In an initiative that could pave the way for hassle-free provision of statutory services, the Tamil Nadu government will provide such services without citizens having to apply for them.
In a suo motu statement in the Assembly on Friday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the government will provide statutory services “as a predictive service, from birth to death”. “In the current scenario of e-governance, citizens have to apply to various government departments and agencies for obtaining government services like certificates, documents, licences, etc., either by going over to their offices or through Arasu e-Sevai Centres or from their homes…with the technology available today, it is possible to ensure that citizens need not have to apply for any statutory service; rather, the government shall provide it as a predictive service, from birth to death,” Mr. Palaniswami said.
What it entails
The moment a child is born, a ‘Makkal Number’ (people’s number) is generated and assigned to the child. Under the initiative, when the child attains a certain age, for example, in the sixth month of birth, an SMS will be sent to the parents about the need to vaccinate the child, with details of the nearest vaccination centre. When the child turns five, the designated software will remind the parents to get him/her an independent Aadhaar number, and so forth.
The ‘Makkal Number’ is generated by the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency for the 7 crore people of the State. “The idea is to anonymise Aadhaar and provide a number to the citizens as it is fool-proof. This will be based on the consent of the individual,” a top official in the IT Department told The Hindu. These data will electronically reach the ‘Citizen Vault’, to be created for each resident of Tamil Nadu.
Residents can view their certificates and documents in their vault, using their mobile number as the user ID and an OTP as the password. “Right from the Birth Certificate to the Death Certificate and numerous certificates/documents issued in-between by various government departments and agencies, a system based on Blockchain technology will prompt the software of each department or agency to issue certificates as and when citizens become eligible for them. Government departments and agencies and private employers can, with the consent of the applicants, verify the genuineness of their qualifications electronically,” the Chief Minister said.
As part of the first phase, the TNeGA will build a Blockchain platform, to be offered as a service to all Government departments without their having to maintain a Blockchain node. The Blockchain technology will provide a “tamper-proof and immutable source of truth” through independent mathematical verification of the integrity/authenticity of any digital data without dependence on a third party, Mr. Palaniswami said.
“The CM was very receptive to the idea, as it is easy to provide these services with minimal direct engagement between government and citizens,” IT Secretary Santosh Babu said.
(With inputs from M. Soundariya Preetha in Coimbatore)