CM orders Khidmat Centres’ overhaul

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 30

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has called for revitalising the existing Khidmat Centres, service delivery points for all e-services, so that they become rich databank of information and provide dependable community-based services to the people.

Currently, 1,109 centres, with J&K Bank as the service centre agency, are functional in the state and 1,500 more are planned to be opened during the current financial year, an official spokesman said. This came up during a meeting of the Information Technology Department chaired by the Chief Minister here today. He highlighted the urgent need to bridge the digital divide by using IT services in improving the Government to Citizen (G2C) interface.

Mufti also sanctioned Rs. 2 crore for improving the internet connectivity in the Civil Secretariat as well as Khidmat Centres for firmly embedding an effective e-governance mechanism between the people and online service providers. “Use of technology in delivery of public services is the need of the hour,” he emphasised.

Describing people as the principal beneficiaries of e-governance, the Chief Minister directed the IT Department to provide them online services, particularly related to police recruitment, information on vacancies in J&K PSC and SSB, as well as obtaining copies of ration cards and power bills, et al, in a hassle-free manner. “Necessary budgetary support will be provided for upgrading the IT infrastructure in Khidmat Centres to make them effective bridges of government-citizen interface,” he assured.

The Chief Minister said he would take up the issue of improving bandwidth speed with Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for enabling the state to provide e-services to the people without any bottlenecks.

“The state government will be transformed into a smart government so that it becomes transparent and accountable, thus bringing efficiency in public delivery mechanism,” he said and added that IT related services forms an important component of entrenching good governance in the state.