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Gandhinagar, Oct 29 (IANS) The Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission (GARC) has submitted its fifth report to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, outlining 12 key recommendations aimed at realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Nagarik Devo Bhava’ (citizen first) vision through technology-driven administrative reforms.
The report envisions transforming the governance ecosystem of Gujarat under the ‘Government at the Citizens’ Doorstep’ mantra and ‘One State – One Portal’ approach.
It proposes the creation of a unified digital platform where citizens can access all government services through a single sign-on (SSO) system using a single user ID.
This will allow citizens to provide personal information only once, which can then be reused across multiple services – achieving the goal of “give information once – get benefits again and again”.
The highlight of the report is the proposed Digital Gujarat 2.0 portal, designed to transform governance from a reactive to a proactive model.
The upgraded portal will feature smart alerts that will automatically provide social welfare benefits and lifecycle-based guidance to eligible citizens without the need for separate applications.
The report also recommends introducing end-to-end digital workflows for key citizen services, enabling real-time updates on applications and approvals to increase transparency, accountability and efficiency.
In line with the government’s “less paper – more facilities” objective, GARC has suggested standardized forms, removal of unnecessary documents and stamps and digital integration with Aadhaar and DigiLocker.
The report also recommends modernizing all Jan Seva Kendras (JSK) across Gujarat, setting up guidance desks, reducing waiting times and improving citizen experience.
To strengthen service delivery in rural and urban areas, the report proposes to empower rural computer entrepreneurs (VCEs) and adopt public-private partnership (PPP) model for urban operations.
It also requires capacity building for staff and clear civil service timelines to ensure ease of governance, as well as regular audits and updates under the Civil Services Rights Act.
Presenting the report, Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of GARC, Hasmukh Adhia, said the initiative goes beyond technology – it seeks to foster a new culture of citizen-first governance.
“This report embodies the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Nagarik Devo Bhav’ and Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel’s mission of ‘Sarkar pahochshe nagrik sudhi, nagrik nahi sarkar sudhi’ — the government will reach the citizen, not the other way around,” he said.
–IANS
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