With 913 online public services, Jammu and Kashmir has overtaken Kerala providing 911 online services to its citizens.
August 24, Srinagar.
In a remarkable achievement, the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has achieved second position in national rankings for the digitization of public services. The achievement comes as a testament to the relentless efforts of the local administration to ensure that government services are at the fingertips of the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.
Announcing the on-boarding of 913 services on the e-UNNAT portal, the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Arun Kumar Mehta regarded it as a significant development, showcasing the dedication and commitment of Jammu and Kashmir’s administration to provide easy access to government services to the general public.
It is pertinent to mention that, the number of online services has progressively increased from 35 services in 2021 to 913 services in 2024, under the digital Jammu and Kashmir programme that was launched last year.
Jammu and Kashmir, providing 913 online services to its citizens, has overtaken Kerala which provides 911 services and is placed at second position in the country after Madhya Pradesh.
In order to reach the wider section of the populace, the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta has emphasised upon the need to identify the development of more citizen-centric services, especially in the sectors of education, health and drug addiction.
The use of technology has ushered in a new era of digital governance in Jammu and Kashmir with a single digital platform providing the citizens 24*7 access to government services. The services have also been linked with the Rapid assessment services for rapid citizen feedback: Added the chief secretary Dr. Arun Mehta.
While as 300 services have also been linked with the auto appeal system, where appeals are automatically escalated to the appellate authorities in case a service is not provided to the citizens in a stipulated time defined under the Public Services Guarantee Act.
Sheikh Jaffar, a student of information and technology, told us that digital services have revolutionized Jammu and Kashmir, where people used to wait in queues outside of departments for services that were rarely provided. However, people may now obtain services at their fingertips from the convenience of their homes, eliminating the need to visit offices. He expressed his gratitude to the lieutenant governor’s office, in particular to Dr Arun Mehta, chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, for establishing the union territory’s digital government services system.
While it used to take months to create a permanent resident certificate, as another student, Farzana Fayaz, said, domicile certificates are now issued in only a few short minutes. She claimed that despite having lost her domicile certificate three times, digital services had made it simple for her to retrieve it. She also expressed her thanks to the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir for putting government services online.
The online services have enforced transparency and accountability in the functioning of government departments, besides providing all the services to the common masses at their fingertips and taking the administration to the doorsteps of people in the Union territory.
