The Gujarat government 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 public services, certificates and government schemes.
The decision, announced by the state’s Law Department, is part of an administrative reform aimed at simplifying procedures, improving accessibility to government services and reducing delays caused by documentation requirements.
Under the new system, the Universal Affidavit will be applicable in all cases where an affidavit is required under existing laws or rules but no specific format has been prescribed. In such instances, a single standardised affidavit format will be recognised and accepted across the state.
The government said the move seeks to address longstanding issues arising from the use of multiple affidavit formats by different departments. According to officials, the lack of uniformity often created confusion, increased the documentation burden on applicants and delayed administrative processes.
To streamline the system, the Law Department has issued a standardised affidavit format that will be mandatorily accepted by all government offices, service centres and authorities 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.
The reform will also be integrated into 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.
Clarifying the scope of the initiative, the government said services that do not legally require an affidavit will continue to follow 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,” it said, adding that affidavits have not been made mandatory in such cases.
The Law Department has prepared the official Universal Affidavit format in both Gujarati and English to ensure accessibility and ease of use for citizens across the state.
Officials said the initiative is aimed at removing procedural hurdles, bringing greater uniformity to documentation requirements and making government services more citizen-friendly through a common affidavit format recognised throughout Gujarat.
(With inputs from IANS)
