With 7 million applications, 8 million footfall and 169 services, the E-governance model is booming across Punjab
The Punjab Sewa Kendras (PSK) has been a successful E-Governance project, which is running successfully in the state of Punjab. The project was awarded to BLS International in 2016 by the State Government, and the prime intent of this project was to render various citizen-centric services to the citizens of Punjab by limiting their interaction with multiple offices and third parties. In practising this e-governance model, the organization has deployed the state of the art technology for safe-keeping of all personal details of the people.
Since inception, the organization has incorporated 2,147 Sewa Kendras across the state catering 169 services out of 223 proposed services. As per the recent official report, the application count across these Sewa Kendras has successfully touched 7 million milestones witnessing a magical influx of 8 million footfalls. Considering the short operational span of the organization, this achievement is quite phenomenal in delivering various government services to the common people of Punjab on a day-to-day basis. Besides, over the years PSK has also been a significant source of livelihood to several families in the state of Punjab including youths and many underprivileged people.
With bureaucratic complexities and red tape peril, the government work structure in India has always been criticised at different levels. Comprehending this age-old stigma and its consequences, a translucent and responsive work structure has been brought into practice at these Sewa Kendras. Transparency and accountability are always taken into consideration to weigh up the government fidelity. The growing footfall of applicants at PSK is a sheer sign of trust that the people of Punjab have in their government. Today, PSK has not only allowed the citizens of Punjab in accessing to various government records without hassle but also mitigated the propensity of unethical practices in rendering government services. This is where; the e-governance model has been so much flourishing in Punjab.
The key drivers of these Sewa Kendras include several government-related documentation needs and services such as; affidavit attestation, bill payment, bus passes, ID card services, caste services (SC/BC/OBC) and many other services stated under the Punjab Right to Services Act, 2011. Being a single-point of contact to the citizens of Punjab, all Sewa Kendras in the state are set up in very close proximity. To render an impeccable service without involving any third party and unwanted paperwork, BLS employs a dedicated workforce in all these Sewa Kendras supported by a robust Data Management System, enormous strides and advanced IT infrastructure. Besides, adequate training is also provided to the entire workforce of these Sewa Kendras for the betterment of their services.
The listed services at the PSKs are rendered through 22 different departments including Agriculture, Transport, Rural Development and Panchayat, Power/Electricity, Health & Family Welfare, Home Affairs and Justice, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Department of Labour etc. Recently, two more new services have been included at PSKs, which include:
- Application for E-registration Fee/ Additional E-registration Certificate under Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation
- Registration of Construction Worker under Department of Labour
Today, there is no better envoy of E-governance in India than Punjab. Keeping this significant stride of Punjab in mind, many other states like Orissa, Bihar, Kerala, Haryana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have also expressed their interests in practising the e-governance model in near future.