Himachal leveraging IT for effective, accessible public services: CM Sukhu

Shimla, Jan 6 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh has emerged as a forerunner in the effective use of information technology (IT) to make public services accessible, transparent and time-bound, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said.

Addressing the general house meeting of the Society for Promotion of IT and e-Governance in Himachal Pradesh (SITEG) on Monday evening, he said even in the most remote and tribal areas of the state, most government services are now available at the click of a mouse, which he hailed as a milestone in the direction of good governance, a statement issued here on Tuesday said.

The chief minister reviewed various IT-based applications and software developed by the department and directed officers to make these systems more citizen-friendly, secure and effective.

Reviewing the 'Him Upasthiti' application, developed to ensure attendance of employees working in various government departments, Sukhu directed to further enhance its efficiency, transparency and reliability.

He also directed that registration of all state government staff on the 'Him Access Portal' be made mandatory and instructed that all employees must complete their registration within one month.

Launching the Asset Mapping Application, the chief minister said this initiative would provide comprehensive and updated information related to citizens' properties, which would support infrastructure development, effective policy formulation and improved resource management.

According to the statement, an artificial intelligence-based document verification system is being integrated into the Him Seva Portal for more efficient delivery of revenue services.

At present, revenue service's involve manual verification of applications, placing an excessive workload on officers. Minor errors in documents often lead to rejection of applications. As a result, officers spend substantial time on preliminary checks, and citizens are compelled to make repeated visits to government offices, the statement noted.

The AI-based system will automatically scan documents at the time of upload and identify whether they are clear, correctly formatted, and complete with all required details. It will also cross-verify personal information entered in the application and flag any discrepancies. In case of deficiencies, applicants will receive immediate feedback before submission, enabling them to rectify errors in real time, it added.

The chief minister also directed that comprehensive mapping under the Him Parivar Portal be ensured down to the panchayat level, with inclusion of socio-economic data and integration with all welfare schemes of the state government.

He said land-related data would also be incorporated into the portal to ensure transparent and targeted delivery of benefits to eligible beneficiaries.

Highlighting the future roadmap, Sukhu said the state government is gradually integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and block chain technology into e-governance, keeping future requirements in mind.

The AI-based systems would improve service quality, enhance accuracy of decision-making and expedite grievance redressal, while block chain technology would bring transformative improvements in data security, transparency and record management, he added. PTI BPL ARB ARB