Expressing optimism that J&K Government will come closer and partner with Centre in writing India’s growth story, Union Minister in PMO with Independent charge of Ministries of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh today said it is high time that underexplored potential of J&K should be exploited to play a critical role in India’s Viksit Bharat Yatra.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a “National Governance Conference” on the theme “Holistic Development of Districts” here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Jammu & Kashmir has the potential to be a key player in India’s “Viksit Bharat” story and closely partner with the Central Government in the writing of India growth story.
Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed confidence that Jammu & Kashmir possesses immense merit and potential and can become a torchbearer in India’s growth story by fully leveraging Central initiatives and opportunities.
He said the Purple revolution which started from here has already placed J&K on front line of states and UTs of the country. Likewise the entire situation in J&K, cricket has changed now and it has advanced to success stories after the UT won the Ranji Trophy for the first time in its history.
Dr Jitendra Singh also said that the discriminative policies towards the Jammu region have ended now and its glaring example is that Shahpur Kandi Project which was sabotaged for 32 long years by earlier Governments was resumed with the intervention of PM Narendra Modi in 2019 and now the project is on final stage which will turn a game changer for Kandi belt of Kathua and Samba districts.
Earlier addressing the conference, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the Department of Administrative Reforms DARPG in the Union Ministry of Personnel had helped J&K Government to transit to e-Office, thereby saving crores of rupees incurred in transport of all the office files to and fro between Jammu and Srinagar during each Durbar move.
Dr Jitendra Singh was addressing the conference in the presence of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, MP, Jammu-Katra Lok Sabha constituency, Jugal Kishore Sharma, Chief Secretary J&K, Atal Dulloo, Secretary Personnel Govt of India, Rachna Shah and other senior officers from the Central and the UT Governments.
The Union Minister said that the Centre is taking governance to remote areas to ensure inclusivity and wider participation, moving beyond traditional methods. He said this is part of a conscious effort to transform governance practices in line with the requirements of contemporary India.
Tracing the reform journey since Independence, Dr. Jitendra Singh noted that while India adopted a democratic framework early on, a renewed and focused momentum in governance reforms gained impetus in recent years under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He emphasized the guiding principle of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance,” underscoring maximum use of technology and minimal human interface to enhance transparency and efficiency.
Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that nearly 90 percent of the Government of India’s work processes are now online, describing it as the “magic of technology” being put to optimum use. Initiatives such as the Aspirational Districts Programme were cited as unique examples of competitive and cooperative federalism, encouraging districts to adopt best practices and strive for excellence, he said adding that high-performing districts are felicitated by the Prime Minister, fostering a culture of performance-based governance.
Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted major reforms undertaken in the past decade, including the removal of nearly 2,000 outdated rules, many of which had significant socio-economic implications. He spoke about pension reforms that brought greater inclusivity and flexibility, trust-based governance measures such as ending the practice of attestation by gazetted officers, and abolishing interviews for certain categories of recruitment to promote transparency and meritocracy.
On grievance redressal, the Union Minister lauded the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), noting that around 90 percent of grievances are addressed within a week. He also cited global success stories such as the Digital Life Certificate enabled through face recognition technology and the widespread adoption of the Unified Payments Interface, which has revolutionized digital payments.
Referring to the capacity-building initiative Mission Karmayogi, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the shift is from “rule-based” to “role-based” governance. He also highlighted the annual Swachhata Campaign launched in 2021, which has led to the disposal of electronic scrap worth approximately Rs 4,200 crore and the freeing up of nearly 930 lakh square feet of space in Government offices.
The Minister further underlined the success of the SVAMITVA Scheme, which was launched in Jammu and has empowered rural landowners by providing legal ownership records. He also detailed key governance reforms in Jammu & Kashmir over the past 11 years, including the introduction of online RTI, establishment of a Central Administrative Tribunal bench, a Civil Services Examination Centre in Leh, integration of CPGRAMS, and specialized training programs for JKAS officers.
For J&K, Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the Department of Administrative Reforms DARPG in Union Ministry of Personnel had helped J&K Government develop e-office, thereby saving crores of rupees incurred in transport of all the office files to and fro between Jammu and Srinagar during each Durbar move.
In the months and years to come, with respect to J&K, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a tripartite MoU finalised among the Govt of J&K, Centre’s Capacity Building Commission and SPV of “Mission Karmayogi” has been finalised to take over 3.6 lakh J&K Govt employees on the iGOT platform form for continuous real-time capacity building for the assignment that they take up. Also AI integration of JK-IGRAM redressal system is being taken up.
In her address Union Secretary DoPT Rachna Shah stressed the need for governance systems to “adopt, adapt, and reinvent” in the information age. She observed that today’s governance must be data-driven, digital, and delivery-focused, as citizens are empowered, aware, and increasingly vocal about transparency, accountability, and efficiency.
Chief Secretary, Atal Duloo in his address said “Let this conference become a platform for learning”. He, while highlighting the objective of the conference, said “Earlier people accused bureaucracy of building bridges of papers but we should build bridges of trust ”.
