Haryana directed all industries/commercial establishments to apply for passes to seek approval for resuming operations through the Saral platform. More than 60,000 such applications have been received on the portal till date, of which 35,000 have been approved, cumulatively bringing more than 30 lakh workers back to work.

The Chief Minister's Good Governance Associates programme, a collaboration between the Government of Haryana and Ashoka University, has been running since 2016. The programme recruits 22 young professionals to work in the 22 districts of Haryana to drive the implementation of the Chief Minister’s policy priorities. The current cohort, which will be concluding its fellowship in June, has been at the frontline providing critical support to district administrations in managing Covid by helping implement telemedicine and mental health programmes, distribute essentials through PDS, facilitate home delivery of groceries, besides taking up other initiatives.

To facilitate the disbursal of Covid economic assistance, Odisha has extensively leveraged its database of small and marginal farmers, and landless labourers. This database was created to implement the state’s direct cash transfer scheme, KALIA, in December 2018, covering 51 lakh farmers. Having a ready database of the most vulnerable population in the state meant the government could ensure money reached beneficiaries in lightning speed.

Teaching 2.0

With educational institutions unlikely to reopen soon, states have designed mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted learning. Within a week of the lockdown announcement, Himachal Pradesh launched a home-based learning programme for government school students through which teachers are recording videos with lessons, sending them through WhatsApp, and responding to questions from students. The state has also created a website with digital learning content for classes 1-12, which had 4.77 lakh users within 20 days of its launch. In Haryana, each day teachers are sending videos and worksheet links on 200+ WhatsApp groups to reach students. SCERT and multiple academic partners are creating content for this e-learning initiative. In Uttar Pradesh, parents of students in elementary grades are being encouraged to home school children through games, quizzes and videos available on an app. Additionally, educational content for classes 1-8 is broadcast for 1.5 hours daily on the state’s DD channel, also live streamed on YouTube.

Currently, nearly 60,000 students are enrolled in Haryana’s government-run Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), many of which have been converted into quarantine facilities. To prevent any disruption in training, the state launched an e-Skilling initiative through a YouTube live, attended by more than 2,200 ITI principals, trainers and Department of Skills officials. For this initiative, digital training content is being sourced from the Bharat Skills portal, videos created by ITI trainers, and QuestApp, which is providing interactive videos on employability skills. This content is being disseminated to all 60,000 students through WhatsApp groups with weekly online assessments being held through Google forms. Over the last 3 weeks, ITI trainers have utilized their time to make 2.5 lakh masks. To help ITI graduates find employment, the state has launched Mistry Haryana. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, who have graduated from ITIs, can register themselves on this portal and citizens who need their services can get the contact details of the closest technician available in their area.

Over the last couple of months, we have seen the bureaucracy adapt and respond to the Covid crisis with much needed speed and foresight. It has also made evident that investment in systemic reforms pays off rich dividends in times of unprecedented crises.