Ambedkar Jayanti 2022: Madhya Pradesh govt’s commitment to uphold the Constitution

New Delhi: Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who devoted his entire life to the upliftment of the downtrodden, backward, and exploited classes, laid the foundation of the Indian Constitution. Along with accomplishing the big task of drafting the Indian Constitution, he also encouraged modern thought among Indians.

Today, India has come a long way from those initial days of struggle. Under the current regime of PM Modi, India has taken a bolder step to uphold the spirit of the Constitution and bring to all the quintessence of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, and integrity of the nation, as championed by Babasaheb. This has become the guiding light for the current leadership of PM Modi at the Center, and the Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, as well. The Government of Madhya Pradesh stands as a towering example of this spirit and the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas” given by PM Modi. The Madhya Pradesh government, led by CM Shivraj Chouhan, has shown its commitment to protecting the rights of the common man and ushering in an era of dignity and country-first development.

Led by the idea of bringing constitutional rights into the lap of its citizens, the Shivraj government has successfully led Madhya Pradesh out of the straitjacket of being called a BIMARU state. The state government has ensured public participation, or Janbhagidari, in the progress and development of Madhya Pradesh. So, from policymaking to the implementation of plans, janbhagidari has yielded tremendous results. For instance, following a series of discussions with the citizens through Mahapanchayats of different parts of the state, CM Chouhan has taken note of the problems faced by the citizens and explored possible resolutions. As a result, a host of public welfare schemes have been formulated and implemented by the Shivraj government in the last 15 years. Out of these schemes, the flagship Ladli Laxmi Yojana has benefited more than 43 lakh girls in MP alone. It has also been adopted by other states like UP, Bihar, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Goa.

But in a most historic move to bring constitutional rights to its citizens, and honour the work of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the MP Government launched the Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) in 2010. At the time of bringing the act into effect, there were 26 services that were covered by it, which had to be applied for in specific government departments but showcasing a strong political will and bureaucratic efficiency the Shivraj Government rapidly scaled up the Act within MP to guarantee the delivery of public services to citizens in a stipulated time frame. Currently, a total of 560 services are being successfully provided to the citizens under the act.

Over the years, PSGA has successfully shifted the balance of power from the officials to the public by giving the citizens the legal right to public services and provided for sanctions against officials who did not comply with the required procedures and deadlines.

The interplay of technology and a strong political will has ensured the effective and efficient implementation of this law, thereby, providing essential services to the public in the shortest possible time. As a result, facilities that used to take forever to receive are now being provided directly on mobile phones. So the citizens can easily access public services like issuing caste, birth, marriage and domicile certificates, drinking water connections, ration cards, and copies of land records notified under the act. Moreover, the provision of "deemed service delivery" for a few services under the Public Service Guarantee Act is also a revolutionary step in the direction of ensuring good governance.

The provision of fines and penalties against the negligent officers for not processing the request applications of citizens within a stipulated period of time lends the act teeth. The Shivraj Government has introduced a slew of innovations since the enactment of this revolutionary act. Some of these innovations pertain to the amendment and simplification of laws, rules, and procedures in the interest of the public, effective use of modern technology, digitization of records through programs like land record modernization and use of new means of service delivery like the provision of call-centre, mobile services.

Admittedly, more than ten states have taken a leaf out of Madhya Pradesh’s innovation and introduced similar legislation for effectuating the right to service to its citizens. Moreover, the state has bagged the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) in 2012, among 483 nominations from 73 countries, for improving the delivery of Public Services as a result of successfully implementing PSGA.

Chouhan’s futuristic approach to welfare and progress has put Madhya Pradesh as a model state and established it as a frontrunner in bringing PM Modi’s vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat to fruition and has upheld the values that were championed by Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Father of Indian Constitution.

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