CS for devising multipurpose digital platform useful across cross-section of J&K population

Jammu: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo on Tuesday in a meeting to review the uptake and availability of digital services in the J&K remarked that an in-house capacity building should be undertaken by the IT Department to offer genuine solutions to the users across cross-section of our society.
Besides the Commissioner Secretary, IT the meeting was attended by CEO, JaKeGA; SIO, NIC and other officers of the concerned departments.
Continuing, the Chief Secretary maintained that the technology is panacea for most of today’s issues faced by the human population. He made out that a multipurpose digital platform offering genuine solutions to the issues faced by people across cross-section of the society should be the priority for the Department.
He elaborated that after providing all the services to public through online mode it is necessary to make their availability easier and faster for all the intending users of the J&K. He exhorted that the information and assistance needed by people regarding agriculture, horticulture, skill development, entrepreneurship, credit and grievance resolution should be some of the focal points of this platform.
Dulloo stressed on devising an interactive mechanism for grievance redressal where the complainants are periodically apprised about the status of their grievances. He also asked for increasing and distributing the number of VLEs to ensure that far flung areas of the J&K too had these in enough numbers to deliver services at the doorsteps of people.
In order to ensure timely delivery of e-services to the applicants without visiting offices physically, the Chief Secretary advised the concerned authorities for making stringent guidelines for compliance with timelines set under Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA). He encouraged them to frame a list the erring officials habitual of breaching these timelines so that action warranted under law is taken against them.
Regarding the ease and accessibility of these services the Chief Secretary directed for simplifying the formats for all the applications to make them user-friendly for all the surfers. He asked for running sustained IEC campaigns for generating awareness in public regarding the benefits and availability of online services.
He even called for carrying out a study of all the services to check their penetration in all the districts along with uptake by users. He even asked for making a robust cyber security and Data Recovery plan for e-office. He told them to ensure that the backup of data is done on real time basis only.
In her presentation the Commissioner Secretary, Information Technology, Prerna Puri informed the meeting that the department has made a significant contribution by increasing the number of online services from 35 in 2019 to 1102 at present offered by 72 departments, PSUs, Universities, Colleges of the J&K.
She also gave out that 485 services had been integrated with RAS for feedback of public and 387 with Auto-appeal system for ensuring their delivery as per the timelines defined under PSGA. She further informed that AQS for quality assessment of services by the users is also part of the digitisation to enable users to evaluate the services as per their experience.
She also highlighted that the Department is going to roll out the IVRS for real time grievance redressal and assistance for the public. She said that the suitable real time data recovery mechanism is also being explored by the Department besides implementation of robust cyber security management plan for the J&K administration.
The meeting also discussed about the performance of offices onboard e-office. It also noted the uptake of Digi Dost facility administered through a toll free number (14471) across the J&K besides capacity building of users of e-office here.
Later in another meeting also attended by Principal Secretary, Forests; Secretary, Revenue and the Management of Telecom service provider, BSNL the Chief Secretary impressed upon the J&K Administration to extend every kind of assistance to the telecommunication department.
He also directed the service provider to complete the work on all the handed over sites without any delay besides ensuring that the 4G saturation of all the villages as per the vision of Centrally Sponsored USOF are dully met.
He also stressed on smooth implementation of Bharat Net for coverage of all the habitations of the J&K under broadband services to enhance the internet connectivity there without any further delay whatsoever.