West Bengal bags five awards in smart governance

KOLKATA: The Government of West Bengal won a total of five Skoch Awards 2021 in four categories of governance. Skoch Foundation, India, organizes Smart Governance Award every year, to recognize top performing government governments and organisations working with governments across the nation, which are operating at local, state, and national levels in the areas of health, education, rural development, urban development, finance, agriculture, and transport.

The department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Textile of West Bengal won four out of the total five awards. The state’s single window system called ‘Silpa Sathi’, that provides single window service under the various applicable Acts, Rules, Policies and Schemes, won the platinum award, which is the highest category. An MSME project of the state involving auto-renewal of certificate of enlistment through online system for urban areas bagged the gold award. MSME and textile department won two silver awards for online deliverance of trade license in rural areas and e-nathikaran, e-preparation, and e-submission of deeds. West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited also bagged a silver award for sustainable performance as the second largest power utility with substantial transformation in IT.

Skoch foundation invites nominations every year from the governments and organisations offering exemplary governance practices in an ecologically and socio-culturally sustainable manner. Their award list recognizes the organisations that demonstrate innovation in governance practices while simultaneously adequately responding to local conditions. The aim of the award process is to set benchmark as it compares performance across sectors and states.