A separate department for action on climate change is one of the highlights of the good governance regulations approved by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said Maharashtra is the first state in the country to have good governance rules, the focus of which would be to ensure citizens get services expeditiously and smoothly.
The state will have a separate department for action on climate change, which will implement an action plan to deal with heatwaves, unseasonal rains and will include citizens in decision making through the use of technology, it said.
Shinde had set up a committee of retired bureaucrats in September last year to prepare good governance rules and it submitted its report on Friday. The report has 200 suggestions in 16 chapters. The rules have 161 indicators through which good governance till the district level will be monitored. A time frame for end to end online services has been provided for, an official said.
Citizens will be able to lodge complaints and their grievances will be addressed. Government work will be done through e-office, and public records will be digitalised. A government file will not move more than four levels, he added.