Formation of Delhi Dialogue Commission

The Delhi cabinet in its meeting chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday approved the setting up of the Delhi Dialogue Commission to implement the Aam Aadmi Party government’s vision for governance of the national capital.

The Delhi Dialogue Commission will be a nine-member body with the chief minister as its chairperson.

It will have a vice Chairperson also. Its members will be - deputy chief minister, Chief Secretary of Delhi, principal secretary finance, secretary to the Chief Minister and a member secretary to be appointed by the Chairperson.

The chairperson will also nominate two other members to this commission.

The cabinet approved the appointment of Mr Ashish Khetan as the vice-chairperson of the commission.

The Delhi Dialogue Commission aims to provide a unique model of collaborative and inclusive development.

As observed in Delhi in the past two decades, the vested interests of successive governments and their remoteness from their constituents ensured that the most fundamental needs of the people of Delhi have remained unaddressed – from issues such as clean drinking water, electricity and affordable housing to sanitation and employment, among others.

An honest, accountable and responsive government seeks out people’s participation, tapping into their immense potential to contribute to issues of governance.

Through the Delhi Dialogue Commission, the Aam Aadmi Party government will not only remove the distance between the government and the people but will also tap into people’s everyday experiences and their professional knowledge to draw up policy-level interventions in order to deliver on the 70 point manifesto.

The Delhi Dialogue Commission will constitute task groups/ committees on various subjects comprising experts, which will provide advice on the ways in which the vision of the Delhi Dialogue Commission can be actualised. Some of the initial task forces will be as follows:

· Task Group on rejuvenating and reviving the Yamuna and waterbodies in Delhi (including ponds, lakes, baolis, tanks and rivers) Task Group on air pollution

· Task Group on women’s safety and empowerment

· Task Group on e-governance, CCTV &Wifi.

· Task Group on comprehensive waste management and sanitation

· Task Group on affordable and clean energy

· Task Group on promoting entrepreneurship and creating employment

· Task Group on improving the standards of education ranging from primary to higher education

As a national capital, Delhi is the prism through which India is perceived by the world. Hence, an efficient administration, holistic development and a tangible sense of safety and security are absolutely necessary for Delhi to take its place among the world’s finest capitals.

The only way to transform a city is to be in a constant dialogue with the city and the people who mould it.

Now the time has come to create a mechanism through which that action plan can be implemented. It is with this intention that the government has decided to establish the Delhi Dialogue Commission to come up with appropriate solutions to a range of civic issues by studying good practices, policies and plans from across the country and the world and conveying them in the form of concrete recommendations to the Government of NCT of Delhi.

The commission can be contacted on the e-mail address : ddc.delhi@gov.in