New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) The government removed nearly 2,000 outdated rules in a decade that outlived their relevance, Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh said on Friday, adding that many of these regulations were designed for a different era and could not have anticipated today’s technological advancements.
The simplification of procedures, including eliminating unnecessary attestations and redundant practices, reflects a shift towards trust-based governance, he said while delivering a keynote address at the ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’ here.
The session, titled “AI for Viksit Bharat: The Capacity Building Imperative,” brought together policymakers, administrators, and experts to deliberate on the convergence of governance, capacity building, and Artificial Intelligence.
“AI can substitute everything on this planet, but it cannot substitute integrity. Artificial Intelligence can transform systems, improve efficiency and expand access, but it cannot replace human integrity,” he told the gathering.
AI, he said, has become an inescapable reality across domains and must be meaningfully integrated into public systems.
The most encouraging aspect of India’s transformation journey is the presence of a political leadership willing to embrace futuristic as well as future-ready ideas.
Recalling that themes like AI-driven governance would have been unimaginable in official discourse a decade and a half ago, the minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reform-oriented approach for creating an enabling environment where innovation and governance reforms move together.
He explained that the Capacity Building Commission was conceived to ensure that learning itself becomes a continuous institutional habit. Referring to the concept of Digital Public Goods (DPG), Dr. Singh said that while the terminology may be new, the essence remains rooted in the principle of public good and citizen-centric governance.
He cited another example from the health sector, where AI-assisted telemedicine services operate alongside physical doctors.
While AI enhances efficiency and reach, the presence of a human doctor reassures patients and builds trust. Such models, he said, are particularly suited to India’s diverse social and linguistic landscape, where technology must adapt to local realities.
–IANS
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