Government to launch Reform Utsav to capture citizen suggestions

The Union government is set to launch a three-month campaign called Reform Utsav on October 2, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, to gather citizen suggestions and implement reforms. This initiative aims to institutionalize reforms through citizen participation and create a responsive reform pipeline, according to sources. The ultimate goal is to capture citizen voice, convert it into actionable reforms, and ensure their implementation or progress on a committed roadmap.

The seed for this initiative emerged during the students' protest over the NEET paper leak, which ultimately resulted in Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Reform Utsav will consist of three levels: Jan Manthan (discover), Vimarsh (deliberate), and Samadhan and Sankalp Siddhi (resolution). The first level, starting on October 2, will last for a month and allow citizens to submit their suggestions through a designated portal. Additional outreach activities, such as public meetings and webinars, will be organized.

During the second level, AI will sort the suggestions, and a multilingual call center may be established. In the third level, a coordination committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, will review progress bi-weekly. The committee will involve state-level bodies and identify nodal officers for the initiative.