Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 21 : Under the tenure of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the Gujarat Government has announced the implementation of the ‘Atal Good Governance Award’ scheme to recognise and encourage outstanding performance by government officials. 
Under the scheme, officials who contribute significantly to citizen-centric administration and good governance will be honoured every year with an award and certificate.
As per the General Administration Department (GAD) resolution, the Atal Good Governance Award Scheme has been implemented from the financial year 2025-26 and will continue in the coming years. 
Performance will be evaluated annually from April 1 to March 31. Notably, this scheme has been introduced as part of the state’s initiatives to promote good governance during the year-long celebrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 100th birth anniversary, which began on December 25, 2024.
 Under the scheme, the best-performing officials from seven departments will be identified, evaluated and honoured every year.
This scheme covers a total of seven departments of the state. The performance of officials directly connected with citizens at the district and taluka levels will be evaluated under the scheme. 
The seven departments include the Health and Family Welfare Department, where Chief District Health Officer (CDHO), Class-1 officers will be eligible for the award. Under the Education Department, District Education Officer (DEO) / District Primary Education Officer (DPEO), Class-1 officers in the education sector will be covered under the award. In the Roads and Buildings Department, Executive Engineers, Class-1, involved in development-oriented infrastructure works at the district level will be considered for the award. For the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, the performance of District Supply Officers (DSO), Class-1, will be evaluated under this department. 
From the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, District Sports Officers (DSO), Class-2, will be eligible for the award. Under the Panchayats, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department, Taluka Development Officers (TDO), Class-2, entrusted with important responsibilities at the taluka level, have been included. Additionally, under the Revenue Department, Mamlatdars, Class-2, who play an important role in revenue administration, will also be awarded under this scheme.
Under the scheme, Class-1 officers will receive a cash award of Rs. 31,000 and Class-2 officers will receive Rs. 21,000. Each winning officer will also receive a ‘Certificate of Excellence - Atal Good Governance Award’ recognising their dedication to public service, citizen-centric administration and contribution to strengthening good governance in the state.
Officials will be selected based on performance criteria and evaluation parameters set by the respective departments, rather than routine performance alone.
As per the GAD resolution, separate evaluation committees will be constituted in the concerned departments to assess the outstanding performance of officials. For officials covered under categories 1 to 5, the committee will be headed by the Secretary of the respective department. It will include the Head of the concerned department and the Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary/Deputy Secretary of the concerned establishment.
On the other hand, arrangements have also been made at the district level for evaluating the performance of Taluka Development Officers and Mamlatdars. For evaluation of their respective performance, a committee headed by the District Collector will include the District Development Officer, District Superintendent of Police and Resident Deputy Collector.
In addition, separate arrangements have been prescribed at the respective departmental levels for Taluka Development Officers and Mamlatdars. For Panchayat-related performance, the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary, Panchayat, will be the chairperson, while for Revenue-related performance, the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary, Revenue, will be the chairperson.
Officials will be selected based on the prescribed performance criteria and ranked from 1st to 3rd after evaluation. The selection process will evaluate officials based on performance criteria and identify outstanding performance.
The scheme sets a clear timeline for the entire award process. The concerned departments must complete the evaluation by November 30 every year and send the names of the winners, award certificates and cheques to the Vasutapar-2 Branch of the General Administration Department by December 10.
The respective departments will cover the award expenses from the grants approved under ‘0500 - Awards’ in their budgets. Winning officials will be advised to use the prize money before the cheque expires.
The ‘Atal Good Governance Award’ Scheme will officially recognise the performance of officials directly involved in government services at the district and taluka levels across key sectors such as health, education, roads and buildings, supplies, sports, panchayat and revenue. 
Under the scheme, officials will be evaluated annually, with winners selected and honoured with certificates and cash awards at the Good Governance Day programme on December 25, giving formal recognition to their outstanding performance.