Maharashtra aims to become easiest state for accessing government services: Fadnavis

Mumbai, Jul 16 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed all government departments to substantially advance the state's Governance Process Re-engineering (GPR) initiative by August 15. The objective was to make Maharashtra the country's easiest state for citizens to access government services, an official release quoted him as saying. Chairing the third phase review meeting of the GPR initiative at Sahyadri Guest House here, Fadnavis said departments should simplify procedures, reduce documentation requirements and ensure services become more transparent and technology-driven. Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries and senior officials attended the meeting. The GPR exercise envisages a six-stage process for every government service, comprising preparation of a GPR report, consultations with the Chief Minister's Office, departmental approval, technical development by MahaIT, issuance of the government resolution (GR) and final testing, the chief minister said. All departments should complete at least the fifth stage by August 15 by issuing the necessary GRs, he directed. The government had undertaken a comprehensive review of public services with a view to integrating similar services, eliminating duplication and discontinuing obsolete services to make service delivery faster and more citizen-friendly, Fadnavis said. All government services would be rolled out in phases through the MahaDBT 2.0, MAITRI and Aaple Sarkar 2.0 digital platforms. The Information Technology Department has been asked to ensure robust technical infrastructure and complete the work within stipulated timelines. During the meeting, Fadnavis also inaugurated two projects of the Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence -- Data Analytics as a Service and Mini Setu Kendra. The use of data analytics would improve administrative accountability, help prevent irregularities, save government funds and enhance transparency in service delivery, he said. The chief minister also said that the decision to convert the Police Dadalora Khidki centres in Maoist-free areas of Gadchiroli district into Setu Kendras would help ensure effective delivery of all government services to residents in those areas. PTI MR KRK