Grievance redress system most powerful in democracy, says Modi

PM Modi interacted with the nation on Saturday, in the first-ever townhall by an Indian prime minister.

New Delhi:

Union Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday inaugurated 'townhall' to mark the two year anniversary of the citizen engagement portal MyGov.in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the nation on Saturday at an indoor stadium in New Delhi at 5 pm, in a first-ever townhall by an Indian prime minister.

4:45 pm: Arun Jaitley called social media an empowerment tool, empowering every individual both giving and receiving information. It is also an accountability tool, he said in a panel discussion involving Ravi Shankar Prasad, journalist Rajat Sharma and Smita Prasad.

5:15 pm: PM Modi has arrived at the function and is handing out awards to away prizes to the winners of the contest 'Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat'.

5:30 pm: The six youth who developed the PMO App have been honoured on stage. PM Modi has launched the PMO App.

5:38 pm: PM Modi is taking questions on a variety of topics, including good governance, economic growth and health sector.

5:44 pm: After winning elections, Govts usually start thinking about how to win the next elections or what to do to get more votes next time, says Modi.

If good governance is not stressed on then regular life of a citizen wont change, wont develop, says Modi.

5:46 pm: The PM is targeted even for a small incident anywhere. Holding the PM responsible for everything that happens at every level can be good politically, or for TRPs, but it makes the lower level administration feel they do not have to take responsibility.

5:50 pm: Responsibility with accountability is the hallmark of good governance, said Modi. Every level of government should be held accountable, says Modi.

5:55 pm: We want to develop good governance where the processes involved are less and things get done easy for citizens, says Modi.

Grievance Redressal is an essential component of democracy, every citizen should have their problems addressed & responded to: PM Modi

Technology and good governance will benefit farmers. Most powerful thing in democracy is Grievance Redress System: PM Modi

6:00 pm: The world is in recession. Despite the purchasing capacity of world going down, we have a growth rate of 7.6%, says PM Modi. He adds that if India grows at 8% for 30 years, the country will become an advanced nation.

6:06 pm: We need to focus on preventative and affordable healthcare, says Modi answering a question. He says that despite wide publicity of government vaccination problems, many children remain unvaccinated.

6:11 pm: Health department is now doing all they can to go to every house to create awareness. We are working towards not only health insurance but also health assurance: PM Modi.

6:15 pm: PM emphasises 'Smart City Plus' mission for villages, to create 300 Rurban villages, where the 'soul' of a village will be preserved but the facilities will be urban-level. 'Atma gaon ki, suvidha sheher ki', he says. This was in response to a question about Smart Villages.

6:29 pm: Everybody has immense energy within them. God has given us all the same capacity to perform. I am just trying to realise it because I have a mission, says Modi when asked how he manages such a hectic schedule.

6:33 pm: Modi says India should focus on the kind of tourism which exhibits that which is unique to the country's culture and heritage, not that which is common in the world.

6:35 pm: If we spend just 5% of our total spend on clothes on handloom and khadi and we will transform lives of our poor: Modi

6:40 pm: Gau Rakshaks are the kind of people who do indulge in anti-social, illegal activities at night and then pretend to be cow protectors in the daytime. I call upon state governments to take action against them: Modi.

Most cattle die because they eat plastic garbage and other such materials, not because of cow slaughter. These Gau rakshaks should urge people not to throw plastic on roads. People who want to do social service should first make cows stop eating plastics and waste: Modi.

\"The benefits must reach the intended beneficiaries. Last mile delivery is as important as policies.\"

\"MyGovIndia is the digital bridge between the citizens and the government,\"said PP Chaudhary, Minister Of State, Law and Justice, and Electronics and IT.

Journalist Smita Prakash hailed the use of social media by the government, saying it had optimized this more than any other government.

Townhall as a concept is commonly used in the West among politicians as well as CEOs to interact with people directly.

Speaking on the occasion, Prasad said MyGov has 35.2 lakh registered members.

The minister said achievements of ordinary people of the country must be given positive space in the MyGov platform.

The portal was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2014 to provide opportunity to the people to participate in multiple-theme based discussions and share their thoughts.

The event will see participation from various stakeholders including Cabinet ministers, senior officers from Ministries and Departments, government organisations, representatives from media, IT and social media industry and citizens who have participated in the MyGov initiatives.