"At present, our democratic system does not have this kind of people's participation and partnership in the process of achieving the development targets. What we are doing is just to vote a set of people to power in elections entering into an MoU of sorts for five years to better our lots," he said.
Modi said the concept of development should be transformed into a people's movement roping in all segments of the society as was done by Gandhi during the country's freedom struggle.
Modi was speaking on the theme of "Good Governance is the Key" at a function here organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP) to mark completion of three decades of the institution that trains public representatives for good governance.
He said the country needed good governance, which was "pro-active and pro-people" to achieve the desired development targets.
"A good governance is pro-active and pro-people. The word 'file', which is so crucial in the government business, should be re-sequenced in letters as 'life'," he said.
Modi claimed that apart from Gujarat, all other BJP-ruled states had fared much better on the parameters of good governance in the country.
He took a dig at the Congress-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra saying it did not seem to have taken a page out of the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj whom he described as "a great administrator".
BJP leader Gopinath Munde alleged the recent fire at Mantralaya in Mumbai, which destroyed the offices of power, irrigation and revenue ministries, was a deliberate act.
Earlier, the Gujarat chief minister felicitated city-based Sanskrit scholar Pandit Vasant Gadgil for his contribution to promotion and preservation of the Vedic language.
