lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday approved Delhi Government’s ‘Doorstep Delivery of Public Services’, which offers over 40 Government services ranging from grant of water connection to marriage certificate at the people’s doorstep.
“All citizens of Delhi are grateful to you sir. Thank you,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Monday.
The lieutenant Governor approved the scheme after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assured that the Government will simultaneously work to plug the gaps in the digital delivery of services from the ‘application’ to the ‘delivery’ stage in the present system of providing services ‘on-line’ by enabling young entrepreneurs to come up with ‘internet kiosks’ with adequate safeguards, from where the services can be accessed.
“Chief Minister also assured that a suitable financial model will also be worked out to provide soft loan to the educated unemployed to set up these ‘kiosks’,” a release from the lieutenant Governor office stated.
It also said “After getting assurance that both the systems will function as complementary to each other, lieutenant Governor approved the proposal and advised the administrative department concerned to finalise the proposal for setting up ‘internet kiosks’ within a month,”.
The scheme had become another point of contention between the AAP-led Delhi Government and the lieutenant Governor.
The decision was approved in a Cabinet meeting in November, but Baijal later in December sent the file back to the Government for reconsideration.
The AAP Government had termed the service the first of its kind in India. Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia had earlier said citizens would save time and countless trips to Government offices with the scheme and termed the decision as one amounting to bringing “Government at your doorstep” and “home delivery of governance”. Citizens would be able to access these services outside of the normal working hours too.
The 40 services on offer include issue of OBC, SC & ST certificates, motor vehicle registration certificate, driving licence, handicapped and old age pensions as well as sewage connection.
A nominal fee would be charged from people and a private agency would be hired to carry out the service. Under the new project, if a person wanted a certificate from the government, he would telephone a call centre.
Then a ‘Mobile Sahayak’ would go to the residence or office of the applicant and collect the necessary documents, take photo and biometric details and then process the application. Applicants can pay the prescribed application fee to the ‘Mobile Sahayak’.