Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt has constituted a dedicated cell — Business Policy and Process Re-engineering (BPPR) cell — in the general administration department to review and simplify govt procedures, modernise administrative rules and improve the delivery of public services. The move is aimed at making governance more efficient by removing procedural delays, redundant approvals and outdated regulations while ensuring time-bound delivery of services.Principal secretary (higher education ) B Ashok has been entrusted with the full additional charge of the cell.A govt order issued in this regard stated that the cell would examine a wide range of laws, rules, manuals and administrative procedures that govern the functioning of govt, many of which were framed decades ago. It will recommend amendments, repeal obsolete provisions where necessary and redesign business processes in line with contemporary governance practices and global best practices.The cell will focus on streamlining file movement at the Secretariat, simplifying the rules of business and departmental procedures, reviewing service rules and establishment regulations, speeding up project approvals and promoting digital governance. It has also been tasked with identifying suitable uses of artificial intelligence for functions such as file summarisation, rule checking, translation and process analytics, while ensuring that AI remains only a decision-support tool and that all final decisions continue to be taken by competent human authorities.The govt has approved a dedicated staff structure for the cell. In addition, it has been given the liberty to engage external consultants and domain experts, including specialists in law, finance, planning, digital governance and business process re-engineering, whenever required.BPPR cell will function as a coordinating mechanism rather than a separate department. All govt departments have been asked to nominate nodal officers, share relevant records and cooperate with the cell in its review process. A dedicated digital portal will also be created to invite reform suggestions from govt officials, experts, industry bodies and the public.The cell has been constituted initially for a period of two years. Its recommendations will be reviewed periodically by the chief secretary and placed before the CM and the cabinet for consideration.
