New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The Modi government's reforms included scrapping of nearly 2,000 obsolete rules which were proving detrimental to ease of working, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.

On the eve of Good Governance Day, which also marks the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the minister outlined key achievements and governance reforms brought about under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

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He emphasised the government's commitment to transparency, innovation, and people-centric policies that have redefined the meaning of governance in India.

“Nearly 2,000 outdated rules and regulations have been scrapped to simplify governance and make it more citizen-friendly," said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

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Singh said that within a few months of Modi taking over as the Prime Minister in May 2014, the DoPT (Department of Personnel & Training) scrapped the feudalistic rule which was a rather dubious legacy of the British empire, and allowed the youth the freedom of self-attestation instead of requiring a gazetted officer to attest the documents.

"This sent out a message across the country that now there was a government in place which had the capacity to trust the youth of the country," he said addressing an event here.

Singh recalled that Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day address, gave a call for abolishing interviews in recruitment to lower posts in order to ensure transparency and the DoPT followed it up by issuing a circular to this effect in 2016.

"Modi govt's governance reforms included scrapping of nearly 2,000 obsolete rules which had lost relevance with the passage of time and which were in fact proving detrimental to ease of working and timely disposals," he added.

Similarly, a number of reforms have been introduced to simplify the pension rules, particularly those pertaining to senior citizens and family pension rules for divorced daughters, Singh was quoted as having said in a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

Among the most notable initiatives was the integration of cleanliness into governance, turning what might have been dismissed as an administrative detail into a national movement, the minister said.

“Cleanliness is now a hallmark of governance practices", Singh said, recalling how the cleanliness drive began with building toilets and evolved into cleaning up work places.

The minister said that through efficient management of scrap material and obsolete equipment, the government had reclaimed over 643 lakh square feet of office space and earned Rs 2,364 crore for the national exchequer.

Singh attributed these changes to the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, who he described as a “visionary unifier”.

He said that under Modi's leadership, infrastructure development and socio-economic programs transformed the Northeast region into “a model of development”.

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