Dehradun: Uttarakhand Government Asset Management System (UK-GAMS), an innovative initiative of the Uttarakhand government, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Award 2024 for Excellence in Public Administration under the “Innovation – State category”. Provided by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). This national level award has been received by the state of Uttarakhand for the first time in the field of innovation. This important project was started on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
UK-GAMS addresses the challenges related to encroachment on government lands, lack of transparency and accountability through cutting-edge technology. It is an AI-based geospatial monitoring system, which digitizes, geo-fencing and effectively monitors government assets using high quality (50 cm resolution) satellite data and AI models developed in the state itself. Earlier, due to unorganized records, paper maps and lack of information between departments, land was misused. Or it was difficult to catch encroachment in time. UK-GAMS has brought about a drastic change in this situation by bringing all departments on an integrated, dynamic digital platform.
So far, more than 66,000 government assets in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand have been digitized and added to the UK-GAMS platform. So far, 188 land use changes have been identified and necessary action has been taken by the concerned departments. This has increased transparency in the state, stopped unauthorized construction and accelerated the pace of administrative action between various departments.
This honor is the result of the continuous efforts of the team of scientists of Uttarakhand Space Application Center (USAC) and their commitment to improve governance in the state through space and geospatial technological solutions. The project was successfully conceptualized, developed and implemented under the leadership of Mrs. Nitika Khandelwal, Director, USAC. She was awarded a certificate of appreciation by the Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for her outstanding contribution.
The ground level implementation model is also important behind the success of this system. Under this, more than 6,600 field officers and about 1,000 departmental supervisors from more than 60 departments and 47 autonomous bodies of the state have been trained.
This award is not only a matter of pride for the state of Uttarakhand, but also sets a national level example for securing public assets, increasing transparency and ensuring active administration through AI and satellite technology. UK-GAMS can become an exemplary model for other states and sectors, which will strengthen the security of public assets and the future of digital governance.
“It is a matter of pride for all of us Uttarakhandis that Uttarakhand Government Asset Management System (UK-GAMS) has received the Prime Minister’s Excellence Award. This award not only recognizes the transparent and accountable administrative system of our government, but also shows how governance can be made more effective and public welfare through technology and innovation. Our aim is to make this model more strong and implement it in other areas as well, so that Uttarakhand becomes a leading state of digital, transparent and accountable governance. This award inspires us to work harder.”
