Lucknow, Sep 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said the greatest strength of democracy lies in the trust an ordinary citizen places in constitutional institutions and it must be ensured that powers granted to them are not misused and that action is taken against habitual frivolous complainants. He was speaking at the 50th foundation day celebration of the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta here.Adityanath said good governance also depends on public trust, underlining, "If there is no public trust, we cannot achieve the goal of good governance."  "To attain those goals, it is essential that even the person at the very last rung of the social ladder can look up to various constitutional bodies with a sense of pride and trust," the chief minister said.He said, "The greatest strength of democracy lies in the trust an ordinary citizen places in any constitutional institution. In a democracy, nothing can stop an organisation from moving forward if it lives up to the trust of the common people." Adityanath also said merely establishing an institution will not solve the problem; "what matters is the kind of results we deliver as per the (public's) sentiments".

 "Even the most ordinary citizen should be able to come forward without hesitation, and in accordance with the rules obtain the desired outcome right before their eyes within a stipulated timeframe. Ultimately, this is the biggest criterion of democracy that we live up to the public's trust," Adityanath said. He added that with this very consideration in mind, the framers of the Constitution established a parliamentary democracy for India. "A fundamental principle of this system is that if an elected representative loses the public's trust, the government falls. "Representatives must go back to the people every five years. If an individual fails to respect the public's sentiments during this time, people have the right to replace their representative and give others a chance in the next election. That is precisely why the framers of our Constitution incorporated this provision," Adityanath said. He stressed that every individual should be treated with equality and without discrimination. Resolution of complaints should be based on merit, with emphasis on the satisfaction of the complainant. Citing the example of transformation in the Public Distribution System (PDS), Adityanath said that when he became chief minister in 2017, the highest number of complaints were related to food grain distribution under the PDS.

 Sixty out of 100 people used to complain about the PDS, he said. "We installed ePOS machines and linked them to a central monitoring screen at headquarters. If anyone attempted to divert rations at any of the 80,000 fair price shops, the system will alert us, leaving zero possibility for malpractice. The result? Today, when 500 people come to see me, not a single one has a complaint regarding the PDS. There are zero complaints," he said.The chief minister also referred to matters related to the Revenue Department. He said that, "In 2017, nearly 34 lakh cases related to land disputes, demarcation, inheritance and mutation were pending, leading to unnecessary disputes."Around 6 lakh inheritance-related cases alone were pending. Timelines were fixed for disposal of all such matters. It was decided that if a land-use issue was not resolved within 30 days, it would be treated as deemed approved, with accountability fixed on the concerned authority in case of errors.

 "Over the last nine and a half years, 34 lakh cases have been resolved, although another 9 lakh cases also emerged during the same period".Issues relating to inheritance, demarcation and similar matters were addressed. Adityanath said that public grievances are resolved within stipulated timelines through platforms such as IGRS, CM Helpline and Janata Darshan. However, he pointed out that some individuals also submit unnecessary complaints. "Some people come and say they do not have a personal grievance but want to complain against someone. When evidence is sought, they hesitate." Sharing an experience, he said that one individual had lodged a complaint against a school. When the complaint was found to be false during investigation, the complainant demanded that all schools in the district be investigated, he said, adding that such false complaints should be rejected. Such complaints waste the time of the system as well as that of honest individuals genuinely seeking justice, the CM said. Adityanath emphasised that elements misusing grievance redressal systems should be kept at a distance. To establish any institution as a symbol of trust, even the person at the lowest level should be able to express confidence with dignity that his or her problem will be resolved. It must also be ensured that powers granted to institutions are not misused and that action is taken against habitual frivolous complainants, the chief minister said.

 He noted that many issues have been systematically addressed over the years. Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, he recalled that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of opening Jan Dhan accounts after assuming office in 2014, the opposition mocked the initiative. Today, the strength of Jan Dhan accounts is evident to all.Referring to the difficulties faced by a former prime minister in ensuring welfare delivery, he said, "Funds are now transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts through DBT. Trust is the real strength of democracy. Democracy is of the people, by the people and for the people. Its true test is that every person should receive what rightfully belongs to him." 

Agencies