No law should be burden on citizens, govt reforms must make life easy: PM Modi to NDA MPs

Addressing an NDA parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi also said the country is now in a full-fledged 'Reform Express' phase, where reforms are happening rapidly and with clear intent.

New Delhi: Sending a clear message that making people's lives easy is his government's priority in its third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said no law should be a burden on any citizen, and rules and regulations should always be for people's convenience.

Addressing an NDA parliamentary party meeting here, Modi also said the country is now in a full-fledged "Reform Express" phase, where reforms are happening rapidly and with clear intent.

The government's reforms are completely citizen-centric and not just economic or revenue-focused. The goal is to remove everyday hurdles of people so that they can grow to their full potential, the prime minister emphasised.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, which was attended by all NDA MPs, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Prime Minister Modi gave very good guidelines for the lawmakers and conveyed that the most significant issue in the third term of his government is the "Reform Express".

"I want to stress that the Narendra Modi government's 'Reform Express' has started to move. It will not stop. This reform is to change the life of every citizen. When we talk about reform, some people will think of it as economic reform, some people will think of it as political reform, administrative reform or cultural reform. Reform means improvement in the life of every citizen.

"The prime minister has stressed that whatever law is framed, it should have no provision which is harmful or causes inconvenience to any citizen. The rules and laws should not become a burden on the life of a common citizen. Everyone must ensure that rules and regulations are for the convenience of the common people and improve their lives," Rijiju said.

Quoting Modi, Rijiju said rules and regulations must be for improving the system, not to harass people, and there should be no law which harasses people without any reason.

"Now we will work in this direction. The central government, the state governments and the local self-governing bodies like the municipalities and panchayats, all should work in (this) direction...," he said.

Sources said Modi urged the MPs to actively share real problems faced by ordinary people, so that the "Reform Express" can reach every household and remove day-to-day hardships.

Modi also said he wants to end the culture of 30-40 page forms and unnecessary paperwork, stressing that there is a need to provide services at citizens' doorsteps and eliminate repeated data submissions, the sources said.

The prime minister recalled that the government trusted citizens by allowing self-certification, and this has worked successfully for 10 years without misuse.

Modi stressed that both ease of life and ease of doing business are the top priorities of his government, the sources said.

At the outset of the meeting, Modi was felicitated for the NDA's massive victory in the recent Bihar elections.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and J P Nadda, who is also the BJP president, were among those present at the meeting held at the Parliament House complex here.

Modi was garlanded by JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha -- both Rajya Sabha members.

In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, which went to polls last month, the NDA secured 202 seats, paving the way for JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar to return as chief minister for the 10th time.

Among the alliance partners, BJP won 89 seats, JD(U) 85, LJP (Ram Vilas) 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha four.