Transparency, accountability must for good governance: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said transparency and accountability are necessary for a democratic and participative governance, as they help build trust and improve impact of schemes.

"Transparency in governance leads to greater responsibility towards people and a sense of accountability, which in turn bring changes in work culture and impact of (government) schemes," Modi said after inaugurating the new premises of the Central Information Commission here.

"As transparency in the system increases, there is more trust in the government."

An empowered citizen is the "strongest pillar" of democracy and the government has tried to "inform" and "empower" people in the last four years through various means, the Prime Minister said.

He said the government has started a new practice of providing information through real-time updated, online dashboards.

The information available online had not just helped people in solving their problem but also improved "transparency and quality of citizen services", Modi said.

It would help people feel more connected with the government, he added.

"There are several instances in the history where information had been treated as a one-way channel, which led to serious consequences. So our government has been working on the principle of information highway and not one dimensional approach," he said.

"We are working on the five pillars of today's advanced information highway. They are ask, listen, interact, act and inform."

--IANS

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