SRINAGAR: Arun Kumar Mehta Chief Secretary, today emphasised upon the officers of the IT Department to make it their goal to develop a master database for all purposes. Dr. Mehta made these comments when he evaluated how the IT department was operating and the contribution that online services had to the effective provision of services to the community. Along with other concerned officers from the IT Department, the meeting was attended by the CEO of JaKeGA, the Secretary of Tribal Affairs, the Commissioner of IT, and scientists from NIC. The Chief Secretary argued that having a single database will make life much easier for the general public by preventing them from having to enter the same information each time they apply for a different service.After researching various models used by States and UTs across the nation, he urged them to develop such a method. He also suggested that they do a field study to determine how online services affect the general populace. He implied that these services were intended to eradicate corruption and bring government to the people’s homes. He stated that in order to determine its true impact on the ground, an objective examination must be conducted. The Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA) requires timely service delivery, and the Chief Secretary emphasised the creation of two-tier review committees led by the Administrative Secretary, IT, and other high level officers. He instructed them to bring to their attention any officers or officials caught infringing on the deadlines established by this Act for various services. He requested adding the requirement to evaluate officials’ performance on a yearly basis. Dr. Mehta also requested the start of a significant effort to educate people about the advantages of internet services.He emphasised that campaigns like “Say Yes to Digital; No to Bribe” will inspire individuals to aggressively pursue their rights. He advised them to start asking potential customers for comments on the services they received via IVRS and other interactive channels in order to understand their perceptions of the breadth and calibre of the offered services. In addition to unveiling the eagerly anticipated “IT Vision-2047,” the Chief Secretary also reviewed the progress made in implementing IT initiatives like the “Mobile Dost” App, Digital Surveillance for tracking violations of building permits, Digital DPRs/estimations of works, online Parivar Pehchaan Patra, and use of Artificial Intelligence in evaluating official processes and employee performance. The time, according to Dr. Mehta, has arrived to evaluate overall preparations in light of J&K’s potential future readiness. He noted that the future happiness and progress of J&K depend on the use of technology. Prerna Puri, the Commissioner Secretary for IT, gave the meeting the specifics, noting that J&K has now connected 103 of the 303 services covered by the PSGA with the Auto-appeal system.She further stated that in the upcoming days, the other 122 services would be merged with this auto-escalation system. She added that before the end of the month, the remaining services would be added to this platform. She also informed the group that, in addition to the RAS, the Department will soon be allowing people to provide their insightful input via IVRS. She also mentioned that the auto-appeal system would include a special dashboard to provide information on the progress of on-time service delivery.It was announced that the ‘Mobile Dost’ App, a dependable mobile-friendly version of all online services with additional features like services related to tourism, travel, jobs, weather news updates, etc. would be introduced by the end of this month, allowing citizens of J&K to carry government offices with them wherever they go.
