Gujarat introduces ‘Universal Affidavit’ for public services

In a major administrative reform aimed at reducing paperwork and streamlining public service delivery, the government of Gujarat on Monday introduced a statewide "Universal Affidavit" that will be accepted across all government offices and service centres, eliminating the need for citizens to submit different affidavit formats for various services, certificates, and welfare schemes.The initiative, announced by the state's Law Department, seeks to simplify documentation procedures, improve accessibility to government services, and reduce delays caused by varying affidavit requirements across departments.
According to information, under the new framework, the Universal Affidavit will be applicable in cases where an affidavit is mandated under existing laws or regulations but no specific format has been prescribed. In such instances, a single standardized affidavit format will now be accepted throughout the state.Officials said the move addresses longstanding challenges arising from the use of multiple affidavit formats by different government departments. The absence of a uniform system often led to confusion among applicants, increased documentation burdens, and slowed administrative processes.To ensure consistency, the Law Department has issued a common affidavit format that will be mandatorily accepted by all government offices, service centres, and authorities operating at the district, taluka, rural, and urban levels."Henceforth, for services where an affidavit is required under law or rules but no specific format has been prescribed, this single standard format will be accepted across the entire state," the government said in a statement.
The reform will also be integrated with digital service platforms, including the Digital Gujarat portal and Jan Seva Kendras, enabling citizens to use the same affidavit format while applying for services online, thereby improving convenience and reducing procedural complexities.Clarifying the scope of the initiative, the government said services that do not legally require an affidavit will continue to operate under the existing self-declaration mechanism.
"For services where there is no legal requirement to submit an affidavit, the simplified process of submitting only a self-declaration in place of an affidavit, as prescribed under the General Administration Department's resolution, will continue unchanged," the statement said, emphasizing that affidavits have not been made mandatory in such cases.
To ensure wider accessibility, the Law Department has prepared the official Universal Affidavit format in both Gujarati and English.Officials said the introduction of a common affidavit format is expected to remove procedural hurdles, bring greater uniformity to documentation requirements, and make government services more citizen-friendly by reducing paperwork and simplifying compliance across departments.

(State Correspondent)