PANAJI
Several hurdles and breakdowns later, the department of panchayats is finally on the track to take its services online under the new Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho. Armed with a practical roadmap, Godinho appears to be prepared for the long walk to the doorstep of each citizen in the 191 panchayats of Goa.
With a clear vision and a clearer understanding of the term e-panchayats and e-governance, Panchayat Minister Godinho is attempting to overhaul the very narrative of local self-governance in Goa and to replace it with ‘panchayat at your doorstep’.
Speaking to The Goan, Godinho declared, “I want to redefine the functioning of panchayats in Goa. Once the e-panchayats and the directorate’s e-portal go online, a visit to these offices will no longer be necessary. It is a hands-on approach to simplify procedures and to make normal things simpler for people as to availability of different certificates.”
Referring to Rs 4.57 crore project for developing an e-governance portal for the Directorate, which was inaugurated by the former minister Rajendra Arlekar on January 3 this year, Godinho lamented that there was no real task mandated to the project developers. “Money was paid. While the intention was good, there was no roadmap. So, I have given them a roadmap now. After clearly elucidating our views to them, they are moving forward the way we want,” he said.
The Panchayat Minister stated that the digitization of records has already begun with the help of the infrastructure already provided to all panchayats and that this mammoth task will not delay the project of e-panchayats. Broadband connectivity is also being ensured to those which are still outside its purview.
Explaining his plan to take the department online, Godinho said, “I want each panchayat to develop its website and take its services online. This means that we will have the connectivity, a record of whatever certificates they issue, when the citizen applied, when it has been released and all relevant details. These will be then available online with the Directorate of Panchayats. Then naturally, we will have a complete picture of what is happening. That is the idea behind this whole exercise.”
“As you know there are so many allegations that the grassroot level itself things are so bad that even for simple certificates, people have to pay bribes. Once it’s online, there will be no question of such payments. E-payments will eliminate corruption at the grassroot level,” Godinho highlighted.
A consultant has made a presentation to the secretary of panchayats on Thursday. The department officers will discuss the substance of the presentation before briefing the minister. Once the department is satisfied with the prototype of its online portal, it will have meetings with the top echelons from the banking sector and if required their head offices.
“I will not compromise on quality of the portal while chasing an imagined deadline though I am pushing for the successful completion of this project. The thrust would be on creation of a system to deliver quality and time-bound services in a manner which will not collapse in the future,” Godinho concluded.
