‘Maximum Governance, Minimum Government’ is the motto of the Central Government. To achieve this motto Government is concentrated on “Citizen-First” mantra, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (Independent Charge), MoS for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space. He was speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day regional conference on 'Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices' which concluded in Goa today. “Our dream is to bring Government closer to citizens so that they become active participants in the governance process. An important step for Good Governance is the simplification of procedures and processes in the Government so as to make the entire system transparent and faster. To this end Government has taken the decision to scrap 1,500 obsolete rules, started the self-certification process etc. To achieve this, the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances has a key role to play," said Dr. Jitendra Singh.Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration were instituted 10 years back and first awards were presented on the 2nd Civil Services Day on April 21, 2007 to the Civil Servants for their innovative ideas and efforts in addressing the problems locally.
This motivation is required for improving governance and delivery of services. He said the Priority Programmes for PM’s Award to be presented next year are (i) Pradhan Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY); (ii) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY); (iii) Promoting Digital Payments; and (iv) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural &Urban).Talking about Grievance cell, he informed that Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) enabled a quantum shift in Online Government Service delivery across the country. This aims to further Government’s efforts at revamping of Public Administration system, Public Grievance Redress Mechanism, ushering in e-Governance, Digital India, more so in the context of the goal of ‘Minimum Government with Maximum Governance’ through e-Governance based Citizen Centric End-to-End Online Services. Compared to 2.70 lakh grievances in 2014, 11.94 lakh grievances were received on CPGRAMS (Central Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System) in 2016. In 2017, 9.32 lakhs grievances have already been received till 25.8.17. Due to higher expectations, the grievances have increased more than 4 times in 2016, compared to 2014.
However, due to intensive monitoring, the disposal rate has also increased significantly and is presently more than the rate of receipt of grievances. Action on grievances can be tracked with the help of unique grievance registration number. A timeline of two months has been prescribed for disposal of grievances. In case it is not possible, an interim reply with reasons for delay has to be provided.Right to Information Act (RTI) is now online and from last six months it is available on mobile also, he informed.Development Manual for District level functionaries by DARPG Swachh Bharat Mission [Gramin] was also launched during the Valedictory function. The purpose of the Development Role manual is to create an enabling mechanism for improved implementation of the Centrally sponsored schemes at the cutting edge, leading to enhanced outcomes in nature and extent. The manual is prepared with inputs from a combination of sources, including interaction with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS), review of extant scheme guidelines and circulars issued by MDWS and discussions with the key personnel involved in the implementation of the scheme.
Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar also shared his thoughts on Good Governance, Swachh Bharat, and Grievance redressal mechanisms during the valedictory session.Shri C. Viswanath, Secretary DARPG in his address said that conferences like these are useful for promoting meaningful confluence of interactions and insights, cross-fertilization of ideas and exchange of constructive views among the policy makers, public figures, peers, practitioners and professionals who may have championed and facilitated the successful implementation of innovations in government processes, administrative reforms, and public service delivery. With this, the two-day Regional Conference on ‘Good Governance and Replication of Best Practices’ concluded. The DARPG has so far organized 26 such regional conferences to share experiences in the formulation and successful implementation of good governance practices and to facilitate speedy and efficient delivery of public services