workshop on Implementing Service Level Bench Marking in Urban Local Bodies in Himachal

Shimla---Department of Urban Development today organized one day workshop on Implementing Service Level Bench Marking in Urban Local Bodies in Himachal Pradesh. The main focus of the workshop was to improve professional skill besides assessing current levels of urban service delivery system to citizens through all 49 local bodies of the State.

Dr. Purnima Chauhan, Director Urban Development, while inaugurating workshop, apprised the participants that the 13th Finance Commission had evolved a mechanism of linking a part of the annual grant flows to Himachal Pradesh to the level of performance achieved by Urban Local Bodies in four service sectors. These included sewerage, water supply, storm water drainage and solid waste management and these sectors were the focus of such assessment in first phase. She said that these sectors emphasizes critically on the quality of daily to day life and fragile environment of the State.

She said performance mapping would calculate outputs like improving consumer satisfaction levels. She said that regular flow of grants would be possible only if attention was paid to the increasing need for developing our scarce natural, physical, built, heritage and financial resources in an optimal manner. The Urban Local Bodies had been urged to involve citizen groups in their drive so that pro-active civic society could be persuaded to participate in taking maximum benefits from such an initiative.

She said that such workshop was important platform for emphasizing the need to use modern information technology tools so that quick information flow could help in prompt redressal of citizen grievances besides ensuring close monitoring of progress made in service sectors. She said that the staff at the

directorate level was also being imparted this knowledge so that they could act as facilitator to guide the Urban Local Bodies towards desired achievement levels.

She said that the Workshop would also help the functionaries of ULBs to work in more improved and scientific manner, which would ultimately help in improving the service delivery system.

Two members team from Administrative Staff College of India, Hydrabad, including Ms. Priyanka Kulkarni, Senior Research Associate and Sh. Adnan Diwan, Senior Research Associate gave power point presentation on service level bench marking. They also elaborated the method that Urban Local Bodies need to adopt to calculate current efficiency and effectiveness level for providing sewerage, water supply, storm water drainage and solid waste management services to the citizens. They said the Urban Local Bodies were taught how to visualize and set targets for improving these services from time to time to secure the desired outcomes.

Earlier, Dr. K.D. Lakhanpal, Additional Director, Urban Development welcomed the participants.

The detailed discussion on city level service bench marking computation of indicators and data validation was also held on the occasion followed by an interactive session.

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