About Knowledge Partner & National Resource Center (KP & NRC)

A knowledge partner, we understand, is an entity that uses its professional experience in a field to provide support in terms of (a) supplying technical knowledge, (b) innovating, (c) conducting research and documentation and sharing the findings, (d) finding solutions and designing customized tools to address various issues from time to time.

It is under the 'Centrally-sponsored Plan Scheme' (CSPS) of the GoI that the responsibility of KP & NRC has been assigned to CGG, Hyderabad. Some of the key deliverables for CGG under this assignment are:

• Develop, host and maintain a Common IT Gateway and Digital Library;
• Online Project Monitoring System to be used by DoPT as a tool for monitoring the progress of the project;
• Advising ICs on innovative use of modern ICTs and the Internet in the interest of awareness promotion and information management;
• Developing a 'Digital Library', which would be a repository of relevant and related resources and sources on RTI, especially, those that are available on the world - wide web. Moreover, it would have a Directory of significant decisions of Information Commissions in India as also relevant judgments of the Union Judiciary (the Supreme Court and the High Courts). These will be properly indexed and categorized and stored as downloadable PDF files.
  
  The e-library will be a useful as an easily accessible resource for quick referencing. It would have links to the books, papers, presentations, concept notes, white papers, status papers, action taken reports, study reports taken from national and international contexts - available on the web. The library would host other audio-visual resources on RTI as well.

The IT gateway would, simultaneously, have linkages with State Information Commissions (in India) and Central / State Administrative Training Institutes. It would document and compile relevant and related news feeds and good practices.

DoPT deals with a number of partner agencies and stakeholders in executing its mandate as the nodal department for implementation of RTI in the country. The work done by these agencies collectively decides the success of implementation. Monitoring the of work would therefore be a key function of the KP. In doing so, the KP would be guided by the specifications of CSPS.

An e-tool has been prepared in consultation with DoPT to facilitate online reporting by the various entities of the physical and financial progress of their work under CSPS. This mechanism would also help in preparing Quarterly / Annual Reports on physical / financial progress under CSPS.

The Online Certificate Course on RTI which has been developed by CGG for DOPT and is being administered at present from a distinct URL has also been nested on this gateway.

Another key feature is the online interactive fora for key stakeholders of the RTI implementation regime. This facility has been provided to enable issue-specific and stakeholder-category-specific interactions. Membership of a specifically defined forum would be restricted to that particular stakeholder group / category only. If, however, any of these group members would like to discuss a matter of / for general interest or solicit inputs from the public, they can do so on the Open Forum - accessible to all the categories as also to the general public.

A multi disciplinary and well experienced team from CGG would be engaged on this study. The team would be constituted of a Core Team and a Support Team wherein each member would be working on the assignment - in a dedicated manner.

About Centre for Good Governance (CGG), Hyderabad

CGG aims to be a world-class institution to guide governance reforms in Andhra Pradesh, other states in India and the developing world at large, by bringing together and harnessing the power of knowledge, technology and people

for good governance. CGG strives to be among the very best in the world in the area of practical reforms to foster growth-oriented and people-centred good governance.

Objectives

The objectives of CGG, Hyderabad are:

• To work with government departments and other stakeholders to analyse key issues in governance, identify solutions, help develop action plans, and support implementation of these plans and the reform agenda.
• To act as a think tank and help translate government goals, objectives and policy priorities and reform agenda into tangible reform actions with focus on principles and practices of good governance.
• To identify those areas for change that will make the most impact in improving performance and policy-making in government and enable it to respond better to the needs of the people.
• To create a bank of best practices, methodologies and tools in governance reforms including successful e-governance applications.
• To support change management and management development programmes in government to effectively carry forward governance reforms and to develop a reform communication strategy for wider implementation.
• To provide technical support and advisory services to state and local governments, national and international organizations in the areas of action research, change management, design and implementation of governance reforms, including administrative reforms.

CGG, Hyderabad was established by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in October, 2001 to help it achieve the State's goal of Transforming Governance.

CGG, Hyderabad coordinates and supports the design and implementation of GoAP's Governance Reform Programme. CGG, Hyderabad undertakes action research, provides professional advice to, and conducts change management programmes for government departments and agencies to help them implement their reform agenda successfully. CGG, Hyderabad works closely with policy-makers like Ministers, senior officials, management experts, institutions and other stakeholders, especially citizens towards ushering in a caring government centered on the people.