Discussion on Good Governance seeks to find ways to replace red-tapism with red carpets

As part of Vibrant Gujarat 2011 Summit, the Government of Gujarat in association with ASSOCHAM and Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) will organize a discussion forum session on Good Governance at the GNLU campus tomorrow. The forum will be attended by the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri. Narendra Modi who will highlight various initiatives the state has taken to take governance to the next level. The forum will also see 14 participants from the field of government, business and academia converging from various parts of the country to debate on various topics ranging from policy reforms to environment and discussing strategies for Gujarat to maintain its edge in terms of its reputation as the best governed state in India. The forum will be attended by Shri. P N Roy Chowdhury, Principal Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Training (ARTD) and NRG; Mr. Justice M.B. Shah, Former Judge Supreme Court of India; PK Laheri, Advisor, Torrent Ltd & Ex-Chief Secretary; Dr Manjula Subramanium, Vigilance Commissioner, Gujarat; Dr. DR Kaarthikeyan, President, Institute of Good Governance & Former Director, CBI, amongst others. The forum will be moderated by Mr. Senthil Chengalvariyan from CNBC TV 18. The forum is timely given the progress Gujarat has made in this regard. The Hon'ble CM's Office, Gujarat received the certification for ISO 9001:2000 on 2nd January, 2009 with its scope on administration and overall governance. On June 23, 2010, the CMO won the prestigious 2010 United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) for innovative use of information technology to address public grievances. The effective use of IT has played an important role in getting this recognition and the Government of Gujarat has sought to implement various e-Government strategies to achieve a positive transformation. Indeed, numerous e-governance initiatives such as Swagat Online, Gujarat State Wide Area Network, E-city and E-Dhara have been hallmarks of the Gujarat Government's efforts to provide good governance by improving transparency and accountability.