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Dubai Government Excellence Awards for 11 departments

Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, in his keynote address stated that the Dubai Government Excellence Programme, acknowledged as the first comprehensive initiative of its kind worldwide, had achieved significant success as an effective tool for developing the public sector.

"The Dubai Government Excellence Programme awards honour those employees who pursue excellence in their own areas. The programme is also a strong reminder to those who lag behind and do not live up to expectations. However, it does help people to identify areas for improvement and encourages speedy action plans to address these shortcomings," Shaikh Hamdan observed. He reiterated the pledge made by the Dubai government to work towards more efficient processes and higher productivity so as to achieve better quality services and increased customer satisfaction. The awards were given in various categories. The Dubai Land Department received the award for customer satisfaction for the third year in a row, topping the list of local departments with 74 per cent. The Distinguished Team award went to both ‘Operation Midnight’ of Dubai Police and ‘Emirates News’ from Dubai TV.

The Trade Point at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry took home the Distinguished Administrative Initiative award for providing authentic and reliable information to the business community and its cooperation with small and medium businesses.

The Distinguished Technical Project award was given to Dubai Municipality for its ground water injection project. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) also received the award for its Predictive Maintenance Project for electrical distribution stations aimed at effective time management during blackouts.

The prestigious Distinguished Government Employee award was presented to Sultan Rashid Lootah from the Department of Economic Development. Dubai Police received a special award for establishing nurseries for the children of its female workers.

'Unsung heroes': Shaikh Mohammed also honoured 25 behind-the-scenes government employees dubbed Dubai's ‘unsung heroes’ for the quiet dedication they have shown to their work. They included Najiba Hassan Al Houseni, a physically challenged messenger at the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department, and Abdulla Ali Amiri, a Dewa plumber who was still putting in long hours at the age of 60.

Another senior UAE national, Abdulla Al Hamadi, received an award for the 22 years he spent as a driver with Dubai Customs. "I didn't know I was going to win, I just showed up. I would like to thank the organisers for this honour," he told Khaleej Times.

• UAE