Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh launched 20 citizen centric applications and also commissioned an integrated approach to delivery of services, here today. The e-district services launched today include registration and renewal of shops and commercial establishment, registration of establishment employing contract labour, application for contract labour license, revenue court cases management and 14 types of certificates including rural area, legal heirs, backward area, minority community, agriculturists, Dogra class, character, case (SC/ST), bonafide Himachali, income, other backward classes, freedom fighter, domicile and indigent (needy person).While speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh had been a harbinger to bring about qualitative change in the life of its people by empowering them through ICT initiatives in a pervasive manner at their door-steps. He said the State had made significant strides in this field in most cost-effective and citizen friendly manner. Consequently, the State had won several awards and recognitions including 10 national e-governance awards over the years.
Shri Virbhadra Singh said 2000 Lok Mitra Kendras (LMK) set up at the gram panchayat level had enabled the citizens to avail 53 different types of government services under a single roof including various kinds of certificates and documents.He said integration of electronic database of various departments at the level of application form was a landmark achievement and unparalleled anywhere in the country. In most cases, citizen would not need to go to different offices to get various certificates before availing online services. With internet penetration in rural areas still being limited, LMKs also provide a forum for reaching out electronically to the government functionaries. After giving out Jamabandi for several years, now Tatima was also available online in four districts to start with and with a target of covering entire State by the end of current financial year.He said with 31 services being hosted on e-district portal, Himachal Pradesh ranks among top five States in this regard.
Chief Minister said e-governance was need of the hour and appealed to all the government departments to make sustained efforts for digitizing and verifying their database so that all documents and certificates were henceforth generated from the same, thereby minimizing the need maintaining two kinds of records.He congratulated all stakeholders, including the State IT Department, NIC, System Integrators and all departments concerned who have together made the State proud in the field of IT.IT Minister Smt. Vidya Stokes said Himachal had emerged as leading state in the field of IT and the state had been keen in taking up in technology and new initiatives to facilitate the citizens. She said the state had maximum percentage of farmers registered on mKisan Portal to receive farmer related information through their mobile phones. The State also has the distinction of maximum number of advisories per farmer. She further stated that Himachal Pradesh was the first to adopt mobile governance (m-governance) for citizen service delivery across all departments and also to integrate voter lists of State Election Commission & Election Commission of India. She exhorted the IT professionals to develop citizen centric mobile applications.Additional Chief Secretary (IT) Shri Sanjeev Gupta gave demonstration of various initiatives and also made presentation as to how Himachal Pradesh had been a leader in the field of e-governance in the country.Chief Secretary Shri P. Mitra, Additional Chief Secretaries, Head of the departments and other senior officers were present on the occasion.