Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that K-Smart, the State Government’s ambitious project to make available services of local self-government bodies digitally over a uniform platform, will be particularly helpful for 40 lakh-odd non-resident Keralites (NoRKs).
Delivering the inaugural address marking the Statewide launch of K-Smart in Kochi on January 1 (Monday), Mr. Vijayan said that the technology-driven project will prove to be an intervention that will mark an end to the hardships of NoRKs in making personal visits back home to find solutions to their problems.
K-Smart is a first-of-its-kind system in the country making available all services of local body institutions in a single click. The Kerala Government has adopted a policy of utilising the growth of technology for the development of various sectors of society. The education sector, where 45,000 classrooms have been turned hi-tech, is an example, the Chief Minister said.
Hassle-free services
K-Smart marks the migration of all services from local bodies that are now available through multiple portals and applications into a single platform. Services should be made available to the public in a hassle-free manner. Harassment of applicants should be avoided by informing them about all requirements with regard to applications at one go. K-Smart will resolve such problems to a great extent, he said.
K-Fi project
Around 2,000 hotspots have already been identified as part of K-Fi, a project of the State Government aimed at making available free Wi-Fi project in public spaces. Another 2,000 hotspots are being readied. Such basic infrastructure projects for ensuring basic Internet connectivity will make accessible initiatives such as K-Smart and thus speed up the functioning of government systems, he added.
Around 250 services are being made available through the Integrated Local Governance Management System that was introduced in all panchayats last year. Decisions could be reached on nearly 1 crore files through the system in a year, said Mr. Vijayan.
Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh presided over the function held at Gokulam Convention Centre at Kaloor. Minister for Law and Industries P. Rajeeve launched the K-Smart mobile app. Information Kerala Mission (IKM) chief mission director and executive director Santhosh Babu presented the report.
A new Kerala
Mr. Rajesh said that K-Smart is a critical step in the creation of a new Kerala. Digitisation of services of local bodies is part of an attempt towards achieving digital literacy. Services being made available through K-Smart is a model for the entire country. Other States have evinced interest in the project. The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the IKM and the Karnataka Municipal Data Society is a step in that direction, he added.
The National Urban Digital Mission has recognised the IKM as a partner in software development. Besides, the IKM has been empanelled as an implementation agency by the National Institute of Urban Affairs for introducing urban governance platform in States and Union Territories. Training has been imparted to secretaries and employees of all local bodies. Hardware and other technical requirements have been readied in all local bodies in the State, said Mr. Rajesh.
The service of a 10-member technical team has been ensured for local bodies initially anticipating potential technical issues that may crop up during the migration of operations online. Also, a rapid response team is ready at the headquarters, he said.
