DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Marking a new era of digital governance in the state, Punjab Governance Reforms Minister Mr. Aman Arora on Thursday unveiled a pioneering project that will enable Sarpanchs, Nambardars and Municipal Councillors (MCs) to verify applications online for various certificates. Punjab takes the lead by launching this innovative initiative aims to save citizens from the hassle of making multiple visits to obtain signatures from Sarpanchs, Nambardars and MCs.

As part of this digital initiative, applications for key high demand services ? Residence certificate, Caste (SC, BC/OBC) certificate, Income certificate, EWS certificate, Old Age Pension and Dogra certificate ? will be sent online to concerned Sarpanchs, Nambardars and MCs for verification. These services require verification from Sarpanchs and Nambardars in rural areas, as well as MCs in urban areas. With the launch of this project, Patwaris will now send applications online to the Sarpanch, Nambardar, or MC for verification. These local representatives will receive information via WhatsApp and can provide their recommendation through WhatsApp.

"This streamlined process is expected to reduce the burden on citizens, who previously had to navigate a time-consuming and cumbersome process involving multiple visits to obtain signatures from Sarpanchs, Nambardars or MCs," said Mr Aman Arora.

To ensure a seamless transition, he said that comprehensive training and support is being provided to all stakeholders at the district level. Sarpanchs, Nambardars and MCs have been asked to contact their respective Deputy Commissioner offices' Governance Reforms branch to register themselves on the e-Sewa portal and obtain login IDs, said Governance Reforms Minister, while adding that in case of any issues, they can reach out to the DC office, visit the nearest Sewa Kendra, or call 1100 for assistance.

On the occasion, a presentation was shown to the Sarpanchs, Nambardars and MCs to familiarise them with the online verification process. The presentation demonstrated the step-by-step procedure for online verification, highlighting the benefits of the digital initiative and addressing any potential concerns.

The Governance Reforms Minister stated that previously, citizens had to have their identity and documents verified by Patwaris. After that, Patwaris would asked them to obtain signatures from the concerned Sarpanch, Nambardar or MC. This process was time-consuming and required multiple visits to get their documents signed by the Patwari, MC, Sarpanch or Nambardar. In some cases, citizens were even exploited by agents to get their documents signed.

Now, no citizen needs to visit any office to get their documents signed as mandated by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Governance Reforms department has also onboarded all the Patwaris to verify documents online, and as of now, over 8.65 lakh applications have been processed online by the Patwaris in the last six months across the state.

(editor@dailyworld.in)