People's voice must form soul of govt policy: J&K; LG

Srinagar, Aug 22 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said people's voice must form the soul of a government policy, which cannot be drafted in offices anymore but on the ground by incorporating suggestions from citizens.

Sinha addressed a function here where he felicitated the winners of the Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) awards.

The LG extended his heartiest congratulations to all the recipients of the prestigious awards. He said the CIPS awards acknowledge and celebrate transformative initiatives in public systems to promote rapid social and economic progress and encourage others to become agents of change.

He lauded the awardees' courage and dedication with which they have stepped forward in sectors like health, education, information technology and rural development to bring about a positive change in the lives of a large number of people.

"Civil servants, engineers, doctors, scientists, technocrats are the administration's backbone. Their impartiality, honesty, efficiency and fearlessness are our most valuable assets. I am proud that as a team, they have worked to serve the people and contributed in nation-building," he said.

Sinha highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has laid a strong foundation, leading to innovative governance initiatives, and made the government more sensitive towards the needs of people.

"The honourable prime minister's mantra of 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance' has enhanced ease of living for citizens and ensured seamless delivery of public services.

"Today, India is not only the world's fastest-growing economy, but its future is undoubtedly bright among the largest economies. A favourable environment has been created for sustained and rapid economic development across the country," he added.

The LG called upon officials to work on improving policy performance, managing complex challenges and effectively addressing disruptive changes that will occur in the unpredictable future.

"People's voice must be the soul of a government policy. That is why policies cannot be drafted in offices anymore. Policy-making should be done on the ground while incorporating suggestions and needs of the citizens," he said.

"A file is more than just a piece of paper, it contains the lives and future of thousands of people. The measure of any action is whether it improves the lives of ordinary citizens. We must pay special attention to these two important aspects and make the governance system more responsible and responsive," Sinha added.

He stressed that in the age of Artificial Intelligence, change is the only constant.

"We will have to make decisions accordingly, keeping in mind the growth and welfare in every sector," the LG said.

He also highlighted the transformation in government-to-citizen and government-to-business services in Jammu and Kashmir.

"There is no doubt that in the future, new technologies like Artificial Intelligence will lead to better public policies, improved decision-making, enhanced citizen engagement and a faster, higher-quality delivery of public services," Sinha said.

He asked bureaucrats and technocrats to develop new tools, take innovative initiatives to solve complex challenges and drive change and transformation in the society through technical applications.

On the occasion, the LG called for adopting the Akshaya Patra Foundation's model to bring a significant improvement to the mid-day meal programme in government schools.

He urged bureaucrats and technocrats for a dedicated focus in the agriculture sector through technology transfer from the laboratory to the land.

"We also need to take innovative initiatives to address the problems faced by farmers due to climate change," the LG said. PTI SSB RC