Government puts up 'idea boxes' seeking out-of-box suggestions

NEW DELHI: In its quest to seek out-of-the- box solutions to governance-related matters, the government has put up 'idea boxes' inside the power corridors of North Block which houses the ministries of Personnel and Home Affairs among others.

These wooden boxes mentioning 'idea box' and ' vichar petika' have been installed at prominent places in the North Block by the Department of Personnel and Training ( DoPT), inviting ideas from officials and visitors.

"There are suggestion boxes at government offices but they have not received the desired response. This innovative measure of 'idea boxes' will encourage people to drop in any suggestion they may have on governance-related matters. All suggestions received through 'idea boxes' will be promptly looked into," a senior DoPT official said.

The idea boxes have been installed on the ground, first and second floors of the North Block, he said.

The 'idea boxes' have been installed to seek innovative ideas especially from the employees to improve the functioning of the department and to create a conducive work culture, the official said.

The DoPT has also come out with a series of initiatives to boost the morale of its employees. The measures include giving certificate of excellence and selecting employee of the month to honour good work done by employees, training of the employees with specific focus on department related functions, appointment of grievance redressal officers and open house interaction with the minister and senior officials.

The DoPT has written to other ministries and departments to consider adopting these new measures as a human resource management tool to motivate industrious employees.

The central government has also started a website -- www.mygov.nic.in -- to ensure good governance with people's participation. People can give suggestions on various new initiatives taken by the government including 'clean Ganga' and 'digital India'.