Nagpur, Dec 14 (NationPress) The Maharashtra Minister for Cultural Affairs and Information Technology, Ashish Shelar, addressed the Legislative Council on Sunday, highlighting the government's commitment to enhancing good governance, ensuring transparent administration, and delivering citizen-centric services through the extensive adoption of technology. This initiative aims to foster a “Progressive and Developed Maharashtra” that is accountable, transparent, and responsive to the needs of its citizens.

Responding to a calling attention motion raised by Council member Shrikant Bharatiya, who emphasized the necessity for a more efficient and outcome-oriented administrative framework, Minister Shelar elaborated on several initiatives the government is undertaking to bolster good governance and transparency.

He reminisced about the landmark decision made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in 2014 during his inaugural Cabinet meeting, which saw the approval of a law aimed at improving governance. Since then, a comprehensive framework has been established to assess the administrative efficiency of various departments.

The motion outlined five key expectations from the governance structure, including evaluations by reputable private institutions, direct citizen feedback, the execution of the Maharashtra Citizen Experience Index, departmental performance assessments, and a systematic decision-making process for stalled or failed projects.

In his response, Minister Shelar detailed around 16 measures the government is currently implementing. These measures comprise annual performance reviews of officers and employees, outcome-based work assessments, meticulous monitoring of project timelines and expected results, alongside the introduction of competitive benchmarks to foster a better work environment across departments. He also mentioned that a district-wise evaluation of governance is being conducted through the ‘District Good Governance Index’, which relies on 161 different indicators.

The minister noted that December 25, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is celebrated as ‘Good Governance Day’ across the state, with a comprehensive Good Governance Report published annually on this date. He emphasized the extensive utilization of technology to improve administrative efficiency and accountability, featuring live tracking systems, structured feedback channels, and the oversight of significant infrastructure and development projects under the ‘Gati Shakti’ program. Furthermore, the ‘Right to Service Act’ has empowered citizens by granting them legally enforceable rights to timely services and grievance resolution.

Minister Shelar further stated that the idea of ‘Viksit Maharashtra’ is being implemented in line with the national vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. This strategy emphasizes public engagement, extensive surveys, inter-departmental consultations, capacity-building initiatives, and the skill development of government personnel through the ‘Mission Karmayogi’ program.

He mentioned that a series of structural reforms, including expanded e-governance initiatives, clear regulations regarding transfers and appointments, and service-focused personnel programs, have already been initiated. In the upcoming phase, the government plans to implement geo-tagging of projects, integrated monitoring of funds, projects, and public complaints via the Chief Minister’s Dashboard, adoption of AI-driven data analysis tools, and the introduction of third-party audit systems to further enhance transparency and accountability.