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New Delhi : Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India ( GoI), in association with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Hyderabad, and Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mysuru, Karnataka, had organised a day long National Consultative Workshop on ‘Citizen Charter and Delivery of Services by Panchayats’ on November 22, 2021,   as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The participants from 16 States signed the Mysuru Declaration and resolved to roll out the Common Minimum Service delivery by Panchayats across the country from April 1, 2022.

The declaration is aimed at recognising Citizen Centric Services as the “Heart of Governance”. Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI, set the tone by providing key inputs on various aspects of service delivery that are either provided by the panchayats directly or services of other departments that are facilitated by panchayats through a monitoring mechanism. He suggested that common minimum services need to be arrived at by different States that could be provided by the Panchayats, according to a PIB release.

Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj,  GoI, in his address highlighted the efforts of the Ministry to provide improved services to the community in rural areas. He suggested that the services that can be provided by the Panchayats have been listed by the Ministry and the States can start working on the guidelines issued by the Ministry.

Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayat Raj, GoI, has been the force behind launching the present campaign on providing Citizen centric services across the states. He highlighted the steps taken by different states focussing on infrastructure related issues and also e-initiatives to improve service delivery. This workshop was attended by Senior Officials and Policymakers from different States and Resource Persons involved in improving services to citizens.