New Delhi : Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah addressed the concluding function of Good Governance Week at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi today. Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary, Secretaries of various departments of the Central Government and senior officers of the states also participated in this function.
In his address on the occasion, the Union Home Minister said that today 25th December has a different significance as well. On this day, the memories of two great personalities of the country are associated with this day, who devoted their whole life for the development, Independence and giving a new direction to the country. Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, who worked to keep the proud heritage of the country before the world before Independence. Subjects like India’s culture, traditions, mythological knowledge, science, Vedic mathematics were placed before the world with pride. He said that the protection and promotion of all the subjects is very important not only for India but also for the world because in them the solution of many global problems can be found. He founded the Banaras Hindu University. Today is the birthday of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya. Today is also the birthday of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who brought the word good governance to the groundlevel in truest sense in modern India. When Shri Vajpayee became the Prime Minister, many decisions were taken which were associated with the pride of the country and were pending for years. Shri Vajpayee placed a strong and good example in front of the people of the country that showed how the governments should run in the future.
The Union Home Minister said that the decision of celebrating Good Governance Week was taken by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in the year of Amrit Mahotsav year (75th Year of Independence), due to which the concept of good governance has been extended out of Delhi and passed on to districts and villages and this has led to good governance in the whole system. The concept has been introduced and this is a great achievement.
Shri Amit Shah said when Shri Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014, then for the first time people felt that this government’s aim is not to just govern but to transform the country. The question in everyone’s mind was that Swaraj has been achieved, when will they get Suraj. In 70 years, gradually people’s trust in our democratic system was being lost. The success of democracy reaches the people only when we convert Swaraj into good governance and Shri Narendra Modi has fulfilled this expectation of the people in a very good way by getting it down to the ground level and taking everyone along and the result of this collective effort is that the trust and confidence of the people has increased. After 25 years, when the Centenary of the country’s Independence will be celebrated, then every citizen imagines how the country will be. This country has seen 22 governments and after that we have been able to see this change.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that people’s expectation from good governance is that the model of development should be universal and all-inclusive. There should not be any area of the country in which development is not touched and there should not be any person in the society who is not included in the model of development. The expectations of the people from the model of good governance are corruption free, transparent governance, sincere efforts to solve basic problems, sensitivity with accountability, innovation, stability and all these efforts should be such that people have faith in the government and the government should be of the people. But believe me, this type of democracy should be built. These seven expectations of people are from all of us and we all have the responsibility to fulfil these expectations.
Shri Amit Shah said that earlier development had a different interpretation, there were a lot of conflicts. But the Modi government made a very good effort and ended all these conflicts. During the seven years of this government, we have made progress in every field by eliminating all contradictions. Along with this, we have also worked to touc many areas. The Modi government has worked to formulate clear policies that touch all sectors like agriculture, industry, infrastructure, defence, internal security, irrigation, rural development, urban development, tribal development and due to this all these conflicts have ended. Universal development has taken place.
The Union Home Minister said that before 2014, there was a big question in our 80 crore poor citizens that Prime Ministers and governments come and go, but what is there for me. There was no improvement in their standard of living. Before 2014, there were 60 crore people who did not have a single bank account in their family, neither did they have any contribution nor share in the country’s economy. The poor used to feel that big budgets come, there is talk of public welfare, but what benefits have I received. They did not have a house, electricity and toilets. More than 10 crore households did not have toilets, more than 30 million households did not have electricity and over 140 million people did not have gas and there was a huge void in the health sector. The poor felt helpless when they were afflicted with a serious illness and did not remember anyone other than God. Shri Amit Shah said that freedom had no meaning when a helpless poor person used to watch his loved one die.
Shri Amit Shah said that for the first time, the Modi government has set a target before the country by providing houses to more than 2 crore people. The work of providing electricity and toilets to every house in the country has also been completed, Shri Modi has worked to improve women’s health by delivering cooking gas to 14 crore homes. The target of providing drinking water to every household has also been ensured to be fulfilled before December 2022. He said that today a poor person has to spend nothing on medical and hospital expenses up to Rs. five lakh for the treatment of any serious disease. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Modi government saved 80 crore people from hunger by providing 25 kg food grains per person for 2 years free of cost. More than half of the country’s population, who had cut themselves off from the development of the country, today have new hope.
The Union Home Minister said that the Narendra Modi government changed the scale of the schemes. Earlier plans used to be in figures, now plans are with the announcement of the end of the problem. He said that a lot of work has been done to eradicate corruption. First of all, DBT, Direct Benefit Transfer has been done, earlier 60 crore people had to go to middlemen to receive money for schemes made by their government, but today money reaches their bank account directly from Delhi, If Rs. 100 is sent, then the entire Rs. 100 reaches directly to the bank account. He said the Modi government has attacked corruption in a very systematic way. Apart from this, many laws were made against Black Money, laws were made against Benami property laws were made against economic offenders, a huge campaign was carried out against shell companies and the work of curbing Inspector Raj was also carried out through the mantra of good governance. Shri Narendra Modi has done this. Because of this, today even after 7 years, we can say with confidence before the public that this is a government about which no one can make an allegation of corruption and this is a great example of transparency.
Shri Amit Shah said that such policies and programs should be made to solve the basic problems so that the entire problem can be uprooted along with the root. It has been made easy by using technology. He said that the vaccination program is going on around the world, but there is not a single country in which electronic certificate becomes available to a person within 30 seconds after taking the vaccine and within 30 seconds he is registered among the citizens of the country who have taken the vaccine. No country in the world has been able to do what India has done through the Cowin app. With the help of technology, 130 crore people have been vaccinated and the world is watching how the Modi government has taken problems with a different perspective, by providing solutions.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that with the advent of COVID-19, there was a big problem in the lives of many people, especially those who are daily wage earners. There is not a government in the world and even countries with small populations could not find a solution to this problem. But in India with a population of 130 crore, the government immediately decided that 80 crore people would be given 25 kg of food grains every month till the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and thus solved their problem. This is called Responsive and Sensitive Government. Along with this, by vaccinating 130 crore people free of cost cost, today we can say that we have ensured a protection circle for our citizens from the threat of COVID-19 This is how a sensitive government works.
Shri Amit Shah said that for 40 years a decision had not been taken on One Rank One Pension, for those who guard our borders where temperatures range from minus 40 degrees celsius to 45 degrees Celsius. A decision on the issue was stuck due to some reason or the other. The Modi government also took the decision of One Rank One Pension with sensitivity and permanently solved this problem. He said that the problem of waiving farmers’ loans was very big one, and in every election a demand for loan waivers were raised and announcements were made that burdened banks. Shri Shah said generally a poor farmer only needs to take a loan of upto Rs. 6,000 to 8,000 in a year. Instead of waiving loans, the Modi government decided that Rs. 6000 per year would be given to a farmer, so that he would not need to take a loan. The Modi government has made such arrangements so that all the farmers cultivating up to two and a half acres of agricultural land do not need to take loans anymore.
The Union Home Minister said that the Modi government has implemented a many innovations related to good governance and the government has worked to incorporate many policies into innovation and give stability. The areas where improvements were needed were made, for the first time after Independence, the Modi government formulated a drone policy. There was no policy for the participation of private companies in space, but if we want to take our place in the global space industry, then private companies will have to be given a stake, a policy for this has also been made keeping in mind the security of the nation. Shri Shah said that such decisions can be taken only by a person who has strong faith in good governance, has firm faith and is sure about the results of good governance. Shri Modi has shown this, due to this he has had to face opposition and bitterness many times, but Shri Modi continued to walk on this path and due to this he has earned the trust of the people.
The Union Home Minister said that people’s faith in the government has increased, the government’s faith in the people has also increased. Earlier youth had to get their certificates attested. The Modi government decided that the youth should attest their certificate themselves, why should we not trust them, if they do any anything wrong, then the administration will go into it, but because of this, Shri Modi has given freedom to the youth of the nation from having to get their certificates attested Shri Amit Shah said that Shri Narendra Modi has done a great job of curbing corruption by ending the interviews in Class 3 and Class 4 posts. There used to be claims that there was no level playing field due to the interview process. He said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shri Modi announced Janata Curfew, and listening to his call people did not venture out of their houses for 12 without a single police notification. This was because the Prime Minister had said that we are disciplined people and the people repayed his trust by listening to his appeal. There can be no greater example of the public’s trust in a Prime Minister than this. He said that Shri Modi trusts the people and the people trust him. This is why people have been electing him again and again for the past twenty years.
The Union Home Minister said that good governance can come only by setting policies and using technology within the administration. Shri Modi has worked in the direction of minimum government. State governments and the Government of India have taken several initiatives like promotion of e-Governance Citizen Charter, National e-Service Delivery Assessment System and Good Governance Index. Shri Shah said that Shri Modi has started Mission Karmayogi. He said unless all officers understand the concept of Mission Karmayogi and implement it at the ground level, then good governance is not possible. Mission Karmayogi is to convert administration from rule based learning to role based learning. Shri Amit Shah said it is necessary that the administration should follow the rules, but every official must understand what his/her role in the department and what is the contribution of my department. He said that if we understand this difference, then by making appropriate changes, many problems can be resolved there and then.
Shri Amit Shah said the Capacity Building Commission and National Recruitment Agency have also been formed and CPgrams has been made for grievance redressal system. 87 Ministries of the Central Government and 38 States and Union Territories have been linked through CPGRAMS. He said that earlier complaints used to be received from 2 lakh people now they have reached 12 lakhs Grievances are being redressed, the grievance redressal of the Ministry, which was earlier upto 62 percent, has now increased to 90 to 95 percent. This is a great achievement and an example of what a sensitive government is.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said Sbhri Modi has taken many initiatives for good governance. The elected government decides policies, makes rules and regulations, but implementing them is in the hands of officials, and they have to understand the sentiment and work to take it to the lowest level. The Constitution has placed a special kind of trust in officials. He said elected representatives are chosen to occupy officer for 5 years and after 5 years the people decide whether to give them the reins of governance again or not, but from the time when officials are recruited to government at the age of 25 or 30 years, they remain in service till they retire and this shows that the Constitution has placed trust in them. That is why the responsibility is on their shoulders many times more than it is on the shoulders of the elected. Shri Amit Shah urged officials not just to read rules and laws as they are written, but also to understand their spirit. He said much can be done by understanding the purpose and spirit of rules and laws and deciding what is best for the people of the country, by reading rules and regulations in a slightly different way. He also urged officials to give up the attitude of “What should I do and what for me”. The Union Home Minister said that it is your responsibility to improve and do good, and I believe that good governance comes with this phrase.
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