B2V-5: Good Governance Initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir administration is enabling participatory and people-centric governance thereby creating an environment of inclusive development”. Honourable Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha asserted at a function of B2V-5 in Jammu.

Ushering a new era of governance with core philosophy of transparency, accountability and accessibility under hastag #Badalta-KhiltaJammuKashmir, Jammu and Kashmir govt. is leaving no stone unturned to transform the governance ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir. Even the worst critics of the present dispensation accept the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a silent revolution and transformation in governance landscape and delivery of the services, which will fructify and will have long lasting impact upon the governance structure and interface in the times ahead. Some of the major initiatives include;
From Physical files to e-Office and abolition of old, outdated and expensive Darbar Move

Anywhere and Anytime Governance; Digital Governance and m-Governance
From multiple portals to single e-UNNAT portal
Public Service Guarantee Act, 2011 and its realistic and digitized implementation through Auto-appeal System
Robust Citizen Feedback (RAS) and Grievance Redressal Mechanism through like LG Mulaqat, IGRAMS and robust departmental grievance portals
Public Participation in development through unified and dedicated Jan Bhagidari portal and Jan Nigrani portal

Annual Back to Village Programme
District Good Governance Index
State of art State Data Centre
e-tendering and GEMS portals
Preventive and Punitive Vigilance

The electronic delivery of public services in India has got a major boost as the government embarked on the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0, also referred to as e-Kranti. The NeGP 2.0 is a part of the government’s broader Digital India initiative and aims to scale up and boost e-governance initiatives across the country. It will help in moving all government-to-citizen transactions in the education, health, banking, and public services sectors onto online platforms to digitally empower citizens of all strata.

Jammu & Kashmir becomes the first union territory in India to completely switch to a digital method of administration, leading the way in the digital transformation of governance. All governmental and administrative services in Jammu & Kashmir are currently only offered digitally. The declaration was made during the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries. From physical files to e-Office (Version 7.x), Jammu and Kashmir has come a long way. More than 500 offices are on boarded upto tehsil level. e-files accessible to all officials, irrespective of their location. Governance via paperless office management has disposal rate of 96%, and nearly two months of working time as well as Rs 400 crores saved annually.

Leading the digital revolution nationally, Jammu and Kashmir has become the first union territory (UT) in India to have entirely shifted to digital mode of administration. According to an order issued by the UT chief secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, all governance and administrative services in the state are now ‘only’ available digitally and no service would remain offline and applicants need not to visit any government office.

In the National e-services Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) report released by the Union Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Jammu and Kashmir secured the topmost position with an “impressive” almost 1050 e-services. The services across all departments can be availed through a single unified portal e-UNNAT at https://eunnat.jk.gov.in. This portal has single sign on (Meri Pechan), as such there is no need to visit multiple sites. These have been integrated with MeriPehchaan, RAS feedback mechanism, e-Payment gateway, SMS gateway, Digi Locker, Aadhar, eKYC and UMANG. From domicile certificate to property certificate, from water connection to electricity connection, from sewerage connection to legal heir certificate, every service is available on the tips of your fingertips.

The seriousness of the administration’s resolve can be gauged from the fact that the Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), 2011 has been amended to bring online services under its ambit. Around 300 services have been brought under the auto-escalation mechanism (Autoappeal System) for ensuring time bound delivery of services and penalties for delays in service delivery. This feature will auto escalate the appeals in case the services are not provided to the applicant within time limit set under Public Services Guarantee Act and it will establish the most accountable and transparent public services delivery system. This feature has magnified the scale of accountability and disposal of applications enormously.
The Rapid Assessment System (RAS) has been integrated with all the services for eliciting the response and feedback of the citizens regarding the ease of availing, usage and quality of the service. Morethan

50 lakh SMS and messages have been received on RAS with greater than 80% approval ratings, which itself is record breaking and the indicator of quality of the service delivery. About 30 of these services have been brought on-board the UMANG platform thus moving towards the Goal of “AapKa Mobile, Humara Daftar”. Services like Birth certificate, Death Certificate etc. have been integrated with Digi-Locker and more are in the process of integration, thus paving the way for a citizen to obtain their digital documents while sitting in the comfort of their homes or offices. The Government also aims to bring about transformation by means of a single National Single Sign-On (NSSO) called “MeriPehchan”.

In another remarkable initiative of Good Governance, LG’s Mulaqaat Program was launched to facilitate public/complainants who have filed grievances on JKIGRAMS to directly communicate with Lieutenant Governor. It has been successful as almost 100% grievances have been redressed raised through this platform.

In brief it can said that the present administration of J&K is mainly focusing on ‘On-The-Spot’ grievance redressal, instantaneous delivery of goods and services to the masses and ‘On-The-Ground’ speedy execution of People-Centric projects, which is being witnessed through the remarkable developmental works and projects that are currently going on across Jammu and Kashmir
After getting appreciated for its performance under Good Governance Index, the J&K Administration in collaboration with Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), GoI recently launched District Good Governance Index for all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The district good governance index ranks the districts and presents their comparative picture before the masses.

Under this index, the policies, schemes and programs of the Central and State government are monitored at district level. It not only reinforces the district machinery but also makes districts result oriented and enhances their delivery apparatus. The District Good Governance Index has helped in determining the significance of various governance interventions at district level and provide a futuristic roadmap for upgrading district level governance with targeted interventions.

Janbhagidari portal is a novel initiative which enables public overview and monitoring of the resources and development works for a meaningful transparency. It is technology driven empowerment to bring transparency in the execution of works by enabling citizens to overview projects/works being implemented in their areas and become a partner in the process of development.
The Back to Village program is more than just a mere administrative visit to rural areas. It is a holistic approach to empower and uplift the lives of people living in the hinterlands of Jammu and Kashmir. The government officials not only visit the villages but also spend the entire week working and living with the villagers, experiencing their way of life, and understanding their challenges.
One of the key aspects of this program is to involve villagers in decision-making processes, allowing them to share their suggestions and ideas for the development of their areas. This direct interaction between the administration and the villagers has nourished a sense of confidence and hope among the rural communities. It has given them a sense of belonging and an assurance that their concerns will be heard and acted upon.

During the visit, government officials conduct Gram Sabhas or community meetings where they interact with the villagers to discuss various development issues like education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, and employment opportunities. By doing so, they address the primary needs of the villagers, ensuring that their voices are heard and their problems are resolved.
In conclusion, the Back to Village program in Jammu and Kashmir has proven to be a game-changer in ensuring inclusive and sustainable development in the region. By creating a platform for direct communication and collaboration between the administration and the villagers, it has brought about positive change, giving the rural communities a renewed sense of hope, dignity, and prosperity.

The special focus o the B2V-5 is primarily on reach out to the vulnerable groups, who are eligible but have not availed benefits of various development and welfare schemes. The programme is also aimed at dissemination of the information and awareness about welfare and development schemes. The programme has been devised to be interactive, wherein the interaction with the beneficiaries of the Govt. schemes through personal experience/stories sharing shall aid and accentuate the learning process and thus improve service delivery.

The targets of all 137 deliverables of different departments shall be saturated in all such schemes associated with the welfare and well being of the public. The specific attention shall be on generating self employment, Swachh Bharta Mission, Bhrashtachar Mukt J&K, Nasha Mukt J&K, Bhay Mukt J&K, Sanginis Sakhi and Sahayakas , PashuSakhi, Digi Sakhi, Old Age Pension, Adhaar Saturation, Ayushman Card Saturation, Distribution of Sports Kits and organising sports activities, Prematric Scholarships apart from other deliverables.

The roots of Good Governance ecosystem and infrastructures are developing and evolving in Jammu and Kashmir every passing pay. The integration and usage of novel and cutting edge innovation like AI in governance is underway for larger public good. In a visionary move towards a more efficient and responsive government, Jammu and Kashmir has embarked on a journey to integrate cutting-edge technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), into its public delivery system. This initiative is part of a broader national roadmap known as ‘Future Ready Governance’ aimed at revolutionizing governance across India, including the Union Territory.

The integration of technology promises to not only streamline government operations but also usher in a new era of citizen-driven policies and address multifaceted challenges ranging from climate change to cyber threats, as well as issues in health, education, and agriculture. The integrated approach will help the government to develop a system of Citizen-Driven Policies and tackle growing challenges like climate change, cyber threats and issues in health, education and agriculture.

The immediate impact of the initiatives undertaken by Jammu and Kashmir Govt. may not be visible today at a larger scale. But the fruits it will be bear, will be cherished by the generations to come, as it is a well established worldwide fact that Technology driven Good Governance has empowered and transformed the region and people, wherever the seeds of these initiative have been sown.