Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government on Monday announced a standardised "universal affidavit" format for availing public services across the state where no specific affidavit format is prescribed under law or rules.
The decision was taken by the state Law Department as part of the government's efforts to simplify and streamline civil services under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, an official release said.
"Citizens earlier had to submit different affidavits with varying texts for accessing schemes and services offered by different government departments, leading to inconvenience, delays and procedural complexities. With the introduction of the universal affidavit, the hassle of different affidavits is over," it said.
The same format will now be valid across Gujarat in cases where an affidavit is legally required but no specific format has been prescribed, the release said.
The new format will be mandatorily accepted by all government offices, authorities, and service centres functioning at district, taluka, rural and urban levels, and it will also be implemented on Digital Gujarat portal and at public service centres to facilitate online applicants, the release said.
The state government clarified that services for which there is no legal requirement to submit an affidavit will continue to follow the existing self-declaration process as per the General Administration Department's resolution, and affidavits will not be mandatory in such cases.
The Law Department has prepared the official format in both Gujarati and English for the convenience of citizens, the release added.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
