Measures to improve Work Culture and Transparency

Several new and innovative measures have been initiated to improve work culture, transparency, accountability and achieve better results during the last 5 years in this Ministry.

To improve work culture, transparency, accountability and achieve better results some new/innovative measures that have been adopted are:

• Use of Information and Communication Technology for compilation, dissemination and submission of information is being done.
• To ensure transparency, online Public Grievance/ Right to Information System/ Bhavishya Portal has been initiated for online disposal of Public Grievance/RTI/Pension matters.

• For clearance of import & export certification of agriculture commodities i.r.o Plant Quarantine, an online Plant Quarantine Information System (PQIS) is being implemented. All guidelines, Standards, SOPs and timelines for clearance of import & export etc. have been uploaded in the public domain.
• For registration of pesticides, a Computerized Registration of Pesticide (CROP) portal is being implemented. Details of The Insecticide Act, 1968, its rules, amendments (if any), details of registered/banned pesticides, pesticides in schedule, minutes of Registration Committee meetings etc. are regularly being updated in the public domain.
• Public Guarantee System (PGS)- India portal for certification of organic produce, Jaivik Kheti Portal for Marketing and one MIS for MOVCDNER scheme are operational.
• PFMS is operational for accounting and bills settlement, purchase is through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Portal, marking attendance is through biometric machine.
• Observance of Swachatta and keeping office premises neat and clean, ensuring regular sanitization, thermal scanning and oximeter for COVID-19 pandemic protection.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Agriculture Mechanization (https://agrimachinery.nic.in) and Centralized Farm Machinery Performance Testing Portal (https:// agrimachinery.nic.in) applications have been developed to improve transparency and accountability in transfer of subsidy amount in beneficiaries account and execution & monitoring of all activities related to testing of agricultural machines at Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes at M.P, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.
• The online process of disposal of non-seeds through e-auction from 2019 onwards has been started by National Seeds Corporation (NSC).
• The PoS machines for promoting cashless transactions have been introduced in all our sale counters from December 2016 onwards by NSC.
• E-tenders introduced to purchase seeds which are not available with the Corporation for which e-portal established during 2015-16 onwards by NSC.

The following positive impact has been seen:

• Punctuality of the staff has increased.

• Purchase in the office has become easy and time efficient through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.
• Most public grievances including RTI application/appeals have been disposed off/resolved within the stipulated time frame.
• Various measures taken as described above have created an overall positive impact on all officer/staff and work culture and efficiency has increased over the years.
• Better service delivery to stakeholders including State governments, farmers etc. has been ensured.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Rajya Sabha.