In a surprise move, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the government's "governance at your doorstep (Sarkar Tumcha Daari)" initiative in Tivim with a firm assurance that he is committed to the last man in the queue. It is heartening that the government, although belatedly, has woken up to the fact that there is an elderly mother, a widowed sister or a disabled brother in society who find it difficult to access the government's schemes.
The CM raised awareness that there are 152 welfare schemes, besides the popular DDSSY and Griha Aadhaar schemes, and apprised people of the launch of a portal titled "know your scheme" where schemes are made available online. The initiative of taking governance to the doorstep is a positive step, but it’s still a far cry from the one run by the Delhi government under the name "doorstep delivery of services scheme".
The Arvind Kejriwal government has set a benchmark in the delivery of governance by taking public services to homes. It set a 1076 helpline and a “mobile sahayak” comes calling scanning documents like Aadhaar and PAN cards and filling application forms. Over the years, there has been a bouquet of enhanced features and apps added, taking ease and convenience to the doorstep a notch higher.
The Goa government’s initiative may be in an infancy stage, but unless the core issues are addressed, this would remain a half-hearted attempt. Mitras or government officials will have to go door-to-door practically becoming the middlemen between the government and citizens. A vast majority of Goans, especially those in rural areas are not conversant with the virtual world, leave aside the pathetic network.
Sawant may have educated people on the availability of schemes, but there are functional issues and hence there's a need for proper planning and understanding. It can’t be conceptualized overnight. The government must have a proper execution plan, with facilitation centres, 'kiosks' and help desks in every village and city. While taking the schemes to the masses, there is also an urgent need to hand-hold citizens, especially the elderly and physically challenged. In the current form, the government would be merely paying lip service by announcing what the government has to offer.
The outreach initiative comes as good news to the thousands of people who struggle to avail of government schemes or services all this while, spending precious time and energy standing in serpentine queues at government offices. While there are many services that have been offered via online portals, the scheme if executed on the line of the Delhi model, could be a game-changer.
There is a churn happening in the State and Sawant and his team is leaving no stone unturned to reach out to people. It is election season, and it is to be seen if those in the government can isolate themselves from political leanings and move forward with a single-minded people-friendly approach. It remains to be seen how genuine and sincere the efforts are.
