Inside The Secretariat : CM’s Mantra, GST 2.0 & Vibrant Gujarat Preparations

First Hear Patiently, Then Act: Gujarat CM’s Message To His Team

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has one mantra for all his officers– IAS, Gujarat Administrative Service, as well as those involved in district administration – Be a good listener. 

Not long ago, he said, “It’s okay if government files are submitted a little late, but make sure to listen to the applicant who comes to your door and resolve their complaint quickly. If you don’t do that, they’ll return disappointed. And if someone does the same to you, you’ll feel twice as disappointed—because you are a government officer.” 

The Chief Minister has been giving such advice to administrative officers and staff in a light-hearted manner. Not just that. He has also offered guidance to officers from various departments. In cabinet meetings he has made it amply clear that poor performance will not work. Officials from the Chief Minister’s Office however have admitted that CM’s comments have had a noticeable impact on the work culture in many departments and government offices in the state.

Foreign Labels Rule the Corridors of Power

“Adopt Swadeshi” and “Vocal for Local”-- amid the tariff challenges, these pitches have further got amplified but the dominance of foreign goods has been on the rise – at least at Gandhinagar’s Sachivalaya– both old and new. Officers and employees here still have a fascination for imported products, sources said.

In the old Sachivalaya, Meena Bazaar is one such market where the highest number of imported items can be found, and employees are often eager to shop there. Interestingly, senior bureaucrats and top police officials, who run the administration, have also shown a preference for foreign goods. 

In this situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swadeshi plank has not shown much impact on Gujarat’s politics or bureaucracy. Wearing foreign-brand office wear is now a fashion. Moreover, with youngsters now entering the administration, still need to get habituated to purchasing our very own swadeshi products.

GST 2.0: Gujarat Officials To Now Get Into Real Number Crunching To Assess Revenue Loss

The state government has instructed certain selected departments to assess how citizens have taken to the sweeping changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure. That apart, there is apprehension not just in Gujarat but elsewhere too on the kind of revenue loss that states could incur due to the changes in the GST slabs. The Chief Minister’s Office has directed the Finance Department officials to analyse the impact and assess the estimated loss the Gujarat state treasury is likely to incur. 

Officials have been asked to calculate the impact of these tax reforms, estimate the immediate loss to the government, and analyze the potential long-term benefits. The officials of Gujarat’s Finance Department—particularly those in the State Tax and Commercial Tax departments—have already started the exercise. The Finance Department’s Additional Chief Secretary T. Natarajan and Rajeev Topno (1996 batch IAS), who was appointed as Chief Commissioner of State Tax in August 2024, have instructed their department officials to initiate the process of issuing an ordinance related to the changes in GST.

Mood At Sachivalya Upbeat As Preparations For Vibrant Gujarat Begin

Preparations for the 11th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) scheduled for January 2027 has begun. The Gujarat government has decided to organize four Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conferences (VGRC) over the next few months. About 20 IAS officers and their entire office staff have been asked to look into the summit preparations. 

Back to back meetings to stitch nitty gritties including invitations of the mega event are now a regular feature. Officials, especially from the Industries Department and its affiliated offices are primarily looking into the event planning. 

Interestingly, although Mondays and Tuesdays are usually reserved for appointments, officials are often seen occupied with event planning meetings. The pressure on officials is mounting to attract local, national, and state-level industrialists, business representatives, and various delegations to the conferences, with the ultimate goal of boosting investment figures. 

One officer involved in the planning noted that in 2023, when regional summits were held, the investment attracted was significant — but this time, the target set for them is three times higher. In addition, officials will have to ensure sizeable industry representation for the upcoming conferences.

UPSC Fever Growing Among Gujarati Youth

The craze to join the bureaucracy has caught on with the youth in Gujarat. So much so that the state government has set up 10 new IAS study centres in addition to the six centres of Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA). This will allow the youngsters to be better prepared for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). 

Of these, seven have been allotted to government universities and three to government colleges. Getting admission to these centres is not easy. Admission will be based on a common entrance test. Each class will have 100 seats. The coaching provided will be free though a deposit of Rs 2,500 will be charged. Students admitted must maintain 75 per cent attendance in these coaching classes. The age limit for admission has been set – between 20 and 32 years. Notably, 68 candidates have cleared the UPSC in the past three years. This year alone, more than 10,000 students appeared for the entrance exam at SPIPA’s coaching classes.

Urban Land Records Now Revenue Dept’s Job

Soon land records in urban areas of Gujarat under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) will be captured through the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA) Project.

Following the directives from the Centre, committees have been set up for this purpose. The project will be implemented by the office of the Gujarat Settlement Commissioner and Director of Land Records. At the state level, the Revenue Department has formed a committee chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary of the department. This committee comprises a total of 10 members and is required to meet once every three months to thrash out issues. An executive committee of 9 members, headed by the Settlement Commissioner, will oversee the project’s administrative matters, financial responsibilities, and training arrangements. This committee will hold meetings once a month. Additionally, at the district level, the committee will be chaired by the Collector and will include a total of seven members. The district-level committee is mandated to meet twice a month.

Guj Govt Wants To Embrace Social Media To Connect With Citizens

Gujarat government’s next focus will be to get tech savvy to reach out to citizens. 

Following the recommendations made by the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission (GARC), the state government has now started working on making official websites and other application processes  of different departments and public enterprises more user-friendly.

Not just that. 

Few departments have also started getting active on social media. They are even trying to connect with citizen on various social media platforms. In particular, under the guidance of Dr. Jayanti Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department, district collectors have launched podcasts to explain departmental reforms, new announcements, and policies or regulations. 

However, sources said that there are concerns too. Mostly, senior IAS officers have shied away from these platforms, due to concerns over fake accounts. 

In the last two years alone, over 12 fake social media accounts have been created in the names of IAS and IPS officers. Notably, when Pankaj Kumar was the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department, he had encouraged district collectors to be active on social media.

Transport Dept Rolls Out ‘Vehicle Retention Policy’

Ramesh Chandra Meena, Principal Secretary, Gujarat’s Transport Department, will introduce a Retention Policy to offer relief to vehicle owners in the state. 

Under this policy, vehicle owners will be able to retain the registration number of their old vehicle for their new vehicle. However, this will come with a prescribed fee, as per the rules, but owners will still be able to get their preferred number. 

However, there is a caveat. Implementation of  the system will entail car owners to adhere to certain conditions: The new vehicle must be purchased within 60 days of selling or scrapping the old vehicle. The old vehicle must have been registered in the same owner’s name for at least one year. 

This policy will especially benefit vehicle owners who have fancy or lucky numbers, allowing them to keep their preferred registration number even after upgrading or replacing their vehicle. Currently, vehicle owners often have to pay a hefty amount for such preferred numbers—this policy is expected to reduce that financial burden.