North News
Chandigarh, December 31
The Punjab government has introduced a series of initiatives aimed at making government services more accessible, efficient, and transparent for its citizens. These reforms are designed to build a digitally empowered society, with a strong focus on convenience and accountability.
Punjab’s Governance Reforms and Public Grievances Minister Aman Arora highlighted the launch of an innovative online platform that enables local representatives, including Sarpanchs, Nambardars, and Municipal Councillors, to verify various certificates online, such as residence, caste, income, EWS, old-age pension, and Dogra certificates. This initiative aims to eliminate the need for multiple visits to government offices, as representatives can now receive information and provide recommendations via WhatsApp.
Over the last seven months, the state has processed over 9.2 lakh applications online with the help of Patwaris, who have also joined the digital verification process.
In a bid to bring services directly to citizens’ doorsteps, Punjab launched the “Bhagwant Mann Sarkar-Tuhade Dwar” scheme, offering 43 services that can be accessed by booking appointments via helpline number 1076. Seva Sahayaks are dispatched to citizens’ locations, equipped with tablets to assist with applications and document collection. Services are then sent directly to citizens’ phones via SMS or WhatsApp. To date, 111,915 appointments have been successfully served.
Additionally, the “AAP Di Sarkar, AAP De Dwar” scheme, introduced by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann in February 2024, has facilitated 11,090 camps across the state, resolving over 50,000 grievances on the spot.
Thanks to these initiatives, the pendency of citizen services has dropped to a record low of 0.3% in December. The government has also implemented the digital delivery of QR-coded, digitally signed certificates via SMS and email, allowing citizens to access verified documents without visiting government offices. More than 55.8 million documents have been delivered digitally to date.
