SRINAGAR, June 23: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir has transformed public service delivery by making more than 1,100 government services available online, enabling faster, transparent and citizen-centric governance.
Addressing the “Seva Se Samriddhi – Panchayat-led Service Delivery” regional workshop, Sinha said the Union Territory has emerged as the country’s top performer in e-service delivery.
He noted that the administration expanded online government services from just 35 in 2020 to over 1,100 by 2023, ensuring that essential services reach citizens at their doorstep through a digital governance model.
The Lieutenant Governor credited the transformation to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the three-tier Panchayati Raj system has played a key role in strengthening grassroots governance and public participation.
Highlighting initiatives such as Block Diwas, Back to Village, Aapki Zameen-Aapki Nigrani, BEAMS-Empowerment, and Your Mobile–Our Office, Sinha said these programmes have significantly improved service delivery and implementation of welfare schemes across villages.
He informed that over 15,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs) are currently operational in Jammu and Kashmir, covering 4,211 out of 4,290 panchayats, achieving 98.16 percent connectivity. The remaining panchayats are located in remote and border areas where connectivity challenges persist.
Sinha called for greater knowledge-sharing among states and Union Territories, saying successful governance models should be replicated to improve last-mile service delivery across the country.
He also suggested key reforms for strengthening Panchayati Raj institutions, including setting up Village Innovation Labs, modern capacity-building programmes for local representatives, participatory budgeting, promotion of sustainable development initiatives, and expanding leadership opportunities for women in local governance.
The Lieutenant Governor expressed confidence that collaborative governance and digital innovation would help build stronger, self-reliant and citizen-focused panchayats across India.
