By Ruchika Verma
Rajasthan government introduced its e-governance initiative named e-Mitra in association with private domains to maintain the efficiency and transparency of the government work, and to help citizens with their day-to-day work related to the government.
e-governance is a great way of improving services and saving time.
Under the e-Mitra initiative, Common Service Centers (CSC) or kiosks are set up in localities of Rajasthan to provide different services related to government departments without the need for people to visit government offices physically.
How efficient is e-Mitra ?
Conditions of government departments in India is not unknown. For all kinds of work, it takes a lots of time and effort. However, e-mitra has changed that. It is easy and efficient.
e-Mitra has come as a blessing for all those who want their work done without any hassle.
E-mitra has made work easy for both government and public. Facebook
One of the kiosks owner believes that this initiatives give public more power and it is very important for public to have the power in their hands.
e-Mitra also follows the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model,so, there is lots of transparency in its working. PPP also means that the services are almost perfect and moreover, it has gained people's trust.
Challenges and Success
Mr. R K Sharma, the head of e-Mitra in an interview discussed the challenges faced during the development and launch of e-Mitra. Connectivity was the biggest challenge as India still lacks fast Internet connection in many parts of the country. If this is the case, attaining goals might be exhausting for Mr. Sharma.
Also, the lack of awareness and reluctance to use online services especially in the rural areas was another big challenge. However, despite such concerns, government is confident about the initiative.
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The long-term plans for e-Mitra includes complete digitalization that will help residents to avail any government service at home. e-Mitra will also be launched in other states in order to cater to a larger population of people.
Today, e-Mitra is the largest e-government initiative in india with roughly 36,000 kiosks across 32 districts of Rajasthan, collecting over Rs. 3000 crores in yearly revenue collections.
Since 2004, it has been a great success. The convenience and efficiency makes it popular among the common public. Under the e-Mitra project,there are three kinds of services available :submission of application forms; utility bill payment services; and submission of grievances.
e-Mitra is a great way of inculcating entrepreneurship in the rural areas. Facebook
E-Mitra also fosters entrepreneurship in rural areas, due to the easy initial investment of only Rs. 5000 for a kiosk. Women are actively taking part in it as it is proving to be a great source of income for them.
e-Mitra has lots of potential for further expansion and hopefully, it will expand, so that other states will get benefited by it as well.