New Delhi: From licences and certificates to water connections and civic approvals, a wide range of public services in Delhi could soon become faster and less cumbersome as Delhi govt embarks on a major governance overhaul.Inspired by Tamil Nadu’s widely acclaimed reforms, the initiative, centred on the principle of “simplification before digitisation”, seeks to redesign services before moving them online, with the aim of reducing bureaucratic hurdles, cutting service delivery timelines and minimising citizens’ visits to govt offices.In line with this, all departments, including MCD, DJB, DDA and transport, have been directed to conduct a comprehensive review of govt-to-citizen (G2C), govt-to-business (G2B) and govt-to-govt (G2G) services under their jurisdiction. The exercise will involve mapping existing procedures, identifying unnecessary approvals and physical verifications, and preparing simplified workflows for eventual digitisation.For MCD, the review is expected to cover a broad range of municipal services, including licences, certificates, permissions and compliance-related approvals issued to residents, businesses and institutions. Officials will be required to identify bottlenecks in existing processes and recommend streamlined alternatives that reduce procedural complexity.As part of the reform exercise, departments have been instructed to constitute internal committees headed by senior officers and comprising representatives from administrative, legal and information technology wings. Each department will also designate a nodal officer to oversee implementation and coordinate with higher-level screening and empowered committees.Delhi govt has laid down a detailed action plan requiring departments to prepare inventories of all services under their control, document existing “As-Is” processes, develop simplified “To-Be” workflows, identify legal provisions requiring amendment and coordinate digital integration efforts with IT teams.The proposed framework envisages extensive use of self-certification, e-KYC, QR-coded certificates, integrated digital payments, OTP-based authentication, automated validations and API-based integration between departments. Officials said the objective is to ensure citizens can access services through end-to-end online platforms without having to submit repetitive documents or make multiple visits to govt offices.DJB, which is responsible for water supply and sewerage services in the capital, is likely to examine services such as new water and sewer connections, billing-related processes, consumer grievance redressal mechanisms, no-objection certificates (NOCs) and other approvals.“This is a transformative governance reform exercise aimed at making govt services simpler, faster and more citizen-friendly. All departments, autonomous bodies and civic agencies have been assigned specific responsibilities to review and re-engineer their existing processes. The focus is on eliminating unnecessary approvals, reducing paperwork, leveraging technology, and ensuring citizens receive services with minimal delays and maximum transparency. Every department has been asked to actively participate and identify areas where meaningful simplification can be achieved,” an MCD official told TOI.The model draws heavily from TN’s SimpleGov programme, which has been credited with simplifying numerous public services through process re-engineering, self-certification and digital verification mechanisms. According to Delhi officials, a similar approach could substantially improve administrative efficiency and citizen experience in the capital.Departments have also been asked to identify three to five high-volume services for the first phase of implementation and establish dashboard-based monitoring systems with real-time performance indicators. Progress will be reviewed through key performance metrics by an empowered committee overseeing the reforms.Officials said the expected outcomes include faster service delivery, reduced paperwork, fewer physical inspections, improved transparency through digitally verifiable certificates, and greater accountability through real-time monitoring and public dashboards.
