Satish Sharma reviews functioning of IT, ARI & Training departments
- Emphasises hassle free, timely services to common people
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Administrative Reforms, Inspection & Training (ARI & Training), Satish Sharma, chaired a crucial review meeting today at the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, to assess the performance of the IT and ARI & Training departments. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Principal Secretary IT Santosh D. Vaidya, CEO JaKeGA Ankita Kar, State Informatics Officer NIC Jaskaran Singh Modi, Director Finance IT Iftikar Chauhan, Additional Secretary Aijaz Qaiser, and other key department heads.
The meeting began with a detailed presentation by the Additional Secretary, IT Department, who outlined the department’s key initiatives, which include Digital Transformation, Cyber Security, and the Online Service Delivery System.
Satish Sharma was informed that 1164 services have been unified through the e-UNNAT online portal, with over 300 services integrated with Auto Appeal Services (AAS) under the Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA). A total of 785,109 appeals have been received through the system, with more than 520,177 disposed of, marking a 66 percent achievement rate.
Sharma was also briefed about the 17,608 Common Service Centers (CSCs) established across Jammu and Kashmir, with over 14,000 currently operational. Additionally, 940 new touch points have been added in government offices to improve the delivery of public services.
The Minister commended the department for its efforts, particularly for making Jammu and Kashmir the top-performing Union Territory in the country under the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA).
Satish emphasized the importance of Cyber Security and urged the department to ensure strict adherence to safety protocols to protect sensitive government data. He directed that measures be taken to safeguard critical IT infrastructure to prevent cyber threats.
The Minister also called for regular inspections of CSCs to ensure they are operating effectively and delivering services to the public in a timely manner. He stressed the importance of a robust audit mechanism to ensure that these centers remain transparent and efficient.
Sharma highlighted the need for advanced technologies to continue driving the success of Digital Jammu and Kashmir.
He directed the IT Department to utilize cutting-edge technologies to ensure the UT continues to be a leader in providing integrated online services and hassle-free citizen access to government services.
Following the review of the IT department, Minister Sharma turned his attention to the ARI & Training Department. The meeting included senior officials such as Shabnam Kamili, Secretary ARI & Training, Dr. Abdul Kabir, Secretary (Technical), and Muzaffer Ahmad, Secretary Law, who briefed the Minister on the department’s ongoing initiatives.
The ARI department plays a vital role in administrative reforms, inspections, and training to improve the functioning of government departments.
The Minister directed officials to conduct a survey for modernizing the presses and improving their efficiency. He asked for a focus on upgrading men and machinery and highlighted the need for new buildings for the Ranbir Government Press in Jammu.
Sharma also directed the identification of land for constructing new buildings for JK BoPEE in both Jammu and Srinagar.
He stressed the importance of streamlining recruitment processes and filling vacant posts across government departments. He also emphasized the need for a robust mechanism to resolve the leftover seats in professional courses managed by JK BoPEE.
Additionally, he reviewed the progress of administrative inspections, which help identify inefficiencies in government functioning, and urged the ARI & Training Department to continue improving operational capacity across departments.
