PM plans bash for 2 years of MyGov, wants ideas to reach next level

To be celebrated on Saturday in the presence of the PM and many of his colleagues; aim is for citizen ideas 'to reach the next level'

Mygov.in, the citizen engagement portal that recently rated ministries when the present government completed two years, is preparing to step up its act.

Perhaps as a payback, the government will be out in full force this Saturday, celebrating the second anniversary of the online platform, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often crowd-sourced ideas for his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio talk and his Cabinet colleagues have drawn inputs on signature campaigns such as Make In India to Smart Cities and Digital India to Swachh Bharat.

The country’s largest indoor sports arena, and third largest in Asia—Indira Gandhi Stadium—is the venue. It will host a curious mix of 2,000 people on Saturday, in a day-long town hall type of show. Modi, known for an inclination towards social media, which he has time and again projected as a way to achieve the agenda of “minimum government and maximum governance’’, is slated to turn up in the evening, too.

The idea is to facilitate interactions between key ministers and those individuals who have made significant contributions to mygov.in, according to a source. ‘’Whether it’s writing slogans or designing logos, making smart apps for governance or giving a critical feedback on a government initiative, active citizens will get recognition on a national stage,’’ he said.  

This will be an opportunity to take the many ideas and the level of interaction on the portal to the next level, an official said. "The government wants a stronger connect with citizens."

Electronics and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will inaugurate the show in the morning. It is expected to conclude with an address by the PM.  Interactive sessions with finance minister Arun Jaitley, human resource development inister Prakash Javadekar and urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu are on the agenda.

Net neutrality, a hot issue in social media and in mygov.in, will be discussed. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman R S Sharma will be on the podium for a talk on the issue.

Beside enthusiastic citizens offering inputs on a wide range of subjects, social activists, students and professionals will be counted among the audience.

The MyGov platform was launched by Modi on July 26, 2014. It has 3.52 million registered members and has so far undertaken 589 discussions. The portal has attracted 3.4 million comments.