When Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Thursday clicked open yet another web portal with expectation that masses, irrespective of their class and creed, would throng with suggestions on budget preparations, he may not have an idea how host of similar steps taken before are at present losing their breaths, perhaps due to problem of plenty.
Situation is that if one goes to the link that was given for the Disaster Management Department, on the web portal ‘erahatjharkahnd.gov.in’, launched with much fanfare in the past, one would land into threat. The site where the link takes has been hacked!
'Hacked by Mr. Bangladesh', the text reads when clicked upon 'News and Events' section of the Disaster Management site.
A stern message following this would shake the user from inside."Hello Indian People!! Remember March 19, 2015IJ Yes, it is payback time now. Bangladesh Gray Hat Hackers. We defend, We revenge!!"
Notably, the Disaster Management website is going to be the most sought after amid drought call. It also offers services to host of other natural disasters ranging from cyclone, flood, lightening and other fatal accidents.
The 'e-rahat' portal also offers a link of Jharkhand Rural Health Mission Society, another important service to having direct connection with common man.
For the irritation of the users who already hesitate to use these services considering their previous experiences with Government Departments and offices, 'This page does not exist', is the message. "We are unable to locate the problem. Actually lots of changes are happening and some agencies managing the web portals have left operations. Now, 'e-rahat' would be managed by the Government itself," answered Umesh Prasad Shah, Director with the Information and Technology Department.
Government's willingness and toiling exercise to provide assistance to common people in seamless manner and with least hassles falter yet again when one calls on emergency call centre number-'1967'. 'This number does not exist' and 'Please check the number and dial again' are the answers to hear if a person wants to report about fatal road accident, killing, sexual abuse, rape, fire, abduction, bomb blast, riot, terrorist attacks and even bird flu.
"It was opened to provide instant assistance to the victims of all kind of atrocities or in case of any emergency on 24x7 basis through a dedicated phone line and call centre. "But due to some technical problem the line is being shifted now and thus is lying defunct. We would try to revive it soon," said a senior official of IT Department, the nodal Department for running the web-based SOS with picture of the Chief Minister on it.
The State Government has put number of services starting from seeking assistance, to getting an FIR lodged, online complain in police cases, getting certificates of birth, death, registration and many more on website. It is aimed to reduce paper work, time taken and make the service delivery mechanism transparent.
"In fact the e-governance model goes even further with the collection of suggestions from the citizens and that also for the exercise as important as budget making where anyone can make intervention in basic areas of economy of the State such as agriculture, education, health, housing and infrastructure. But these all have to work as well and just launching spree is not going to help," admitted an senior official of Planning and Finance Department who has been instrumental in making 'mybudget.jharkhand.gov.in' a reality.