Calling for plugging loopholes in the delivery system, Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu said the onus is on civil servants to ensure that governance reaches the doorstep of the poorest and most vulnerable segments of our population.
Civil servants must remember the fact that there is no better touchstone of a welfare scheme and development initiative than the prosperity of its beneficiaries through efficient implementation,” he added.
Delivering the first Dr. Rajendra Prasad Annual International Memorial Lecture on the occasion of the 68th Founders’ Day of IIPA, in New Delhi, the Vice President underlined that a citizen-centric paradigm of governance hinges on efficient public service delivery systems.
Recognising that such a system must be able to adapt itself to the growing needs and aspirations of citizens, he stressed upon inclusiveness, agility, transparency and honesty as key constituents of the complex task of public governance. “Some of the defining features of good governance, therefore, are comprehensiveness, fair play, integrity, efficiency and equity,” he further added.
Emphasising the need for administrators to be more accessible to the needy and underprivileged, Naidu said that civil servants must co-opt citizens from all sections of society down to the last individual, as active partners in scripting India’s growth story.
Highlighting the importance of last mile delivery of public services and key role of administrators, the Vice President praised IIPA for honing the technical and managerial skills of administrators to enhance their leadership and administrative competencies.
Naidu said that civil servants must be open to upgrading their skills, adopting and scaling up best practices within India and outside the country. “Only then can they come up with innovative, out-of-the-box strategies and solutions to complex challenges in governance and administration, for effective implementation of programmes and policies on the ground,” he added.
