Second Senior Consultative Body Meeting on Cooperation in the field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms was held yesterday between the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India and Administrative Modernization Agency (AMA) of Portuguese Republic. This meeting was held through VC under the aegis of the MoU signed between Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Government of India and the Ministry of the Presidency and of Administrative Modernization, Government of Portuguese Republic on Cooperation in the field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms on 24^th June, 2017 during the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Portugal.

The meeting was co-chaired by Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and Ms. Sílvia Esteves, Head of International Relations Team at AMA. Shri Puneet Yadav, Joint Secretary, DARPG; Shri S.K Pandey, Director, DARPG; Mr. Tiago Mendonça, International Relations Officer; Ms. Catarina Jessen, International Relations Officer; Ms. Carina Américo, Head of AMA Academy and senior officials of Ministry of External Affairs and Embassy of India in Portugal and senior officials of DARPG also attended the meeting.

The two sides agreed to increase cooperation between National Centre for Good Governance of Republic of India and Administrative Modernization Agency of Portuguese Republic. They also agreed on the India-Portugal webinars on administrative best practices and excellence in service delivery. Both sides agreed to strengthen the relationship through high level exchanges in the coming months.

The Indian side presented the translation of the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in adopting Next Generation Reforms being undertaken in the Amrit Kaal period with the implementation of the policy maxim “Maximum Governance – Minimum Government” under which India’s public institutions have been transformed as fully digital institutions bringing citizens and government closer using technology. The best manifestation of the “Maximum Governance – Minimum Government” policy is a “Digitally Empowered Citizen” and a “Digitally Transformed Institution”.  India’s Next Generation Administrative Reforms include Recognizing Meritocracy under the Prime Minister’s Awards Scheme for Excellence in Public Administration, Benchmarking of Governance through the Good Governance Index, improving quality of e-services through the National e-Services Delivery Assessment and technology adoption in CPGRAMS with focus on timely and quality grievance redressal. The Portugal side presented Digital Transformation, Omnichannel Public Service Delivery, Administrative Simplification in Portugal.

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SNC/PK