South District Collectorate awarded ISO certification

PURAN TAMANG
NAMCHI: The South District Collectorate has become the first government department in the State to be awarded with an ISO certificate (ISO 9001: 2008).
Addressing a press conference here today, the DC [South], AK Singh, said that the certification was a result of the kind of work carried out by the administration and the transparency and people-centric work-culture adopted in the public delivery system.
He added that they planned to institutionalise similar functioning and services at all offices of the district and informed that an independent website has also been developed and that the collectorate will soon be publishing a magazine as well.

The ISO Certificate, issued on 25 March, is awarded following a appraisal of the scope of administrative control and monitoring of various activities within the jurisdiction of the office of the District Magistrate.
Speaking in the context of proper administration and quality management systems, the DC spoke about the improvement in the Certificate of Identification (COI) system, which, he informed, is now software-based and people-friendly.
He also informed that a grievance cell has also been established from where grievances are sent to concerned departments for quicker redressal.
The DC also thanked the panchayats and the public of South Sikkim for making the single-window system at District Administrative Centre, Namchi, successful.
With regard to improvement in the system, he said that COI can be now obtained within 15 days instead of the 30 days it used to take earlier. The verification process takes 10 days while the remaining time is taken for the paperwork, he informed.
The DC also stressed that “middlemen” who promise prompt and better service in obtaining a COI should not be entertained by the people and said that such preying should be eradicated. In this regard, he invited media-persons to come forward and assist the administration.
The problem of fake COIs is being minimized through the improved COI system as it is data-based and records maintained and accessed better, he added.
Here, he informed that in order to get an update on the status of one’s COI or any other application, people can call - 9932291066.
All the employees of South District administration have been instructed to display their identity cards prominently so that people can lodge complaints against employees who fail to deliver on their responsibilities.  
“Since the certificate can be withdrawn by the issuing authority on poor performance, it is not only a matter of pride but also of great responsibility,” the DC added.
He also extended his thanks to Chief Minister Pawan Chamling for his direct intervention in insisting for people-friendly administration which has finally received favourable attestation. He also thanked the concerned Secretary, his colleagues and the entire staff, “without whose support this would not have been possible”.