JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir has achieved a significant milestone and remarkable feat in e-governance by providing over 1028 services in online mode for citizens, institutions, and business establishments.
In the National e-services Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) report released by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India today, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir secured the topmost position with an impressive 1028 e-services, surpassing Madhya Pradesh with 1010 e-services and Kerala with 911 e-services.
This landmark achievement firmly places Jammu and Kashmir at the forefront of states and UTs in the provisioning of e-services.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while commending the efforts of all Departments, said that it is an achievement in tune with the commitment and resolve of the J&K administration to provide ease, convenience and accessibility of services to the common man ushering in a new era of digital governance.
This remarkable achievement is reshaping the social landscape, enhancing citizen satisfaction levels, ensuring transparency and accountability and empowering the aspirational and talented youth of the region.
“Driven by a ‘citizens-first’ approach and a steadfast commitment to empowering the public, this digital transformation represents a significant stride towards a governance system that is transparent, accountable, and highly efficient”, he said.
Under the Digital J & K programme launched in mission mode last year, the number of online services has increased exponentially from 35 services in 2019 to 1028 services as on date. The remarkable digital journey of J&K and the resultant transformation from a laggard status in e-governance to a leading position in such a short span of time is unprecedented.
This has brought about a paradigm shift resulting in increased transparency, accountability and efficiency at all levels. There has been a palpable reduction in corruption and increase in citizen satisfaction which is being regularly monitored through a citizen feedback mechanism. Over 61 lakh messages have been rent to the citizens for the feedback assessment with 86% approval rating, Similarly 73 services have been integrated with Digilocker.
The seriousness of Government’s resolve can be gauged from the fact that the Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), 2011 has been amended to bring online services under its ambit. Around 300 services have been brought under the auto-escalation mechanism for ensuring time bound delivery of services and penalties for delays in service delivery.
Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, while congratulating all the Departments for achieving this feat, said that it is a result of commitment to transparent and corruption free Governance. Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed exceptional increase in volume and uptake of e-services which has transformed the government-citizen interface as never before.
“It is the adoption of a robust model of e-Governance and citizen-centric approach by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir which has resulted in an exponential rise in the number of online services and availability of services 24 x 7 x 365” he said.
Integration with systems like Digilocker, Aadhaar, e-payment/SMS Gateways has further enhanced the ease of living and convenience of citizens obviating the need to visit government offices. He also thanked the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for their unwavering support in this remarkable journey where our online services grew manifold.
Union Secretary, DARPG, V Srinivas, congratulated the UT government for this incredible feat. He stated that the NeSDA framework, developed by DARPG has played a pivotal role in catalyzing the improvement in the uptake, volume, and quality of e-services.
This achievement stands as a testament to the UT Government’s resolve and DARPG’s unwavering commitment to revolutionizing governance through technology. Through the NeSDA framework, DARPG has set a benchmark for states and UTs across the nation. He assured of all support to the UT Administration in its digital journey.