NEW DELHI: In a significant move to enhance the ease of living and ease of doing business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed all ministries and departments to engage directly with intended beneficiaries—citizens and businesses—to assess the real-world impact of policy modifications. This directive was issued during the last council of ministers meeting chaired by PM Modi, where he emphasized that reforms should not be limited to initiation and notification.
Focus on Feedback and Impact Assessment
During the meeting, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan and secretaries from over half a dozen departments presented reforms undertaken in the past two years. PM Modi stressed that the true success of reforms can only be measured through feedback from the target groups. "The message was to see whether the reforms have brought intended results, and the impact can be assessed only after getting feedback from the desired group. The reforms must focus on people and take into account every aspect, rather than being treated merely as an administrative exercise," said an official who attended the meeting.
Deep Dive into Stakeholder Consultation
Officials added that ministries and departments have been instructed to conduct thorough consultations with stakeholders to identify further areas for improvement. "Most big-ticket reforms have been implemented. Now the focus has to be on fixing the nuts and bolts—the process reforms. This has to be driven by each ministry and department concerned," said a person privy to the deliberations.
Addressing Public Grievances and Litigation
An official mentioned that ministries plan to engage with stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of recent measures and identify new requirements. Additionally, departments have been asked to prioritize addressing public grievances by designating officials to handle complaints. PM Modi also directed officials to reduce court cases and arbitrations, noting that the government remains the largest litigant. "There is a direction to ensure that no new cases come up due to any future regulatory framework. Every agency must ensure affidavits are filed in time and these are of good quality," said an official.
This comprehensive approach aims to ensure that reforms are not just administrative exercises but are genuinely beneficial for citizens and businesses, fostering a more responsive and efficient governance system.
