NPCP A FRAMEWORK FOR STREAMLINING PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS IN INDIA

Public Consultation is a common practice worldwide, as part of preparing major decisions related to all strategic sectors that are important for nation-building in the years to come. This is an essential aspect of governance that should be undertaken periodically in all democratic Nations across the globe. Earlier, this process was conducted through physical means, such as the circulation of printed documents and the collection of written responses. With the penetration of Internet connectivity and the usage of different social media platforms, it gradually evolved into digital formats, uploading consultation materials to websites and gathering feedback through email or web/app-based social media platforms. This paper attempts to identify certain issues/gaps/ deficiencies in the public consultation process, presently being adopted in India. To overcome such deficiencies, this paper attempted to evolve a suitable solution framework, namely the National Pubic Consultation Platform (NPCP). This NPCP framework aims to streamline and enhance the consultation process, offering a scalable model that can be adopted in India, in general, or by other Nations globally based on their existing systems, which are in force. Therefore, the study lays special emphasis on the present practices that are followed, identifying the gaps in the present practices, the need for a new practice, design, and proposed structure of the National Public Consultation Platform (NPCP).