Inside The Secretariat: Our Weekly Round-Up From Gujarat

Collectors Told To Clear Files Quickly

News is that the state government has suddenly woken up to a persistent problem — disposal of pending files. With revenue files from some districts piling up, the government has ordered all collectors to clear them quickly and work to the satisfaction of applicants.

Reportedly, officers monitoring the Chief Minister's "dashboard" have been instructed to oversee compliance in each district, with files or representations that are not involved in disputes and are not in court instructed to be cleared first.

This came about after ruling party MPs and MLAs themselves alleged "lethargy in district offices", with many complaining that if even the work of public representatives was not being done on time, it would be wrong to expect citizens' works to be completed quickly.

An MLA has now admitted that work at district collector's offices has speeded up.

GMC To Spend Rs 300 Crore For Vibrant Gujarat Summit 

The state government has started early preparations for the 11th Vibrant Investors' Summit 2026. Already, Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) has prepared a Rs 300 crore urban renewal budget to develop streets and beautify roads.

After the 9th summit in 2019, the government had planned the next one in 2021 and another in 2022. But Covid disruptions had laid the advance Rs 50 crore expenditure to waste, and the next summit could only be organised in January 2024.

According to the budget release report, the government has spent an average of Rs 100 crore per summit over the last five editions. This time, GMC has decided to beautify the area from Raj Bhavan to Mahatma Mandir and from Airport Road to Tapovan Circle, while the state government has allocated the usual Rs 50 crore.

Defunct PSU Incurs Loss

As per the latest audit report, the Gujarat State Financial Corporation (GSFC), which had wrapped up operations in Gujarat 14 years ago, has nevertheless incurred a loss of Rs 119 crore, as it couldn't be wound up due to pending administrative processes.

Although the net worth of the public enterprise has completely declined, its financial statements are still prepared annually. Due to liquidated units, outstanding dues and other activities, this corporation, which is running with the help of only two officers and 11 employees, is no longer in a position to fulfill any obligations towards the government.

The aim of this entity was to achieve balanced regional growth by providing financial assistance to first-generation entrepreneurs to set up micro and small-scale units and create employment in the state.

It was shut down as the purpose was not served. But since it is listed on the stock exchange, a request for exemption from regulation was made to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which was not accepted.

In the last year alone, BSE Limited has imposed a penalty of Rs 46.17 lakh on the corporation.

Revenue Reforms in Budget Session?

It is likely that some important reforms related to the state revenue department will be presented in the ongoing budget session of the Legislative Assembly.

Some time ago, the government had constituted the Meena Committee under the chairmanship of a retired IAS to suggest reforms in revenue law. Although the committee submitted a 250-page report, no important recommendations have been announced yet.

Among important recommendations, especially those affecting farmers, are changes in tenancy of old and new land, ie, Gannotdhara (Gujarat Tenancy and Agricultural Land Act).

There are changes suggested in revenue court proceedings and the Revenue Act as well. The high command of the ruling party in the state has apparently given its approval to amend the law.

The aim of the amendment is to prevent land scams by officials, remove shortcomings and to bring in transparency.

PCB Officials 'Wash Away Sins' At Prayagraj Maha Kumbh

The latest joke doing the rounds is that officials of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) have washed away their "sins" at this year's Maha Kumbh.

It all began after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath organised a national-level conference on climate change and environment at Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela, where over 65 crore people were claimed to have "washed away their sins" by bathing at the Triveni Sangam.

With chairmen and member secretaries of PCBs of all states invited to attend the conference, GPCB officials took a dip in the river after the conference.

On learning of this incident, given that PCBs across the country have been facing problems, including various cases, GPCB employees have started joking that PCB officials have now washed away all their sins at Yogi Adityanath's Maha Kumbh.

Somnath Collector A Hit

Even as the rift between the Gir Somnath district collector Digvijaysinh Jadeja, and former BJP MP Dinu Solanki continues to widen — with Jadeja demolishing a construction erected by Solanki, alleging it to be illegal — the collector has emerged as a hero in bureaucratic circles across the state.

The collector has also resolved complex revenue cases pending for years by conducting night meetings in every ward and village, and ended alleged laxity in other local institutions.  

As per the grapevine in the ruling party and bureaucratic circles, Jadeja's initiative regarding pasture and state-owned land is being appreciated by the government, bringing collectors of other districts also on the radar.

In appreciation of the collector's proactive work, the government has reportedly given him the green signal to work without fear of any political leader. Now, other district collectors are said to become inspired by his courage.

Promoted IAS Will Have To Wait For New Postings

With the state assembly currently in session, it appears that the hope of the 15 officers of the Gujarat State Administrative Service (GSAS) who were recently promoted to the IAS cadre — that they would be quickly posted in jobs befitting the IAS cadre — is not a priority for the government.

With all existing posts of collector and district development officers in the state filled, these promoted officers will have to wait for some more time, and are currently being retained as GSAS officers.

A promoted IAS officer said that some GSAS officers are a few months away from retirement, so if they get a new posting quickly, they can work in that place for a longer period. It is worth mentioning that the age limit of a GSAS officer is 58 years, but after getting promoted as IAS, their service period increases by two years.