Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is a Ministry of the Government of India that is responsible for personnel policies and strategies for the Central Government workforce, as well as administering public grievances and pensions. The ministry was formed in 1985 and has since played a crucial role in managing the human resources of the Central Government and ensuring the effective delivery of public services.

The ministry is headed by a Cabinet Minister, who is assisted by a Minister of State. The current Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is Dr. Jitendra Singh, who assumed office on 30 May 2019.

Departments and Functions

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions comprises three departments:

• Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT): This department is responsible for framing personnel policies, managing the recruitment and training of civil servants, and administering the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other central services.
• Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG): This department is responsible for promoting administrative reforms and redressing public grievances. It acts as a facilitator for the dissemination of good governance practices and provides a platform for citizens to voice their grievances against the government.
• Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW): This department is responsible for formulating policies related to pensions and ensuring the welfare of pensioners. It administers various pension schemes for central government employees, including the National Pension System (NPS).

Some of the key functions of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions include:

• Formulation of personnel policies and strategies for the Central Government workforce
• Recruitment, training, and capacity building of civil servants
• Promotion of good governance practices and administrative reforms
• Redressal of public grievances and ensuring citizen-centric service delivery
• Administration of pensions and ensuring the welfare of pensioners
• Implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005

Key Initiatives and Reforms

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has undertaken several initiatives and reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Central Government workforce and ensure better service delivery to citizens. Some of the key initiatives include:

• Mission Karmayogi: Launched in 2020, Mission Karmayogi is a national programme for civil services capacity building. It aims to prepare Indian civil servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, energetic, enabling, transparent, and technology-enabled.
• e-Office: The e-Office project aims to digitize government offices and promote paperless work culture. It has been implemented in several ministries and departments, leading to improved efficiency and transparency in government functioning.
• Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS): CPGRAMS is an online platform that allows citizens to lodge their grievances against the government and track their redressal. It has helped in improving the responsiveness of government departments to public grievances.
• National Pension System (NPS): The NPS is a contributory pension scheme launched in 2004 for government employees. It has since been extended to all citizens, providing them with a flexible and portable retirement savings option.
• Lateral Entry: In 2018, the government introduced lateral entry into the civil services, allowing experts from the private sector and academia to join the government at senior levels. This reform aims to bring in fresh talent and expertise into the bureaucracy.

Training and Capacity Building

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions lays significant emphasis on the training and capacity building of civil servants. The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie is the premier institution for the training of IAS officers. The ministry also runs several other training institutions, such as the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM) and the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG).

Public Grievances and Citizen-Centric Governance

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has been at the forefront of promoting citizen-centric governance and ensuring the effective redressal of public grievances. The CPGRAMS portal has been a significant step in this direction, providing a centralized platform for citizens to lodge their grievances and track their redressal.

The ministry has also been promoting the use of technology for improving service delivery to citizens. Initiatives such as the Jeevan Pramaan (Digital Life Certificate) and the Bhavishya (Pension Sanction and Payment Tracking System) have helped in streamlining pension-related processes and ensuring timely delivery of benefits to pensioners.