Providing ease of life to citizens is core to Citizen Centric Governance: Arun Jaitley

The Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley attended as Chief Guest to the Valedictory session of a National Workshop on Citizen Centric Governance, here today. The workshop was organized by the National Centre for Good Governance, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), in association with the Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, New Delhi. 

While addressing, Shri Jaitley stated that providing ease of life to the citizens is core to citizen-centric governance; and Governance must be intended to generate a surplus in the society. He called for abolishment of government monopolies. He suggested that every department must take up a simplification exercise – especially the departments having a greater public interface like the Police Department. He called for developing a civilized relationship between the police and the citizens. He further recommended that the taxation systems should be made globally compatible, and the time between the decision of investment and the action of investment should be reduced to promote industries. 

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh attended as the Guest of Honor. He built upon the idea of Maximum Governance, Minimum Government for achieving a truly citizen-centric governance. He also shared that the existing trust deficit between the citizens and the government has to be overcome to inculcate a mind-set compatible with simplification of procedures and engaged governance. 

Earlier in the morning, the Secretary, (DoPT), Shri Sanjay Kothari inaugurated the workshop. In his address, Shri Kothari highlighted that the target of Governance Reforms should be to make governance processes easier for every common citizen even in the remotest part of the country. 

Prof. Dipankar Gupta, Professor, Shiv Nadar University, Dr. Promod Kumar, Chairperson, Punjab Governance Reforms Commission and Director, Insititute for Development and Communication, Sh Shri Prakash, Joint Secretary (Admin), DoPT, Shri Sarvesh Kaushal, Chief Secretary, Punjab, Shri Bhaskar Khulbe, Additional Secretary, PMO, GoI, Shri Swadheen S. Kshatriya, Chief Secretary Maharashtra Sh. R. N. Gupta, former Chief Secretary, Punjab, Shri S. K. Sharma, DGP, Community Policing, Punjab, Ms. Alaknanda Dayal, Director, Department of Welfare of SC and BC, Government of Punjab, Shri Amitabh Kant, Secretary, DIPP, Dr. Anup K. Pujari, Secretary, MSME, GoI, Shri D. P. Ahuja, MD,MP Trade and Investment Facilitation Corp. Ltd, Shri Umang Chaturvedi, Group President Corporate Affairs, Fortis; Shri Ravinder, Director DIPP also participated in the workshop as Panellists, moderators and Presenters. 

The deliberations revolved around simplification of performas, processes and procedures for citizens and investment promotion.