Inside The Secretariat: Homestay Policy, Incentive Scheme, & Endless Additional Charge

Your Location, Your Incentive!

For doing business in Gujarat, it is no longer enough to ask where the factory is located, the category of the taluka matters just as much. The Industries & Mines Department has undertaken a fresh classification of talukas for determining industrial incentives under the Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy-2026. The classification has been undertaken following the creation of new talukas in the state. Now, out of the total 268 talukas in the state, 130 have been placed in Category-A and 138 in Category-B. The interesting part is that a taluka’s category is not merely a colour on a government map—it could also change the colour of an industry’s incentive package. The quantum of incentives available to an industrial unit will depend on the eligibility criteria, conditions and other provisions prescribed under the respective incentive scheme. The classification has been issued after concurrence from the Finance Department. So, even after navigating the entire project process, an entrepreneur will have to check the taluka category too—because location is now a policy decision.

'Fine Wine' Economy

GIFT City’s ‘Wine and Dine’ arrangement is now spilling beyond the glass and into government statistics, as alongside finance, fintech and financial services, the ‘fine wine’ economy appears to be doing quite well too! Interestingly, only 3,716.28 litres were sold in the first year, while the figure shot up to 56,638.19 litres in the second year. That is quite a jump—as if GIFT City investors have started pursuing ‘Raising of Intake’ alongside ROI. The big question is whether this growth should be counted under ‘Ease of Doing Business’ or ‘Ease of Dining’. The government, too, has had its share in this glass, earning ₹87.39 lakh from the sales. The amusing part is that while one glass gets filled, the government’s coffers are filling up too. So, if anyone asks what GIFT City’s fastest-growing ‘sector’ is, it might be worth checking the Excise Department’s numbers before answering!

GPSC Is on the Waiting List

The Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC), which holds the steering wheel for recruiting officers into the state government, has a staffing problem of its own. Of the seven sanctioned members, only Chairman Hasmukh Patel and member Asha R. Shah are currently in place. Six chairs are empty. The commission that is expected to find the state its best officers is itself running with a skeleton team. The government says appointments to the vacant posts are “under consideration” at the government level. In bureaucratic vocabulary, “under consideration” is a wonderfully elastic phrase—it comes without a deadline. It can mean today, tomorrow, or several months from now. The irony gets sharper because GPSC advises the government on recruitment, appointments, promotions, transfers and disciplinary matters involving government employees. But when it comes to filling GPSC’s own vacant posts, the file appears to have joined the same waiting queue. For thousands of aspirants, government recruitment already means waiting for examinations, results and appointments. Now, the institution conducting those recruitments is waiting too. The candidates are on the waiting list. GPSC is on one as well.

Gujarat’s Endless Charge Culture

In government, Additional Charge is essentially meant for immediate administrative requirements and is not a substitute for a permanent arrangement. Yet, in Gujarat’s bureaucracy, it often turns into a temporary arrangement with no expiry date. At present, 2007-batch IAS officer Remya Mohan has been entrusted with not one but four duties. Along with her primary responsibility as Commissioner of Municipalities, she is also serving as the MD of Gujarat Urban Development Company and the Additional CEO of Gujarat Urban Development Mission. Now, she has also been given the Additional Charge of Secretary, Housing and Nirmal Gujarat. This is not the first time. In the past too, several officers have been assigned the Additional Charge of three or four departments simultaneously. Gujarat does not lack senior officers—in fact, there is a long list of officers waiting for important assignments. Yet, some posts continue to remain under Additional Charge for a prolonged period. The arithmetic of Additional Charge, therefore, remains one of those curious puzzles of Gujarat’s bureaucracy.

Recycle Waste, Not Files

This time, Gujarat is hosting the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) for the first time. From September 15 to 18, around 2,500 delegates from across the world will gather in Gandhinagar. The objective of the forum is to explore how economies can function with fewer resources, generate less waste, and keep products in the cycle of use, reuse and recycling for as long as possible. The basic idea of a circular economy is fairly simple — anything that can be reused, repaired, remanufactured or recycled should not simply be thrown away. Bureaucracy, too, may have developed its own peculiar version of a ‘circular economy.’ A file moves from one table to another, from one department to another, and eventually finds its way back to the department where it started. It may then be sent back for an ‘opinion’, only to begin yet another round of circulation. The only difference is that the objective of a circular economy is to conserve resources, while a circular filing system can end up consuming more of three things — time, manpower and the applicant’s patience.

The Homestay Test

Six years after Gujarat introduced its Homestay Policy to let tourists experience local families, traditional food, culture and lifestyles, only 270 homes have registered. And yes, even homes now have a star-like hierarchy—Silver, Gold and Platinum—certified by Gujarat Tourism. For the government, drafting a policy is the easy part; getting ordinary rural families into the tourism market, bringing them bookings and ensuring quality is the real bureaucratic test. If the model is to work beyond files and official launches, Gujarat Tourism will have to take tourism destinations from the government map to the doorstep of local homes. Often, families willing to host tourists are becoming victims of the slow and complicated processes of Gujarat Tourism Corporation, making it difficult for ordinary people to benefit from the policy. The numbers tell the story: in six years, only 270 homes have been registered as homestays—an average of just 46 homes a year.

When Experience Turns Costly!

Government often retains retired officers on contract or extension to make use of their experience. But the strategy can sometimes backfire. A recently retired Health Department officer was reportedly caught accepting a bribe while serving on extension and was subsequently removed. Now, a senior retired officer in the Urban Development Department—who had already received two extensions—has also been shown the door for reportedly serious reasons, ending hopes of a third extension. The message for the government is simple: experience is valuable, but an extension is not a certificate of good conduct. Before handing a retired officer another innings, the government may need to look not just at his past experience, but also at the files, decisions and controversies surrounding his previous innings. After all, in government service, retirement may end the tenure—but an extension or contract can sometimes derail the government’s own intentions.