‘Universal affidavit’ format to simplify access to public services

Gandhinagar: A standardised “universal affidavit" format for availing public services across the state was announced by the state legal department on Monday. An official statement said that where no specific format is required, the universal affidavit will be applicable.The legal department has announced the universal affidavit format to eliminate difficulties faced by citizens in obtaining various types of affidavits with varying texts for govt services, said the govt.“From now on, when an affidavit is required by law or regulation but no specific format is determined, this single, uniform format will be recognised across the state,” read a statement issued by the govt.Until now, applicants had to submit various types of affidavits to avail different services, certificates, or schemes provided by different departments of the state govt. This diversity in documents led to unnecessary complexity, wasted time for the general public, and delays in administrative processes, the statement said.“The universal affidavit will be mandatorily accepted by all govt offices, service centres, and authorities operating at district, taluka, rural, and urban levels. It will also be implemented uniformly on the Digital Gujarat portal and all public service centres, providing convenience to online applicants,” the statement added.The govt clarified that for services where there is no legal requirement for an affidavit, the process of ‘self-declaration’ will continue as per the resolution of the general administration department.