Over the years, the online shift of various citizen services in Kerala have happened in fits and start. Often, projects launched with lofty goals have failed to achieve their intended aims. Some services, especially building permit application, continued to be accessed more manually even after the launch of online applications, defeating the entire purpose of the shift.
Drawing on the failures in the previous attempts to shift citizen services completely online, the State government has built in safeguards in the implementation of K-Smart, the local self-government department’s comprehensive online platform for all major citizen services, set to be launched on New year’s day. Unlike in the previous attempts, there will not be the option for manual processing, especially of building permits. Helpdesks will be set up in all local bodies to provide assistance to the public as well as the employees to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.
