New Delhi

Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that good governance is not an abstract ideal but a daily administrative responsibility rooted in transparency, accountability and citizen-centric delivery.

After inaugurating a national workshop on good governance practices here, he also launched five major initiatives targeted at strengthening core governance processes and equipping civil servants for the challenges of a fast-evolving administrative landscape.

Addressing senior officers of government of India, policymakers and stakeholders on the occasion of good governance day, observed annually on December 25th, the minister highlighted that good governance is not an abstract ideal but a daily administrative responsibility rooted in transparency, accountability and citizen-centric delivery.

Good governance day holds special significance as the nation commemorates the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who institutionalised the concept of probity in public life and laid the foundations of people-first governance, he said.

Singh said that while the idea of good governance was articulated earlier, it was after 2014 that it began to be implemented in letter and spirit under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, guided by the mantra of “minimum government, maximum governance”.

The minister said the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is launching five major initiatives on this good governance day, aimed at strengthening core governance processes, supporting key stakeholder groups and equipping civil servants for the challenges of a fast-evolving administrative landscape.

The first initiative is a compendium of guidelines on reservation for ex-servicemen in central government, which consolidates all existing instructions into a single, updated and user-friendly reference, according to a Personnel Ministry statement.

Singh said this step reflects the government’s commitment to honouring the service of ex-servicemen by ensuring clarity, uniformity and timely delivery of reservation-related benefits, while also reducing ambiguity and errors in implementation across ministries and departments.

The second initiative is an AI-powered recruitment rules generator tool, integrated with the Recruitment Rules Formulation, Amendment and Monitoring System (RRFAMS) portal.

The minister explained that recruitment rules are the backbone of fair recruitment and career progression, and the new AI-enabled tool will significantly reduce delays and inconsistencies by guiding users through simple questions, suggesting appropriate recruitment methods and automatically generating draft rules in the prescribed format, fully aligned with DoPT guidelines.

The third launch is the mobile application for e-HRMS 2.0, available on Android and iOS, which places key human resource services directly in the hands of government employees.

Developed as a core pillar of Mission Karmayogi, e-HRMS 2.0 integrates service records and HR processes such as promotions, transfers, deputations, training and superannuation, he said.

Singh said the mobile app will reduce paperwork, speed up approvals and enhance transparency in personnel management.

The fourth set of initiatives relates to new AI-enabled features on the iGOT (integrated government online training) Karmayogi platform.

These include iGOT AI Sarthi for intelligent discovery of relevant learning resources, iGOT AI Tutor for personalised in-course support, the iGOT specialisation programme offering structured learning pathways in critical domains, and an AI-based capacity building plan tool to help ministries and states systematically map roles, competencies and training needs.

The fifth initiative is the Karmayogi Digital Learning Lab 2.0, a next-generation facility designed to produce high-quality digital learning content using modern technologies such as augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR), gamification and interactive simulations.

The minister said the upgraded lab will enable faster and wider dissemination of best practices, reforms and critical skills across the civil services, strengthening implementation capacity on the ground.

Singh said that taken together, these initiatives reflect a coherent, future-oriented approach to governance reform, one that leverages technology, strengthens institutions and places citizens and civil servants at the centre of change.

Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Rachna Shah, in her address, said that good governance day serves as a reminder of the enduring vision of Atal Bihari Vajpayee that governance must be efficient, transparent and humane.

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Highlighting the nationwide 'Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore' campaign conducted during the week that began on December 19, she said the initiative has covered over 700 districts, with thousands of camps organised to ensure grievance redressal, service delivery and documentation of best practices at the grassroots level.

Shah said that the special campaigns launched since 2021 have transformed administrative culture from pendency-driven processes to outcome-oriented governance, delivering measurable results in efficiency, space optimisation and revenue generation.