Chief Minister's Principal Advisor Information Technology and Innovation Gokul Butail delivered the keynote address at the Urban Innovation Summit held in Chandigarh today. The summit was inaugurated by the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Gulab Chand Kataria.
During the event, the Governor appreciated Himachal Pradesh’s progress in technology-driven governance and encouraged representatives from other states to study the state’s data-driven governance model as a benchmark for effective administration. Addressing the gathering, Gokul Butail said that innovation has become essential for sustainable urban development.
He said that urban centres in Himachal Pradesh are steadily transforming into AI-enabled smart cities while maintaining balance with the state’s unique mountain ecosystem. Highlighting recent achievements, he said that the Him Seva Portal currently delivers more than 550 citizen-centric services with the support of Artificial Intelligence. He said that Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to notify a State Data Hosting Policy, strengthening the use of organized data for better governance and policy planning. Sh. Butail further said that the Him Data Portal and an AI-based document verification system have significantly improved efficiency by enabling faster verification and real-time feedback for citizens.
He said that digital governance initiatives such as Himsomsa, the Parivar Register and platforms for Panchayati Raj and Urban Development were helping the state government achieve direct savings of over Rs. 60 crore annually. Referring to citizen-focused digital services, he highlighted initiatives like Him Parivar and My Deed.
Through My Deed, Himachal Pradesh has introduced a fully paperless property registration system, allowing citizens to complete registration processes digitally without intermediaries. Sh. Butail said that the state government remains committed to using technology and innovation to deliver transparent, efficient and citizen-friendly services and making all possible efforts to provide best facilities to the people of the state.