The LGA of Jammu and Kashmir India, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, announced the landmark achievement of reaching 1,016 citizen-centric services being provided in online mode, making J-K the first amongst all states UTs in the number of e-services provided to citizens.
The Lt Governor said that it was a significant achievement in tune with the commitment and resolve of the J-K administration to provide ease, convenience and accessibility to the common man, in line with a new era of digital governance.
The J-K brand is launching a new benchmark in e-Governance Service Delivery, with 1016 services now available online. The digital transformation of the UT is anchored by the principle of people-first and our aim to empower the common man. This historic achievement is proof of our commitment to transform the social landscape and enhance citizen satisfaction, guarantee transparency and accountability in the system and empower the aspirational and talented youth and women, the LG said.
The news agency said that JK has overtaken Madhya Pradesh to become the number one UT in the number of online services provided to citizens.
Under the Digital JK programme launched in mission mode last year, the number of online services has increased exponentially, from 174 services in July 2022 to 1016 services, with a nearly 500 percent increase in just one year.
LG Sinha said that ''J-K's remarkable digital journey and the resultant transformation from a laggard status in e-governance to a leading position in such a short span of time is unprecedented. The shift has resulted in a paradigm shift, resulting in greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency at all levels.
J-K has witnessed an exceptional rise in volume and adoption of e-services, transforming the government-citizen interface as never before. Corruption has decreased and citizen satisfaction has increased, which is being regularly monitored through a citizen feedback mechanism.
The adoption of a robust model of e-Governance by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of online services and availability of services 24 x 7 x 365 in response to the adoption of a robust model of e-Governance. The LG said that integration with systems like Digilocker, Aadhaar, e-payment SMS Gateways has enhanced the ease of living and convenience of citizens obviating the need to visit government offices.
The Government's resolve can be gauged by 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 to ensure time-bound delivery of services and penalties for delays in service delivery.
Mobile Dost, a mobile application, provides all online services through mobile phones and has a bilingual interface. The Lieutenant Governor commended the efforts of all departments of the J-K government for creating, designing and deploying online services and particularly the IT Department, JaKeGA and NIC for spearheading the Digital J-K mission. He urged citizens to ensure proper assessment of their feedback and ensure continuous scrutiny of the quality of services.