New Delhi Jan 18 PTI The National Centre for Good Governance NCGG here and the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Rural Development Panchayati Raj NIRDPR have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote inclusive good governance a statement issued on Tuesday said The main purpose of this agreement signed on Monday is to focus on different collaborative activities by drawing upon the strengths of these two national institutions for bringing better good governance mechanisms into practice across all programmes and schemes Both the institutions agreed to exchange knowledge and take up capacity building of functionaries at all levels of government including Panchayat Raj Institutions PRIs the statement said The MoU will not only help in application of good governance principles in true spirit but will also ensure their effective implementation in terms of transparency and accountability in utilisation of public funds in intended manner for delivering services to benefit rural communities it said Many key mutual areas of interest were identified as actionable points including leveraging e-governance at panchayat level documenting good governance models at panchayat level simplification of forms among others and best practices of the rural governance the statement said NCGG has suggested to identify the benchmark of the indexing of rural governance at the panchayat level it said The MoU will promote inclusive good governance strengthening of local institutions and effective implementation of government programmes The MoU signing ceremony was held online between V Srinivas Secretary of Department of Administrative Reforms Public Grievances and NCGG Director General and Dr G Narendra Kumar Director General of NIRDPR along with officials PTI AKV SMN

Jammu Nov 29 PTI Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the administration is working for the welfare of all people of the union territory and not just a select few Sinha was speaking to reporters after laying the foundation stone of a Yatri Niwas accommodation for pilgrims ahead of the Amarnath Yatra in Majeen area on the outskirts of Jammu Asked about National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullahs remarks that the security situation is bad since the abrogation of Article 370 and that the militants have not come from outside but the disillusioned local youths are picking up guns Sinha said I do not want to react to this He said that the administration is not working for just a few people but for the entire population of Jammu and Kashmir Our focus is that the facilitation increases peace and prosperity regained people get jobs and industry comes to JK he said On the Amarnath pilgrimage Sinha said there is an apprehension among people in various parts of the country that the yatra is not safe All of us need to work towards ensuring that the people living across India feel that Amarnath Yatra is as safe as any other pilgrimage in the country We are working in that direction he said On the new accommodation facility he said the Delhi School of Architecture will prepare the design within two months and expressed hope that the work will be completed within a year Sinha said that discussions were held about the feasibility of a ropeway for the yatra Once the feasibility report comes we will move ahead he said He said that the Jindal Foundation has done a survey for improving facilities at Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi district We hope the work will start next month he said He said that the government is looking at creating a pilgrim tourism circuit of Mata Vaishnodevi Shiv Khori Purmandal Mansar and Surinsar lakes PTI AB SMN SMN

New Delhi Sep 24 PTI Shubham Kumar has topped the prestigious civil services examination 2020 results of which were declared by the Union Public Service Commission UPSC on Friday Jagrati Awasthi and Ankita Jain have got second and third ranks respectively A total of 761 candidates -- 545 men and 216 women -- have cleared the examination The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages -- preliminary main and interview -- to select officers of Indian Administrative Service IAS Indian Foreign Service IFS and Indian Police Service IPS among others PTI AKV SMN

Lucknow Sep 23 PTI BSP president Mayawati on Thursday alleged the BJP has returned to its narrow communal agenda ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections with its tall claims on development getting exposed The BJP has returned to its narrow agenda before the upcoming UP assembly elections with its tall claims on development being proved to be hollow Mayawati said in a tweet in Hindi Now the party has returned to playing with religious sentiments and Hindu-Muslim division etc but people will not be deceived again which is clear from their mood she said The former chief minister said the latest Reserve Bank data showing stagnant per capita income in UP and people remaining poor and backward also proves that the BJPs claims of development are mere hot air She asked why the situation was such despite a double engine government The BJP has claimed that its double engine -- the party-led governments at the Centre as well as in the state -- has ushered in development in the state PTI SAB VN SMN