Centre to launch Reform Utsav in October to strengthen citizen participation
Hyderabad: Reform Utsav will begin in October 2026 to strengthen citizen participation in the government’s reform process, Cabinet Secretary T. V. Somanathan said on Monday.
Somanathan held a video conference with the Chief Secretaries of all States on August 10 to discuss the proposed initiative of the Government of India.
He said the programme would create a structured mechanism to collect public suggestions, deliberate on them and convert them into actionable reforms. Subsequently, authorities would track implementation through a committed roadmap.
The Reform Utsav initiative will follow three phases. Initially, the preparation phase will run through August and September and focus on establishing the required framework.
During this period, governments will establish governance mechanisms and conduct sensitisation and awareness activities. These steps will prepare departments and authorities for the main programme.
The second phase will run from October to December. As part of it, Jan Manthan, or Discover, will take place from October 1 to 31 to identify issues and suggestions from citizens and stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Vimarsh, or Deliberate, and Jan Samadhan, or Deliver, will run from October 10 to November 30. These activities will focus on deliberation, quick wins and medium-term reforms.
In addition, Sankalp Siddhi will run from October 10 to December 20. It will include national and sub-national events aimed at advancing the reform agenda.
Reform Utsav to create State-level coordination mechanism
The third phase will begin from December 28 and focus on follow-up. Authorities will subsequently monitor structural reforms and submit ARTs as prescribed under the initiative.
Somanathan stressed the need for active participation from both Central and State governments. Therefore, each State will constitute a State Coordinative Committee headed by the Chief Secretary.
A State Nodal Officer will coordinate implementation. Similarly, States will establish suitable nodal arrangements at the district level.
Concerned State departments and ministries will implement the programme. This approach will help translate reform proposals into concrete action at the field level.
The Centre will also launch a dedicated Reform Utsav Portal. The platform will facilitate public participation, collection of suggestions, monitoring and coordination of reform activities.
Furthermore, the portal will offer regional language support to encourage wider citizen participation across the country.
From Telangana, Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju participated in the video conference. Senior officials Naveen Mittal, Stephen Ravindra, IPS, B. Papi Reddy, Law Secretary, and Anudeep Durishetty also attended.
Ahmed Nadeem, Mahesh Dutt Ekka, Gourav Uppal, Swathi Lakra, Devasena and Divya Devarajan participated in the meeting as well.
The Telangana government will establish the required coordination mechanism. It will also take steps to implement the initiative through concerned departments and field-level authorities.
Ultimately, the initiative aims to strengthen citizen-centric governance by creating a structured pathway for turning public suggestions into measurable reforms.