Public participation is necessary for good governance

A two-day regional conference on “Good Governance” started today in Nava Raipur under the joint aegis of the Government of India and the Government of Chhattisgarh. During the discussions on topics related to best practices of good governance, citizen empowerment, governance and administration, use of various e-platforms to make public access to civil services easier, the speakers said that public participation is necessary for good governance. Through this, even the toughest challenges can be resolved. Senior IAS officers of Chhattisgarh state, along with 150 representatives from different states of the country, are participating in this conference.  

In the second session of the first day of the conference, the program organized on the topic of “Women Leadership in District Administration” was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh Government, Mrs. Richa Sharma. In this session, Collector of Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, Mrs. Monica Rani, Collector of Lakhimpuri-Kheri, Mrs. Durga Shakti Nagpal and Collector of Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, Mrs. Namrata Gandhi addressed the session as key speakers. Collector Mrs. Monica Rani, while giving information about the Seva Se Saturation Campaign, said that we should go to the field and meet the public to ensure easy access of government services to the general public. Collector Mrs. Durga Shakti Nagpal said that women have an important role in building a healthy society because they are multitaskers, naturally caring and sensitive. She further said that under the guidance of the district administration, women’s groups are cultivating bananas and producing co-products and selling their products through e-commerce. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has praised this work of women’s groups.

In her statement, Dhamtari Collector Smt. Namrata Gandhi gave detailed information about the success of Nari Shakti to Jal Shakti Jal Jagar program. She said that the biggest goals can be achieved with public trust and public cooperation. Jal Jagar has brought forth very meaningful results. Water storage and groundwater level have increased in the district. Farmers have adopted crop rotation. She gave information about the efforts being made by the district administration for children’s mental health, education, especially for admission in the country’s prestigious institutions like IIT, AIIMS and Medical College.  

The third session of the conference, organized on the topic “Overall Development of Districts”, was chaired by Mrs. Niharika Barik, Principal Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Chhattisgarh. Assistant Commissioner West Garo Hill Mr. Chaitanya Awasthi, Sukma Collector Mr. Devesh Kumar Dhruv, Collector Pathankot Mr. Aditya Uppal shared their views as speakers in this session. Mr. Chaitanya Awasthi said that there are more challenges in the north-eastern areas due to geographical conditions, to deal with which we have used public participation and empowerment, competition and technology. Due to this, the achievements of the district have doubled compared to previous years. He informed that banks were used as registration desks for the PM Awas Yojana. 100 percent targets of Ujjwala, Swanidhi, Mudra and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) schemes were achieved in West Garo.

Collector Shri A. Shyam Prasad informed about the Prism-10 scheme by the district administration to improve health services in Parvathipuram Manyam district. Doli system is being used to take patients to hospitals in remote areas of the district. Collector Shri Aditya Uppal said that to promote citizen-centric good governance, the district administration has started the ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ program, through which camps are being organized in villages. This has helped in reaching the benefits of government schemes to the villagers and redressal of grievances.

Sukma Collector Shri Devesh Dhruv, referring to the difficult geographical conditions of the district and the challenge of Maoist terror, said that it is difficult to carry out development work without security. Therefore, security camps should be set up on priority. People are being given the benefit of government schemes by organizing facility camps in the district. 123 closed schools in the district have been reopened and Aakar program is being run for children with special needs.