‘Gujarat Governance Model’ offers several best practices for replication: Dr Jitendra

GANDHINAGAR (GUJARAT): Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, addressing the National Conference on Good Governance at the capital township of Gandhinagar here, observed that the “Gujarat Governance Model” offers several best practices for replication elsewhere too.

The Minister recalled that many of the governance innovations successfully implemented at the Central level were first introduced in Gujarat under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership as Chief Minister.

Addressing a pan-India audience of policymakers, senior bureaucrats, and governance experts, Dr. Jitendra Singh praised the transformation in governance over the last decade. “This transformation did not happen overnight. Many of the reforms introduced at the national level were first tested and perfected in Gujarat, and today they are being replicated across the country,” he remarked.

Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored the fundamental shift in governance culture under Prime Minister Modi, which has taken policymaking beyond the traditional administrative strongholds of Delhi and into various regions of the country. He cited the Prime Minister’s directive to decentralize governance by ensuring that major policy discussions, conferences and outreach programs are held in different parts of the country and not necessarily in New Delhi. “By moving governance dialogues beyond Delhi, we are ensuring that reforms are more inclusive and reflective of the aspirations of people from all corners of the country,” he said.

The Minister also referred to the evolution of India’s administrative framework, recalling how Sardar Patel envisioned a robust bureaucracy as the ‘steel frame’ of India, a vision that has been further refined through the Modi government’s approach of ‘Maximum Governance, Minimum Government.’ He pointed to landmark reforms, such as the scrapping of nearly 2,000 obsolete laws, the elimination of the requirement for attested documents and the removal of interviews for junior-level government jobs as measures that have streamlined bureaucracy and enhanced transparency.

One of the standout examples of governance innovation, Dr. Jitendra Singh noted, was Gujarat’s early implementation of the 24-hour rural electrification scheme in the early 2000s. “At a time when electricity supply was erratic across the country, Gujarat pioneered uninterrupted rural electrification, a model that was later scaled up at the national level,” he said. Recounting the scale of transformation, Dr. Jitendra Singh spoke about how electricity shortages used to be commonplace in many parts of India. “There was a time when people clapped when the lights came back on after an outage. Today, power cuts are rare, and uninterrupted electricity is an expectation, not a luxury. This is the scale of governance transformation achieved,” he remarked.

The Minister also outlined India’s progress in digital governance, emphasizing major technological interventions in public administration. Initiatives such as online RTI applications, digital life certificates for pensioners using facial recognition technology, and AI-driven administrative decision-making have positioned India as a leader in governance innovation. He stated that the use of emerging technologies will be central to governance in the coming years, making administration more efficient, transparent, and citizen-friendly.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also spoke about the impressive strides made in grievance redressal mechanisms, particularly the CPGRAMS (Centralized Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System), which has now become a model for citizen-centric governance worldwide. He highlighted CPGRAMS 7.0 as a transformative leap in public grievance redressal, showcasing the power of technology and citizen-centric policies in governance. He emphasized that AI-driven reforms, including semantic search and predictive analytics, have made governance more responsive, bridging the gap between the administration and citizens. With over 19 lakh feedbacks collected and a 50% rise in satisfaction levels, CPGRAMS reflects growing public trust. He urged stakeholders to further strengthen the system, positioning it as a global model of innovation, transparency, and efficient grievance redressal.

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that between 2019 and 2024, India has witnessed a transformative shift in governance, with e-governance streamlining citizen-government interactions and enhancing transparency. He noted that the widespread adoption of e-Office version 7.0 has enabled paperless administration across Ministries, ensuring efficiency and accountability in governance. The Minister emphasized that India’s commitment to e-governance has been reinforced through platforms like the National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG), which has fostered collaboration between the Centre and States since 1997.

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the success of the fourth SushasanSaptah-Good Governance Week-held from December 19 to 25, 2024, as a significant step toward transformative governance. He emphasized the Prashasan Gaon ki Ore campaign, which aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of next-generation reforms by bringing governance closer to citizens through streamlined procedures and technology-driven service delivery. With over 36,000 camps organized across 700+ districts, resolving nearly 2.89 crore service applications, the campaign demonstrated the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and citizen empowerment at every level.

Dr. Jitendra Singh further highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring that governance is responsive and attuned to the needs of the people. He reiterated that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the emphasis remains on making government services more accessible, accountable, and technology-driven. He praised Gujarat for setting a benchmark in administrative efficiency and urged other states to adopt similar governance models to enhance service delivery and public administration.

The National Conference on Good Governance, attended by senior officials and experts, provided a platform to discuss best practices and develop strategies for further strengthening governance mechanisms across India.

Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed confidence that continued collaboration between the central and state governments would lead to more impactful reforms, ultimately driving India towards becoming a global model of effective governance.