Modi wants good governance through transparent govt

PM plans to do away with irrelevant, outdated legislation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday put forth his plans for fulfilling the goal of providing good governance through a transparent and accountable administration which works for the betterment and welfare of the people.

In a message to the nation to mark “Good Governance Day” on the occasion of the 90th birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi said: “The effort to usher in an era of good governance has just begun, and begun on a very promising note. An open and accountable administration is what we had promised to deliver and we will do so.”

The prime minister said the essence of his approach was “Citizen-First, which is our mantra, our motto and our guiding principle.”
Modi said, “It has been my dream to bring government closer to our citizens, so that they become active participants in the governance process.”

During the last seven months, he said, the government has been consistently working towards this goal. “Mygov.in and interact with PM seek to  make this engagement meaningful. The unprecedented response which these initiatives have evoked, places a large responsibility upon us, and I assure you, my countrymen, that we will not let you down,” the prime minister said. An important aspect of his government’s plans, Modi said, was simplification of procedures and processes in the government so as to make the entire system transparent and faster.

   “The push towards self-certification in place of affidavits and attestations is another indicator of the relationship of trust between the citizens and the government,” he said.
Doing away with cumbersome and out-dated legislations which no longer have relevance was another focus area, he said. The prime minister said his government considered redressal of public grievances as a very important component of a responsive administration. “I have instructed all ministries to ensure that redressal of public grievances receives the highest priority,” Modi said.

“Re-engineering of government process is yet another measure that we are pushing for. Ministries and departments have been instructed to look into their work spheres, their internal processes and work on what and how to simplify and rationalise them,” the prime minister said.

Modi said they were also working on a simpler internal work process manual, which would be delivered through an e-learning module. Modi said he strongly believed that technology can and must bridge the divide between the government and the citizens.

“Technology is an empowering tool for the citizen and an accountability medium for the government. My government fully recognises the huge potential of this tool –Digital India aims to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy,” the prime minister added.