Srinagar, Jul 16 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday said the Union Territory will accelerate the simplification of government processes to ensure “Ease of Living” for citizens through transparent, technology-driven and citizen-centric governance.
Dulloo made the remarks while chairing a high-level meeting to discuss a roadmap for simplifying government procedures across departments. Former IAS officer P.W.C. Davidar, adviser to the Tamil Nadu government’s SimpleGov initiative, attended the meeting and shared the state’s experience in governance reforms.
According to officials, the meeting focused on eliminating procedural complexities, reducing unnecessary compliances and re-engineering administrative processes to make public services faster, simpler and more accessible for citizens, businesses and government institutions.
Davidar outlined the Tamil Nadu model of governance simplification, stressing that reforms should cover Government-to-Citizen (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G) services.
He highlighted the need to do away with avoidable requirements such as repeated submission of physical documents, multiple no-objection certificates (NOCs), licences and permissions, while promoting digital verification and end-to-end online service delivery.
Officials said the proposed reforms include greater use of digital authentication tools such as e-KYC, DigiLocker, e-Sign, digital signatures and Electronic Verification Codes (EVC), besides issuing government approvals in a standardised online format with QR code-based verification.
The meeting also discussed setting up a multi-tier monitoring mechanism, including a screening committee and an empowered committee headed by the chief secretary, to oversee implementation of the proposed reforms.
Dulloo said Jammu and Kashmir already has a strong foundation for governance reforms, with nearly 1,500 government services digitised.
He said a multidisciplinary implementation team, supported by professionals from the fields of information technology and law, would be constituted to steer the initiative, while suitable amendments to existing rules and procedures would be carried out wherever required.
The chief secretary also proposed an exposure visit by officers from Jammu and Kashmir to Chennai to study the implementation of the Tamil Nadu SimpleGov initiative and adopt best practices.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to building an efficient, transparent and technology-enabled governance system and directed departments to complete the identified reforms in a time-bound manner.
Senior officers from various departments, including Information Technology, Health and Medical Education, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Planning, Development and Monitoring, presented the progress made in simplifying departmental services during the meeting.(NVI)
