JAMMU, November 7: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, presided over a meeting of Administrative Secretaries to review the activities carried out during Vigilance Week in Jammu and Kashmir. During the meeting, it was highlighted that the government has been actively promoting both preventive and participatory vigilance to enhance transparency and accountability in governance.
In attendance were the Director General of Police, all Administrative Secretaries from various departments, and Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police from all districts.
The Commissioner Secretary of the General Administration Department informed the Chief Secretary about the government’s commitment to making government-to-citizen interactions more transparent and accessible through 1075 e-services, which is the highest in the country. This, along with related IT initiatives like MobileDost, Rapid Assessment System, DigiDost for doorstep delivery of e-services, and linking services with DigiLocker, has made significant progress in combating corruption. Recent data shows that more than 52 lakh applications have been processed for various services online, with over 42 lakh already completed.
To ensure the timely delivery of online services, e-services are gradually being included under the Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA) with links to the Auto-Appeal System (AAS), which escalates cases of missed deadlines to the next authority for action against the defaulting officer. So far, approximately 64,000 appeals have been generated, and 32,000 appeals have been resolved. Additionally, penalty proceedings have been initiated against 55 officers who have delayed service delivery in the Revenue Department.
To address complaints of unwarranted rejections in the online mode, the government has begun analyzing such rejections, and officers responsible for unjustifiable rejections will face penalties.
Dr. Mehta emphasized the importance of measures to promote participatory vigilance and highlighted initiatives such as the Janbhagidari online portal, which allows citizens to oversee and review all developmental projects in the region. This exclusive portal aims to provide easy access to information related to development projects and ensure transparency in their execution.
Regarding financial discipline in preventing the abuse of discretionary authority, the Chief Secretary pointed out that the BEAMS and PaySys-linked digital payment systems have streamlined disbursements. In conjunction with these initiatives, the government has achieved 100% disbursement of financial assistance for 55 flagship schemes in the UT exclusively through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The strict enforcement of e-tendering as a mandatory requirement, along with prior Technical and Administrative sanctions, has promoted fiscal prudence, resulting in the completion of more than 92,000 works during the 2022-23 financial year, the highest ever.
Significant improvements were noted in the Public Distribution System (Food Supplies), which has transitioned to distribution through Point of Sale (POS) machines. The system has also achieved 100% Aadhaar seeding at both Ration Card and Beneficiary levels, under both the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Non-NFSA categories. This effort has enabled the department to remove approximately 11.5 lakh individuals from the ration card database, saving 1.6 lakh metric tonnes of food grains worth Rs. 230.00 crore annually. Additionally, nearly 90,000 genuine households were added to the Public Distribution System.
In the Revenue Department, the ‘Apki Zameen Apki Nigrani’ Portal (Land Information Management System) has facilitated easy access to land records with Land Passbooks providing comprehensive information about account numbers, khasra numbers, land types, land ownership, cultivators, and gender, among other details. The issuance of Land Passbooks was completed in all districts last year. Furthermore, demystifying revenue records has allowed citizens to have clear information about their land records. The introduction of ‘Online Fard,’ Mutation, Revenue Extract, Income Certificate, etc., represents steps toward greater transparency and time-bound delivery of revenue services.
During the meeting, it was revealed that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been tirelessly working in recent years to strengthen punitive measures against corruption, leading to the successful prosecution of 142 out of 276 FIR-registered cases since 2021. The bureau has also actively registered 121 trap cases and 29 Disproportionate Assets (DA) cases against corrupt officials in the UT.
