JAMMU: By offering more than 1028 services for residents, institutions, and commercial organisations online, Jammu and Kashmir has accomplished a huge milestone and outstanding feat in e-governance. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir took first place in the National e-services Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) report published today by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, with an impressive 1028 e-services, beating out Madhya Pradesh with 1010 e-services and Kerala with 911 e-services. With this significant accomplishment, Jammu and Kashmir now leads all other states and UTs in the delivery of e-services.While praising the efforts of all Departments, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the success is in line with the J&K administration’s commitment and resolve to make services simple, convenient, and accessible to the general public, ushering in a new era of digital governance. This outstanding accomplishment is transforming the social landscape, raising levels of citizen happiness, assuring openness and accountability, and empowering the region’s gifted and aspirational youth. This digital revolution, according to him, “represents a significant step towards a governance system that is transparent, accountable, and highly efficient, driven by a ‘citizens-first’ approach and a steadfast commitment to empowering the public.”The number of online services under the Digital J & K initiative has expanded dramatically from 35 services in 2019 to 1028 services as of this writing. The programme was launched in mission mode last year. It is exceptional that J&K has made such a tremendous transition from a backwards state in terms of e-governance to a leader in such a short period of time. This has caused a paradigm shift that has boosted efficiency, accountability, and transparency across the board. A citizen feedback tool is used to continuously assess the tangible decline in corruption and rise in citizen happiness. With an 86% approval rating, over 61 lakh communications have been rented to the public for feedback assessment. Similarly, 73 services have been connected with Digilocker. The Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), 2011, has been updated to include online services, demonstrating the seriousness of the government’s commitment. To ensure time-bound service delivery and penalties for service delivery delays, almost 300 services have been added to the auto-escalation system. While thanking all Departments on their accomplishment, Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta stated that it was possible because of their dedication to honest and corruption-free governance.E-service usage and volume have increased dramatically in Jammu and Kashmir, changing the relationship between the government and its citizens like never before. “The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has adopted a robust model of e-Governance and a citizen-centric approach, which has resulted in an exponential rise in the number of online services and the availability of services 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said. By eliminating the need to attend government offices, integration with systems like Digilocker, Aadhaar, and e-payment/SMS Gateways has further improved the comfort of life and convenience of citizens. He also expressed his gratitude to the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for their steadfast assistance throughout this incredible trip, during which our online services multiplied. V Srinivas, the DARPG union secretary, praised the UT administration for accomplishing this remarkable task. He said that the NeSDA framework, created by DARPG, has been instrumental in boosting e-service adoption, volume, and quality. The UT Government’s determination and DARPG’s persistent dedication to transforming governance via technology are demonstrated by this accomplishment. DARPG has established a standard for states and UTs across the country through the NeSDA framework. He pledged his full support for the UT Administration’s transition to the digital age.
