From red tape to real-time: Gujarat's vision for citizen-centric governance

Gujarat sets up GARC to modernize, simplify, and humanize public service delivery.

- RAKESH SINGH

In early 2025, the Gujarat government under Bhupendra Patel's leadership made a decisive move to deepen its commitment to good governance by setting up the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission (GARC). The commission, headed by Dr. Hasmukh Adhia—a seasoned bureaucrat with vast experience in both state and central government roles—is a signal of a serious institutional effort to modernize, simplify, and humanize public service delivery.

Administrative reform is a subject often discussed in India, but rarely implemented with genuine depth or urgency. GARC appears to be breaking that trend, offering a structured and data-backed approach to improving how government departments interact with citizens and how internal systems function. If successful, this commission's work could become a replicable model for other Indian states—particularly those struggling with outdated bureaucratic procedures, inefficiencies, and low levels of citizen trust.