KARMASHREE — Chief Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Assam

What is the KARMASHREE award?

KARMASHREE is the Chief Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration, instituted by the Government of Assam in 2016-17 and administered by the Administrative Reforms and Training, Pension and Public Grievances Department. The award acknowledges, recognises and rewards the extraordinary, exemplary and innovative work done by officers of the districts and organisations of the state government.

According to the Administrative Reforms and Training Department, Karmashree is intended to institutionalise recognition for public servants whose initiatives measurably improve how government services reach citizens. Two broad award types are used: innovation in public administration, and outstanding implementation of government schemes, policies and programmes.

Each award carries Rs 1,00,000 in cash, a trophy and a citation. Officers may apply individually or as a group, and a group can have a maximum of three officers.

Karmashree is not a benefit scheme for the public. Karmashree is an internal service recognition, so the only people who can enter are serving officers of the Government of Assam. Readers looking for a citizen benefit will not find one here. The value of the scheme to the public is indirect, in the initiatives it encourages departments and districts to pursue.

Who is eligible for the Karmashree award?

You can be considered if:

• You are a serving officer of the Government of Assam, posted in a department, district, directorate, commissionerate, PSU or state organisation.
• You have led or been part of an initiative in public administration with demonstrable results.
• Your application is recommended by the competent authority, the Deputy Commissioner for officers working in the districts, or the Director, Commissioner or senior-most Secretary for officers in directorates, commissionerates and the secretariat.
• You apply online in the prescribed format within the window announced for the year.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a member of the public, an NGO, a private company or a self-employed professional. Karmashree is not open to citizens.
• You are a Government of India officer or an officer of another state, since the award covers state government officers, districts and organisations of Assam.
• Your group has more than three officers, which exceeds the limit set in the guidelines.
• Your application carries no recommendation from the competent authority.
• You submit after the closing date. For the 2023-24 award, the portal recorded that "online registration and submission date is over" once the window closed.

What is judged in a Karmashree entry?

The Administrative Reforms and Training Department lists the assessment factors as:

• Performance in core government activities.
• Innovativeness of the approach taken.
• Replicability, whether other districts or departments can copy it.
• Sustainability of the results after the initiating officer moves on.
• Upscalability to a larger area or population.
• Improvement in service delivery and administrative efficiency.
• Social and economic benefits produced.
• Enhanced transparency in processes, community participation and quality of human resources.

The weight given to replicability and sustainability is worth noting. An initiative that produced a one-off result during a single officer's tenure scores less well than one that has been institutionalised into a district's routine working.

What must the application contain?

The write-up should cover the uniqueness of the initiative, the success story, the implementation strategies used, the period over which it ran, the achievements and impact, the potential for replication, and the measures taken to make the outcome sustainable.

How to apply for the Karmashree award

1. Check the Karmashree portal at karmashree.assam.gov.in for the current year's notification and the opening and closing dates of the online window. For the 2023-24 award, registration and submission ran from 17 May 2024 to 22 June 2024.
2. Register on the portal and open the prescribed application format. The online application system for the award has also been hosted at webservers.amtron.in/karmaShree.
3. Fill in every column of the format. Incomplete applications are set aside, so leave no field blank and expand every abbreviation in the legend.
4. Write the executive summary and supporting write-up, covering uniqueness, success story, implementation strategy, period, achievements, impact, replication potential and sustainability.
5. Add the beneficiary details — 7 to 10 beneficiaries or stakeholders who can speak to what the initiative achieved.
6. Upload up to 10 field photographs, plus flow charts, and optionally a 3 to 5 minute video highlighting the initiative.
7. Route the application through the recommending officer, your Deputy Commissioner if you work in a district, or your Director, Commissioner or senior-most Secretary if you work in a directorate, commissionerate or the secretariat.
8. Submit before the closing date and retain the acknowledgement generated by the portal.

How are winners announced?

Karmashree awardees are declared by the Government of Assam and the awards are conferred by the Chief Minister at the annual Lok Kalyan Diwas ceremony in Guwahati, held around the death anniversary of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi in early August. The ceremony has been held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati.

The Karmashree awards in recent years have been given across six categories tied to specific initiatives. Reported categories have included the Amar Majuli scheme, Ease of Doing Business, a model housing colony under PMAY-G, Project Krishok Vardhan, promotion of eco-tourism in Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, and rehabilitation of municipal solid waste at North Lakhimpur. In 2024 the Chief Minister presented Karmashree to six teams of officers.

At the same ceremony the Government of Assam confers the Lok Sewa Puraskar, which recognises individual employees for work ethics, dedication, integrity and punctuality. Reporting on one year's awards recorded 75 Lok Sewa recipients to 10 at state level from the Assam Secretariat and directorate offices in Guwahati, and 65 at district level; each receiving Rs 25,000 with a citation, along with a one-year service extension. In another year the Lok Sewa award went to 47 government employees. The Government of Assam announced that it would confer the Karmashree Award 2025 and Lok Sewa Award 2025 on state government employees who exemplified the ideals of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi.

Why entries fail

• The application is incomplete. The guidelines require every column of the prescribed format to be filled.
• No recommendation from the competent authority, which is a condition of submission rather than an optional endorsement.
• Fewer than 7 beneficiary or stakeholder details, leaving the assessors without independent confirmation of impact.
• A write-up that describes routine duties rather than an initiative that is innovative, replicable and sustainable.
• Unexplained acronyms, which the guidelines specifically ask applicants to expand in a legend.
• Late submission after the online window closes.
• A group of more than three officers, exceeding the limit.

Where to get help

• Karmashree helpdesk (toll free): 1800-345-1100 during business hours.
• Technical support email: itsupport@amtron.in
• Office: A-Block, 4th Floor, Janata Bhawan, Dispur, Guwahati.
• Administrative Reforms and Training Department: artdept.assam@assam.gov.in, Assam Secretariat, Dispur, Guwahati.
• Portals: karmashree.assam.gov.in for the award, art.assam.gov.in for the department's guidance on how to apply.

Officers should confirm the current year's dates on karmashree.assam.gov.in before preparing an entry, because the window is short and opens only once a year.