Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 22: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday described the upliftment of more than 25 crore people from below the poverty line in the past decade as Bharat’s greatest achievements.
Speaking at the felicitation ceremony of the Winners of Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) Awards here, LG Sinha said, “Bharat’s future is bright as it ranks among the world’s fastest-growing economies.”
He said that the past ten years have witnessed “massive reformations” across sectors, bringing visible changes in the lives of millions.
“After 2014, the country has witnessed unprecedented development. Every Indian today feels proud of the transformation that has taken place. In the past 10-11 years, Bharat has become stronger and is leading through innovative initiatives,” the LG said.
He emphasized that governance is no longer about routine paperwork.
In an apparent reference to the government officials, LG Sinha said, “No file is a mere piece of paper. Any decision taken on it impacts the lives of thousands of people. That is why we must always evaluate whether our actions are right or wrong and how they are transforming lives,” he remarked.
Highlighting the rapid pace of technological change, LG Sinha said no expert can predict the exact shape of governance even two years ahead. “We must keep three things in mind—policy performance, the ability to face challenges, and preparedness for disruptive changes. Policies must be citizen-centric and shaped through feedback from the people, not just within office walls,” he added.
Citing the example of the Akshay Patra Foundation, which provides mid-day meals to nearly 25 lakh children daily, LG Sinha said the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has helped it reduce food wastage by 50 percent. He urged for similar technology-driven innovations in governance and service delivery.
The Lieutenant Governor called for adopting the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s model to bring a significant improvement to the mid-day meal program in government schools.
Pointing out that nearly half of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture, the LG stressed the need to strengthen food security for the future. “Agriculture remains the backbone of our economy, and we must ensure that our policies empower farmers and secure the nation’s food requirements,” he said.
Sinha said that Bharat’s progress lies in inclusive growth and continuous innovation. “Our collective responsibility is to build citizen-centric governance and policies that not only respond to present challenges but also prepare the nation for the future,” he added.
The Lieutenant Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to all the recipients of the prestigious CIPS awards. “The CIPS Awards acknowledge and celebrate transformative initiatives in public systems to promote rapid social and economic progress and encourage others to become agents of change,” he said.
He lauded the courage and dedication of all the awardees with which they have stepped forward in sectors like health, education, information technology, rural development and bring about a positive change in the lives of a large portion of the country’s population.
“Civil servants, engineers, doctors, scientists, technocrats are administration’s backbone. Their impartiality, honesty, efficiency and fearlessness are our most valuable assets. I am proud that as a team, they have worked to serve the people and contributing in nation building,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
He highlighted that the leadership of PM Modi has laid a strong foundation, leading to innovative governance initiatives and made the government more sensitive to the needs of the people.
“Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ has enhanced ease of living for citizens and ensured seamless delivery of public services. Today, India is not only the world’s fastest-growing economy, but its future is undoubtedly bright among the largest economies. Favourable environment has been created for sustained and rapid economic development across the country.
The Lieutenant Governor called upon the officials to work on improving policy performance, managing complex challenges and effectively address disruptive changes that will occur in unpredictable future.
“People’s voice must be the soul of a government policy. That’s why policies cannot be drafted in offices anymore. Policy making should be done on the ground while incorporating suggestions and needs of the citizens,” he said, adding, “Today, in the age of Artificial Intelligence, Change is the only constant. We will have to make decisions accordingly keeping in mind growth and welfare in every sector.”
The Lieutenant Governor also highlighted transformation in Government-to-Citizen and Government-to-Business services in Jammu Kashmir. “There is no doubt that in the future, new technologies like Artificial Intelligence will lead to better public policies, improved decision-making, enhanced citizen engagement, and a faster, higher-quality delivery of public services,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor also congratulated District Administration Ganderbal for its innovative environmental initiatives.
Changemakers like Jairaj Bhattacharya, founder of the EdTech startup ConveGenius, and Shri Swapneel Paul, Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia, Assam, through their determination, succeeded in overcoming challenges to bring about tangible changes on the ground, he added.
He asked the bureaucrats, technocrats to develop new tools, take innovative initiatives to solve the complex challenges and drive change and transformation in the society through technical applications.
He urged the bureaucrats and technocrats to put dedicated focus in agriculture sector through technology transfer from lab to land. We also need to take innovative initiatives to address the problems faced by farmers due to climate change, he said.
The Lieutenant Governor said that the 29 reformative projects under the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) can also be implemented as per the requirement in different states/ UTs of the country.
Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Dr. N. Ramesh Kumar, Director General, Administrative Staff College of India; Dr. Valli Manickam, Director, Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS); M Raju, Commissioner Secretary GAD; Rehana Batul, Director J&K IMPARD; senior administrative officials and domain experts were present at the felicitation ceremony.
