Jammu, March 3 Asserting that the Centre has extended full support to modernizing governance in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday that the Union Territory has the potential to be a key player in India's 'Viksit Bharat' story and partner with the Centre in scripting the country's growth trajectory.
Addressing the national governance conference on the theme "holistic development of districts" here in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, and senior officers from the Centre and the administration, Singh said governance reforms in J-K are aligned with the broader national vision of inclusive and technology-driven development.
The minister said that the department of administrative reforms and public grievances has helped the J-K government implement the e-Office system, saving crores of rupees previously spent on transporting files between Jammu and Srinagar during the annual durbar move.
He noted that the Centre is taking governance to remote areas to ensure inclusivity and wider participation, moving beyond conventional methods as part of a conscious effort to transform administrative practices in tune with contemporary India.
Tracing India's reform journey since Independence, Singh said a renewed and focused momentum in governance reforms gained impetus under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, guided by the principle of "minimum government, maximum governance" with maximum use of technology and minimal human interface to enhance transparency and efficiency.
Nearly 90 per cent of the Centre's work processes are now online, he said, describing it as the "magic of technology" being optimally utilised. He cited the aspirational districts programme as a unique example of competitive and cooperative federalism, encouraging districts to adopt best practices and strive for excellence. High-performing districts are felicitated by the prime minister, fostering performance-based governance, he added.
Highlighting major reforms undertaken over the past decade, Singh said nearly 2,000 outdated rules with socio-economic implications have been scrapped.
He referred to pension reforms promoting inclusivity, the ending of attestation by gazetted officers, and the abolition of interviews for certain recruitment categories to promote transparency and meritocracy.
Regarding grievance redressal, he lauded the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), stating that around 90 per cent of grievances are addressed within a week.
He also cited the digital life certificate enabled through face recognition and the success of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in revolutionising digital payments.
Referring to the capacity-building initiative Mission Karmayogi, Singh said the focus is shifting from "rule-based" to "role-based" governance.
He said a tripartite MoU among the J-K government, the Centre's capacity building commission and the special purpose vehicle of Mission Karmayogi has been finalised to onboard about 3.6 lakh J-K government employees onto the iGOT platform for continuous real-time capacity building. Integration of artificial intelligence into the JK-IGRAM grievance redressal system is also underway, he added.
The minister further highlighted the success of the SVAMITVA Scheme, launched in Jammu, which has empowered rural landowners by providing legal ownership records. He also noted the establishment of an online RTI system, a central administrative tribunal bench, a civil services examination centre in Leh and specialised training programmes for officers as key governance milestones in J-K over the past 11 years.
Singh said the Indian Institute of Public Administration is conducting training programmes for councils, corporators, Panchayati Raj Institutions and JKAS officers in the Union Territory.
Expressing confidence in J-K's potential, he said the region possesses immense merit and capacity to emerge as a torchbearer in India's growth story by fully leveraging central initiatives and opportunities.
The deliberations reaffirmed the collective commitment of the Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transform governance frameworks and accelerate progress towards the goal of a 'Viksit Bharat.'