DD Correspondent
Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday stressed the need to accelerate the simplification of government processes to enhance the ‘Ease of Living’ for citizens and build a more efficient, transparent and technology-driven governance framework in Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairing a high-level meeting, attended by former IAS officer and Tamil Nadu Government’s ‘SimpleGov’ Advisor P.W.C. Davidar, the Chief Secretary reviewed a roadmap for streamlining government procedures and improving public service delivery.
The meeting focused on eliminating procedural complexities, reducing unnecessary compliances and re-engineering administrative processes to make services faster, simpler and more accessible for citizens, businesses and government institutions.
During a presentation, Davidar outlined the successful implementation of the ‘SimpleGov’ initiative in Tamil Nadu and stressed that reforms should cover Government-to-Citizen (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G) services.
He highlighted several challenges, including excessive documentation, physical verification of applicants, multiple approvals and inadequate integration of government databases, and advocated greater use of digital tools such as e-KYC, DigiLocker, e-Sign and digital signatures.
The meeting was informed that a multi-tier monitoring mechanism is being established in Jammu and Kashmir to oversee the implementation of governance reforms. It was also proposed that all government approvals and orders be issued online in a standardised format with QR codes for instant verification.
Addressing the meeting, Dulloo said Jammu and Kashmir has the administrative capacity and institutional framework to implement large-scale governance reforms successfully. He noted that nearly 1,500 government services have already been digitised, providing a strong foundation for the next phase of administrative transformation.
The Chief Secretary also proposed an exposure visit to Chennai for officers from Jammu and Kashmir to study the Tamil Nadu model and adopt best practices.
He emphasised that the implementation team should include professionals from Information Technology and Law to ensure that reforms remain legally sound, technologically robust and citizen-friendly.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to transparent and efficient governance, Dulloo called upon all departments to work in close coordination and complete the identified reforms in a time-bound manner so that the benefits of simplified governance reach every citizen of the Union Territory.
During the meeting, senior officers from various departments presented the progress made in simplifying departmental services and identified additional services for priority reforms.
