Fully digital applications at e-grams remain lower than 4% since 2022 fiscal: GARC report

It recommends development of the Digital Gujarat 2.0 portal, designed to establish a completely digital working system and ensure smoother communication between the government and citizens.

To realise the vision of digital good governance in the state, the GARC under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister’s Principal Adviser Hasmukh Adhia, constituted to introduce necessary reforms in the administrative structure and functioning of the state government, in its fifth report submitted to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday said, “The number of applications at Jan Seva Kendra is consistently 1.5 to 2 times greater than e-grams in the last five years, despite a larger number of e-grams and their accessibility at every Panchayat.
However, the availability of end-to-end processes for major services only at Jan Seva Kendra predominantly causes the application hike. The share of fully digital applications at e-grams has consistently remained lower than 4 per cent since financial year 2022’.

The GARC has so far submitted four reports to the state government, with four recommendations currently at various stages of implementation. The fifth report was submitted to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday.

“While e-Gram centres offer four times more services than JSKs, they receive only around 12 per cent of user traffic, compared to 83 per cent for JSKs. While eGram offers 303 services, application volume data could only be retrieved for about 25 services, limiting the insights from the data. Among all services provided at e-Gram centers, a staggering 94 per cent of citizen usage is concentrated in just five services- Ration Card, Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme and Destitute Widow Pension Scheme, Vahli Dikri Yojna, and Assistance to Destitute,” the report adds.

Citing reasons for low digital applications at e-grams, GARC report states, “Although e‑Gram centres offer more services, Jan Seva Kendras attract the highest footfall, as offline last‑mile procedures often make visiting JSK mandatory. While applications can be routed through Village Computer Entrepreneurs (VCEs), any query or document gap requires a taluka‑level visit, prompting citizens to approach Jan Seva Kendras directly. Limited backend integration in e‑Gram systems creates duplication, and fragmented user journeys often require mid‑process physical verification. Incomplete digitization, poor User Interface/ User Experience, frequent technical glitches, and inadequate support from VCEs, owing to limited infrastructure or awareness, could further drive citizens toward JSKs for more reliable guidance and facilities.”

‘Despite the inefficiencies caused by extensive paperwork, multiple manual approvals, and fragmented backend processes during the physical service journey to Jan Seva Kendra (JSKs) and e-Gram centers, these centres serve as critical frontlines for citizens, especially those without digital access, to avail government services. 571 citizen services are currently being offered across three primary delivery modes: online, assisted (online + offline), and offline. As many as 87 per cent of transactions flow through assisted service modes, indicating that physical access continues dominating citizen behaviour’, the report highlights adding that this underscores the importance of strengthening backend workflow integration across modes to ensure a seamless, end-to-end experience.

Other recommendations: Proactive governance

Shifting from “reactive to proactive governance” by anticipating citizens’ needs. It proposes introducing a smart alert system to automatically extend social welfare schemes and lifecycle-based guidance to eligible citizens, without the need for separate applications.

Establishing an end-to-end digital workflow for key citizen services. It suggests that applications, approvals, and status updates be made available in real time to enhance transparency, speed, and accountability. The report also envisions achieving the goal of ‘Less Paper – More Facilities’ by introducing standardised forms and eliminating unnecessary documents and stamps.

Citing examples of other nations like Service NSW (Australia) and Estonia Service’ Singapore’s SingPass and APEX as well as Karnataka’s Seva Sindhu and Sakala Model, Haryana’s Antyodaya-Saral Unified Service Portal, Telangana’s Service Delivery Model ‘MeeSeva’, Interoperable Criminal Justice System GARC has suggested several improvements and changes in the existing service delivery systems.

The GARC has proposed modernising all Jan Seva Kendras (JSKs) across Gujarat, reducing waiting times, setting up guidance desks at every centre, and creating a more citizen-friendly environment, aligning with the government’s Citizen First approach. It further recommends strengthening the role of Village Computer Entrepreneurs (VCEs) in rural areas and improving service delivery in urban regions through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models for zone-wise operations. Under the Right to Citizen Public Service Act, the Commission also recommends establishing a structured process for regular audits and updating the Citizen Charter. Additionally, the report emphasises ensuring ‘Ease of Governance’ through measures such as appointing additional staff in Jan Seva Kendras, providing employee training, and maintaining clarity in civil service hours.

Deputy Mamlatdars give only 10% to service-related tasks

A pronounced misalignment between intended job roles and actual workload distribution among staff, particularly Deputy Mamlatdars has been reported by GARC. “Quantitative data indicate that only 10 per cent of their time is dedicated to core service-related responsibilities, the fundamental purpose of JSKs. In stark contrast, 50 per cent is consumed by additional administrative tasks, 15 per cent by meetings and coordination, and 25 per cent by “other activities” or managing additional charges. This pattern, consistently observed across districts, including during the Gandhinagar review, highlights a systemic issue where frontline personnel are heavily burdened with extraneous duties. This systemic drift from mandated functions significantly affects operational efficiency and service quality. The prevalence of multi-charge assignments, with officers often carrying 3-4 departmental responsibilities concurrently, leads to a critical dilution of focus. Consequently, auxiliary functions such as noting DDs, responding to “urgent” data requests, managing campaigns/activities, and election duties (which consume 40-50 per cent of a Deputy Mamlatdar’s time) are prioritised, often at the expense of mandated citizen service tasks. This imbalance strains employees and directly compromises the effectiveness and responsiveness of JSKs in delivering their core services to the public,” the report stresses.

DIGITAL PAIN POINTS: OTPs etc

Lack of QR-Based Payment at Jan Seva Kendras: Currently, the system requires the officer to visit the bank to deposit the amount using a challan, which is time-consuming.

Inefficient Ticket Disposal: Since 2021, the inability to select and dispose of multiple tickets simultaneously has forced operators to process each ticket individually, significantly increasing processing time.

Excess OTP friction: OTP required for every entry by staff and citizens causes delays.

Shared ID problem: Deputy Mamlatdar login (single) shared across operators triggers repeated OTP errors and overload.

Transfer lag: OTPs keep going to transferred officers due to unchanged credentials, and stalling workflows.

The current e-Sign system is entirely OTP‑dependent, despite the widespread availability of biometric authentication on smartphones. This reliance on OTPs slows down document review and signing, and creates unnecessary dependence on mobile numbers that may not always be accessible. Additionally, there are challenges with e-Sign for all stakeholders; hence remote e-sign for all approving officers should be enabled, especially during transfers/leave to ensure continuity.

Digital Gujarat Portal Glitches including the Digital Gujarat Verification Tool that often fails to identify certificates issued from 2020 onwards, indicating technical glitches.

A preview option is missing on the Digital Gujarat portal, which only shows the application number and issue date. This absence leads to verification issues, especially concerning spellings, requiring manual checks, the generation of multiple files, and slowing down delivery time.

Several villages are not listed on the Digital Gujarat portal, hindering service provision for residents of those areas. They are also issued spelling mistakes for the village names. The English name of the village is misspelled, leading to confusion among all the stakeholders.

There is no provision to retrieve older versions of caste certificates and other documents that are frequently reissued over time.

A “re-open application” option is needed for disposed tickets to allow for corrections in case of errors, preventing the need to re-generate entire applications.

The digital platform lacks sufficient PDF/document upload options, necessitating in-person visits from citizens to submit and approve documents.

The portal does not allow third parties (e.g., family members) to upload a citizen’s photo when applying on their behalf, making online verification by the Mamlatdar impossible and requiring in-person verification.

DigiLocker integration is problematic, particularly when obtaining family details.

The portal does not accurately reflect varying fees for different service delivery options (e.g., in-person vs. postal),leading to citizens consistently paying only the lowest fee.

There is no mechanism to rectify errors on already issued certificates, as the barcode/serial number cannot be modified.

Document upload is only available for citizen login; therefore, JSK has to collect physical documents.

QR Code/ unique ID (cannot track repeated applications).

Online payment/ UPI code for JSK is vital.

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