Matribhumi Samachar English
Introduction.
The ‘Anubhav’ portal was launched in March 2015 as a platform to highlight and recognise the tireless contributions of retiring government officials.
This innovative project encourages retiring civil servants to document their experiences and insights gained during their years of service. The primary aim of this initiative is to create a rich repository of knowledge and wisdom that can serve as a foundation stone for future administrative reforms and good governance practices. It also allows them to convey information related to their contribution for enhancing the effectiveness of various Government policies.
To further motivate retiring government employees to share their experiences, an Annual Awards were started in 2016. Anubhav Awards 2024 honoured outstanding contributions by acknowledging the most impactful and insightful submissions.
Anubhav Awards 2024
The 7th Anubhav Awards Ceremony was held on August 28, 2024, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The ceremony was notable for its highest-ever representation of women awardees at 33%, reflecting their growing role in governance.
The awards, comprising 5 Anubhav Awards and 10 Jury Certificates, recognised outstanding contributions across various categories. The categories included Administrative Work, Good Governance, Research, Simplification of Procedures, Accounts, Field Work Contributions, and Constructive Feedback for Work Improvement.
The awards offered two levels of recognition:
1. Anubhav Awards: Recipients received a medal, a certificate, and an incentive of Rs. 10,000.
2. Jury Certificates: Honourees were presented with a medal and a certificate.
For the 2024 ceremony, contributions were received from 22 different ministries and departments. The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DOPPW) also conducted an extensive outreach campaign to encourage broader participation, including meetings with nodal officers and knowledge-sharing sessions on documentation.
The ceremony also featured the release of a short movie and citation booklet highlighting the 15 awardees’ professional achievements, underscoring the initiative’s role in preserving and sharing valuable civil service experiences for future governance improvements. Since its inception in 2016, the program has conferred 59 Anubhav Awards and 19 Jury Certificates.
It’s worth noting that the Jury Certificates were introduced in the 2023 Anubhav Awards Scheme. This addition aimed to broaden the scope of recognition and encourage greater participation from retiring and retired employees, ensuring their valuable experiences and insights receive wider acknowledgement and publicity.
Origin and Journey of Anubhav Awards
On the direction of the Prime Minister, the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) launched an online platform entitled ‘Anubhav’. It is a means for retiring employees to showcase significant achievements during their service period.
It also allows them to convey information related to their contribution to enhancing the effectiveness of the various Government policies. Anubhav Portal provides a Platform for retiring Government Employees to share their experiences while working in different sectors of the Government of India.
98 Ministries/ Departments/ Organizations have registered on the Anubhav Portal, and 10,804 write-ups have been published as of August 29, 2024. The retiring employees submit a write-up voluntarily of up to 5000 words on the 20 defined areas along with appropriate attachments, if needed, on the portal. The respective departments review the submitted write-ups, and approved write-ups are published on the Anubhav Portal.
The Anubhav Awards ceremony was started in 2016 as an annual feature to encourage retiring government employees to share their government experience on their retirement.
In the earlier four Anubhav Award ceremonies held in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, conferred the Anubhav Awards to 35 awardees.
Dr Jitendra Singh conferred Anubhav Awards to 15 awardees (5 Awards each for years 2019-2020, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022) in a ceremony held on October 18, 2022.
In the 2023 ceremony, ‘Jury Certificates’ were introduced alongside the existing Anubhav Awards to boost participation and visibility. 4 Anubhav Awards and 9 Jury Certificates recipients were conferred during the ceremony last year.
Conclusion
The Anubhav Awards initiative serves as a vital bridge between generations of civil servants, preserving retiring officials’ invaluable experiences and insights. This program creates a lasting legacy that guides and inspires future public servants by encouraging the sharing of hard-earned lessons and expertise. The Anubhav Portal, with its growing collection of write-ups, stands as a testament to the wealth of experience within the Indian civil service and ensures that this collective wisdom continues to shape and enhance public administration for years to come.
References
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1991524
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2049058
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1995472
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1969870
- https://dopt.gov.in/sites/default/files/AR2022-23English.pdf
- https://pensionersportal.gov.in/Anubhav/
- https://pensionersportal.gov.in/Anubhav/Documents/Citation%20booklet-2023.pdf
- https://informatics.nic.in/uploads/pdfs/838a32cc_3536.pdf
