From Parliament to the street, we are changing how government works: PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the new premises of the Central Information Commission in Delhi. 

It is a state-of-the-art green building constructed by National Building Construction Corporation and houses all the hearing rooms of the CIC, with modern IT and video conferencing systems.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, "Changes in the arrangements are being seen from Parliament to the street, from the Prime Minister's Office to the Panchayat Bhavan, to every side," he said.

PM Modi added, "I believe that the commission will keep improving its system keeping in mind people's comfort. I believe that the empowered citizen is the strongest pillar of our democracy. Our government has been making efforts since last four years to inform and empower citizens. There are five pillars of modern information highway on which we are working simultaneously - Ask, Listen, Interact, Act and Inform."

"If I talk in detail about the first pillar 'Ask', then all the questions asked by the people on government policies and projects are given priority. The second pillar is 'Listen'. Today India has a govt which listens to people. It listens to the suggestions given by you on social media. We have sometimes made changes in our policies based on the feedback given by people," he said.

PM Modi further said, "The third pillar of modern information highway is 'Interaction' & this is as important as the previous two. I believe there is an emotional connect between the government and the people, when there is an interaction between the two. The fourth pillar is 'Act'. If there is no action taken after asking, listening and interacting, then all the hard work done is a waste. While addressing all the complaints, when Goods & Services Tax (GST) was implemented, we made new rules and many rules were changed too. 'Inform' is the fifth pillar the f modern information highway. It is the duty of the govt to give right facts about their actions. We are doing everything to provide real time information to the people on the projects govt is doing."

On the issue of digitisation, PM Modi said, "Today India is swiftly moving forward towards becoming a digitally empowered society. Information Technology has not only made things easy, it has also ensured transparency and quality of service."