Happiness of citizens foremost objective of welfare state: President

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the happiness of citizens is the foremost objective of a welfare state, and added that it is the fulcrum on which rests its other goals.

Mukherjee attended the launch of 'Mobile One', a Mobile Governance application of the Government of Karnataka as the Chief Guest at Bengaluru today.

"Happiness of citizens is the foremost objective of a welfare state. It is the fulcrum on which rests it's other goals. Driving its fulfilment calls for good governance that has such sacrosanct elements as adherence to rule of law, participatory decision-making, equity, inclusiveness, responsiveness, transparency and accountability," he said.

"The key parameter of success of public programmes is the meeting of the expectations of people. In the context of good governance, it implies the availability of effective delivery mechanisms," he added.

The President said responsiveness in catering to the needs of the citizens is a challenge the public administration of our country has to deal with.

"The efficacy of public institutions depends on the delivery mechanism and the institutional framework of rules, regulations and procedures, which has to evolve continuously to respond to changing times," he said.

"There is pressing need, on the one hand, to improve organizational capabilities to cater to the increasing demand for services and improvement in the quality of service delivery, and on the other, to improve transparency and accountability. This underscores the need for innovative solutions based on technology," he added.

The President said the 'Digital India' programme launched in August this year envisages the creation of a digitally-empowered society and knowledge economy by bridging the divide between digital 'haves' and 'have-nots'.

"One of the components of this programme is the availability of government services in real time from mobile platforms. It is in this context that the 'Karnataka Mobile One' is an initiative of great foresight," he said.