Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said the Union territory has revolutionised the public delivery system by its “people first” approach, making hundreds of services available online.
Sinha was addressing a ‘Seva Se Samriddhi’ regional workshop on panchayat-led service delivery, organised by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj in Srinagar.
“In 2020, we set out to build a J&K where government reaches the citizen’s doorstep. With a ‘People First’ approach, we revolutionised public service delivery. From just 35 online services in 2020 to more than 1,100 by 2023, UT topped the national e-service delivery rankings. We made Panchayati Raj institutions the strongest voice and largest participants in governance. Through ‘Block Diwas’ and ‘Back to Village’ campaigns, we tried to ensure services reach doorsteps, infrastructure meets local needs, and policies flow from the grassroots up,” he said, adding that the common person’s aspirations at the core of administration.
The LG urged the participants from Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to study the grassroots service delivery models of J&K, including BEAMS-EMPOWERMENT, Aapki Zameen-Aapki Nigrani and “Your Mobile -Our Office”, which had transformed service delivery and program implementation in villages.
{{/usCountry}}The LG urged the participants from Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to study the grassroots service delivery models of J&K, including BEAMS-EMPOWERMENT, Aapki Zameen-Aapki Nigrani and “Your Mobile -Our Office”, which had transformed service delivery and program implementation in villages.
{{/usCountry}}Sinha also highlighted the Government of India report which had observed that between 2016 and 2018 Jammu Kashmir recorded 20 million digital transactions over three years.
The LG also shared key recommendations with the participants for implemention. “My first recommendation is to establish a ‘village innovation lab’ in every panchayat. Local youth, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and social organisations can collaborate there on low-cost solar solutions, new irrigation techniques, and other local innovations. My second recommendation is to run modern capacity-building programmes in every panchayat so leaders grow confident and capable of building self-reliant, progressive villages. My third recommendation is to institutionalise participatory budgeting in every panchayat- an initiative we had launched in J&K in 2021. My fourth recommendation is to mainstream sustainable development models like Green Jammu Kashmir, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, Ek Ped Beti Ke Naam, across panchayats nationwide. My fifth recommendation is to put women in leadership roles across all schemes,” he said.