Kerala achieves first fully e-governed state status

With an entire spectrum of government services logging on to the digital space, thereby ensuring prompt delivery of services, Kerala has transformed itself into a Total e-Governance state.  This significant and historic transformation in governance has made sure that every delivery of services is prompt, transparent and inclusive. This apart, being digital has also helped fast-tracking the journey towards a knowledge society and economy with total e-literacy.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared the ‘Total e-Governance Kerala’ status, stating that ushering in complete e-Governance does not merely mean creating a network of government offices and citizens but leveraging technology for the state’s development and empowering people by bridging the digital divide.

By the term governance what the present government means is total commitment to fulfil the promises it made to the people. The government and governance are reaching out to the people more and more. The service delivery has been made people-oriented and corruption-free and public utilities have become people-friendly.  These transformative changes have been felt by people in the last seven years, he added.

Kerala makes access to Internet a citizen’s right

The Chief Minister went on to say that the government does not stop at what it has already achieved. Services should reach people, instead of people going in and out of government offices for obtaining services. This can be ensured by leveraging new technology, and, that exactly is what the government is focusing on, he pointed out.

Kerala has made a bold step by making access to Internet as a citizen’s right, which had happened in a country where Internet shutdowns are frequent. This was not kept as a hollow promise but had been acted upon on a mission-mode. The roll out of KFON (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) shortly will make access to Internet at affordable cost or free of cost.

Listing out a number of pioneering initiatives made by the government to usher in e-Governance, the Chief Minister said a single-window portal called e-Sevanam has been created to deliver as many 900 services. The e-office system has already been implemented in government secretariat, district collectorates, commissionerates and directorates. The e-district project is another pro-people initiative. This will soon be extended to taluk-level offices. In panchayats, delivery of as many as 250 services has been made online.

Kerala has also set up the country’s first digital university and India’s first digital science park is getting ready at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore. The local level interventions to promote digital literacy are also on. All these measures are aimed at taking e-Governance to its totality.

Series of pro-people projects

Noting that the total e-Governance declaration coincided with the second anniversary of the Government, Vijayan said the government has made the occasion into an opportunity to unveil a series of pro-people projects including the 100-day programme, instead of seeing it an occasion for just celebrations.

According to Dr V P Joy, Chief Secretary, Kerala, with Kerala becoming the first complete e-Governance state in the country, there won’t be any delay in providing services to people from government departments and offices. He said the changes resulting in from the implementation of e-Governance will reflect in all sections of society and it will be a decisive factor in the social progress.