Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates International Symposium on Excellence in Public Service and Public Administration

New Delhi, October 7, 2014: Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Space and Atomic Energy said, here today, that the entire context and concept of governance is on the verge of undergoing reorientation to suit the current needs and requirements of 21st century India and that the last four months of the Government have focused on making the governance people-friendly with the avowed objective of ‘maximum governance, minimum government’. Dr. Jitendra Singh was delivering inaugural address at the International Symposium on Excellence in Public Service and Public Administration hosted by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the world as a whole is undergoing transition and in India particularly the pace of transition is much faster. While free market economic system has brought changes in the world economy order, India has also embarked on the path of economic reforms and this requires the administration to gear itself to accomplish the task of balancing social welfare with compulsions of a free market economy, he added.

Referring to his Ministry’s emphasis on e-governance, Dr. Jitendra Singh linked it with the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ launched by the Modi Government and said, over 60,000 papers had been done away with as a part of cleanliness drive in Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) itself and this will also act as one step forward towards raised level of performance with paperless file work using new technology. He also shared that the proposed reform of introducing a single, self-attested affidavit would go a long way in simplifying processes and revolutionizing governance in India.

The Cabinet Secretary, Shri Ajit Kumar Seth said that change is in the air in India, and working towards meeting Government’s priority to bring innovation, energy and drive to transform public service delivery in the country.

Underlying the importance of partnerships in improving public service, Shri N. Ravi Shanker, Secretary, Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances said that in today’s time, government institutions and civil society cannot stand alone. Collaborative efforts between government, private sector and civil society are needed to sustain progress towards development goals.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Lise Grande said that India is a leader in governance reforms. Many of the innovative practices that will be shared over the next two-days from India and other countries will help to promote governance excellence throughout the world.

The Symposium showcases outstanding global examples of best practices and reforms that have made a significant impact in improving public administration and public service delivery. Countries presenting innovative reforms include Bangladesh, Brazil, Bahrain, Canada, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Japan, Jordan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Peru, Senegal, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.

India will be showcasing Gujarat’s online grievance redress mechanism ‘SWAGAT’ initiative which received the prestigious United Nations Public Service Awards in 2010 and the Mobile Seva, a unique mobile governance initiative launched by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, a winner of the 2013 mBillionth Awards for South Asia in the category of m-Governance.

Some of the international innovations showcased include - Midwives Services Scheme, Nigeria; Civil Registration and Identification of Children Initiative, Peru; Collaboration Testing, Japan; Planning and Implementation of Regularized Informal Settlements, Tanzania and Ekasih, Malaysia.

Eminent speakers at the Symposium include, Daniel Tucker, Public Service Commission, Canada; Max Everest Phillips, Director, UNDP Global Centre for Public Service Excellence, Singapore; Robertson Nii Akwei Allotey, Commissioner, Public Service Commission, Ghana; Hiroichi Kawashima, Special Advisor, Government of Saga, Japan; Mr. George D Yambesi, Permanent Secretary, Presidents office, Tanzania; Aizul Fidy bin Kamarudin, Deputy Director, Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysia; Carola Yanez, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Finance, Ecuador; and Donghyun Kim, Deputy Director, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, Republic of Korea.
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