New Delhi: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared Kerala to be India’s first fully e-governed state while speaking at the ‘Total e-Governance Kerala’ event held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (May 25).
The chief minister said that the state government wants to use technology for Kerala’s development and bridge the ‘digital divide’ in addition to creating a network of government offices and citizens.
A host of government services were unveiled at the event. Acting on its earlier promise of making internet access affordable, the chief minister launched the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project.
He said that earlier Kerala had declared Internet access a citizen’s right, a big step in a country where Internet shutdowns were not infrequent. The government did not leave it a hollow promise but acted upon it in mission-mode, he added, according to a report in the Hindu.
He also listed out the other initiatives like a single-window portal called e-Sevanam for delivering as many as 900 services.
The e-office system had already been implemented in the Secretariat, district collectorates, commissionerates and directorates, the Hindu reported. The e-district project would soon be extended to taluk-level offices. In panchayats, 250 services were now being delivered online, the report said.
A digital university, being hailed as the country’s first, and a digital science park worth Rs 1,500 crore were also announced at the event.
The total e-governance declaration coincided with the second anniversary of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Vijayan said his administration has turned the occasion into an opportunity to launch a series of pro-people projects instead of seeing it as an occasion for just celebrations.
State chief secretary V.P. Joy said that the successful implementation of e-governance would reflect in all sections of society and it would be a decisive factor in social progress.
The delivery of vital services covering health, education, land revenue, documentation of properties, public distribution system and social security payouts have already been digitised, according to a government statement, NDTV reported.