'Maximum Governance Minimum Government' is guiding principle of govt.': Prez

President Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday 'Maximum Governance Minimum Government' is the guiding principle of the government.

"Maximum Governance Minimum Government is the guiding principle of my Government. With an aim to take governance to the doorstep of the poorest of the poor in remotest areas, focus is on simplification of official procedures and reducing the decision-making levels in Government by leveraging technology. The system of Group of Ministers has been dispensed with and emphasis is on swift decision-making," said President Mukherjee.

"While introducing stricter and sterner measures to deal with corruption, effort is being made to ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place to protect bona fide decisions taken in public interest and to inspire confidence in the civil service," he added.

He further said that the government is firmly committed to engage people in the process of Governance and policy-making.

"My Gov Online Platform, a path breaking initiative, has been launched. This platform has ensured public participation in decision-making and ideation of various national flagship programmes like Swachh Bharat Mission, Namami Gange, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and NITI Aayog," said President Mukherjee.

The President also said that the government has envisioned an ambitious umbrella programme, Digital India, to prepare India for technology based transformation and citizen centric transparent governance with service orientation.

"Aadhar based attendance system and Jeevan Praman, Aadhar based Digital Life Certificate Portal, have shown that innovative use of technology can make enormous difference. Measures are being taken to accomplish digital inclusion in rural areas, small towns, north-east and other remote areas, opening up immense job opportunities in these areas. Promoting manufacturing of electronic goods has been an area of thrust," he added.

President Mukherjee further said that the government is pledged to decentralization of power and as an important step in this direction, the Planning Commission has been replaced with a new body- The National Institution for Transforming India - NITI Aayog. The underlying spirit of NITI Aayog is to foster the spirit of cooperative federalism so that Union and State Governments come on a platform to forge a common national agenda for development, with thrust on empowering the impoverished," he said.

"As a result of my Government's sustained efforts and series of policy initiatives, our economy is again on the high growth trajectory. According to the latest estimates, our GDP is growing at 7.4%, which makes India the fastest growing large economy in the world. Inflation and Food inflation, in particular, are at a record low due to a number of decisive measures taken by the Government," he added.

The President said that the fixed capital formation, which faced a near stagnation in the last few years, has increased and the Capital Markets are upbeat.

"Our external sector is now far more resilient, particularly with a moderate current account deficit and a broadly stable rupee. Our foreign exchange reserves have been substantially augmented," he said.

Describing 'Shramik' as the backbone of Indian economy, the President said the government believes in Shrameve Jayate and has taken several labour welfare measures.

"Apprentice Protsahan Yojana has been launched to promote apprentices in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in manufacturing sector. EPF subscriptions have been made portable benefiting casual workers in the unorganized sector," said President Mukherjee.

Under the Employees Provident Fund Act, the President said, the statutory wage ceiling and the minimum pension have been enhanced to Rs.15,000/- and Rs.1,000/- respectively.

"While my Government is fully committed to expand the job market and to promote the welfare of workers, it is also committed to bringing in transparency and accountability in enforcement of labour-related regulations. To this end, the Shram Suvidha Portal has been launched to ensure ease of doing business by allowing industry to register online and file a single online return instead of 16 separate returns," he added.

He further said that a transparent online inspection scheme has also been launched.

"Recent amendments to the Apprentices Act, 1961 have made the legal framework friendly to both industry and employable youth," he added.

The President further said that legal reform is one of the priorities of the Government.

"My Government believes that Governance and reforms are a combined effort of Team India, consisting of the Parliament, Union Government, State Legislatures, State Governments and the People of India. An example of this collaborative effort is the reform in the process of appointment of Judges to the High Courts and Supreme Court and the legislation to set up National Judicial Appointments Commission," said President Mukherjee.

The President further said that the government is also committed to repeal the obsolete and redundant laws.

"A Committee constituted for this purpose has identified 1741 Central Acts for repeal under various categories," he added.

The first part of the Budget Session will continue till March 20 while the second part will commence after a month-long break from April 20 and conclude on May 8.

The Rail Budget will be presented on February 26, Economic Survey on February 27 and General Budget on February 28.