ePRI Study Project - Phase III - MoPR B… · ePRI Study Project - Phase III Volume I To - Be Scenario Report for Panchayati Raj Institutions in ... 6.4.3 Software Application Modules

Ministry of Panchayati Raj

ePRI Study Project - Phase III Volume I

To - Be Scenario Report

for

Panchayati Raj Institutions

in

State of Kerala

By

National Informatics Centre Services Inc. October, 2009

ePRI Study Project (Phase III) To - Be Report - Kerala

National Informatics Centre Services Inc. Page 2 of 164

Confidentiality Statement

This report is intended solely for the information and use of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of

India, State Panchayati Raj Department, Government of Kerala, National Informatics Centre and should

not be used, circulated, quoted or otherwise referred to for any other purpose by any institution or

individual other than the Ministry, State PR department and National Informatics Centre, nor included or

referred to in whole or in part in any document without the prior consent of National Informatics Centre

Services Inc. or the Ministry.



Table of Contents

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .........................................................................................................6

2 PROJECT BACKGROUND .....................................................................................................8

2.1 BRIEF BACKGROUND OF PRIS IN KERALA ................................................................................8 2.1.1 Vision of State PR Department ....................................................................................8 2.1.2 Devolution status .......................................................................................................8

3 VISION & OBJECTIVES........................................................................................................11

3.1 VISION OF EPRI PROJECT FOR TO – BE SCENARIO..................................................................11 3.1.1 Rationale for the vision statement ..............................................................................11

3.2 OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................11 3.2.1 Data objectives ........................................................................................................11 3.2.2 Business process objectives......................................................................................11 3.2.3 Service delivery channel objectives ............................................................................12 3.2.4 Technology objectives ..............................................................................................12

4 APPROACH & METHODOLOGY ...........................................................................................13

5 INFORMATION & SERVICES NEEDS AND GAP ASSESSMENT .............................................18

5.1 KEY INFORMATION AND SERVICES NEEDS FROM PHASE I AND PHASE II OF THE STUDY....................18 5.1.1 Information Needs and Challenges.............................................................................18 5.1.2 Information needs model for a Gram Panchayat ..........................................................34 5.1.3 Framework of information needs of Gram Panchayats ..................................................35 5.1.4 List of Services Identified for Reengineering ................................................................38 5.1.5 Gap Analysis ...........................................................................................................42 5.1.6 As-Is Service delivery ...............................................................................................49 5.1.7 Capacity..................................................................................................................51 5.1.8 ICT Infrastructure (Hardware, Software, Connectivity) ..................................................51

6 PROPOSED TO-BE SCENARIO – FUTURE STATE OF PRIS IN KERALA ................................51

6.1 PRI INTERNAL FUNCTIONS .................................................................................................51 6.2 RE-ENGINEERED GOVERNMENT TO CITIZEN SERVICE DELIVERY PROCESSES ................................51

6.2.1 ePRI BPR framework................................................................................................51 6.2.2 Information needs model for a Gram Panchayat ..........................................................51 6.2.3 BPR framework for Kerala.........................................................................................51

6.3 CAPACITY BUILDING ..........................................................................................................51 6.3.1 Skill development.....................................................................................................51



6.3.2 To-Be Organization Structure (Structural changes).......................................................51 6.4 E–ENABLED SCENARIO ......................................................................................................51

6.4.1 Possible integration with selected NeGP initiatives and Other State Initiatives .................51 6.4.2 Service Access & Delivery Channels and associated models ........................................51 6.4.3 Software Application Modules recommended ..............................................................51 6.4.4 Common Databases recommended ...........................................................................51 6.4.5 Infrastructure recommended......................................................................................51

6.5 LEADING PRACTICES .........................................................................................................51 6.5.1 Leading practices being followed in Kerala ..................................................................51 6.5.2 Leading practices adopted from other states ...............................................................51

6.6 LEGAL CHANGES ..............................................................................................................51

7 MAPPING PROPOSED SOLUTION AGAINST GAPS AND NEEDS IDENTIFIED........................51

7.1 INTERNAL FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................51 7.2 SERVICE DELIVERY ...........................................................................................................51 7.3 ICT INFRASTRUCTURE .......................................................................................................51 7.4 CAPACITY .......................................................................................................................51 7.5 LEGAL............................................................................................................................51 7.6 INTEGRATION WITH NEGP AND OTHER INITIATIVES ..................................................................51

8 KEY ASSUMPTIONS FOR PROPOSED SOLUTION................................................................51

9 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................51

9.1 KEY IMPROVEMENT AREAS (BEYOND EPRI) ............................................................................51 9.2 WAY FORWARD TO DPR....................................................................................................51

10 ANNEXURES ...................................................................................................................51

10.1 ANNEXURE – 1: GOVERNMENT ORDER FOR ICT PROCUREMENT .................................................51 10.2 ANNEXURE – 2: STATUS OF ICT DEPLOYED IN PRIS.................................................................51 10.3 GLOSSARY......................................................................................................................51 10.4 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................51





1 Executive Summary The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), as part of its mandated responsibility to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the country, is keen to introduce e-Governance programme in all the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) of the country. The e-PRI Mission Mode project is a project of immense stature initiated by MoPR in this regard under the National eGovernance Plan (NeGP) of Government of India. Owing to the variation across the country in the level of governance in PRIs and also the ICT readiness of states in general and PRIs in particular, the information and services needs of all stakeholders who interact with PRIs and the PRIs themselves varies from state to state. It was therefore felt by the Ministry that the e-PRI MMP should be preceded by a comprehensive study to assess the current information and services needs of citizens, PRIs and other stakeholders, identify the scope for re-engineering various functions and services carried out by PRIs and come out with a state-wise Detailed Project Report. Besides throwing light on the various aspects proposed to be taken up in the study, it is expected that the study would help the Ministry determine the modalities of implementing the ePRI MMP, while also accounting for specific state needs. Therefore, the Ministry in association with National Informatics Centre Services Inc (NICSI) has initiated the ePRI Study Project, which is being carried out across 38 districts in 27 states in the country. As part of the Phase I and Phase II of the ePRI Study Project in Kerala, a comprehensive Information and Services Need Assessment (ISNA) was done for the PRIs of the State of Kerala. During the field study all the Key stakeholders were consulted to gather information regarding the needs and expectations from the project. As an outcome an ISNA Report is prepared for the findings of the field study. The To-Be report is an outcome of the Phase III of the Study Project. It should be read in continuation to the Kerala ISNA report. This report is spread over two volumes.

o Volume I – To-Be Scenario Report o Volume II – As – Is, Gap Identification and To - Be Process Report

The Volume I details out the proposed To-Be scenario of the PRIs and associated key stakeholders / institutions w.r.t. Proposed ICT infrastructure, Reengineered processes and Capacity. Volume II details out the As – Is processes, respective gaps and proposed reengineered processes for the key services identified during the field study. The key recommendations that have been made include implementation of software solutions to support

re-engineered business processes for G2C services. In addition, emphasis has been placed on ICT

solutions for core Panchayat functions of Planning, Implementation and Monitoring and in Financial

Management. To be able to perform its role of de-centralized planning, a Panchayat needs to bring

together expertise and up-to-date data on a vast portfolio of subjects such as agriculture, education,

healthcare, animal husbandry, social welfare and disaster management. Managing ever-changing citizen



data is a significant challenge for Panchayats. In Kerala, where a significant portion of the budget is

earmarked for social welfare programmes, this aspect cannot be over-emphasized. The availability of

reliable data would help assist the Panchayat in obtaining stronger buy-in for its development plans.

Panchayats are required to share their development plans and progress reports on implementation with

each other for coordinating planning and development activities. The plans and implementation progress

reports of villages are aggregated at Block level and these are further aggregated at District Level where

they are reviewed by Technical Advisory Groups and District Planning Committees. Given the sheer

number of Panchayati Raj Institutions, the challenges of coordinating such de-centralized planning

activities Kerala are self-evident. As an example, in Kerala there are 999 village panchayats whose plans

need to be coordinated to create district and state level plans.

An innovative portfolio of e-Governance solutions is essential to address the challenges highlighted

above. Web portals, collaboration suites, databases, workflow solutions, e-Forms, Service Delivery

Gateways, Geographical Information Systems and financial management solutions are some examples.

The e-Governance strategy would need to address aspects such as model for development and

maintenance of software solutions on such a large scale, managing ICT infrastructure procurement and

roll out, leveraging common e-Governance infrastructure created such as State Data Centres, State Wide

Area Networks and Citizen Service Centres and ensuring sustainability of such large ICT investments.

From a capacity development standpoint, this e-Governance programme will need to reach Government

staff at the very grassroots level and making them skilled ICT users concurrently with the roll out of the e-

Governance solutions. In this report, we highlight these challenges and solutions for addressing these

challenges from the point of view of the state of Kerala.



2 Project Background

2.1 Brief Background of PRIs in Kerala

Kerala represents a highly evolved stage of local self-government due to a variety of factors. These

include:

4 Strong and continued political will to de-centralize administration to the grassroots level 4 Active people’s participation in Panchayat activities 4 High degree of involvement of women 4 Well-developed institutional mechanisms and support for capacity building, training and research

& development in various aspects of local self-government

2.1.1 Vision of State PR Department

The Vision of the State PR Department may be expressed as follows:

§ All governing systems are for the people and it is the people who are the supreme authority § Good governance brought about through participation and transparency is the foundation stone of

local governance § Every decision should ensure that the status of the Panchayat gets enhanced as a self-governing

system § De-centralized planning with strong People’s participation across all sections of the society and

supported by localized, objective and up-to-date knowledgebase § Citizen service delivery that is equitable, responsive and delivered through easily accessible

channels § Transparency in planning and execution of development programmes § Deliver value for public funds invested and § Foster innovation in planning, implementation and service delivery with support from appropriate

technology

As per the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act, every Panchayat is a body corporate by the name of the

Panchayats, have perpetual succession and a common seal and, subject to any restriction or qualification

imposed, be vested with the capacity of suing or being sued in its corporate name; of acquiring, holding

and transferring property, movable or immovable, of entering into contracts and of doing all things

necessary, proper or expedient for the purpose for which it is constituted. In all, Kerala has 1,223 local

governments in the following categories: Gram Panchayats – 999; Block Panchayats – 152; District

Panchayats – 14; Municipalities – 53 and Corporations – 5.

2.1.2 Devolution status

Kerala has devolved funds, functions and functionaries to a very high degree to LSGIs. This has led to

strengthening of Panchayati Raj institutions and a strong planning process with high degree of people’s

participation. To define the functional areas of the different tiers of Panchayats as precisely as possible,



Government of Kerala in 1996 appointed a Committee on ‘Decentralization of Powers’ under the

chairmanship of Dr. S B Sen. The Sen Committee was also responsible for developing the activity

mapping for all the 29 matters listed in the Eleventh schedule of the constitution. The Committee laid

down certain key principles for devolution of powers which have been adhered to by the Government of

Kerala in practice.

Principles of Devolution adopted in Kerala

Autonomy The LSGIs would have functional, financial and administrative autonomy and Government supervision would be limited to obligatory and regulatory functions.

Subsidiarity What can be done best at a particular level of the LSGI would be done at that level and not at a higher level.

Role-clarity Clear perception by the various levels of their role in the developmental process so that the sub-systems can support each other.

Complementarity Activities of higher levels should complement those of the lower levels and the programmes implemented by all agencies in a given LSGI would be consistent with local needs and priorities and would converge into an integrated local plan.

Uniformity Norms and criteria for selection of beneficiaries, sites or prioritization of activities and pattern of assistance within a given LSGI would be the same for all programmes implemented within its area irrespective of the agency sponsoring such a programme.

People's Participation

People's participation would be there in all stages of a development programme right from identification of a need and formulation of a scheme through its planning, implementation, operation and maintenance as well as monitoring and evaluation phases.

Accountability The LSGIs would be accountable to the people within their jurisdiction, and, in certain respects, to the whole nation.

Transparency Decisions made would be based on norms and criteria evolved on the basis of social consensus and the rationale behind each decision would be made public.

In addition to the above principles certain guidelines were also formulated for determining inter-tier

responsibilities:

§ Service area - Institutions or schemes which serve a certain Gram Panchayat would be under that Panchayat and likewise for the higher tiers.

§ Technical complexity - Simple schemes would be handled by lower level PRIs and technically sophisticated schemes by larger institutions having the requisite expertise.

§ Management complexity - Depending on the coverage required and complexity of management institutions would be assigned to a particular layer of the PRI.



§ Physical size - Physical dimensions would be a factor in deciding the level of ownership.

§ Financial size - Financial limits are set for approval, implementation and running of certain projects.

§ Nature of a scheme – The PRI level at which ownership of a particular scheme is taken up would depend on the nature of the scheme, with possibly multiple roles taken up at different levels.



3 Vision & Objectives

3.1 Vision of ePRI Project for To – Be Scenario

The Vision for the ePRI BPR as perceived from the Information and Services Needs Assessment of PRIs

in Kerala is: Faster, transparent and effective service delivery through the provision and use of an

integrated Statewide Panchayati Raj Information System covering all facets of Panchayati Raj with

adequate organizational capacity to sustain the quality of information.

3.1.1 Rationale for the vision statement

4 Integration of information: As of now the systems are disjoint and there is no information flow

across various levels of PRI and other Government departments

4 Organizational capacity needs to be built: This covers not only training but also relevant

organizational structures

4 Sustaining the quality of information: If quality of information within the system is not good, it

becomes a failure. There is a significant element of People factor which will contribute to it.

Hence the above emphasis on Organizational Capacity.

4 Faster and effective service delivery: Simply faster service will not imply it is effective.

3.2 Objectives

Certain objectives were coined in order to articulate and achieve the vision for the ePRI BPR.

3.2.1 Data objectives

4 Availability of comprehensive and current/up-to-date citizen databases integrated across all

GPs through a centralized Panchayati Raj Information System

4 Design of business processes to ensure that the citizen database is up-to-date

3.2.2 Business process objectives

4 IT enable the business processes (both internal and citizen facing) in a Panchayat

4 IT enable the business processes between Panchayat and collaborating organizations

4 Reduce paperwork associated with business processes of the Panchayat

4 Introduce a system of electronic workflows and approvals at various levels

4 Elimination of redundant manual registers and databases, wherever possible

4 Enable timely and accurate MIS reports through business processes [Transparency]

4 Design business processes with clear definition of roles and responsibilities of each actor

[Accountability]

4 Facilitate electronic funds transfer



3.2.3 Service delivery channel objectives

4 Design business processes such that they are accessible through multiple service delivery

channels with special emphasis on AKSHAYA Kendras and FRIENDS

3.2.4 Technology objectives

4 Usage of Open Systems as part of PRI Technology Landscape

4 Creation of a centralized application architecture for better manageability

4 Creation of an integrated Information Systems for Panchayati Raj Institutions



4 Approach & Methodology It is important to have a well defined approach and methodology for executing a project of this magnitude

in the desired timeframe. Accordingly, a four phase approach (refer figure 1) has been designed as

illustrated below:

The Initiation and Planning phase (Phase I) primarily focused on setting the tone for execution of the

project. The key outcomes of this phase were identification of stakeholders, the consultation mechanism

with the stakeholders and formalizing the deliverable templates. During this phase data gathering tools

and templates were also prepared, which were targeted on focused information capture.

The INS Needs assessment phase (Phase II) involved interaction, including a survey, with the identified

stakeholders. This phase resulted in forming an understanding of the needs of the stakeholders and

helped in identification of the services. The citizen centric services that are currently being delivered

through PRIs and the services that are expected to be delivered through PRIs were also identified and

studied.

This report is about the Process Re-engineering phase (Phase III), which entails the in-depth analysis of

the identified services and creating As-Is process document. This will lead to the To-Be scenario, where

the services would be re-engineered for optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.



The DPR preparation phase (Phase IV) will be the eventual outcome of the study where apart from State

specific DPR, a national DPR would also prepared. This national DPR would be shared with the states to

enable them to directly undertake implementation of e-Governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions. This

section presents the overall approach and methodology carried out for designing the To-Be Scenario of

the PRIs in Kerala.

During ISNA phase, meetings were conducted with process owners & state Panchayati Raj Department

to understand:

4 Vision and objectives of the department

4 Organizational set-up and broad functions

4 Key processes at macro level

Subsequently in the phase III, the following steps as described in the figure above are followed to

reengineer the Processes and design the To Be Scenario for the PRIs:-

4 As-Is Process Study: The first step towards re-engineering of services & internal functioning of

PRIs involved studying the existing process (As-Is). In order to do that the study team identified

the key process owners and stakeholders of the process. The project study team prioritized the

list of services to be re-engineered, in co-operation with citizens, Officials of all three tier of PRI &

State PR department.

The team visited all offices involved in service delivery of the identified services. All related forms

& documents like GO, records, volume of transactions etc were collected.

Apart from prioritizing the G2C services that could be delivered through Panchayats the team

also studied the G2G functional areas which included planning, implementation, and Monitoring &



Accounting processes of PRIs. The team interacted with all the stake holders involved in the

process. The processes of G2G functional areas were studied and the existing gaps were

analyzed. The analysis of gaps in the process led the team to recommend IT applications that

can be implemented for PRIs to expedite & regularize the internal process.

Based on the understanding of the team about the process by different stake holders & process

owners the team prepared the As-Is process report. The report consisted of As-Is process Maps,

narration of the activity along with information like process owner, stake holders involved,

registers involved, documents required etc.

4 Identifying Gaps: Having studied the detailed As – Is processes of the services prioritized for re

engineering, key gaps and pain areas w.r.t. People, Process and Technology were identified. o Process Analysis: - The processes were split into sub-process and value analysis was

carried on, to categorize sub-processes into value adding & non-value adding processes.

While doing BPR our approach was to eradicate or minimize these non-value adding

steps. On doing so the team was in regular touch with concerned process owners so that

validation could be done instantly.

o People Analysis: - The As-Is process also consisted of studying the manpower

availability. For this the team captured information on sanctioned strength of manpower

against men in position. This helped the team to know the required manpower strength.

Further to know the actual requirement of human resources the team also discussed on

existing work load of PRIs with CEO Zilla Parishad, Block Development officer &

Panchayat secretary. This gave an insight into the requirement of enhancing the existing

sanctioned strength. Apart from studying the manpower position the team also analyzed

the skills available with existing resources. The approach for analyzing the skill sets

available was one to one interview with various stake holders. The discussion topics were

mainly on the roles and responsibilities of the stake holders and the method they follow to

render their responsibilities i.e. follow the age old traditional method or any advanced

technology or approach being used. Thus the team came into conclusion on requirement

of skills & manpower.

o Technology Analysis: - Many states have taken initiative and developed certain state

specific IT infrastructure. The team consulted about the same with state IT department,

NIC, State PR Department, Line departments & PRIs. This helped the team to know the

existing infrastructure like software, hardware, connectivity etc present at different levels

of PRIs & Line department. Apart from studying the state specific initiatives due



consideration was also given to study the MMPs like CSC, e-District, State Wide Area

Network & State Data Centre. This helped team to know the ICT requirement of the state

and the possible integration point.

4 Identifying Opportunities for Improvement: The Gaps identified in the above step were translated

into the areas of improvement and were mapped closely to the objectives of the ePRI project i.e.

o Transparency & Accountability

o Improved Decision Making

o Internal Process Improvement

o Improved Service Delivery to Citizens

o Convenience to Government Employees

4 Defining the To Be Common Components: Based on the common gap and pain areas and

improvement areas identified, a common set of Components were defined e.g. the Form

Availability Component, Payment Component, Application receipt, Application rejection etc. The

objective of defining the common set of components is to bring in standardization in process of

Application Submission, Application Receipt, Application Status Tracking, Certificate Issuance,

Grievance Redressal, Information Provisioning etc. across all the prioritized services selected for

reengineering while keeping in mind the addition of any more services to be delivered through

PRIs in future.

4 Designing To – Be Process Maps: To-Be process maps were developed along with the

supporting narrations which were validated through discussions with Panchayat officials.

Prerequisites and dependencies were defined for all the To-Be processes. Key

Recommendations made were mapped to the objectives they directly impact. An Escalation

Matrix was also defined for all the To- Be processes to indicate the Escalation process and

conditions. Any Legal Changes involved are also highlighted for the respective new processes.

Volume I briefly touches upon the To Be process maps for services, while Volume II details out

the processes proposed for all the selected services.

4 Designing To – Be Scenario of PRIs: After defining the reengineered processes based on the

component based approach as above, interventions in terms of technology, processes and

people are defined to design the To BE scenario of the PRIs. Technology interventions define the

gamut of applications required to be developed or enhanced to support the reengineered

processes and requirements defined for service delivery and internal functioning of PRIs. The set

of databases is also defined to create a pool of digital information to support the MIS needs of the

PRIs and other stakeholders. Connectivity options till the grass root level are also proposed.



Process Intervention define the changes and improvements in the service delivery and internal

functioning at PRIs. Based on the proposed interventions as above, the people level interventions

are defined which define requirements in terms of more manpower and the skill sets required by

Officials to perform their activities in a better way.

The following sections detail out each of the aspects described above to give the reader a detailed

understanding of the proposed To – Be Scenario of PRIs in Kerala.


5 Information & Services Needs and Gap Assessment

5.1 Key Information and Services Needs from Phase I and Phase II of the Study

5.1.1 Information Needs and Challenges

Stakeholder Challenges / Issues Expectation from ePRI

Directorate of

Panchayats, Local

Self-Government

Department,

Government of Kerala

Apart from programme monitoring, the directorate is

involved in administration of the PRI staff which includes

maintenance of service records (which are physically

maintained at the District Offices), payroll and benefits

administration including provident funds.

The service records of each Department employee is

maintained in the respective Panchayat office where

he/she is posted. This creates a significant challenge in

terms of safe handling of the service record and also in

administering various benefits.

Employee benefits and payroll administration are important

G2E services and it is expected that ePRI will facilitate

streamlining these.

It is to be noted that Kerala has already implemented certain

modules such as Sthapana (especially for Provident Fund

administration) to enable these G2E services and ePRI would

need to assimilate the progress achieved in this respect.

State PR Department The state PR Department requires the following reports

on a periodic basis for all DP, BP and GP.

§ Expenditure by sector type across category § Project formulation and expenditure by sources of

fund § Project formulation and expenditure by micro-sector § Project formulation and expenditure by

developmental sectors § Local body wise distribution of project formulation

Compilation of these reports is presently done through the

Sulekha Plan Monitoring System. There is, however, some

grassroots level challenge in compiling the data in a timely

fashion as numerous backend processes of Panchayats would

need to get fully computerized to enable this.

It is expected that ePRI will help in assimilating the gains from

the Sulekha system and make information gathering easier

through automation of backend processes of the Panchayats.



and expenditure (category wise) § Project formulation and expenditure by special

programs § Local body wise distribution of project formulation

and expenditure (sector type wise) § Monthly expenditure for sources of fund § Budget and plan grant expenditure by type of local

body Kerala State Planning Board

The key concerns highlighted by members of Kerala

State Planning Board were the following:

There is need for a “Comprehensive Integrated Citizen

Database” covering all aspects of an individual during

the course of his/her lifetime with the data being

collected systematically over a period of time. Currently

there is no integration between existing databases

maintained to benefit from the vast information collected

independently, which might be useful from a planning

perspective.

The Panchayats are well developed in Kerala and in

terms of data collection and there is almost 99.99% Birth

registration, and around 93% Death registration with an

impressive Electoral Database, yet there is a huge gap

in integrating these databases for effective usage by

other departments for planning, development, etc.

It was suggested that ePRI MMP should focus on creating

integrated and comprehensive Community Databases at the

grass root level so as to utilize captured information effectively.

This would greatly benefit the planning and developmental

plans initiated at the State as well as Central level, by providing

timely and relevant decision support information.



Directorate of Local Fund Audit

Gram Panchayats need to make available detailed

information to the Local Fund Audit directorate on

sources of funds and their utilization.

It is expected that ePRI will help implement software enabled

systems which can automate recording of sources of funds and

their utilization by Panchayats.

There is a significant volume of information exchange between the Gram, Block and District Panchayats especially from a planning and

implementation monitoring point of view. In the following section, we try to capture some of these key information and service needs of PRIs.

PRI Level Challenges/ Issues Expectation from ePRI

BPL List: Beneficiary selection is an important activity for the Gram Panchayat for

which having an updated list of citizens belonging to the Below Poverty Line

category is essential.

This is a key challenge being faced by the Village Extension Officer who has to

verify the records available with the Gram Panchayat, conduct site visit and then

certify that a citizen does belong to the BPL category.

An updated and consistent

BPL list with facilities to

search will be of significant

utility to the Gram Panchayat.

Beneficiary under other schemes: The Gram Panchayat often needs to certify that

a citizen or family is not a beneficiary under any other scheme.

To enable this, it is essential

to have a database which can

be updated as soon as a

beneficiary is identified and

details of the benefits

received under a particular

scheme can be updated.

Gram Panchayat, Akathethara

Taxation related issues Profession tax: The Gram Panchayat requires an updated list of all employers in the

Panchayat, the number of staff employed and their salaries. As of now, the

Panchayat does not have any software solutions which assist in maintaining this list

Automation and some degree

of database support to

maintain list of employers,



and timely identification of defaulters. There is a significant amount of paperwork

required to be done by the GP clerks in processing this tax.

their employees and salaries

to generate automated

demand notices and reduce

the paperwork related to this

tax.

Collection of taxes and fees The Panchayat does not have any automated solutions to keep track of taxes and

fees paid and it is maintained in a series of receipt books assigned to each of the

clerks. The receipts are then progressively consolidated and written into a variety of

other registers. This is a time consuming activity as the same numbers are copied

into each progressively consolidated register.

The process of

collections/receipts into the

Panchayat should be

automated and computerized

receipts should be issued for

better traceability.

Expenditure tracking The Panchayat spends funds on various heads and as depicted in the PR

governance section of the report, it needs to have complex reporting of expenditure

both across various heads as well as across nearly 125 schemes it implements.

There is also a well-defined workflow for release of these funds which involves

significant paperwork.

1. There has to be a computerized accounting system which will also facilitate generation of MIS reports on expenditure.

2. There is a need for a workflow system which will enable routing the process for approval of release of funds within the Panchayat office.



Integration with Treasury – (Inputs from District ISNA workshop) Integration with Treasury is a key need for the Panchayat staff as they spend

significant amounts of time in treasury related tasks as drawing and disbursing

officers. Most of this interaction pertains to drawal of funds for various purposes.

The Treasury of Government of Kerala is fully computerized and the Panchayat staff

have expressed that this should be integrated with Gram Panchayats and the line

departments.

It is expected that ePRI will

enable computerized

information sharing between

gram panchayat and

Treasury and help address

this important pain area of

Panchayat staff.

Information about transfer of funds – (Inputs from District ISNA workshop) Many times GP does not get information on funds available and their credit to

Panchayat account under various schemes on a timely basis. There have been

instances when the funds have lapsed due to non-utilization in time. It is essential for

the Gram Panchayat to know in a timely fashion as to when funds have got

transferred under various schemes.

Similarly, there have also been instances where wrong communication has been

sent to drawing officers about credit of funds without funds actually being credited.


help create a system of

electronic funds transfer and

intimation of the respective

Drawing and Disbursing

officer about credit of funds

for its utilization.

It would be preferable to have

funds allocated directly to the

concerned treasury under

intimation to Gram

Panchayat.

Note: As of now,

development fund, general

purpose funds and

maintenance funds from

Government of Kerala are



directly credited to Gram

Panchayat account in

respective treasuries through

the concerned District Level

Officers, i.e., Deputy Director

of Panchayats.

Gram Panchayat – Krishi Bhavan The Agriculture Office requires detailed information on land holdings to be able to

create Watershed Plans as required in the Annual and Five year plans of the

Panchayat. This requires information on individual land holdings, survey numbers of

each land holding and the uses for which it is being put into.

It is also essential to have digital Cadastral maps so that such information collected

through periodic surveys could be assimilated into the land use maps. An

illustration of the watershed map and Cadastral map of the Akathethara Panchayat

is shown here.

The system should enable

capture of the following

details:

1. Survey number 2. Area 3. Slope % 4. Land use 5. Proposed treatment

under watershed plan The various maps which need

to be captured in the system

would include:

1. Topographic sheets 2. Cadastral maps 3. Asset map 4. Land use map 5. Water resources map 6. Political map 7. Physical map 8. Drainage map 9. Watershed atlas and 10. Soil survey atlas



Child development programme data The Gram Panchayat through the Anganwadi workers collects a large amount of

demographic and data on a routine basis (specifically for the ICDS programme).

This information is collected through door-to-door surveys and significant effort is

spent in digitizing this data which due to non-availability of computers at the Gram

Panchayat implies that the Anganwadi workers need to travel to the Block CDP

office to do data entry. In addition, this data is not accessible to the Gram

Panchayat as no network exists between the Block CDP office and the GP.


facilitate digitized data

capture and its ready

availability to the Gram

Panchayat. This information

shall include data on child

and maternal health and

action taken as part of

supplementary nutrition

programme.

Certificates from Village Office The Gram Panchayat requires a series of certificates from the Village Office

regarding the citizen for provision of various benefits. This requires the citizen to

make multiple visits not only to the GP but also the Village Office for various

services. Following are the certificates which are issued by the Village Office (under

the Revenue Department) for various GP related services:

§ Income certificate § Caste certificate § Location certificate § Identification certificate § Solvency (upto INR 1 Lakh) certificate § Possession certificate § Identity certificate § Relationship certificate § Family membership certificate § Nativity certificate § Marriage relationship certificate

The ePRI project can either

enable creation of the various

databases required for the

Gram Panchayat or enable

electronic information sharing

between the Village Office

and the Gram Panchayat so

that the citizen does not need

to make multiple visits to

present certificates pertaining

to basic information about the

citizen.



As can be seen, for various certificates the basic data is expected to be retained with

the Gram Panchayat (e.g.: Marriage relationship certificate).

Information pertaining to Panchayat meetings The Gram Panchayat has delegated the tasks of maintaining minutes of various

Panchayat meetings to various staff members of the GP. In addition, from a

compliance point of view the Panchayat is also required to maintain a large number

of attendance sheets, photographs of proceedings such as those for Village

Development Seminars and so on.

Also, as per the K.P.R (Procedure for Panchayat Meeting) Rules, 1995 all decisions

and resolutions passed by the Panchayat are required to be recorded in the

Decision Register in the order of the passing of the same.

This creates a significant amount of overhead in terms of paperwork for the

Panchayat and is also a significant records management challenge.


enable creation of software

tools to capture these details

in electronic form so that the

requirement to maintain a

large volume of paper based

documents is avoided.

Government orders and circulars The Government of Kerala through the Finance Department and the Local Self

Government Department issues various orders and circulars regularly for various

changes and improvements pertaining to Panchayat administration. Also, the Gram

Panchayat is responsible for administration of various allied Acts and Rules which

also get updated on a routine basis. Many of these are sent to the GP as paper

based notices and create a challenge to the staff in their storage and timely retrieval.

For the Departments issuing these circulars also this is a significant administrative

overhead due to the large number of GPs in the state.


enable a mechanism for

sharing of these orders and

circulars from Government of

Kerala to the GPs and their

storage and retrieval.

Note: The IKM tool Sanchita

is facilitating this process to

some extent.



Information for Power line mapping as part of Total Energy Security Mission Lot of geospatial information needs to be collected by the Gram Panchayat at ward

level and detailed guidelines have been issued for the same by Government of

Kerala. To be able to prepare these documents the Gram Panchayat requires the

following information from other agencies:

From Village Office: Fair value register and base tax register

From State Land Use Board: Cadastral Map and Combined map


provide solutions for

exchange of this data and

also help GP maintain the

following maps:

Map depicting ward

boundaries with roads and

other significant landmarks.

Block Panchayat Secretariat and Village Extension Officers deputed to Gram Panchayat The Block Panchayat through the Village Extension Officer and Lady Village

Extension Officers performs a key role in monitoring the implementation of various

schemes. This implies that there is a significant burden on the Block Panchayat to

collate monitoring reports and compile them for usage at the District level. As of

now, there is a large volume of paper work associated with this task.

Except for certain schemes like NREGS which has its own monitoring software

module, most of the schemes rely on paper based monitoring reports. Key among

them with a high degree of citizen interaction is the Indira Awas Yojana.


facilitate compilation and

sharing of project monitoring

reports across various State

and Centrally sponsored

schemes.

Block Panchayat, Malampuzha

Tribal extension officer The state is conducting an extensive survey of Scheduled Tribes and is planning to

create a database of the same. This information is essential for the Tribal Extension

officer attached to the Block Panchayat to recommend various beneficiaries for ST

oriented schemes of both Central and State Governments.

It is expected that the Project

will help create an electronic

database of the data

compiled on Tribal population

to enable better



administration of benefits for

this community.

Status of citizen as per BPL list The Block Panchayat is responsible for issuance of the BPL certificate which makes

a citizen eligible for various schemes. The recommendation is sent by the VEO who

is usually positioned at the Gram Panchayat office and the citizen has to carry the

recommendation letter to the Block Panchayat for issuance of the certificate by the

Block Panchayat secretary.

This process can be re-

engineered and information

sharing between BP and GP

can be significantly

streamlined through

computerization.

Issue of VEO’s enquiry report The VEO is expected to perform enquiry and site verification for various schemes

especially for housing under IAY. These enquiry reports form the basis for release of

funds under this scheme. The citizen needs to carry a copy of this verification report

and present it at the Block Panchayat to obtain the cheque for release of payments

under the scheme.

Enabling information

exchange between the VEO

who is positioned at the Gram

Panchayat and the Block

Panchayat secretariat is a

key expectation from ePRI as

lack of it imposes a significant

burden on both the VEO as

well as the citizen.

Scheduled Caste Development Officer The SC Development Officer has a key role to play in recommendation of projects

put forth by the GP relating to SC welfare. While some of them relate to individual

beneficiaries, many of these project proposals also relate to SC habitats. This is

often a point of dispute as there have been instances where the same area has

been subject to multiple development projects of similar nature denoting repetitive

investments by the GP. To streamline this, the LSG Department has issued orders

for a detailed SC survey in the state and also related preparation of habitat maps.

This is an important

information need for both the

functionaries at the GP as

well as BP levels and it is

expected that ePRI will result

in creation of a

comprehensive citizen as well

as habitat database.



Community Health Centre The Community Health Centre is required to report public health data and disease

surveillance data on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to the Kerala Health Service

Department. This is done through the Health Management Information System and

District Health Information System.


feature modules integrating

with the specified information

systems, reduce the

associated paperwork and

make reporting faster.

District Panchayat, Palakkad

The District Panchayat Secretariat is a nodal office for monitoring the

implementation of various schemes in the District and along with the District

Planning Office they require a large number of reports – both GP-wise and BP-wise

on physical achievement in various schemes and allocation versus utilization reports

for funds.

As of now, there is no single window available at the District Panchayat to obtain

data on all the Panchayats.

Secondly, since all the information is sent through paper based documents,

significant effort is spent in compilation of data for reporting to higher authorities.


facilitate information sharing

on scheme implementation

and fund utilization between

the three tiers of Panchayats.

District Planning Office, Palakkad: As the coordinating agency for planning

meetings, one of the key challenges faced by the District Planning Office is in

communication with all the Block and Village Panchayats in Palakkad district. With

no means for electronic communication, there is a large volume of paper based

communication (Especially meeting notices) which needs to get sent.

ePRI is expected to provide a

platform for enabling faster

digital

communication/information

sharing.

District Collector’s Office As per G.O.(MS)No. 27/2002/Plg. Dated 11 July 2002, District Collectors are

expected to play a key role in decentralized planning. As per this order,

1. The District Collector should play a key role as Member Secretary of the District Planning Committee to ensure that the tasks assigned to the District


enable creation of information

sharing mechanisms between



Planning Committee like preparation of District Plan, guiding of preparation of plans by local governments, vetting of plans prepared by local governments and regular review of implementation to ensure quality.

2. He should arrange necessary technical and administrative support to local governments.

3. He should hold monthly meetings on fixed days of Village Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries as well as Block Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries to review plan progress and send reports to Government.

4. He should ensure the proper functioning of the Technical Advisory Committees and Technical Committees.

5. District Collectors are also expected to send a periodical demi-officially every month to the Chief Secretary by the 15th, describing the various issues related to decentralized plan preparation and implementation in the district, the action taken at the district level and the action which has to be taken at the level of the Government.

Considering the above role to be played by the District Collector, there is a need for

strong information sharing mechanism related to decentralized planning between

various levels of Panchayats.

the District Collector’s office

through the Assistant

Development Commissioner

(General)’s office with various

Panchayats within the

District.

Note: At the District level, for each of the Scheme Programme Offices, we can identify similar patterns of reporting requirements though the

reporting formats may have slight differences. This is a common need and will keep emerging based upon new schemes which are required to be

implemented by the Panchayat. It is recommended that a common solution be developed for this sort of scheme-wise data reporting.


Stakeholder Challenges/ Issues Expectation from ePRI

Villagers Information about schemes and their individual eligibility for the same

There is a lot of information gap in terms of the

knowledge villagers have about:

1. What schemes are available for their benefit?

2. Are they individually eligible for the same?

This needs to be seen in the context that the

GP in Kerala administers about 125 different

State and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

As a result of this information gap,

1. Villagers feel that their needs are not being taken care of and hence start losing interest in Gram Sabhas. This is especially true of APL families or families not belonging to SC/ST/OBC.

2. Wrongly apply for benefits under various schemes and this takes considerable effort from GP to process them subsequently.

It is expected that ePRI will help improve clarity among villagers on

various schemes and their eligibility for benefits under the schemes.


Status of application Though the new system of Front Office is

expected to resolve this problem, many

villagers have communicated that they are

unable to get any information on the status of

their application and they need to make

multiple visits to the GP to follow up.

It is expected that ePRI will improve GP to Citizen communication and

explore means such as mobile phones to improve communication. In

addition, a system of giving receipts with expected date of processing

will also improve the situation.

Accuracy of BPL List There is a need for clarity on the criteria used

for selection of members on the BPL list. Also,

though this is publicized through the

beneficiary selection Gram Sabha, this list

needs to be made more accessible and

publicly available. This will help in ensuring

that it is kept updated.

It is expected that ePRI will enable creation of a publicly accessible BPL

list and resolution of any disputes with respect to name

inclusion/exclusion.

Status of credit of payments under NREGS The villagers whom we interviewed stated that

there is significant delay in credit of payments

under NREGS (in the range of 4-6 weeks) and

they often do not get to know the status of

credit of these payments.

It is expected that ePRI will improve means of communication between

the GP and the villagers so that information of this nature could be

communicated in a more timely fashion.

Focus group: Farm owners The farm owning community is of the opinion

that due to Panchayat works, especially under

NREGS, the labor force available to them to

work in fields in no longer available. This is of

It is expected that ePRI will help in improving scheduling of Panchayat

works and have better planning of the time of execution of various

works.


note as Palakkad is one of the rich agricultural

belts of Kerala. They have, therefore,

suggested that village development works

should not be scheduled during cropping

season.

Beneficiaries of IAY

As of now, beneficiaries of IAY are required to

travel to the Block Panchayat Office to obtain

their cheque based on the verification report

issued by VEO.

Through better information sharing or electronic workflows between GP

and BP, the need for the citizen to travel to Block Panchayat office could

be avoided.

Focus Group -Senior Citizens

For most of the senior citizens, it is difficult to

travel to the GP office and submit themselves

to extensive paperwork requirements. It is to

be noted that in Kerala, a Gram Panchayat

usually covers a large geographical area and

a few thousand families. It is, therefore,

essential that GP enables more doorstep

service delivery.

Note: It is to be noted that Akathethara Gram

Panchayat has piloted de-centralized service

centers which make Panchayat services more

accessible in various parts of the village.

Similar concepts could be attempted as part of

ePRI.

It is expected that ePRI will help in having an updated database of

senior citizens and determine their eligibility for pensions and other

social support benefits.

It is also essential to bring in a concept of doorstep service delivery for

senior citizens.


Focus groups – Rural artisans and Small and Micro enterprises

The Block Panchayat we are studying has

numerous rural artisans and small and micro

enterprises.

Many of them face challenges in marketing

their produce and are not able to reach out

beyond the boundaries of their Gram

Panchayats. These include businesses such

as Papad making, pottery works, Mridangam

(a musical instrument) crafting, etc.

It is expected the ePRI will provide a common ICT infrastructure through

which GPs can showcase and help in marking of the produce of rural

artisans.


5.1.2 Information needs model for a Gram Panchayat

In light of the above challenges, a Gram Panchayat centric approach was adopted for solution design. As

the smallest building block of the Panchayati Raj System, a Gram Panchayat interacts with a wide variety

of stakeholders as illustrated in the diagram below. From information needs perspective the GP acts as the source of vital information on citizen needs and the progress of implementation of development plans to address those needs. Hence in our view, decentralized planning and implementation will be effective only if a Gram Panchayat is made self-sufficient in its information needs. Hence the starting point for solution of various challenges lies in establishing a framework of

information needs for PRIs to be addressed by e-Governance solutions.

Illustrative stakeholder ecosystem of a Gram Panchayat


5.1.3 Framework of information needs of Gram Panchayats

The diagram below illustrates framework of information needs for Gram Panchayats.

Framework of information needs of Gram Panchayat

5.1.3.1 Citizen information

Availability of correct and up-to-date citizen information in a country of India’s size has been one of the

important bottlenecks for centralized planning. Even in a decentralized planning environment, though

information gathering may have become easier, citizen information continues to be one of the vital

information needs for effective planning. The key citizen related information needs for decentralized

planning are:

4 Citizen identity: Having correct citizen identity is one of the key objectives of India’s Unique ID

(UID) initiative and it is expected to play a vital role in design of e-Governance solutions for PRIs.

4 Citizen contact information: The ability to keep the citizen updated is one of the key

transparency and service delivery requirement of a GP. Citizen contact management will thus

form a key feature of any e-Governance solution proposed for PRIs.

4 Family relationships and status: Family oriented social benefits administration in India is

significantly dependent upon the income status of a family. Numerous disputes have occurred

within villages with the administration on the issue of wrong income category classification or

wrong definition of the family’s constitution. This situation is further complicated by marriages and

also disputes within families. It is in this context that it becomes vital for a GP to maintain

information on family constitution.

4 Status of benefits under various schemes: Continuing in the context of equitable distribution of

social benefits, the details of benefits obtained under various welfare schemes by an individual or

a family becomes an important information need of a GP.


5.1.3.2 Financial information

With the concept of fiscal federalism gaining momentum in India and with administrative decentralization,

financial management is one of the focus areas for improving Panchayati Raj governance. In addition,

integration with Government Treasury and banking systems are vital for effective functioning of GP.

Figure 4 below outlines the key categories of financial information required by Panchayats.

Financial information needs of GP 4 Budgetary Information: Preparation of a Panchayat budget sees various data points gathered

together and an extensive process of consultation with citizens during Gram Sabhas to arrive at a

consensual budget for the Village. The finalized budget forms an input for further aggregation at

the Block, District, State and National levels and is monitored against actual progress.

4 Information on revenues: This pertains to details of the sources of funds made available to a

GP at the beginning of every financial year from various tiers of Government and the own

revenues generated by the GP through various taxes and levies within its village jurisdiction. As

the village development plans evolve with each year, the budgetary requirements for financial

resources are also increasing. It has become increasingly necessary for GPs to generate greater

revenues especially through strengthening of its taxation systems.

4 Expenditure information: Tracking expenditure against the budget and reporting utilization of

own resources are key governance requirements of a Gram Panchayat. In a typical GP, there are

various drawing and disbursing officers and therefore, it is all the more important to keep track of

which officer has authorized what spend and on what purpose.

5.1.3.3 Geographical information

Geography adds a significant dimension to planning and development. Geographical information is vital

to answer various planning related questions such as:

4 What are the natural resources available with a Gram Panchayat?

4 How can we plan watershed development better?

4 Which parts of the village have adequate infrastructure in terms of roads, water supply and power

lines and what is the development need?

4 What is the fiscal cadastral of the village?


4 What is the demographic profile of our village vis-à-vis its geography?

4 What are the likely natural disasters that will impact us and how can we protect ourselves?

To answer such questions which often get raised in Gram Sabhas, it is vital for the Panchayat to have

current information in the form of various maps which include physical map, topographic sheets, cadastral

maps, panchayat asset map, land use map, water resources map, drainage map, watershed atlas, soil

survey atlas and power line maps. These thus constitute the key geographical information needs of all

PRIs.

5.1.3.4 Project monitoring information

Deriving from its development plans, a typical GP in India executes nearly 100 projects at a time on

various fronts and considering that various stakeholders provide the GP with the resources needed to

execute its projects, collecting and reporting project monitoring information on a timely basis is a key

information need of Gram Panchayats. Such information is aggregated at progressively higher levels of

PRI and reported to various stakeholder communities including citizens.

5.1.3.5 Social welfare indicators

As the arm of Government closest to citizens, Gram Panchayats play a key role in collection of various

vital social welfare indicators. Some of the vital information needs are:

4 Citizen health indicators

4 Child and family welfare indicators

4 Education and employment related indicators

4 Scheduled caste and tribe survey data

4 Veterinary/ Animal husbandry data

Unavailability of such information on a timely basis has proven to be a key challenge for India’s planners

over the decades. With decentralization, it is expected that it would be easier to collect and aggregate

such information for national and state level planning. Hence this forms a key part of the information

needs framework proposed for creation of an integrated ePRI solution.

5.1.3.6 Panchayat Governance information

One of the key objectives of Panchayati Raj has been to make government more accountable and it is in

this context that Panchayat Governance information forms a key part of the information needs framework

of PRI. India is evolving various mechanisms to strengthen governance at grassroots level including:

4 Constitution of finance commissions to strengthen financial management within Panchayats

4 Conduct of social audits involving citizens to assess the Panchayat’s performance and

4 Local fund audits to ensure that funds are being utilized as planned

The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 adds another dimension to Governance as Panchayats are

expected to respond to citizen queries within specified timelines. It is in this context that an e-Governance

solution for PRIs needs to maintain the following information:


4 Panchayat Meeting Minutes and Decisions Register

4 Government orders and circulars

4 Social audit findings and resolutions

4 Local fund audit findings and resolutions

4 Various registers related to Citizen Service delivery

4 Citizen queries and responses and

4 Panchayat election details

Having identified the above information needs, solution design was carried out to reflect lines of

integration that exist between various levels of Panchayati Raj Institutions. The solution modules were

classified under the following heads:

a. Government to Government interactions

b. Government to Citizen interactions

c. Government to Employee interactions

d. Government to Business interactions

e. Support modules and

f. Interfaces

5.1.4 List of Services Identified for Reengineering

The following services have been identified for process re-engineering. These services have been

grouped into four categories for ease of understanding and to provide a consistent rationale for their

selection for re-engineering.

5.1.4.1 Service group 1: Birth, Death and Marriage registration

These services have been selected for re-engineering as they are very important for the Panchayat's

operations from various dimensions such as education, family welfare, and social security benefits

administration and most importantly for programmes such as ICDS, NRHM, etc. In the particular

Panchayat we are studying, a near level of saturation has been reached in terms of providing houses to

the homeless population. It is when a marriage happens and a new couple requests for home, that the

Panchayat needs to take action. This is also an important mandatory function as family welfare related

activities are also linked to marriage registration.

4 Service 1: Registration of birth and modifications to birth register

4 Service 2: Registration of death:

4 Service 3: Registration of marriage


5.1.4.2 Service group 2: Taxation related services

The following taxation related services have been selected for re-engineering as these are complex tax

processing operations involving a high amount of paper work and also require certain degree of

computational assistance. These two taxes are the largest sources of income for the village Panchayat.

4 Service 4: Payment of property tax

4 Service 5: Payment of profession tax

4 Service 6: Exemption from payment of property tax

5.1.4.3 Service group 3: Construction and land use related services

Due to the high population density, land use needs to be carefully monitored in the Panchayat and

public/arable lands need to be protected from encroachment and illegal activities. Hence these have been

identified. The Panchayat has identified extensification of arable land as one of its key priorities (Refer

minutes of Village Development Seminar). Also, due to the high population density, the Panchayat needs

to closely monitor industrial/trade activities in its jurisdiction to prevent any offensive and dangerous

activities. Hence the following services related to construction and land use have been selected for re-

engineering.

4 Service 7: Issue of residential building permit

4 Service 8: Issue of commercial building permit

4 Service 9: Issue or renewal of trade licenses

4 Service 10: Transfer of ownership

5.1.4.4 Service group 4: Administration of benefits

These are the largest operations carried out by the Panchayat and involve a very high degree of citizen

involvement. It is also a pressing need expressed by various citizens (Especially maintenance of houses)

during our Gram Panchayat level interaction. Disbursement of pensions is a very important social security

function of the Village Panchayat and needs to be made easier for aged persons of the community and

they should not have to come physically to the Village Panchayat office, if possible.

Catering to information requests under RTI Act and grievance redressal are mandatory functions of

Panchayat. As of now, due to large amount of paper based records, there is a challenge in responding in

a timely fashion. Also as per our citizen interactions, the general awareness amongst the village

population about Citizen Charter and RTI Act is minimal. Hence the following portfolio of services has

been selected for re-engineering.

4 Service 11: Provision of housing

4 Service 12: Maintenance of houses

4 Service 13: Disbursement of pensions


4 Service 14: Disbursement of various monetary assistances to weaker sections such as

widowed mothers, ailing old persons and unemployment allowance

4 Service 15: Grievance redressal

5.1.4.5 New services

The following new services have been identified at the Gram Panchayat level based upon the citizen

feedback received and subsequent feedback received from District and State Workshops.

4 Service 16: Electronic credit of wages, pensions and benefits and immediate intimation of their

processing and credit: Most of the NREGA beneficiaries and pensioners have complained about

delays in credit of wages and most of this is attributed to paper based muster rolls and the

extensive paper work related to it.

4 Service 17: Know status of application: During our citizen interactions, we received feedback that

many times it is difficult to know what happened to their application and they need to visit the

Panchayat multiple times. Hence this is proposed as a new service of the Panchayat.

4 Service 18: Issue of BPL certificate at Gram Panchayat: This is issued at Block Panchayat at

present. The requirement to visit Block Panchayat is only to obtain a signature and this can be as

well issued at the Village Panchayat since records are maintained at the Village Panchayat.

Hence this has been proposed as a new service at the Gram Panchayat.

4 Service 19: Electronic processing of Treasury Bills: Electronic data exchange with Treasury

especially with respect to processing of Treasury bills. This has been identified as Panchayat staff

have suggested that they are unable to deliver citizen services as per service levels as they

spend a significant amount of time in processing treasury bills. This has therefore been identified

as a key component not only from a G2E point of view but also in G2C service delivery.

4 Service 20: Request for Information under Right to Information Act: A structured process for

processing these requests is envisaged as a new service for citizens. The team’s assessment in

the village had revealed both a low level of awareness about the RTI Act as well as challenges in

addressing these queries as a result of low levels of computerization.

The following is the detailed list of As-Is processes which support these services and which were

identified for re-engineering.

4 Issue of Birth Certificate

4 Name Inclusion in Birth Register

4 Modification of Birth Register

4 Issuance of Identification Certificate For Birth Registration

4 Issuance of Non Availability Certificate For Birth

4 Issue of Death Certificate

4 Modification of Death Registers

4 Issuance of Non-Availability Certificate for Death

4 Issuance of Marriage Certificate


4 Collection of Property Tax – Assessment Year

4 Collection of Property Tax - Annual

4 Collection of Profession Tax

4 Exemption from Paying Property Tax

4 Issue of One Day Residential Building Permit

4 Issue of Commercial Building Permit

4 Issue/Renewal of Trade Licenses

4 Transfer of Ownership

4 Provision of Housing

4 Disbursement of Pension

4 Grant For Widow’s Daughter’s Marriage

4 Disbursement of Unemployment Allowance

4 Request for information under Right to Information Act

4 Grievance Redressal

4 Collections at Gram Panchayat

4 Front office operations

4 State Portal management

4 Akshaya Kendra management

4 Status tracking

4 Application delivery


5.1.5 Gap Analysis

During Phase I, the following functions of the various tiers of Panchayat were studied and the following gaps were identified in various functions of

the Panchayat.

5.1.5.1 PRI Functions – Gaps analysis at Government of Kerala level

Stakeholder Challenges / Issues faced with various functions and Gap analysis

Directorate of

Panchayats, Local Self-

Government

Department,

Government of Kerala

Apart from programme monitoring, the directorate is involved in administration of the PRI staff which includes

maintenance of service records (which are physically maintained at the District Offices), payroll and benefits

administration including provident funds.

The service records of each Department employee is maintained in the respective Panchayat office where he/she is

posted. This creates a significant challenge in terms of safe handling of the service record and also in administering

various benefits.

State PR Department The state PR Department requires the following reports on a periodic basis for all DP, BP and GP.

§ Expenditure by sector type across category § Project formulation and expenditure by sources of fund § Project formulation and expenditure by micro-sector § Project formulation and expenditure by developmental sectors § Local body wise distribution of project formulation and expenditure (category wise) § Project formulation and expenditure by special programs § Local body wise distribution of project formulation and expenditure (sector type wise) § Monthly expenditure for sources of fund § Budget and plan grant expenditure by type of local body

Kerala State Planning Board

The key concerns highlighted by members of Kerala State Planning Board were the following:

There is need for a “Comprehensive Integrated Citizen Database” covering all aspects of an individual during the


Stakeholder Challenges / Issues faced with various functions and Gap analysis

course of his/her lifetime with the data being collected systematically over a period of time. Currently there is no

integration between existing databases maintained to benefit from the vast information collected independently, which

might be useful from a planning perspective.

The Panchayats are well developed in Kerala and in terms of data collection and there is almost 99.99% Birth

registration, and around 93% Death registration with an impressive Electoral Database, yet there is a huge gap in

integrating these databases for effective usage by other departments for planning, development, etc.


Gram Panchayats need to make available detailed information to the Local Fund Audit directorate on sources of funds

and their utilization.

5.1.5.2 PRI Functions – Gap analysis at Panchayat offices

PRI Level Challenges/ Issues with various functions and Gap analysis

BPL List: Beneficiary selection is an important activity for the Gram Panchayat for which having an updated list of

citizens belonging to the Below Poverty Line category is essential.

This is a key challenge being faced by the Village Extension Officer who has to verify the records available with

the Gram Panchayat, conduct site visit and then certify that a citizen does belong to the BPL category.

Beneficiary under other schemes: The Gram Panchayat often needs to certify that a citizen or family is not a

beneficiary under any other scheme.

Gram Panchayat, Akathethara

Taxation related issues Profession tax: The Gram Panchayat requires an updated list of all employers in the Panchayat, the number of

staff employed and their salaries. As of now, the Panchayat does not have any software solutions which assist in

maintaining this list and timely identification of defaulters. There is a significant amount of paperwork required to

be done by the GP clerks in processing this tax.



Collection of taxes and fees The Panchayat does not have any automated solutions to keep track of taxes and fees paid and it is maintained

in a series of receipt books assigned to each of the clerks. The receipts are then progressively consolidated and

written into a variety of other registers. This is a time consuming activity as the same numbers are copied into

each progressively consolidated register.

Expenditure tracking The Panchayat spends funds on various heads and as depicted in the PR governance section of the report, it

needs to have complex reporting of expenditure both across various heads as well as across nearly 125 schemes

it implements. There is also a well-defined workflow for release of these funds which involves significant

paperwork.

Integration with Treasury – (Inputs from District ISNA workshop) Integration with Treasury is a key need for the Panchayat staff as they spend significant amounts of time in

treasury related tasks as drawing and disbursing officers. Most of this interaction pertains to drawal of funds for

various purposes. The Treasury of Government of Kerala is fully computerized and the Panchayat staff have

expressed that this should be integrated with Gram Panchayats and the line departments.

Information about transfer of funds – (Inputs from District ISNA workshop) Many times GP does not get information on funds available and their credit to Panchayat account under various

schemes on a timely basis. There have been instances when the funds have lapsed due to non-utilization in time.

It is essential for the Gram Panchayat to know in a timely fashion as to when funds have got transferred under

various schemes. Similarly, there have also been instances where wrong communication has been sent to

drawing officers about credit of funds without funds actually being credited.

Gram Panchayat – Krishi Bhavan The Agriculture Office requires detailed information on land holdings to be able to create Watershed Plans as

required in the Annual and Five year plans of the Panchayat. This requires information on individual land

holdings, survey numbers of each land holding and the uses for which it is being put into.



It is also essential to have digital Cadastral maps so that such information collected through periodic surveys

could be assimilated into the land use maps.

Child development programme data The Gram Panchayat through the Anganwadi workers collects a large amount of demographic and data on a

routine basis (specifically for the ICDS programme). This information is collected through door-to-door surveys

and significant effort is spent in digitizing this data which due to non-availability of computers at the Gram

Panchayat implies that the Anganwadi workers need to travel to the Block CDP office to do data entry. In

addition, this data is not accessible to the Gram Panchayat as no network exists between the Block CDP office

and the GP.

Certificates from Village Office The Gram Panchayat requires a series of certificates from the Village Office regarding the citizen for provision of

various benefits. This requires the citizen to make multiple visits not only to the GP but also the Village Office for

various services. Following are the certificates which are issued by the Village Office (under the Revenue

Department) for various GP related services:

§ Income certificate § Caste certificate § Location certificate § Identification certificate § Solvency (upto INR 1 Lakh) certificate § Possession certificate § Identity certificate § Relationship certificate § Family membership certificate § Nativity certificate § Marriage relationship certificate



As can be seen, for various certificates the basic data is expected to be retained with the Gram Panchayat (e.g.:

Marriage relationship certificate).

Information pertaining to Panchayat meetings The Gram Panchayat has delegated the tasks of maintaining minutes of various Panchayat meetings to various

staff members of the GP. In addition, from a compliance point of view the Panchayat is also required to maintain a

large number of attendance sheets, photographs of proceedings such as those for Village Development Seminars

and so on.

Also, as per the K.P.R (Procedure for Panchayat Meeting) Rules, 1995 all decisions and resolutions passed by

the Panchayat are required to be recorded in the Decision Register in the order of the passing of the same.

This creates a significant amount of overhead in terms of paperwork for the Panchayat and is also a significant

records management challenge.

Government orders and circulars The Government of Kerala through the Finance Department and the Local Self Government Department issues

various orders and circulars regularly for various changes and improvements pertaining to Panchayat

administration. Also, the Gram Panchayat is responsible for administration of various allied Acts and Rules which

also get updated on a routine basis. Many of these are sent to the GP as paper based notices and create a

challenge to the staff in their storage and timely retrieval. For the Departments issuing these circulars also this is

a significant administrative overhead due to the large number of GPs in the state.

Information for Power line mapping as part of Total Energy Security Mission Lot of geospatial information needs to be collected by the Gram Panchayat at ward level and detailed guidelines

have been issued for the same by Government of Kerala. To be able to prepare these documents the Gram

Panchayat requires the following information from other agencies:




From State Land Use Board: Cadastral Map and Combined map

Block Panchayat Secretariat and Village Extension Officers deputed to Gram Panchayat The Block Panchayat through the Village Extension Officer and Lady Village Extension Officers performs a key

role in monitoring the implementation of various schemes. This implies that there is a significant burden on the

Block Panchayat to collate monitoring reports and compile them for usage at the District level. As of now, there is

a large volume of paper work associated with this task.

Except for certain schemes like NREGS which has its own monitoring software module, most of the schemes rely

on paper based monitoring reports. Key among them with a high degree of citizen interaction is the Indira Awas

Yojana.

Tribal extension officer The state is conducting an extensive survey of Scheduled Tribes and is planning to create a database of the

same. This information is essential for the Tribal Extension officer attached to the Block Panchayat to recommend

various beneficiaries for ST oriented schemes of both Central and State Governments.

Status of citizen as per BPL list The Block Panchayat is responsible for issuance of the BPL certificate which makes a citizen eligible for various

schemes. The recommendation is sent by the VEO who is usually positioned at the Gram Panchayat office and

the citizen has to carry the recommendation letter to the Block Panchayat for issuance of the certificate by the

Block Panchayat secretary.

Block Panchayat, Malampuzha

Issue of VEO’s enquiry report The VEO is expected to perform enquiry and site verification for various schemes especially for housing under

IAY. These enquiry reports form the basis for release of funds under this scheme. The citizen needs to carry a

copy of this verification report and present it at the Block Panchayat to obtain the cheque for release of payments

under the scheme.



Scheduled Caste Development Officer The SC Development Officer has a key role to play in recommendation of projects put forth by the GP relating to

SC welfare. While some of them relate to individual beneficiaries, many of these project proposals also relate to

SC habitats. This is often a point of dispute as there have been instances where the same area has been subject

to multiple development projects of similar nature denoting repetitive investments by the GP. To streamline this,

the LSG Department has issued orders for a detailed SC survey in the state and also related preparation of

habitat maps.

Community Health Centre The Community Health Centre is required to report public health data and disease surveillance data on a

daily/weekly/monthly basis to the Kerala Health Service Department. This is done through the Health

Management Information System and District Health Information System.

District Panchayat, Palakkad

The District Panchayat Secretariat is a nodal office for monitoring the implementation of various schemes in the

District and along with the District Planning Office they require a large number of reports – both GP-wise and BP-

wise on physical achievement in various schemes and allocation versus utilization reports for funds.

As of now, there is no single window available at the District Panchayat to obtain data on all the Panchayats.

Secondly, since all the information is sent through paper based documents, significant effort is spent in

compilation of data for reporting to higher authorities.

District Planning Office, Palakkad: As the coordinating agency for planning meetings, one of the key challenges

faced by the District Planning Office is in communication with all the Block and Village Panchayats in Palakkad

district. With no means for electronic communication, there is a large volume of paper based communication

(Especially meeting notices) which needs to get sent.

District Collector’s Office As per G.O.(MS)No. 27/2002/Plg. Dated 11 July 2002, District Collectors are expected to play a key role in

decentralized planning. As per this order,

1. The District Collector should play a key role as Member Secretary of the District Planning Committee to



ensure that the tasks assigned to the District Planning Committee like preparation of District Plan, guiding of preparation of plans by local governments, vetting of plans prepared by local governments and regular review of implementation to ensure quality.

2. He should arrange necessary technical and administrative support to local governments. 3. He should hold monthly meetings on fixed days of Village Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries as well

as Block Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries to review plan progress and send reports to Government. 4. He should ensure the proper functioning of the Technical Advisory Committees and Technical

Committees. 5. District Collectors are also expected to send a periodical demi-officially every month to the Chief

Secretary by the 15th, describing the various issues related to decentralized plan preparation and implementation in the district, the action taken at the district level and the action which has to be taken at the level of the Government.

Considering the above role to be played by the District Collector, there is a need for strong information sharing

mechanism related to decentralized planning between various levels of Panchayats.

Note: At the District level, for each of the Scheme Programme Offices, we can identify similar patterns of reporting requirements though the

reporting formats may have slight differences. This is a common need and will keep emerging based upon new schemes which are required to be

implemented by the Panchayat. It is recommended that a common solution be developed for this sort of scheme-wise data reporting.

5.1.6 As-Is Service delivery

5.1.6.1 Service 1: Issue of Birth Certificate

The process of issue of Birth certificates by the Panchayat Office is done partly using the Sevana Civil Registration software developed by IKM

and the rest is done manually. The various conditions pertaining to the time within which the registration is sought are as follows:

o Registration under 21 days

§ Duration : Within 3 working days

§ Charges : INR 5 per copy


o Registration in 21-30 days

§ Duration : 5 working days from receipt of permission

§ Charges : INR 5 per copy + INR 2 for late fees

o Registration in 30 days – 1 year


§ Charges : INR 5 per copy + INR 2 search fees

o Registration after more than 1 year


§ Charges : INR 2 Search fee for each year + INR 5 per copy + INR 10 Late Fee

5.1.6.2 As – Is: Process Narration: Issue of Birth Certificate

Name of service

Issuance of Birth Certificate

Process Owner

Gram Panchayat

Primary Actors (PR Officials, Citizens, etc.) Secondary Actors (Non – PR, Other Agencies if any, Line departments.)

Citizen, Front Office, A3 UDC, Panchayat Secretary Deputy Director of Panchayats, Revenue Divisional Officer.

Process Input Process Output

o Within 21 Days : • Form 1 – Birth Report • Ward members witness certificate

o Within 21-30 days : § All the above documents § Application showing reason for delay in registration § INR 5 court fees stamp

o Within 30 days – 1 year :

o Birth certificate


§ Application to Deputy Director of Panchayats with INR 5 court fees stamp affixed

§ Birth affidavits from two different Gazetted officers § Birth non-availability certificate from the Panchayat

o More than 1 year § Application to Revenue Division Officer with INR 5 court

fees stamp affixed § All the documents mentioned above

Service Delivery Time

Prescribed delivery time (if any): o Within 21 days : Same day o Within 21-30 days : 3 days o Within 30 days – 1 year : As sanctioned o More than 1 year : As sanctioned

Actual delivery time: o Within 21 days : Same day o Within 21-30 days : 3 days o Within 30 days – 1 year : As sanctioned o More than 1 year : As sanctioned

Documents Involved

Registers o Birth Register

Format o Paper and Electronic (Sevana software)

Legal documents (if service is mandated) o Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 o Registration of Births and Deaths Rules,1999 o G.O. (P) 8/2000/LSGD.

Others o Non availability certificate

5.1.6.3 Process narration

Improvement Opportunities Step Activity Channel Documents involved

Mode Responsibility Gaps / Issues

Technology Process People

1 Submits completed

At GP Office

Form 1 – Birth report

Manual Citizen Currently the front office is

PCs to be made

Can be IT enabled.

Training to be provided to





Form 1 – Birth report: The citizen approaches the front office and submits duly filled Form 1 – Birth report

tracking submissions through manual registers.

available at Front Offices. Front Office Management software for registering submissions. Provision for submitting the form online and mailing the required attachments separately to the GP.

Manual registers can be done away with.

Front Office personnel in using computers and Front Office management software.

2 Is the report in order?: The front office checks whether the report submitted is in order. If it is not in

At GP Office

Manual Front Office Manual checklists are being used at the Front Office to verify the attachments provided during submission.

Provision in Front Office Management software for checklists pertaining to each kind of submission.

Can be IT enabled.

Training to be provided to Front Office personnel in using computers and Front Office management software.





order then it is communicated to the citizen with the clarifications cited. If no changes are required, then they proceed to step 4

3 Make modifications to the report: The citizen then modifies the report according to the clarifications cited by the front office and submits it again.

At GP Office

Manual Citizen None None None None

4 Provide receipt to the

At GP Office

Receipt Manual Front Office The receipt is issued

Provision in Front Office

Can be IT enabled.






citizen: The front office then issues a receipt to the citizen acknowledging the receipt of the birth report

manually after making entries into the Front Office register.

Management software for printing receipts. Printers to be made available at Front Offices.

Manual issuance of receipts can be done away with.

Front Office personnel in using computers and Front Office management software.

5 Receives the birth report, and field enquiry conducted and report prepared: The report is then passed on to the A3 UDC. The A3 UDC gon receipt of the birth report conducts a field enquiry

At GP Office

Manual A3 UDC Hard copy files are forwarded to the A3 UDC

Integration between Front Office management software and Civil registrations software.

Can be IT enabled.

Training to be provided to Panchayat Officials in using computers and Civil registrations software.





and prepares an independent report on the same.

6 Adds entry into Sevana software , and Updates birth Register: The A3 UDC then proceeds to enter the field enquiry report into the Sevana software, and simultaneously manually updates the birth register at the Panchayat office

At GP Office

Birth register

Electronic and Manual

A3 UDC Redundancy in data due to maintenance of a manual Birth register at the GP even when computerized.

None Manual birth register can be done away with.


7 Birth within 21 days?:

At GP office

Manual A3 UDC None Provision in Civil

Can be IT enabled






The A3 UDC then checks whether the birth has occurred within the time period of 21 days. If is has occurred within 21 days then the process proceeds to step 15 If the period is more than 21 days then the process proceeds step 8

registrations software to alter the workflow based on conditions specified.

Panchayat Officials in using computers and Civil registrations software.

8 Birth in > 21 days but < 30 days?:

At GP office

Manual A3 UDC None Provision in Civil registrations software to

Can be IT enabled

Training to be provided to Panchayat Officials in





The A3 UDC then checks whether the birth has occurred between the time period of 21-30 days If is has occurred between 21-30 days then a late fees of INR 2 is charged and the process proceeds to step 15 If the period is more than 30 days then the process proceeds to step 9

alter the workflow based on conditions specified.

using computers and Civil registrations software.

9 Obtain affidavit and

At GP office

Non-Availability

Manual A3 UDC None Provision in Civil

Can be IT enabled






Non-availability Certificate: Incase the birth is being registered after a period of 30 days then an affidavit and non-availability certificate is obtained from the Panchayat office

Certificate registrations software to alter the workflow based on conditions specified.

Panchayat Officials in using computers and Civil registrations software.

10 Birth in > 30 days but < 1 year?: The A3 UDC then checks whether the birth has occurred between the time period of 30 days – 1

At GP office

Manual A3 UDC None Provision in Civil registrations software to alter the workflow based on conditions specified.

Can be IT enabled






year If is has occurred between 30 days-1 year then a search fees of INR 2 is charged and the process proceeds to step 11 If the period is more than 1 year then INR 10 as late fees and INR 2 search fee for each year is charged and the process proceeds to step 12

11 Sends to Deputy Director of Panchayats

Sanction Letter

Manual Panchayat Secretary / Deputy Director of

None Provision in Civil registrations software to

Can be IT enabled

Training to be provided to Panchayat Officials in





for sanction: If the birth is registered after 30 days but less than 1 year, then the report is sent to the Deputy Director of Panchayats for sanction. Then the process proceeds to step 13

Panchayats alter the workflow based on conditions specified.

using computers and Civil registrations software.

12 Sends to Deputy Revenue Division officer for sanction: If the birth is registered after 1 year, then the report

Sanction Letter

Manual Panchayat Secretary / Revenue Division Officer

None Provision in Civil registrations software to alter the workflow based on conditions specified.

Can be IT enabled






is sent to the Revenue Division Officer for sanction Then the process proceeds to step 13

13

Sanctioned?: The Panchayat Secretary then checks whether the sanctions are obtained. If the sanctions are obtained then the process proceeds to step 15 If not then the process proceeds to step 14

At GP Office

Manual Panchayat Secretary

The Panchayat Secretary does not have access to the existing Civil registrations software for approving an application.

Provision for accessing and approving the application online.

Can be IT enabled. Paper based workflow can be eliminated.






14 Seek clarification from the citizen: If the sanction is not given, then clarifications are obtained from the citizen and the process resumes at step 9

At GP Office






15 Approves the birth report as per field enquiry conducted or sanctions obtained: The Panchayat Secretary then approves the issue of birth certificate based on the

At GP office










field enquiry conducted and the various sanctions (if needed) are obtained The approval is forwarded to the A3 UDC

16 Prepares Birth certificate using Sevana software: Upon obtaining the approval from the Panchayat Secretary, the A3 UDC prepares the birth certificate using the Sevana software provided by IKM The printed

At GP office

Birth Certificate

Electronic A3 UDC None None None Training to be provided to Panchayat Officials in using computers and Civil registrations software.





copy is presented to the Panchayat Secretary for signature

17 Signs off Birth certificate: The Panchayat Secretary then signs off on the Birth certificate and forwards it to the Front Office

At GP office


None Integration between Front Office management software and Civil registrations software.

Can be IT enabled.


18 Birth certificate Received: The front office receives the signed Birth certificate

At GP office

Manual Front Office None Integration between Front Office management software and Civil registrations software.

Can be IT enabled.


19 Citizen At GP Manual Citizen Citizens aren’t Provide status Can be IT Awareness of





enquires about Birth certificate: The citizen enquires about the birth certificate at the front office

office notified about their application status.

notification of applications to citizens via email, sms, IVR etc.

enabled. facilities for enquiring application status to citizens.

20 Payment Required?: The A3 UDC checks if any payment is to be made by the citizen (late fees, search fees, etc) If there are no fees to be paid then the process proceeds to step 23. If there are any fees applicable

At GP office

Manual A3 UDC The payments are currently handled by the A3 UDC rather than at the Front Office.

Provision in Front Office Management software for accepting payments pertaining to application, which is in turn integrated with the accounting system.

Can be IT enabled.






then the process proceeds to step 21

21 Collects payment for any late fees and additional Charges: The A3 UDC then informs the citizen of the amount to be paid as additional charges and collects the same from the citizen

At GP office


Provision in Front Office Management software for accepting payments pertaining to application, which is in turn integrated with the accounting system.

Can be IT enabled.


22 Collection Process: The A3 UDC then initiates the Panchayat Office Collection Process

At GP office


Provision in Front Office Management software for accepting payments pertaining to application,

Can be IT enabled. Manual payment receipts can be replaced by printed

Training to be provided to Front Office personnel in using computers and Front Office





which is in turn integrated with the accounting system.

ones. management software.

23 Birth certificate Collected: The citizen then collects the Birth certificate from the Panchayat Office

At GP office



5.1.6.4 As-Is process map – Issue of birth certificate


5.1.6.5 Service 2 – Name inclusion in Birth Register

5.1.6.6 As – Is: Process Narration: Name Inclusion in Birth Register

Name of service

Name inclusion in Birth Register Process Owner

Gram Panchayat


Citizen, Front Office, A3 UDC, Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary


o Less than 5 years of age : § Application Form from parents with INR 5 court fees stamp

affixed § INR 5 to be paid after 1 year from date § Following details have to be furnished with the application :

Names of Parents, Address, Name(s) of children, Birth date in English and Malayalam, Place of Birth, Date of registration of birth at the Panchayat

o More than 5 years of age : § Application Form from parents with INR 5 court fees stamp

affixed § Identification Certificate from the local registrar § Certificate proving birth date in the school document § INR 10 stamp paper in the name of the applicant § Search fees of INR 2, name inclusion fees of INR 5 and

extract fees of INR 5

o Birth certificate with name



Prescribed delivery time (if any): As per sanction Actual delivery time: As per sanction

Documents Involved

Registers o Birth Register

Format o Paper


Others o Identification Certificate, Birth Certificate

5.1.6.7 Process Narration




1 Submits Application form for name inclusion in birth register: The citizen approaches the front office and submits an application for inclusion of name in the Birth Register

At GP Office

Application form Manual Citizen Currently the front office is tracking submissions through manual registers.

PCs to be made available at Front Offices. Front Office Management software for registering submissions. Provision for submitting the form

Can be IT enabled. Manual registers can be done away with.






online and mailing the required attachments separately to the GP.

2 Is the Application in order?: The front office accepts the application form and checks whether it is in order If it is not in order, the process proceeds step 3 If the application form is in order, the process proceeds to step 4

At GP Office

Manual Front Office Manual checklists are being used at the Front Office to verify the attachments provided during submission.

Provision in Front Office Management software for checklists pertaining to each kind of submission.

Can be IT enabled.


3 Make modifications to the form:

At GP Office






The citizen makes changes to the application form as pointed out by the Front office and submits it again

4 Provide Acknowledgement receipt to the citizen: The Front office then issues a receipt to the citizen acknowledging the receipt of the application form The application form is then sent to the concerned UDC

At GP Office

Acknowledgement Receipt

Manual Front Office The receipt is issued manually after making entries into the Front Office register.

Provision in Front Office Management software for printing receipts. Printers to be made available at Front Offices.

Can be IT enabled. Manual issuance of receipts can be done away with.


5 > 1 year since registration?: The A3 UDC verifies the application form

At GP Office

Manual A3 UDC Hard copy files are forwarded to the A3 UDC.

Integration between Front Office management software and Civil

Can be IT enabled.

Training to be provided to Panchayat Officials in using computers





checks whether the time lapsed since the birth is more than 1 year If the period is not more than 1 year the process proceeds to step 8 If the period is more than 1 year the process proceeds to step 6

registrations software.

and Civil registrations software.

6 Charges INR 5/- as inclusion fees: If the registration is after a period of 1 year, then an additional amount of INR 5 is charged as inclusion fees from the citizen

At GP Office

Manual A3 UDC None None None None

7 Collection Process: The A3 UDC

At GP Office

Manual A3 UDC The payments are currently handled by the A3 UDC rather

Provision in Front Office Management software for

Can be IT enabled. Manual

Training to be provided to Front Office





initiates the Panchayat Office Collection Process wherein the inclusion fee is collected. Once completed, the process proceeds to step 8

than at the Front Office.

accepting payments pertaining to the application, which is in turn integrated with the accounting system.

payment receipts can be replaced by printed ones.

personnel in using computers and Front Office management software.

8 Is the applicant from the same Panchayat: Then the A3 UDC proceeds to check if the applicant is from the same Panchayat If the applicant is from the same Panchayat the process proceeds to step 10 If the applicant is

At GP Office

Manual A3 UDC A comprehensive citizen database is not available at the Panchayats.

Provision in Civil Registrations software to search for the citizens residing in that Panchayat.

Can be IT enabled. Can do away with searching registers manually for tracking citizens.






from a different Panchayat the process proceeds to step 9

9 Obtains Identification certificate from other Panchayat/LSG: If the applicant is from a different Panchayat, an Identification certificate from that particular Panchayat/LSG is to be furnished by the Citizen.

At GP Office

Identification Certificate

Manual Citizen Citizen has to visit the other Panchayat office and obtain the identification certificate.

Integration with the Civil Registrations system in the other Panchayat for requesting identification details through the system itself.

Can be IT enabled. Instead of the citizen obtaining the identification certificate from the other Panchayat, it can be delivered as an additional service by GP.


10 Updates Sevana software and birth register with name, and prints out the Birth Certificate: Once all formalities

At GP Office

Birth Register, Birth Certificate

Electronic and Manual

A3 UDC Redundancy in data due to maintenance of a manual Birth register at the GP even when computerized.

None Manual birth register can be done away with.

Training to be provided to Panchayat Officials in using computers and Civil registrations





are completed, the A3 UDC updates the details on the ‘Sevana’ software and manually in the Birth register The Birth certificate with the name is printed using ‘Sevana’ and sent to the Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary

software.

11 Is the report in order?: The Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary checks whether the certificate is in order If its not in order the process

At GP Office

Manual Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary









proceeds to step 12 If its in order the process proceeds to step 13

12 Seek clarification: The UDC addresses all clarifications raised by the Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary

At GP Office

Manual A3 UDC None None None None

13 Approves the name inclusion to the birth register: The Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary then approves the name inclusion in the birth register and sign off on the birth certificate

At GP Office

Manual Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary





14 Receives Birth At GP Manual Front Office None Integration Can be IT Training to





certificate with name: The Front office receives the signed certificate from the Junior Superintendent/ Panchayat Secretary for delivery

Office between Front Office management software and Civil registrations software.

enabled. be provided to Panchayat Officials in using computers and Civil registrations software.

15 Collects the Birth certificate with name: The citizen collects the birth certificate bearing the requested name from the Panchayat Front Office

At GP Office



5.1.6.8 As-Is process map


5.1.7 Capacity

5.1.7.1 Organizational Structure

As per the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act, every Panchayat is a body corporate by the name of the

Panchayats, have perpetual succession and a common seal and, subject to any restriction or qualification

imposed, be vested with the capacity of suing or being sued in its corporate name; of acquiring, holding

and transferring property, movable or immovable, of entering into contracts and of doing all things

necessary, proper or expedient for the purpose for which it is constituted. In all, Kerala has 1,223 local

governments in the following categories: Gram Panchayats – 999; Block Panchayats – 152; District

Panchayats – 14; Municipalities – 53 and Corporations – 5.

The Department of

Panchayats is the field

department of the Local Self-

Government Department of

Kerala and it was established

in 1962. The Department of

Panchayats acts as a

facilitator in the distribution of

Development expenditure

fund; maintenance and

general purpose funds to the

Gram Panchayats in the state; monitors progress and achievements made in expenditure of funds by

Gram Panchayats, controls the establishment matters and disciplinary proceedings of the staff of Gram

Panchayats and department offices; has the responsibility in ensuring the registration of births, deaths

and marriages occurring in the state; and performs the duties assigned by various Government Orders

and notifications under Kerala Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. Following is the organization structure of the

state PR Department. [Source: Adapted from Panchayat Vikasana Guide 2009]

The Directorate of Panchayats is staffed by the Director of Panchayats who is assisted by an Additional

Director, 2 Joint Directors, 14 Deputy Directors and 14 Assistant Directors. The Special Grade

Secretaries and Panchayat Secretaries report into the Directorate of Panchayats as shown in the diagram

below. There are 452 Special Grade Secretaries and 547 Secretaries staffing the various Panchayats in

Kerala.


At the Gram Panchayat, the

administrative structure comprises of the

Panchayat President, Panchayat Vice-

President, Panchayat Committee

members, the Panchayat Secretary,

heads of transferred departments, 1

Junior Superintendent, 4 Upper Division

Clerks and 5 Lower Division clerks as

shown in the diagram. As an organization,

the Gram Panchayat is also characterized

by the Panchayat standing committees

and the functionaries transferred to it.

This is shown in the diagram here.

At the Block Panchayat, the key administrative positions are as follows: Block Panchayat President, Block

Panchayat Vice-President, Panchayat Committee members, Block Panchayat Secretary and Block

Development Officer, Jt. BDOs, General Extension Officer, Extension Officer (Women’s Welfare), Head

Clerk, Upper Division Clerks, Lower

Division Clerks, Lady Village Extension

Officers (LVEO) and Village Extension

Officers. In addition, there are various

transferred functionaries as shown in the

adjacent diagram. Administratively, the

VEOs and LVEOs also report to the

Gram Panchayat Secretary of the village

where they are assigned. Their direct

line of reporting is to the Block

Panchayat Secretary who in turn has

dual reporting to both the Assistant

Development Commissioner (General)

who reports to the District Collector and

Project Director – District Project

Alleviation Unit who in turn reports to the

Rural Development Commissioner.


5.1.7.2 Strength and constitution of Panchayat Committees

At the block and village levels, there are three standing committees – one each for Finance, Development

and Welfare. In addition to these three, at the District level there are two more standing committees – one

for Health & Education and one for Public Works. Every standing committee has such number of

members including its chairman as decided by the Panchayat so that all other elected members except

the President and the Vice-President shall be elected as a member in any of the standing committee and

the number of members in each standing committee shall, as far as possible, be equal. The number of

members in each standing committee should not be changed during within the term of the Panchayat.

The Chairman of every standing committee, except the standing committee for finance, shall be elected

by the members of the respective standing committee from among themselves. The Vice-President shall

be an ex-officio member and chairman of the standing committee for Finance and the President shall be

an ex-officio member of all standing committees without the right to vote.

5.1.7.3 Key issues identified or observations

4 At the Gram Panchayat level, the Panchayat is an extended organization with its day to day

operations being significantly assisted by social workers in the form of Kudumbashree members,

Anganwadi supervisors and ICDS supervisors. In addition, the Panchayat members often play a

key role in assisting citizens obtain services. As a result, the Panchayat office is not a water-tight

service delivery organization. Hence it is difficult to define certain types of service levels and

benchmark them as if a particular service delivery is facilitated by any of the members of the

extended organization, it is possible for a service to be delivered faster than usual.

4 It is difficult to define an escalation matrix at GP level as it is a fairly flat organization. There can

be a significant dependency on Panchayat President and Panchayat Secretary in ensuring timely

service delivery by officers.

4 The Panchayats are well-staffed as of now though there is a significant need to enhance the IT

skills of staff. Kerala has a well structured training programme facilitated through KILA and SIRD.

5.1.7.4 Capacity building

The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) is the nodal agency of Government of Kerala for

training and capacity building of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) in Kerala. It is an autonomous body

under the LSG department.

The State Institute for Rural Development (SIRD) and the Institute for Management in Government (IMG)

play a supporting role in capacity building and training for LSG staff. Training related to centrally

sponsored schemes are conducted by State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) and its extension

centers across the state. The Institute for Management in Government (IMG) conducts a general

management programme for all state government staff including LSG staff. This primarily covers general


management and service related issues. Due to the active role being played by these institutions, there is

a high degree of general management capability and strong awareness of the fundamentals of local self-

government among the LSG staff as well as the elected members. These training institutions are also

playing a key role in developing new concepts to strengthen PRI in Kerala through participatory and

experiential learning workshops. The broad needs for capacity development for PRIs could be classified

at the following levels:

o Leadership and management capacity development – especially for Women Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries

o Capacity building related to Planning, Budgeting and Plan implementation monitoring o Training on managing citizen meetings – especially, various types of Gram Sabhas and

development seminars o Training on Panchayat administrative procedures: This could include the following

§ Front-office procedures § Procedures for administration of various taxes such as Property tax, Profession

tax, etc. § Procedures for issuance of various permits and licenses § Procedures for maintenance of Panchayat accounts among various others

o Training in specialized skills such as Watershed and Power line mapping o Training in computers and software applications used for Panchayat administration

5.1.7.5 Approach to training and capacity building

Since Panchayati Raj institutions are constantly evolving, KILA adopts a responsive approach to training

and capacity building. The approach to training involves:

a. Institutional training (usually conducted at KILA premises) and b. De-centralized training which is conducted at a local level

The training content for both these kinds of training is the same and consistency is maintained in quality

of training delivery. Training is provided by KILA’s faculty as well as by a network of Master Trainers and

Extension faculty who are experts in the area of local self-government. This approach allows KILA to

reach out to a larger audience while retaining its focus on design of training and capacity building

programmes.

5.1.7.6 Training needs assessment and training module generation

KILA adopts a participatory approach to training needs assessment and training module preparation. This

is usually done through the following steps:

a. Conduct a workshop with representatives from various panchayats – usually these are 1-2 day workshops

b. Identify through a participatory approach key training needs. Inputs could also be gathered from local self-government associations and from senior PRI functionaries.

c. Based upon the training needs identified, design training module to address the need identified


d. The uniqueness of this approach is that the output of these workshops is the finalized design of training modules and not just the training need identified.

5.1.8 ICT Infrastructure (Hardware, Software, Connectivity)

Kerala has made significant investments in the area of computerization and rolling out software

applications for Panchayati Raj Institutions. To enable roll out e-Governance in PRIs, the Department of

Panchayat Raj, Government of Kerala has set up the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) as the nodal

agency. Following is a brief overview of the state’s e-Governance readiness with respect to e-

Governance. PRI’s in the state of Kerala are expected to purchase computers and other required ICT

infrastructure out of their own funds in consultation with IKM. The Local Self Government Department of

the Kerala State Government in an official circular dated 25.06.2007 finalized the specifications of

equipment and other items for the implementation of e-governance in Local Governments.

The order lays down the guidelines for procurement of ICT components as follows, "In order to facilitate

ease of maintenance of Computers, it is recommended that those vendors, from among the vendors

authorized for supply of computers under Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals (DGS&D)

approved rates, having support service in Kerala may be called by IKM and the computers to be supplied

allotted to them in equal numbers in a transparent manner ensuring geographical contiguity of Panchayat

assigned to each vendor".

The state has through IKM also developed a suite of software applications to support the function of

Panchayati Raj Institutions. Following are briefs on the functionalities of this suite of software applications.

4 Sulekha: Plan Monitoring System

4 Sevana: Sevana Civil Registrations

4 Sevana: Sevana Social Security Schemes

4 Sanchitha: Electronic Legal Adviser

4 Soochika: The Work Flow Application

4 Sanchaya: The Revenue Collection System

4 Sahatha and Saankhya: The Accounting Packages

4 Sthapana: Application for Establishment

4 Sakarma: Decision Support System

4 Subhadra: Financial Management system

4 Samveditha: LSGD Website (www.localgovkerala.net)

4 Samoohya: Samoohya Citizen Database

4 Sachithra: Map Suite

4 Saphalya: Human Resource Package

http://www.localgovkerala.net


The above portfolio of software are developed using Active Server Pages (ASP) and SQL Server 2000.

The software applications feature centralized database architecture with web-based front-end systems.

The application architectures for Sevana and for Sulekha are depicted below. It is to be noted that at the

time of preparation of this report, in Palakkad district, the plan documents prepared in Sulekha are still

ported on a CD-ROM to the server at the Palakkad district planning office for consolidation as last-mile

connectivity with the Gram Panchayats are still being established. ICT Training programs for the

Panchayat Officials and employees are conducted by IKM and KILA. The locations for these trainings

have been: Panchayat Office, KILA and IRDA on various occasions. The last training module was

conducted in the year 2008.

5.1.8.1 Gap in integration with selected NeGP initiatives

There is limited integration of NeGP initiatives such as State Data Centre, State Wide Area Network and

Citizen Service Centres with PRI. On the citizen service center front, Kerala has rolled out a large number

of service delivery centers in the form of AKSHAYA and FRIENDS. With a network of nearly 2,080

centers in Kerala, the state has one AKSHAYA centre for every 2,000 families. The software systems

supporting these centers are developed by Kerala State IT Mission (KSITM). These centers offer various

bill pay services (such as for Kerala Water Authority, Kerala State Electricity Board, and BSNL) and

collectively process over 1,00,000 transactions per month.

However, these service delivery centers do not offer any services related to Panchayats. The AKSHAYA

centers are expected to maintain the ‘Ente Gramam’ (My village) portal for each of the Village

Panchayats. However, this is not being utilized effectively. In terms of State Data Centre, the state of

Kerala is conducting the bid process for selection of an implementation agency and implementation is not

complete yet. As a result, the Panchayat department is yet to make any efforts towards utilization of SDC

for hosting software applications related to PRIs. Implementation of the State Wide Area Network (SWAN)

is at an advanced stage in Kerala and is being coordinated by KSITM. All the 152 block panchayats are

connected through KSWAN. The Block level POP of the SWAN terminates at the same building where

the Malampuzha Block Panchayat is housed. However, there is no further augmentation or expansion of

the network from this point onwards. Neither is the block panchayat in itself linked up to the SWAN. The

same situation exists with respect to last mile connectivity to Gram Panchayats in all the blocks. The

current hurdles KSITM is facing in providing the last mile connectivity are:

4 Lack of Funds : KSITM is unable to undertake the expenses to provide connections at all 999

Gram Panchayats in the state of Kerala

4 Mode of connection (Lease Line/Broadband/Wireless): KSITM is working out the cheapest and

most effective mode of connectivity to provide KSWAN at the GP level.

At present, Gram Panchayats can avail of KSWAN connectivity from their specific Block Panchayat by

paying the specific charges required for setting up and deliverance of the connection.


6 Proposed To-Be Scenario – Future state of PRIs in Kerala

6.1 PRI Internal Functions

Following are the key improvements expected from ePRI to address the various challenges and issues faced by various levels of PRI in

performing its functions.

Stakeholder Challenges / Issues Recommendations

Directorate of

Panchayats, Local

Self-Government

Department,

Government of

Kerala

Apart from programme monitoring, the directorate is involved in

administration of the PRI staff which includes maintenance of

service records (which are physically maintained at the District

Offices), payroll and benefits administration including provident

funds. The service records of each Department employee is

maintained in the respective Panchayat office where he/she is

posted. This creates a significant challenge in terms of safe

handling of the service record and also in administering various

benefits.

To address this requirement, a HR Management System has

been recommended as part of the proposed ‘To-Be’

application portfolio for Panchayati Raj Institutions.

It is also proposed that the Service Records and benefits

administration be taken up as part of the HRMS

implementation.

State PR Department The state PR Department requires the following reports on a

periodic basis for all DP, BP and GP.

§ Expenditure by sector type across category § Project formulation and expenditure by sources of fund § Project formulation and expenditure by micro-sector § Project formulation and expenditure by developmental

sectors § Local body wise distribution of project formulation and

expenditure (category wise) § Project formulation and expenditure by special programs § Local body wise distribution of project formulation and

The following recommendations in To-Be scenario will address

these challenges:

a. An integrated financial management system within the

Gram Panchayat

b. Last mile connectivity with Gram Panchayats

c. Planning and Project Management modules in the

proposed To-Be application portfolio.


Stakeholder Challenges / Issues Recommendations

expenditure (sector type wise) § Monthly expenditure for sources of fund § Budget and plan grant expenditure by type of local body

Kerala State Planning Board

The key concerns highlighted by members of Kerala State

Planning Board were the following:

There is need for a “Comprehensive Integrated Citizen

Database” covering all aspects of an individual during the

course of his/her lifetime with the data being collected

systematically over a period of time. Currently there is no

integration between existing databases maintained to benefit

from the vast information collected independently, which might

be useful from a planning perspective. The Panchayats are

well developed in Kerala and in terms of data collection and

there is almost 99.99% Birth registration, and around 93%

Death registration with an impressive Electoral Database, yet

there is a huge gap in integrating these databases for effective

usage by other departments for planning, development, etc.

The following recommendations address this challenge.

a. Linkage with the Unique ID project

b. Identity and Address Management module to be

created as part of To-Be portfolio.


Gram Panchayats need to make available detailed information

to the Local Fund Audit directorate on sources of funds and

their utilization.

With the implementation of a Financial Management System

integrated with:

a. Benefits administration module

b. Project management module and

c. Panchayat Assets register

will enable Panchayats to be better prepared for Local Fund

Audits.


PRI Level Challenges/ Issues Recommendations

BPL List: Beneficiary selection is an important activity for the

Gram Panchayat for which having an updated list of citizens

belonging to the Below Poverty Line category is essential.

This is a key challenge being faced by the Village Extension

Officer who has to verify the records available with the Gram

Panchayat, conduct site visit and then certify that a citizen

does belong to the BPL category.

The following recommendations address this challenge.

a. Linkage with the Unique ID project

b. Identity and Address Management module to be

created as part of To-Be portfolio

It is proposed that this database be a centralized one and

shared between all PRIs.

Beneficiary under other schemes: The Gram Panchayat

often needs to certify that a citizen or family is not a beneficiary

under any other scheme.

The benefits administration module has been recommended

as part of the To-Be application architecture to address this

issue.

Taxation related issues Profession tax: The Gram Panchayat requires an updated list

of all employers in the Panchayat, the number of staff

employed and their salaries. As of now, the Panchayat does

not have any software solutions which assist in maintaining this

list and timely identification of defaulters. There is a significant

amount of paperwork required to be done by the GP clerks in

processing this tax.

The following modules will assist in addressing this challenge:

a. Tax and revenue administration

b. Sub-module of collections to be created as part of the

financial management module

Gram Panchayat

Collection of taxes and fees The Panchayat does not have any automated solutions to keep

track of taxes and fees paid and it is maintained in a series of

receipt books assigned to each of the clerks. The receipts are

then progressively consolidated and written into a variety of

The collections module proposed as part of the To-Be

application portfolio will address this challenge.

In addition, the need to maintain various paper registers is

being obviated through an appropriate Government Order or



other registers. This is a time consuming activity as the same

numbers are copied into each progressively consolidated

register.

amendments to the relevant Acts/Rules.

Expenditure tracking The Panchayat spends funds on various heads and as

depicted in the PR governance section of the report, it needs to

have complex reporting of expenditure both across various

heads as well as across nearly 125 schemes it implements.

There is also a well-defined workflow for release of these funds

which involves significant paperwork.

The following are proposed as part of the Financial Management System forming part of To-Be architecture:

a. Workflow for expenditure approval which will also enable expenditure logging

b. Integration with e-Procurement system c. Integration with treasury

Integration with Treasury – (Inputs from District ISNA workshop) Integration with Treasury is a key need for the Panchayat staff

as they spend significant amounts of time in treasury related

tasks as drawing and disbursing officers. Most of this

interaction pertains to drawal of funds for various purposes.

The Treasury of Government of Kerala is fully computerized

and the Panchayat staff have expressed that this should be

integrated with Gram Panchayats and the line departments.

The integration with treasury has been recommended to

address this challenge.

Automated preparation of Treasury Bills and updates to

Treasury Bill books is recommended to reduce paperwork

within the Gram Panchayat.

Information about transfer of funds – (Inputs from District ISNA workshop) Many times GP does not get information on funds available

and their credit to Panchayat account under various schemes

on a timely basis. There have been instances when the funds

have lapsed due to non-utilization in time. It is essential for the

It is expected that with enablement of last mile connectivity till

Gram Panchayats communication between various agencies

involved in disbursal of funds to Gram Panchayats will

improve.

Also, with GPs getting integrated with Treasury, it would be



Gram Panchayat to know in a timely fashion as to when funds

have got transferred under various schemes.

Similarly, there have also been instances where wrong

communication has been sent to drawing officers about credit

of funds without funds actually being credited.

easier for the GP to know when funds have been transferred

to the Panchayat’s account.

Gram Panchayat – Krishi Bhavan The Agriculture Office requires detailed information on land

holdings to be able to create Watershed Plans as required in

the Annual and Five year plans of the Panchayat. This requires

information on individual land holdings, survey numbers of

each land holding and the uses for which it is being put into.

It is also essential to have digital Cadastral maps so that such

information collected through periodic surveys could be

assimilated into the land use maps.

A GIS based system is proposed to capture the following

details:

1. Survey number 2. Area 3. Slope % 4. Land use 5. Proposed treatment under watershed plan

The various maps which need to be captured in the system

would include:

1. Topographic sheets 2. Cadastral maps 3. Asset map 4. Land use map 5. Water resources map 6. Political map 7. Physical map 8. Drainage map 9. Watershed atlas and 10. Soil survey atlas

Child development programme data The Gram Panchayat through the Anganwadi workers collects

This challenge will get addressed once the following two ‘To-

Be’ interventions are enabled:



a large amount of demographic and data on a routine basis

(specifically for the ICDS programme). This information is

collected through door-to-door surveys and significant effort is

spent in digitizing this data which due to non-availability of

computers at the Gram Panchayat implies that the Anganwadi

workers need to travel to the Block CDP office to do data entry.

In addition, this data is not accessible to the Gram Panchayat

as no network exists between the Block CDP office and the

GP.

a. Last mile connectivity till Gram Panchayat

b. Enabling access for GP officers to the ICDS data

through a portal

Certificates from Village Office The Gram Panchayat requires a series of certificates from the

Village Office regarding the citizen for provision of various

benefits. This requires the citizen to make multiple visits not

only to the GP but also the Village Office for various services.

Following are the certificates which are issued by the Village

Office (under the Revenue Department) for various GP related

services:

§ Income certificate § Caste certificate § Location certificate § Identification certificate § Solvency (upto INR 1 Lakh) certificate § Possession certificate § Identity certificate § Relationship certificate § Family membership certificate § Nativity certificate

This will be enabled through an interface to the Village Office

database in the To-Be architecture.

The dependencies have also been outlined which are:

a. Computerization of Village Office Records

b. Legal changes to allow GP direct access to Village

Office data for verification purposes.



§ Marriage relationship certificate As can be seen, for various certificates the basic data is

expected to be retained with the Gram Panchayat (e.g.:

Marriage relationship certificate).

Information pertaining to Panchayat meetings The Gram Panchayat has delegated the tasks of maintaining

minutes of various Panchayat meetings to various staff

members of the GP. In addition, from a compliance point of

view the Panchayat is also required to maintain a large number

of attendance sheets, photographs of proceedings such as

those for Village Development Seminars and so on.

Also, as per the K.P.R (Procedure for Panchayat Meeting)

Rules, 1995 all decisions and resolutions passed by the

Panchayat are required to be recorded in the Decision Register in the order of the passing of the same.

This creates a significant amount of overhead in terms of

paperwork for the Panchayat and is also a significant records

management challenge.

This has been addressed through the following

recommendations:

a. A minutes of meeting module

b. Creation of an electronic Decision Register

c. Enabling an audit trail for the Decision Register

Government orders and circulars The Government of Kerala through the Finance Department

and the Local Self Government Department issues various

orders and circulars regularly for various changes and

improvements pertaining to Panchayat administration. Also,

the Gram Panchayat is responsible for administration of

This will be addressed through the following

recommendations:

a. Implementation of a collaboration suite across all

arms of LSG Department including PRIs

b. An online electronic database for managing

Government Orders which will be updated using



various allied Acts and Rules which also get updated on a

routine basis. Many of these are sent to the GP as paper

based notices and create a challenge to the staff in their

storage and timely retrieval. For the Departments issuing these

circulars also this is a significant administrative overhead due

to the large number of GPs in the state.

Content Management tools.

Information for Power line mapping as part of Total Energy Security Mission Lot of geospatial information needs to be collected by the

Gram Panchayat at ward level and detailed guidelines have

been issued for the same by Government of Kerala. To be able

to prepare these documents the Gram Panchayat requires the

following information from other agencies:


From State Land Use Board: Cadastral Map and Combined

map

A PRI-wide GIS system is recommended as part of the To-Be

architecture.

Block Panchayat Block Panchayat Secretariat and Village Extension Officers deputed to Gram Panchayat The Block Panchayat through the Village Extension Officer and

Lady Village Extension Officers performs a key role in

monitoring the implementation of various schemes. This

implies that there is a significant burden on the Block

Panchayat to collate monitoring reports and compile them for

usage at the District level. As of now, there is a large volume of

The following interventions will address this challenge:

a. Establishment of last mile connectivity till GP

b. Enabling e-mail based collaboration between GP, BP

and DP levels

c. Automated generation of project monitoring reports

once the Financial Management System and the

Project Management modules are enabled.



paper work associated with this task.

Except for certain schemes like NREGS which has its own

monitoring software module, most of the schemes rely on

paper based monitoring reports. Key among them with a high

degree of citizen interaction is the Indira Awas Yojana.

Tribal extension officer The state is conducting an extensive survey of Scheduled

Tribes and is planning to create a database of the same. This

information is essential for the Tribal Extension officer attached

to the Block Panchayat to recommend various beneficiaries for

ST oriented schemes of both Central and State Governments.

This situation will be improved once the following are

implemented:

a. Integration with Unique ID

b. Creation of processes are GP level for management

of citizen data through the Citizen Identity module

Status of citizen as per BPL list The Block Panchayat is responsible for issuance of the BPL

certificate which makes a citizen eligible for various schemes.

The recommendation is sent by the VEO who is usually

positioned at the Gram Panchayat office and the citizen has to

carry the recommendation letter to the Block Panchayat for

issuance of the certificate by the Block Panchayat secretary.

This process has been re-engineered such that information

sharing between BP and GP is significantly streamlined

through computerization. Enabling last mile connectivity to GP

will also address this issue.

Issue of VEO’s enquiry report The VEO is expected to perform enquiry and site verification

for various schemes especially for housing under IAY. These

enquiry reports form the basis for release of funds under this

scheme. The citizen needs to carry a copy of this verification

report and present it at the Block Panchayat to obtain the

This process has been re-engineered such that information

sharing between BP and GP is significantly streamlined

through computerization. Enabling last mile connectivity to GP

will also address this issue.



cheque for release of payments under the scheme.

Scheduled Caste Development Officer The SC Development Officer has a key role to play in

recommendation of projects put forth by the GP relating to SC

welfare. While some of them relate to individual beneficiaries,

many of these project proposals also relate to SC habitats.

This is often a point of dispute as there have been instances

where the same area has been subject to multiple

development projects of similar nature denoting repetitive

investments by the GP. To streamline this, the LSG

Department has issued orders for a detailed SC survey in the

state and also related preparation of habitat maps.

This situation will be improved once the following are

implemented:

a. Integration with Unique ID

b. Creation of processes are GP level for management

of citizen data through the Citizen Identity module

In addition, GIS solutions will also help improve the situation.

Community Health Centre The Community Health Centre is required to report public

health data and disease surveillance data on a

daily/weekly/monthly basis to the Kerala Health Service

Department. This is done through the Health Management

Information System and District Health Information System.

Integration with Health Management Information System and

District Health Information System has been recommended.

District Panchayat The District Panchayat Secretariat is a nodal office for

monitoring the implementation of various schemes in the

District and along with the District Planning Office they require

a large number of reports – both GP-wise and BP-wise on

physical achievement in various schemes and allocation

versus utilization reports for funds.




and DP levels





As of now, there is no single window available at the District

Panchayat to obtain data on all the Panchayats.

Secondly, since all the information is sent through paper based

documents, significant effort is spent in compilation of data for

reporting to higher authorities.


District Planning Office, Palakkad: As the coordinating

agency for planning meetings, one of the key challenges faced

by the District Planning Office is in communication with all the

Block and Village Panchayats in Palakkad district. With no

means for electronic communication, there is a large volume of

paper based communication (Especially meeting notices)

which needs to get sent.




and DP levels




District Collector’s Office

As per G.O.(MS)No. 27/2002/Plg. Dated 11 July 2002, District

Collectors are expected to play a key role in decentralized

planning. As per this order,

1. The District Collector should play a key role as Member Secretary of the District Planning Committee to ensure that the tasks assigned to the District Planning Committee like preparation of District Plan, guiding of preparation of plans by local governments, vetting of plans prepared by local governments and regular review of implementation to ensure quality.

2. He should arrange necessary technical and administrative support to local governments.

3. He should hold monthly meetings on fixed days of




and DP levels






Village Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries as well as Block Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries to review plan progress and send reports to Government.

4. He should ensure the proper functioning of the Technical Advisory Committees and Technical Committees.

5. District Collectors are also expected to send a periodical demi-officially every month to the Chief Secretary by the 15th, describing the various issues related to decentralized plan preparation and implementation in the district, the action taken at the district level and the action which has to be taken at the level of the Government.

Considering the above role to be played by the District

Collector, there is a need for strong information sharing

mechanism related to decentralized planning between various

levels of Panchayats.

Note: At the District level, for each of the Scheme Programme Offices, we can identify similar patterns of reporting requirements though the reporting

formats may have slight differences. This is a common need and will keep emerging based upon new schemes which are required to be implemented

by the Panchayat. It is recommended that a common solution be developed for this sort of scheme-wise data reporting.


6.2 Re-engineered Government to Citizen Service Delivery Processes

The starting point for BPR was the overall ePRI BPR framework. This was subsequently customized to the requirements of Kerala.

6.2.1 ePRI BPR framework


6.2.1.1 Government-to-Citizen interface

It is essential that a comprehensive Panchyat Ghar Management System module be part of the proposed

PR Information System and integrated with the other Citizen Service Oriented modules. Integration of the

Panchayat Information System with the CSC / kiosks to provide access to information could enable

citizens to make use of Panchayat services without approaching the Panchayat Office yet have a certain

level of human interaction. Select services like payment of taxes, social security allowances, submission

of application forms etc. could be availed through Kiosks / CSCs.

For Internet savvy citizens, provision for directly accessing ePRI services through the proposed State

Portal could be enabled. The states who are surging ahead of other states in terms of e-readiness, the

State Portal could also support an mGovernance interface for those citizens, who prefer to use a Mobile

phone for receiving such information as application status, reminders etc. A State Level Call Centre is

also desirable for providing remote services which is supported by IVR technology as well as 24x7

support personnel.

6.2.1.2 Government-to-Government Interface

The Government interface to the Panchayat Information System would constitute the linkages between

other Government departments; both State and Central, through State sponsored IT initiatives or other

relevant MMPs so that the entire life cycle of each service could be delivered seamlessly through

electronic workflows as far as practicable.

The State Portal could be utilized for achieving the integration of the Panchayat Information Systems with

other department initiatives. For instance, the Employment Exchange MMP could be integrated with the

ePRI MMP for availing of such services as disbursal Unemployment Allowances, access to the current list

of businesses in the region etc. Likewise the National ID/UID MMP could be integrated with the Citizen’s

Database being proposed at the GP level to share up-to-date information regarding citizens on a National

level.

Funds transfer from treasuries is as a high volume activity in the PRIs in many states, especially in terms

of scheme implementation. Integration with Treasury Management Systems could ease the transfer and

management of funds allocated to PRIs in a streamlined manner.

Interfaces maybe provided to Central Line Ministries for accessing MIS reports which could be helpful in

planning and funds allocation for various schemes or the introduction of new schemes based on the

information.

National Informatics Centre Services Inc. Page 100 of

164

6.2.1.3 Government-to-Business Interface

The Panchayat Ghars could be used as a single window for businesses to interact with the Panchayat

office, with adequate provision in the Panchayat Management system to cater to the same.

Citizen service delivery kiosks, CSCs etc. could also present an alternative interface for availing those

services to businesses which could be carried out without visiting the Panchayat office. Such services like

payment of profession tax, application for trade licenses, etc. could be delivered through these Kiosks by

integrating the Information System with the same.

Businesses with access to the Internet could use State Portal also for availing Panchayat services such

as convenient facilities for e-payment of profession taxes, application fees etc. APIs for interfacing

existing Information Systems of Business with the PR Information System may also be made available for

seamless exchange of data wherever possible.

Provision in the Information System could be provided for directly interfacing with systems of Financial

Institutions so that facilities like online funds transfer could be availed by PRIs, citizens could apply for

microfinance schemes, get e-payment etc.

The ePRI BPR framework is broadly based on the following components:

6.2.1.4 Service Delivery Components

S. No Component Description 1. Information Provision This Component will handle dissemination of Information only. Lack of

information was found to be a key impediment in availing of services

without issues and on time.

2. Forms Availability This Component will provide and ensure the availability of Application

Forms. Application Forms must be easily and readily available to any

citizen. This component must align with the Forms Submission

component, i.e. the forms must be available wherever they have to be

submitted.

3. Application Receipt This Component will handle submission of the application, including the

form and the relevant documents. As the component exits operation, it

would generate a receipt for the applicant which contain a registration

number for status tracking, date of application, department responsible,

summary of supporting docs submitted etc.

4. Payment Receipt This Component will handle all the payments

5. Application This Component will allow the district administration to make decisions


164

S. No Component Description Verification regarding the claim or request of the applicant based on submitted

documents and / or databases.

6. Application Rejection This Component will ensure that when an application is rejected, an

appropriate reason is provided to the applicant and that the document be

duly signed by the rejecting authority.

7. Application Approval This Component will handle the signing of the deliverables like

certificates, ration cards etc.

8. Application Delivery This Component will handle the delivery of the signed and valid

deliverable to the citizen

9. Status Tracking This Component will retrieve and update the status of an application.

The component will need to retrieve the information about a file and

update it online or on the IVRS tracking system or in the application

where a functionary can view it.

6.2.1.5 Support Components

S. No Component Description 1. PRIs Management This component will help in creating master data of PRIs like

the members of PRIs, Standing committees, CEO / Pramukh

etc. Also this will handle the PRI Meeting Management by

creating annual calendars, preparation of Agenda formats,

Scheduling and updation of PRI meetings. It will also help in

generating MIS on regular basis of all PRI meetings

2. File Management The File Management Components will help in replacing all

the manual processes of filing being used presently in the

PRI offices. This will closely track all the file movements and

their status with the file holder.

3. Asset Management PRI’s office asset management component will handle the

information related to all the physical assets of the office viz.

office infrastructure, furniture, electrical equipments etc.

4. Fund Management This component handles all the fund flow, fund management

related operations.

5. Trainings PRI Officials need training on various aspects all through the

year. This training component will help manage the

information related to the kind of trainings extended, online

mode, offline mode of trainings, Scheduling and updation of

training sessions. Self Learning modules etc. will also be


164

S. No Component Description included in such training component. Training Management

component will also help in generating MIS from the

respective training database.

6. Resource Management This components will primarily help in managing information

related to human resources available for the PRI office,

Natural resources information available etc.

7. Audit Audit component will manage the information related to the

Audit schedules of the PRI offices, Audit calendar, Audit

findings and Audit conclusions.

Social Audit information will also be a managed through this

component

6.2.2 Information needs model for a Gram Panchayat

6.2.3 BPR framework for Kerala

In preparing the re-engineered process maps in Kerala, we have adopted the below BPR framework. In

the following write-up we provide to you an outline of the key components that have been developed and

included in the To-Be process maps. The BPR framework entails the following key components:

a. Improvements to the direct PRI service delivery channels

b. Improvements to the Indirect Service Delivery Channels

c. NeGP components such as e-Forms, State Service Delivery Gateway, State Data Centre and

State Wide Area Network

d. Process components sub-divided as Integrated Gram Panchayat components, common service

components and common PRI internal components and

e. ICT components specifically the Panchayats Software Application portfolio

The framework comprises of capacity building components already in existing in Kerala as well. It is to be

noted that this specific BPR framework is based on the fact that in Kerala nearly 100% of G2C service

delivery is focused around the Gram Panchayat whereas the key role of District and Block Panchayats is

in planning and implementation of development plans.


The following to-be process maps are based upon this framework.


6.2.3.1 Reengineered Existing G2C Service Delivery Processes – Issue of Birth Certificate


6.2.3.2 Pre-requisites/Dependencies

4 Akshaya Kendras and State Portal should be accepted as alternate service delivery channels in addition to the existing Front Office

system, with adequate procedures for coordination

4 Service levels need to be defined for Akshaya Kendras for transferring hard copy documents collected to PRIs for better coordination in

service delivery

4 Provision for integration of Akshaya Kendras and State Portal with the proposed PR Information System as service delivery channels

should be made

4 Acceptance of electronic workflows for processing of service requests instead of the existing paper based workflow within PRIs with

relevant procedure amendments needs to be made

4 Replacement of respective hard copy registers with digital databases for recording transactions related to service delivery

4 All existing data relevant to Birth registration should be migrated to the proposed system for effective usage of the proposed system

4 It is proposed that all payments pertinent to services to be made during application phase at the delivery channels itself, based on

checklists presented to the applicant

4 An e-payment infrastructure needs to be make available for services delivered through the State Portal, and optionally at Akshaya

Kendras

4 Scanned versions of supporting documents should be accepted by PRIs for the purpose of verification

4 Provision needs to be there to dispatch birth certificates by Post/Courier to the applicant if preferred by the same

4 Availability and Integration of hospital information systems for birth registration with the proposed system

4 Authorization and mechanism to distribute Revenue stamps through Akshaya Kendras, or an electronic equivalent of the same should be

made available

4 Adequate provisions should be made for collecting additional charges like Akshaya Kendra service charges, post/courier charges, etc.

from the applicant

4 M-Governance infrastructure to be made available by the State Government for enabling status tracking through mobile devices


6.2.3.3 Legal Changes

4 Amendments in legislation to replace existing manual registers with electronic ones

4 Legislation which allows approvals within PRIs to be made through electronic workflows instead of paper based

4 Government Orders which recognizes State Portal and Akshaya Kendras as service delivery channels

4 Legislation allowing approvals which are required from external entities within the LSGD but outside the GP to be electronic

6.2.3.4 Recommendations & Impact

Objectives O1 – Transparency & Accountability

O2 – Improved Decision Making O3 – Improved Service Delivery to Citizens

O4 – Internal Process Improvement (PRIs)

O5 – Convenience to Govt. Employees

Objectives

Recommendations O1 O2 O3 O4 O5

Process

1. Seamless integration of Front Office process with that of Akshaya Kendras and State Portal √ √

2. Maintenance of birth registrations in databases only rather than in manual registers √ √ √ √ √

3. Usage of scanned documents while processing service requests √ √ √

4. Electronic workflows to be accepted for approvals at each point in processing service delivery requests √ √ √ √ √

5. All payments to be collected at service delivery points at application phase itself √ √ √

6. Epayment facilities to be made available to citizens √ √ √

7. Well defined IT policies and procedures to be made available √ √ √


Objectives


People

1. Adequate capacity building measures to be put in place for training officials in the optimum use of the proposed

PR Information System

√ √ √

2. An IT support structure to be made available at GPs to sustain the infrastructure √ √ √

3. Recruitment of officials who are IT literate √ √ √

4. An escalation matrix to be put in place within the GP for service delivery monitoring √ √ √ √

Technology

1. Adequate IT equipment in terms of PCs, printers, scanners etc. to be provided to GPS √ √ √

2. A Local Area Network (LAN) needs to be implemented at all GPs √ √ √

3. Last mile connectivity is to be made available at all GPs (eg. Internet, leased line etc.) √ √ √

4. Adequate data backup facilities needs to be provided for effective maintenance of the PR Information System at

GPs

√ √ √

5. Adequate security measures in terms of user privileges, encryption, digital signatures etc. needs to be enabled √ √ √

6. Adequate Power backup facilities needs to be provided to GPs for uninterrupted operations √ √ √

6.2.3.5 To-be Process Narration – Issue of Birth Certificate

Name of service

Birth Registration & Issuance of Birth Certificate


Process Owner

Gram Panchayat

Primary Actors (PR Officials, Citizens, etc.) Secondary Actors (Non – PR, Other Agencies if any, Line deptts.)

Citizen, Front Office, A3 UDC, Panchayat Secretary Deputy Director of Panchayats, Revenue Divisional Officer.


o Within 21 Days : • Form 1 – Birth Report • Ward members witness certificate

o Within 21-30 days : § All the above documents § Application showing reason for delay in registration § INR 5 court fees stamp

o Within 30 days – 1 year : § Application to Deputy Director of Panchayats with INR 5 court

fees stamp affixed § Birth affidavits from two different Gazetted officers § Birth non-availability certificate from the Panchayat

o More than 1 year § Application to Revenue Division Officer with INR 5 court fees

stamp affixed § All the documents mentioned above

o Birth Certificate


Prescribed delivery time (if any): o Within 21 days : Same day o Within 21-30 days : 3 days o Within 30 days – 1 year : As sanctioned o More than 1 year : As sanctioned

Actual delivery time: o Within 21 days : Same day o Within 21-30 days : 3 days o Within 30 days – 1 year : As sanctioned o More than 1 year : As sanctioned

Application and Databases Involved


Automated Components, systems, applications o Civil Registration Module - Birth

Databases o Birth Register database

Documents Involved

Registers o None

Format o Paper, e-Forms


Others o Non availability certificate

S. No. Activity Channel Mode Responsibility Centre Expected

Time (Days)

Remarks

1. Submits completed form 1 – Birth Report The citizen submits a completed form 1 – Birth

Report through one of the channels available

Manual Citizen

2 Delivery Channel? The citizen selects the preferred delivery channel

State Portal

/ Akshaya

Kendra,

Front Office

Electronic Citizen

3 Front Office Management The selected channel accepts the document and

processes it through its management system and

makes it available to the Front Office Management

Electronic Front Office


4 Creates new entry for Birth registration with unique application id: The Front Office

Management creates a new entry for Birth

registration using the Civil Reg Module for Birth. It

creates a unique application id

Electronic Civil Reg. Module -

Birth

5 Flashes notification in the System dashboard about new birth registration request : The

Module alerts the A3 UDC of the new birth

registration request


Birth

6 Checks the new application and scanned supporting documents online : The A3 UDC

checks the new application and the scanned copies

of the supporting documents provided by the citizen

online

Electronic A3 UDC

7 Application Verification : The A3 UDC then

proceeds to verify the application

Manual A3 UDC

8 Updates system with the Verification report: The

A3 UDC then updates the Module with the details

from the Verification report


Birth

9 Birth within 21 days? : The Module then checks

the time lapse from birth to current registration date.

If the birth is within 21 days then we proceed to step

19. If the birth has taken place over 21 days back

then we proceed to step 10.


Birth


10 Birth in > 21 days but < 30 days? If the birth is within 21 to 30 days then we proceed

to step 18

If the birth has taken place over 30 days back then

we proceed to step 11


Birth

11 Checks affidavit and verifies if search fee has been paid If the birth is more than 30 days old then the A3

UDC checks the affidavit and verifies if the search

fee has been paid by the citizen

Electronic A3 UDC

12 Obtain Non-availability certificate For registration of birth more than 30 days old the

A3 UDC obtains a Non-availability certificate for

further processing

Manual A3 UDC

13 Birth in >30 days but < 1 year? After obtaining the Non-availability certificate, the

module checks whether the period since birth is

less or more than a year. If the period is less than

one year we move to step 15. If the period is more

than one year we move to step 14.


Birth

14 Forward to Revenue Division Officer for sanction For birth registration of a period more than 1 year

the request is send to the Revenue Division Officer

for sanction


Birth


15 Forward to Deputy Director of Panchayats for sanction For birth registration of a period more than 30 days

but less than 1 year the request is send to the

Deputy Director of Panchayats for sanction


Birth

16 Sanctioned? If the sanction is obtained then we move to step 19

If the sanction is not obtained we move to step 17


17 Seeks clarification from the citizen If the sanction is not given, then clarifications are

sought from the citizen and sanction is applied for

again

Electronic Panchayat Secretary

18 Confirms that late fee has been paid during application For birth period more than 30 days, the A3 UDC

confirms whether the late fee for the same has been

paid during submission for application

Electronic A3 UDC

19 Application Approval The application is finally sent to the Panchayat

Secretary for final approval


20 Approves the Birth registration online The Panchayat Secretary approves the Birth

registration online via the module


21 Birth register updated and Birth Certificate Electronic Civil Reg. Module -


generated As soon as the Panchayat Secretary approves the

Birth registration, the Module updates the Birth

register and generates the Birth Certificate with

specified details

Birth

22 Prints out the generated Birth Certificate The A3 UDC then prints out the Birth Certificate

generated by the Module

Electronic A3 UDC

23 Puts signature on the Birth certificate The Birth Certificate is sent to the Panchayat

Secretary who puts his signature on to the

document


24 Records Management The details in the Birth Certificate are entered into

the Records management

Manual A3 UDC

25 Application Delivery The Front Office receives the Birth Certificate for the final Application Delivery process

Manual Front Office

26 Status Tracking The citizen is able to track the status of the

application via the selected channel of delivery

management system

Manual Citizen

27 Collects Birth certificate The citizen can collect the Birth Certificate from the

preferred delivery channel

Manual Citizen


6.2.3.6 Reengineered New G2C Service Delivery Processes - To – Be: Process Map – Status Tracking

6.2.3.7 Pre-requisites/ Dependencies

4 Akshaya Kendras and State Portal should be accepted as alternate service delivery channels in addition to the existing Front Office

system, with adequate procedures for coordination


4 Acceptance of electronic workflows for processing of service requests instead of the existing paper based workflow within PRIs with

relevant procedure amendments needs to be made

4 Replacement of respective hard copy registers with digital databases for recording transactions related to service delivery

4 Scanned versions of supporting documents should be accepted by PRIs for the purpose of verification

4 Adequate provisions should be made for collecting additional charges like Akshaya Kendra service charges, post/courier charges, etc.

from the applicant

4 M-Governance infrastructure to be made available by the State Government for enabling status tracking through mobile devices

6.2.3.8 Legal changes

4 Amendments in legislation to replace existing manual registers with electronic ones

4 Legislation which allows approvals within PRIs to be made through electronic workflows instead of paper based

4 Government Orders which recognizes State Portal and Akshaya Kendras as service delivery channels

4 Legislation allowing approvals which are required from external entities within the LSGD but outside the GP to be electronic

4 Government Orders that mandates that all payments should be made at the service delivery channel during application phase

6.2.3.9 Recommendations & impact

Objectives O1 – Transparency & Accountability

O2 – Improved Decision Making O3 – Improved Service Delivery to Citizens

O4 – Internal Process Improvement (PRIs)

O5 – Convenience to Govt. Employees

Objectives


Process

1. Seamless integration of Front Office process with that of Akshaya Kendras and State Portal √ √


Objectives


2. Maintenance of application status in databases only rather than in manual registers √ √ √ √ √

3. Usage of scanned documents while processing service requests √ √ √

4. Electronic workflows to be accepted for approvals at each point in processing service delivery requests √ √ √ √ √

5. All payments to be collected at service delivery points at application phase itself √ √ √

6. E-payment facilities to be made available to citizens √ √ √

7. Well defined IT policies and procedures to be made available √ √ √

People

1. Adequate capacity building measures to be put in place for training officials in the optimum use of the proposed

PR Information System

√ √ √

2. An IT support structure to be made available at GPs to sustain the infrastructure √ √ √

3. Recruitment of officials who are IT literate √ √ √

4. An escalation matrix to be put in place within the GP for service delivery monitoring √ √ √ √

Technology

1. Adequate IT equipment in terms of PCs, printers, scanners etc. to be provided to GPs √ √ √

2. A Local Area Network (LAN) needs to be implemented at all GPs √ √ √

3. Last mile connectivity is to be made available at all GPs (eg. Internet, leased line etc.) √ √ √

4. Adequate data backup facilities needs to be provided for effective maintenance of the PR Information System at

GPs

√ √ √


Objectives


5. Adequate security measures in terms of user privileges, encryption, digital signatures etc. needs to be enabled √ √ √

6. Adequate Power backup facilities needs to be provided to GPs for uninterrupted operations √ √ √

6.2.3.10 Expected MIS/Reports

Sr. No. Name of Report Description Report Users

1. Details of status

requests sought –

Application type wise

This report shall provide information on status requests sought of each type - Current,

Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annually, and For a given period

GP

2. Details of status

requests sought –

Medium wise

Provides information on status requests sought through various channels viz Akshaya

Kendaras, State Portal, Front Office, Mobile etc. – Current, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly,

Annually, and For a given period

GP, LSGD

3. Cost of providing Mobile

status tracking

Provides information on the cost of mobile status tracking – Current, Weekly, Monthly,

Quarterly, Annually, and For a given period

GP, LSGD

6.2.3.11 To – Be Process Narration: Status Tracking

Name of service

Status Tracking

Process Owner

Gram Panchayat



Applicant, Front Office Assistant


o Service Requested o Service Delivered


Prescribed delivery time (if any): Actual delivery time:

Application and Databases Involved

Automated Components, systems, applications o Status Monitoring Module

o Mobile Gateway

Databases o Application database

Documents Involved

Registers o None

Format o Paper, e-Forms

Legal documents (if service is mandated) o None

Others o None

S. No. Activity Channel Mode Responsibility Centre

Expected Time (days)

Remarks

1. Delivery Channel? The Applicant selects the preferred channel of

delivery

If the channel is State Portal we move on to step 2

If the channel selected is Mobile then we move on

Manual Applicant


to step 5

If the channel selected is Akshaya Kendra kiosk

then we move on to step 3

If the channel selected is the Front Office then we

move on to step 9

2 Inputs the application number on the field specified on the State Portal and submits The Applicant inputs the application number on the

field specified on the State Portal and submits it

Electronic Applicant

3 Retrieves the application status as per the provided number The Module retrieves the application status as per

the provided number of application

Electronic Status Monitoring

Module

4 Displays the status of the application The Module then displays the status of the

application to the applicant


Module

5 Sends application number to a specified number through SMS For Mobile tracking the applicant sends the

application number to a specified number via SMS


6 Retrieves the status as per the application number forwarded by the SMS Gateway The Module retrieves the status of the application

as per the number sent by the applicant via SMS

gateway


Module


7 Sends the status information to the SMS Gateway to be delivered to the applicant The Module then sends the status information back

to the applicant via the SMS gateway


Module

8 Receives the status through SMS The Applicant receives the status through SMS and

the process ends


9 Receives the application number from the applicant The Front Office Assistant receives the application

number from the applicant in person

Manual Front Office Assistant

10 Accesses the front office system and inputs application number The Assistant then proceeds to enter the application

number in to the front office system for tracking


11 Retrieves the application status as per the provided number The Module retrieves the application status as per

the number entered in by the Assistant


Module

12 Provides the status information to the applicant The Assistant relays the status information as

displayed by the Module to the applicant



6.3 Capacity Building

Kerala has already transferred the necessary staff / functionaries along with the transfer of functions to

the three tiers of Panchayats from the various line departments. As of now, the Panchayats are well

staffed in respect of ability to deliver the functions transferred to the various tiers.

6.3.1 Skill development

From a capacity building standpoint, Kerala is well developed. Following are the key capacity

development programmes being conducted at present.

Training programme

Institutional training

Training to finance standing committee chairpersons and members of GPs

Training to Development Standing Committee chairpersons and members of GPs

Training to Welfare Standing Committee chairpersons and members of GPs

Leadership development programme for women elected representatives of Panchayats

Training to newly elected members of GPs

Training to secretaries, Junior Superintendent and Head Clerks of GPs

Training to ministerial staff of Panchayat

Training on gender status study

Training on Jagratha Samithi functioning

Training on natural resource management and watershed plan formulations

Training on Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyaan

Experimental training on National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

Training on ST survey

Watershed based training

Training on the Women Development Plan

Training to engineers of LSGD

Training to Health Inspectors of ULBs

Training to ministerial staff of ULBs

Training on Double Entry Accounting system for ULBs

Training on Implementation of Eleventh Plan

Training on Plan Implementation Monitoring for ULBs

Training on Total Energy Security Mission Programme

Training to Local Fund Audit team

Training to Performance Audit team

Workshop on Social Audit


Training programme

Training to Gram Sabha facilitators

Training to SC/ST promoters

District level trainings

Training on Annual Plan formulation

Training on Accounts Settlement of Local Bodies

Training to Technical Advisory Group

PMSA Sammelan for women elected representatives

Regional training on Jagratha Samithi chairpersons and conveners

Jagratha Samithi – Experiential learning series

Training on ST Survey

Participatory learning series on Food Security

Experience sharing workshop series on NREGS

Training on Plan implementation monitoring for GP and BP

Training on Panchayat administration to ministerial staff

Training on leadership development for women elected representatives

Training to GP facilitators

Literacy mission training programme

Training to helpdesk team

Training to SC/ST promoters

Dairy development training for Food Security

Training to Secretary and Presidents of Milk Co-operative Societies

From an ICT capacity building point of view, the following interventions are recommended:

a. KILA is planning to conduct Pre-service training courses for Panchayat officers (Executives and

Clerical officers) along the lines of induction training programmes. This is intended to provide

basic knowledge and skills required for staff of PRI. This is beneficial in the state of Kerala as

there is a well-defined Panchayati Raj cadre.

b. Training of Panchayat staff in usage of computers, specifically the following:

4 Office productivity software such as MS Word and MS Excel or their open source

equivalents

4 Collaboration tools such as E-mail, Web portals and Chat

4 Usage of Digital Signatures

c. Orientation of Panchayat staff is required to technology solutions such as e-Forms to make them

open to receiving and processing citizen applications in such formats

d. Concepts of database management so that they can create effective databases and utilize them

e. Use of MS PowerPoint presentations for citizen interactions to make them more effective


f. Training of select Panchayat staff may be required in specialized software applications such as:

4 Project Management tools such as MS Project

4 Engineering drawing tools such as AutoCAD

4 Geographical Information Systems and applications based on the same

g. Many Panchayat officials (even at Senior levels) keep paper copies as they are not fully educated

in areas such as Data backup, Information Security and Disaster Recovery. It might be beneficial

to provide orientation courses in fundamentals of these topics. This will also be an important

change management intervention for successful implementation of ePRI.

6.3.2 To-Be Organization Structure (Structural changes)

The organization of Panchayats in Kerala is fairly well developed and has been functioning effectively for

many years. The state is also experimenting with a more functional organization structure with the

formation of dedicated Front Offices and thus eliminating direct contact between Panchayat officials and

Citizens from a service delivery point of view. It is also expected that this will help in creating a stronger

service level driven organization. From an organization structure point of view, the following key functions

need to be developed further within the Panchayats.

4 Information Technology Support: Apart from the support that Panchayat receives as part of

Annual Maintenance Contracts or Warranty agreements with ICT vendors, the Panchayat offices

in Kerala do not have a dedicated IT support organization of their own for resolving IT issues.

This has been a reason for low usage of IT systems in Panchayats in Kerala. It is recommended

that an IT support team can be created at the Block Panchayat level to support the Gram

Panchayats within the block. An alternative could be to outsource IT support at a District level

through Public Private Partnerships.

4 Front office staff and staffing structure: As of now, while the structure of Front Office and its

role is outlined in guidelines issued by the Panchayat Department, it is still in nascent stage in

Kerala. Workload assessment may be necessary to give it greater structure and bring about role

clarity.

4 Role of Village Extension Officers: VEOs seem to spend a significant amount of time in

conduct of field visits and also they are in a position of dual reporting to both the Block Level

management as well as the Village Level management. Given the key role they play in project

monitoring, it may be necessary to bring about further role clarity for VEOs and define both their

field and office roles.

4 Development of Disaster Recovery function: While the function of disaster recovery has been

transferred to Gram Panchayats, no structure or mechanism exists for the Gram Panchayat to be

able to mobile resources to address disasters – both natural and man-made. This function is

presently coordinated by the District Collector with an informal role being played by the

Panchayats.


6.4 E–enabled Scenario

The overall Enterprise Architecture proposed for PRIs in Kerala is depicted in the diagram below. It shows the Software, Middleware and ICT

Infrastructure components that will make up the to-be state.


6.4.1 Possible integration with selected NeGP initiatives and Other State Initiatives


S. No. Description of Initiative

Possible integration Priority of integration / Potential for

impact 1 e-Government

Procurement

Mission Mode

Project

The Gram Panchayats are fast emerging as the hub for procurement of works and numerous good

supply and works contracts are being entered in by them for execution of various projects or

schemes. It is very important that Gram Panchayats utilize e-Procurement as a channel for these

to deliver cost benefits and transparency to citizens.

High / High

2 Digital

signature

initiative of

Kerala State IT

Mission

The Kerala State IT Mission is intending to roll out digital signature infrastructure in all Government

offices of Government of Kerala. This can bring about significant changes in the working of the

Gram Panchayat, especially from a G2C service delivery point of view.

High / High

3 e-Forms

(NeGP)

Panchayats receive thousands of sheets of paper based applications in a year and apart from

having a serious environment impact, it also leads to inefficiencies in Panchayat functioning and

records management challenges. E-Forms can significantly simplify Panchayat functioning and

promote faster service delivery.

High / High

4 State Data

Centre

As of now, Panchayat Department in Kerala does not have any centralized software applications

and hence the need for a Data Centre has not been felt. Also, there are no online facilities for

citizen interaction. Going forward, this would be essential.

High / High

5 State Wide

Area Network

Though the POP for KSWAN is usually located at the Block Panchayat offices, the SWAN is not

being utilized effectively. However, the key challenge in Kerala is last mile connectivity to Gram

Panchayat. Hence this will be a low to medium impact integration.

Medium / Low

6 Unique ID

Project

The Panchayat can obtain significant benefits from the Unique ID initiative. High / High

7 State Portal Each Panchayat can provide a gateway for itself through the State Portal and can also provide high High / High


S. No. Description of Initiative

Possible integration Priority of integration / Potential for

impact quality citizen services and also provide an access channel to Citizen Service Centres.

8 Bhuvan (ISRO) The spatial imaging database being provided by Indian Space Research Organization can be

utilized effectively for planning activities of Gram Panchayats and applications could be built on this

data platform.

Medium / High

9 e-District There is a significant link between the Gram Panchayats, Revenue Department and Registration

Department in Kerala. Hence an integration with e-District MMP becomes essential.

Medium / High

10 Treasury

computerization

of Government

of Kerala

This is a high priority integration that is required for Gram Panchayats. As of now, a lot of time of

the Panchayat staff is spent in processing of treasury bills which could be avoided through

integration with the Government Treasury which has already been computerized in Kerala.

High / High

11 m-Governance

initiative of

KSITM

KSITM has already launched a programme for mobile Governance (m-Governance) and many of

the mobile based citizen services could be delivered through linkage with this initiative. This will

avoid duplication of infrastructure investment on part of Panchayats.

High / High

12 NREGASoft As part of the NREGS programme, the NREGASoft has already been launched. ePRI could

integrate with NREGASoft for better information exchange and remove the associated paperwork

and thus bring about better efficiencies in operations.

High / High

6.4.2 Service Access & Delivery Channels and associated models

In Kerala, the existing modes of service delivery through the Panchayat Front Office shall continue. In addition, Panchayat services shall also be

made available through:

a. AKSHAYA Kendras at the same fee rates as applicable in Gram Panchayats plus a nominal convenience charge. As of now, this

convenience charge has been fixed at Rs.10/- per application.


b. State Portal: This will be a new mode of e-Forms enabled service delivery. The same payment model shall apply as applied in

Gram Panchayats. However, considering the small amounts to be paid which may not be amenable to credit card transactions,

the following option is suggested:

i. User sends an SMS to a designated number with a code for the Gram Panchayat which could be the PIN code. The PIN

code shall be used to identify to which Gram Panchayat the money collected by the telecom service provider is payable.

ii. User receives a code equivalent to the amount to be paid

iii. User inputs the code through State Portal instead of performing a credit card transaction.

iv. The telecom service provider collects the amount on behalf of Gram Panchayat billing it to the customer as a Special SMS

and then deposits it to the concerned Gram Panchayat.

v. Where court fee stamps are required, a similar approach shall be adopted except that in this case the amount collected is

deposited with the Justice Department instead of the Gram Panchayat.


6.4.3 Software Application Modules recommended

From a point of view of computerization of Panchayat

functions the following software application modules are

recommended. The diagram below illustrates the portfolio.

Those in grey which are spanning across GP, BP and DP

are common/shared software modules. Those under GP

column are only for GP's use.


S No. Software application Area Purpose 1 Software for the entire

plan formulation process as well as plan monitoring

o Planning and monitoring

o Standard Project Accounting o Provision for fixing financial, physical targets and schedules o Reporting of Financial and Physical achievements o Details of approvals o List of beneficiaries and assets created o Consolidation of formulation and expenditure data o Transfer of planning data between 3 tiers of PRI’s

2 Software for registration of birth, death and marriages as well as certification

o Citizen Services o Birth Registration & Certification o Death Registration & Certification o Marriage Registration & Certification o Provision for inclusion of name

3 Software disbursement, tracking and recording of pensions via the various schemes

o Plan implementation

o Pensioner identification o Pension Database o Scheme identification and distribution o Grievance recording and acknowledgement o Provision for tracking grievances o Workflow integration with provision of tracking pension and scheme flow

4 Software information repository of legislations, executive orders, promulgations, judgments, etc

o Legal/Legislative o G2E service

o Allows query facility on Acts, Rules, Government Orders, and Court Judgments based on titles, sub titles, year, reference numbers etc.

o Keyword search functionality

5 Software for faster, accountable and traceable decision making through tracking of the work flow and

o Panchayat internal workflow

o Inward entry and reporting o Outward entry and reporting o Attendance logging o Category-wise filing and reports like personal register, pending files, etc o Job assignment and tracking


S No. Software application Area Purpose generation of regular reports

o Linkages with annual/monthly calendar of activities and periodic reports o Personal schedules and alarms o Provision for public tracking of services and representations on the web

6 Software for revenue collection for the Panchayats incorporating comprehensive reforms in revenue assessment and realization

o Tax and revenue administration

o Supports procedures for assessment and demand generation o Provision for recording assessment for all direct tax items o Records collections o Generation of demand collection balance statement for direct tax items o Facility for recording auctions, direct collection and outdoor collection o Facility for linking premises data, zoning and land parcel number with property

tax 7 Software accounting

purposes incorporating comprehensive reforms in accounting in Local Self Government Institutions

o Accounting o Counter Module for cash, cheque and other modes of collection o Entry of vouchers and bills relating to payments based on approved account

heads o Entry of receipts based on approved account heads including cash, cheque

and other instruments o Provision for recording adjustments as journals o General ledger with budget tracking, accounts receivables/payable, capital

projects, grants, assets, liabilities, etc o Creation of cash book, ledger, trial balance and balance sheet o Facility for providing opening balance figures based on fixed assets and

liabilities o Linking periodic expenditure statements from implementing offices with local

body account o Provision for scheduling utility payments and recurring expenses

8 Personnel database linked to service book including leave particulars, service matters, disciplinary issues, promotions etc

o Human Resource Management

o Linkages with PF accounts at Directorates o Leave account reports o Payroll deductions and allowances o Personnel database linked to service book including various parameters


S No. Software application Area Purpose 9 Facility for recording the

decisions of the standing committees and the local body meetings

o Panchayat Governance

o Provision for recording follow up actions based on decisions o Provision for querying past decisions and facility for recording

conformity/deviation with precedence

10 Used as a financial management system as it supports budgeting and better upkeep of records

o Budgeting o Budget document creations o Facility for cash flow management for long term, short term and medium term o Regular cash position reports, asset inventory, purchase orders, work orders,

investment reports and budget summaries

11 Local Self Government Department portal

o G2C service delivery

o Facilities for extensive search for amendments, legislations, notifications and court orders on decentralization

o Provide information on almost every aspect of decentralization, Panchayati Raj and decentralized planning

o Provisions for interacting among the local bodies and various institutions o Permits intensive volume escalation in the future o Extensive graphics, streaming media content and maps o Customized news updating

12 Creation of a common citizens database by integrating electoral roll, ration card database and the BPL database with BTAR data as well as the birth, death and marriage registration

o Citizen Database o Integration of various databases

13 Used as a spatial (GIS based) database of properties and assets

o Planning o Supports mapping along with its land marks, edifices, resources and other endowments

o Cadastral maps showing demarcation of wards in 1996 and 2000 o Inclusion of various important landmarks


S No. Software application Area Purpose o Details of primary and secondary zonation of local bodies

o Facilities for linking attribute database for presenting non-graphic data o Standard map presentation features like zoom in, zoom out, pan, print, etc.

14 Human Resource Package with facilities for vacancies at the local, state and national levels

o Human resource management

o G2E services

o Registration of employees o Facilities for publishing vacancies at the local, state and national levels o Provision for updating information on qualification, experience and other pre-

requisites o Extensive search facilities for finding out vacancies and opportunities o Provides detail of employment opportunities through websites of institutions o An exhaustive repository of information on human resources in each local

body o Provision for exchange of information on potential human resources

6.4.4 Common Databases recommended

The following common databases are recommended.

S. No. Name of database Purpose in brief Owners and sharing requirements, if any

1 Database of citizens This database will be linked with the Unique ID Database of India.

It will hold basic citizen data to be considered as part of planning activities

of the Gram.

This will be a simple collection of all Unique IDs belonging to the

Panchayat. Data shall be derives as-is from the Unique ID database.

In addition, this database shall have the correct address of the citizen and

contact information such as:

4 Mobile phone number

Owner: Gram Panchayat.

To be shared with other Gram

Panchayats in Kerala.

When a citizen moves from one

Panchayat to another, the

citizen will register in the new

Panchayat.



4 Land phone number

4 E-mail ID

4 Below Poverty Line Status

Employment status, Marital status and date of birth shall be updated based

on birth/death/marriage registrations in this database or registration at

employment exchange, as the case maybe.

2 Beneficiaries database Based on the database of citizens, this will be updated when a citizen

obtains benefits under a particular scheme.

Owner: Gram Panchayat

To be shared with other Gram

Panchayats in Kerala.

3 Panchayat asset

register

This will be a GIS integrated database. It will get updated every time a new

asset is created by the Panchayat. It can contain details of proposed

assets. The data elements can include:

a. GIS coordinates

b. Roads

c. Watershed treatment works

d. Water storage tanks

e. Waterways

f. Power lines

g. Transformers

h. Water supply pipelines

i. Water pumps

j. Public toilets

k. Waste treatment plants

Owner: Gram Panchayat

To be shared for District and

State level Planning purposes

with all other Panchayats in the

state and other line

departments



l. Waste collection bins

m. Schools

n. Health centers

In addition, a movable asset register also is required to be created.

4 Database of taxpayers This is a very important requirement for the key sources of Panchayat

revenues such as Property tax and profession tax. It would include details

such as:

a. Taxpayer registration details

b. Past returns of the taxpayer

c. Compliance history of the taxpayer

Owner: As of now, the owner of

property register is the

Revenue Department, This can

get transferred to GP if

necessary devolution is

undertaken in Kerala.

6.4.5 Infrastructure recommended

Kerala has already made significant investments in terms of providing basic computing facilities at all Panchayat offices. A detailed assessment of

the same has been provided in the ISNA report. The diagram below depicts the likely future state that will emerge once last mile connectivity to

Gram Panchayats is established and ICT infrastructure at GPs is strengthened.



The following additional infrastructure is recommended:

S. No. Item Units required 1 Connectivity from Block panchayats to Gram Panchayats

[As we understand, this has been covered in Kerala as part of the budget for SSDG/e-Forms]

999

2 Internet connectivity to Gram Panchayats (the most appropriate technology depending upon the GP’s location may

be selected)

999

3 Local Area Network within Gram Panchayat offices (For faster deployment a wireless LAN is recommended) 999

4 Local Area Network within Block Panchayat offices 152

5 Local Area Network District Panchayat offices 14

6 Digital signatures to Gram Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries for enabling G2C service delivery 1151 x 2 = 2302

7 Desktops required within Gram Panchayats (assuming that a centralized procurement is to be performed and

assuming that each Gram Panchayat along with its support line Departments require 20 desktops)

999 x 20 = 19,980

8 Office software licenses required (Assume Open source/Free software solutions) 999 x 20 = 19,980

9 E-mail licenses required (Assume Open source/Free software solutions) 999 x 20 = 19,980

10 Scanners for supporting documents along with applications for various G2C services [Assuming 2 units are

required at each Gram Panchayat Front Office]

999 x 2 = 1,998

11 Touch screen kiosk for obtaining support ticket for Front Office 999 x 1 = 999

12 GIS software licenses (Assuming that a licensed product will be used) and each GP will require at least 2 licenses 999 x 2 = 1,998

All other hardware and infrastructure components have already been deployed in Kerala. A detailed listing of infrastructure deployed is provided in

Annexure 1 of this report. Also, an order has already been issued by Government of Kerala to enable PRIs to procure their own ICT infrastructure.


6.5 Leading Practices

6.5.1 Leading practices being followed in Kerala

Kerala offers various new concepts and leading practices related to Panchayati Raj governance. Following are some of the key learning on

Panchayati Raj governance from Kerala:

a. Transfer of large portfolio of functions to Panchayats: Kerala has empowered Panchayats, especially Gram Panchayats to a very

high degree to transfer of a significant portfolio of functions, funds and functionaries. This has resulted in PRIs developing a very high

degree of self-sustainability and strong capacities in planning as well as implementation. Such grassroots level strengthening has also

meant that citizens look up to the Gram Panchayats with a high degree of confidence in solving their local issues and participate

actively in localized planning and development activities.

b. High degree of autonomy: PRIs are empowered with a high degree of financial, administrative and functional autonomy. This has

meant that each level of Panchayats is not hierarchically organized but are co-operative units which collaborate and consult with each

other in developmental planning and implementation. The functions of each level of Panchayat are clearly delineated and each level of

Panchayat acts within the boundaries of these devolved functions.

c. Well-defined planning process and supporting systems: The state government has coordinated the development of a well-defined

planning process and supporting guidelines and capacity building programmes through KILA. The availability of software solutions from

IKM to capture plans also ensures that the process happens in a consistent manner. These software systems also facilitate ensuring

transparency of plans and fund utilization at all levels of Panchayat. This has ensured that planning as a process happens in a well-

coordinated manner in the state across all the Panchayats.

d. Strong integration with Kudumbashree programme: One of the key enablers of Panchayati raj in Kerala is the strong integration

and support received from women in planning and implementation. Kudumbashree represents Kerala’s own model of self-help groups

called ‘Ayalkoottams’ which are represented in the Panchayats at both the ward and various levels of Panchayats through the

Community Development Society and the Area Development Society. This strong integration ensures a high degree of people’s

involvement in planning and implementation activities.

e. People’s participation: The PRIs provide an institutional mechanism for people to participate in local developmental activities. This is

ensured through reservation of seats for women, SC and ST and other vulnerable sections in PRIs. In addition, timely conduct of Gram


Sabhas and various planning activities have been built in as mandatory responsibilities of PRI officials and they are also given

specialized training for conduct of various kinds of Gram Sabhas.

f. Process adopted for social audit: Kerala has developed a strong system for conducting social audits which has been further

augmented through participatory development workshops conducted by KILA. Following is a summary of the steps undertaken by

Gram Panchayats in Kerala for conduct of social audit. Social audit is defined as the people’s evaluation of various functions of the

Panchayat.

g. Mechanisms for ensuring accountability: Through a strong system of Gram Sabhas and social as well as local fund audits the state

has ensured that there is accountability at various levels of Panchayats commensurate with the powers which have been devolved to

them. The state has a full fledged implementation of provisions of RTI act, social audit and a scheme of three audits (audit by Director

of Local Fund Audit, Accountant General’s audit and Performance audit) ensures that LSGIs are accountable for the funds transferred

to them. In addition, there are institutions such as appellate tribunals and Ombudsman which augment accountability of LSGIs.

6.5.2 Leading practices adopted from other states

State Leading practice Rationale Customized for Kerala

West Bengal Live interactive radio program

for awareness generation on

Panchayats.

Various stakeholders

have expressed desire

to improve citizen

outreach through a

Gram Radio.

It is suggested that this be set up as a shared infrastructure at the

Block level.

West Bengal Incentive to Panchayats for

good governance and for

better financial management

and resource mobilization

This would be a

desirable mechanism

to encourage further

improvements to local

planning and

implementation.

To be linked to various parameters such as:

a. Timely completion of planning activities

b. Extent of citizen participation in planning activities as

evinced through attendance registers and photographs of

people’s planning activities

c. Amount of funds spent vis a vis plan amounts

d. Growth in generation of own resources


State Leading practice Rationale Customized for Kerala

e. Social audit findings, etc.

Himachal

Pradesh

Performance based incentive

to blocks for rain harvesting.

Kerala is not taking

adequate measures for

rainwater harvesting or

for ground water

conservation thanks to

its being a monsoon-

fed region. However,

the situation is likely to

deteriorate soon.

It is recommended that this be a comprehensive Environment

related incentive programme. The parameters could include:

a. Steps taking for pollution control

b. Steps taken for waste management

c. Steps taking for increasing green cover

d. Steps taken for Groundwater conservation

e. Steps taken for promotion of environmental awareness

f. Steps taken for control of carbon emissions

Maharashtra ISO 9001 certification for Zilla

Panchayats

Recommended for

improving streamlined

processes in

Panchayats

It is recommended that this is done at all levels of Panchayats to

ensure that there are well defined processes both for internal and

citizen service delivery.

Gujarat E-Gram is an initiative by the

state government with

objective of developing village

panchayat as the delivery

point of e-services.

Though Kerala has

developed its own

edition of citizen

service centers, this

has not been

integrated with Gram

Panchayats in any

manner.

It is recommended that a large if not full portfolio of GP services be

made available to citizens through AKSHAYA and FRIENDS

centers.


6.6 Legal changes

The following legal changes or Government Orders are suggested for enabling the changes recommended as part of ePRI.

S. No. Process Legal changes required 1 4 Issue of birth certificate

4 Name inclusion in birth register

4 Modification of birth register

4 Issue of identification certificate for birth

registration

4 Issuance of non-availability certificate for

birth

4 Issue of death certificate

4 Modification of death registers

4 Issuance of non-availability certificate for

death

4 Amendments in legislation to replace existing manual registers with

electronic ones

4 Legislation which allows approvals within PRIs to be made through

electronic workflows instead of paper based

4 Government Orders which recognizes State Portal and Akshaya

Kendras as service delivery channels

4 Legislation allowing approvals which are required from external entities

within the LSGD but outside the GP to be electronic

4 Legal change effecting issuance of electronic identification certificate for

verification purpose from the residing LSG

4 Legal change for enabling obtaining Court Fee stamps over mobile

phones through SMS

4 Legal change to allow AKSHAYA Kendras to procure Court Fee stamps

and provide them to citizens as part of application submission

The governing acts and rules for these services are:

4 Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969

4 Registration of Births and Deaths Rules,1999

4 G.O. (P) 8/2000/LSGD

2 Issuance of marriage certificate

The governing acts and rules for these services are:

4 The Kerala Registration of Marriages(Common) Rules,2008

4 G.O.(P)No.1/2008/Law Dated 29th February, 2008

The following changes are suggested:

4 Amendments in legislation to replace existing manual registers with


S. No. Process Legal changes required electronic ones

4 Legislation which allows approvals within PRIs to be made through

electronic workflows instead of paper based

4 Government Orders which recognizes State Portal and Akshaya

Kendras as service delivery channels

4 Legislation allowing approvals which are required from external entities

within the LSGD but outside the GP to be electronic

4 Legal change effecting issuance of electronic identification certificate for

verification purpose from the residing LSG

4 Legal change for enabling obtaining Court Fee stamps over mobile

phones through SMS

4 Legal change to allow AKSHAYA Kendras to procure Court Fee stamps

and provide them to citizens as part of application submission

3 4 Collection of property tax

4 Exemption from payment of property tax

The governing acts and rules are:

4 Property tax, Sec 203 & 208 of Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994

4 The Kerala Panchayat Raj (Building Tax and Surcharge thereon ) Rules,

1996

The changes required to be made are:

4 An e-payment infrastructure is to be made available for services

delivered through the State Portal

4 Acceptance of scanned versions of supporting documents for the

purpose of verification

4 System integrated mechanism to collect the cost of court fee stamps /

facility for Akshaya Kendra for charging the cost of court fee stamp

4 Provision for collecting additional charges like Akshaya Kendra service


S. No. Process Legal changes required charges, post/courier charges, etc.

4 Akshaya Kendras and State Portal should be accepted as alternate

service delivery channels in addition to the existing Front Office system

4 Collection of professional tax

The governing acts and rules are:

4 Profession Tax, Sec 204 & 205 of Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994

4 The Kerala Panchayat Raj (Profession Tax ) Rules, 1996

4 G.O.(P) No. 23417/N1/2001/LSGD

The changes required to be made are:

4 An e-payment infrastructure is to be made available for services

delivered through the State Portal

4 Acceptance of scanned versions of supporting documents for the

purpose of verification

4 System integrated mechanism to collect the cost of court fee stamps /

facility for Akshaya Kendra for charging the cost of court fee stamp

4 Provision for collecting additional charges like Akshaya Kendra service

charges, post/courier charges, etc.

4 Akshaya Kendras and State Portal should be accepted as alternate

service delivery channels in addition to the existing Front Office system

5 4 Issue of one day residential building permit

4 Issue of commercial building permit

4 Transfer of ownership

The relevant acts and rules are:

4 Kerala Municipality Act, 1994

4 Kerala Municipality Building Rules, 1999

The changes required are:

4 Government order to allow submission of electronic copies of the

following documents to be submitted for issuance of building permit

o Site Plan signed by the applicant and building supervisor


S. No. Process Legal changes required o Possession Certificate

o Agreement Form on INR 50 Stamp Paper signed by licensee

and applicant

o KLU Order Attachment

o Checklist for 1 Day Permit

o Copy of Registration Certificate of the Supervisor

o True Copy of Ownership Deed

4 Relevant changes in line with above to Kerala Municipality Act, 1994 and

Kerala Municipality Building Rules, 1999 if required

4 Government order allowing maintenance of electronic Permit Register at

Gram Panchayats

4 Provision for integration of Akshaya Kendras and State Portal with the

proposed PR Information System as service delivery channels should be

made

4 Acceptance of electronic workflows for processing of service requests

instead of the existing paper based workflow within PRIs with relevant

procedure amendments needs to be made

4 Replacement of respective hard copy registers with digital databases for

recording transactions related to service delivery

4 All existing data relevant to Property ownership within the GP should be

migrated to the proposed system for effective usage of the system

4 It is proposed that all payments pertinent to services to be made during

application phase at the delivery channels itself, based on checklists

presented to the applicant

4 An e-payment infrastructure needs to be make available for services


S. No. Process Legal changes required delivered through the State Portal, and optionally at Akshaya Kendras

4 Scanned versions of supporting documents should be accepted by PRIs

for the purpose of verification

4 Provision needs to be there to dispatch Ownership certificates by

Post/Courier to the applicant if preferred by the same

4 Field enquiry needs to be conducted only if adequate information is not

available in the PR Information System, and should be updated after the

enquiry

4 Authorization and mechanism to distribute Revenue stamps through

Akshaya Kendras, or an electronic equivalent of the same should be

made available

4 Adequate provisions should be made for collecting additional charges

like Akshaya Kendra service charges, post/courier charges, etc. from the

applicant

6 Issue or renewal of trade licenses The following acts and rules are applicable:

4 Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 – Sections 232, 233 & 234

4 Kerala Panchayat Raj (Issue of License to Dangerous and Offensive

Trades and Factories) Rules, 1996

The following changes are recommended:

4 Acceptance of electronic workflows for processing of service requests

instead of the existing paper based workflow within PRIs with relevant

procedure amendments needs to be made

4 Replacement of respective hard copy registers with digital databases for

recording transactions related to service delivery

4 All existing data relevant to Trade license registration should be migrated


S. No. Process Legal changes required to the proposed system for effective usage of the proposed system

4 It is proposed that all payments pertinent to services to be made during

application phase at the delivery channels itself, based on checklists

presented to the applicant

4 An e-payment infrastructure needs to be make available for services

delivered through the State Portal, and optionally at Akshaya Kendras

4 Scanned versions of supporting documents should be accepted by PRIs

for the purpose of verification

4 Provision needs to be there to dispatch Trade license certificates by

Post/Courier to the applicant if preferred by the same, after paying the

license fees

4 Authorization and mechanism to distribute Revenue stamps through

Akshaya Kendras, or an electronic equivalent of the same should be

made available

4 Adequate provisions should be made for collecting additional charges

like Akshaya Kendra service charges, post/courier charges, etc. from the

applicant

7 4 Disbursement of pension

4 Grant for widow’s daughter’s marriage

The following acts and rules relevant for this service:

4 Agricultural Workers Pension o GO (P) 18/98 Labour Department 16.4.98 o GO MS 31/00/LD 14.3.00 o GO MS 41/03/LD 23.8.03

4 Old Age Pension o GO (P) 47/95/SWD 13.12.96 o GO (P) 5/97/SWD 5.2.97 o GO (P) 189/00 LSGD 4.7.00

4 Widow Pension


S. No. Process Legal changes required o GO (P) 1415/73/LA&SWD D/3.8.73 o GO (P) 11/97/SWD D/7.4.97

4 Physically or Mentally Handicapped Pension o GO (P) No. 10/98/SWD D/31.3.98

4 Unmarried Women Pension o GO (MS) No. 14/01/SWD D/31.3.01

The following changes are recommended: 4 Government orders are necessary to enable creation of a software

interface between the Gram Panchayat and Treasury. 4 Government order for allowing electronic information exchange between

Village Office and Gram Panchayat would be required. 4 It is recommended that the village office functions involving issue of

various certificates be transferred to the Gram Panchayat. 8 Disbursement of unemployment allowance The following government order is relevant for this service:

GO (P) 23/98/ LBR D/28,598

The following changes are recommended:

4 Government orders are necessary to enable creation of a software

interface between the Gram Panchayat and Treasury.

4 Government order for allowing electronic information exchange between

Village Office and Gram Panchayat would be required.

4 It is recommended that the village office functions involving issue of

various certificates be transferred to the Gram Panchayat.

4 Automated preparation of treasury bill

4 Verification portal or data exchange to be made available by

Employment Exchange with Gram Panchayat for sharing of information

regarding youth from the village who have been registered at the

Employment Exchange


7 Mapping proposed solution against gaps and needs identified

7.1 Internal functions

Function Gap Solution How the solution addresses the gap?

Impact on objectives

Planning and monitoring Lack of last mile connectivity

with Gram Panchayats

requiring CD based

submission of development

plans

Implementation of last mile

connectivity

Will allow sharing of plans

and monitoring reports

online and electronically

High

Accounting and

financial management

There is very little IT support

for accounting and financial

management with Gram

Panchayat leading to

extensive paper work.

Implementation of an

accounting and financial

management solution

Will improve and

streamline accounting and

financial management with

Gram Panchayats.

High

Accounting Significant amount of

paperwork and consequent

delays characterize the GP’s

interactions with Treasury.

Integration of Panchayat

Information System with

Treasury.

Will streamline data

exchange between Gram

Panchayats and Treasury

and processing of treasury

bills which is a key factor

influencing Panchayat

service delivery.

High

Human Resources

Management

As of now there is no

structured process for

processing of employee

payroll

Human Resources

Information System

Will improve Government

to Employee services

especially with respect to

processing of payroll and

Medium


Function Gap Solution How the solution addresses the gap?


employee benefits.

Panchayat meetings Panchayat meeting minutes

are a key documentation to

be maintained by

Panchayats. As of now no

solutions exist to support

maintenance of such

documentation.

Software with audit trail for

management of Panchayat

minutes

Will help maintain

Panchayat minutes with a

well defined audit trail

High

Land use and planning Panchayats lack GIS support

to do this effectively

GIS solution Will improve development

planning and monitoring

activities of Panchayats

High

Panchayat asset

register

Given the large number of

projects being executed by

GPs, a large range of assets

are created. These also need

to be maintained on a

periodic basis.

Electronic Panchayat asset

register

Will improve tracking of

Panchayat assets

High

Administration of social

benefits

It is difficult for GPs to track

beneficiaries under various

schemes

Database of beneficiaries Will help keep better track

of benefits rendered to

various citizens/ families

High


7.2 Service delivery

Function Gap Solution How the solution addresses the gap


Various services delivered

by Gram Panchayat

The workflows are manual

and these make it difficult

to track status of

processing of citizen

requests

Electronic workflow with

audit trail

Will help track status of

processing of progress of

various citizen applications

High


by Gram Panchayat

Paper forms create lot of

bottlenecks in delivery of

citizen services and are a

reason for poor service

delivery of Gram

Panchayats. It also leads

to poor data quality

e-Forms Will enable faster

application processing and

transmission of data

between various officials

involved in Panchayat

service delivery. It will also

lead to improved data

quality with the Panchayat.

High


by Gram Panchayat

The only channel for

citizens to access

Government services at

present in the Panchayat

Front Office. This

necessitates personal visit

to the GP office by

citizens.

Enabling online portals and

citizen service centers

Will make the GP services

more accessible to

citizens.

Will make AKSHAYA

Kendras more sustainable

by creating a large portfolio

of services for them to

deliver.

High


7.3 ICT Infrastructure



Planning and monitoring Lack of last mile

connectivity with Gram

Panchayats requiring

paper or CD based

submission of

development plans

Implementation of last mile

connectivity

Will allow sharing of plans

and monitoring reports

online and electronically

High

All Panchayat functions Since there is no Local

Area Network within GPs,

electronic workflows are

not implementable.

Creation of Local Area

Networks with Panchayat

offices and offices of line

departments.

Will enable electronic

workflow and facilitate

transition to software

solutions.

High

7.4 Capacity



Capacity building Low computer skills of

Gram Panchayat staff

Training for GP staff in

computers

Will improve skill levels of

GP staff and will improve

usage of ICT solutions

High

7.5 Legal



All Panchayat functions All Panchayat functions

depend on a physical

Enabling use of digital

signatures in Panchayat

Will enable digital workflow

and also improve

High




signature by one official or

the other and thus creates

significant delays in

workflow.

authenticity of

documentation created

with greater accountability

Court fee stamps All Panchayat

documentation require

Court fee stamps to be

affixed. This is a source of

revenue for the

Government. However,

this is not conducive to

electronic form

submission.

Dematerialization of court

fee stamps

Will support electronic

application delivery without

any loss of revenue for the

Government

Medium

Maintenance of registers As of now, it is legally

required for Panchayats to

maintain paper based

registers.

Issuance of appropriate

Government Order for

maintenance of electronic

registers

Will remove the need to

maintain paper based

registers and thus speed

up the process of

acceptance of software

applications by

Panchayats.

High


7.6 Integration with NeGP and Other Initiatives



Procurement Gram Panchayats do not have a

structured procurement

mechanism and this is an area of

low transparency.

Integration with e-GP

Mission Mode Project

Will improve transparency in

procurement and also bring

about cost advantages for the

Gram Panchayats

High

Citizen service

delivery

Panchayats receive thousands of

sheets of paper based

applications in a year and apart

from having a serious

environment impact, it also leads

to inefficiencies in Panchayat

functioning and records

management challenges.

e-Forms (NeGP) E-Forms can significantly

simplify Panchayat functioning

and promote faster service

delivery.

High

Hosting of

Panchayat

applications

As of now, Panchayat

Department in Kerala does not

have any centralized software

applications and hence the need

for a Data Centre has not been

felt. Also, there are no online

facilities for citizen interaction.

State Data Centre To host Panchayat applications

and create a centralized

application architecture

High


8 Key Assumptions for Proposed Solution Following are the key assumptions for the proposed solution.

4 Akshaya Kendras and State Portal should be accepted as alternate service delivery channels in

addition to the existing Front Office system, with adequate procedures for coordination

4 Service levels need to be defined for Akshaya Kendras for transferring hard copy documents

collected to PRIs for better coordination in service delivery

4 Provision for integration of Akshaya Kendras and State Portal with the proposed PR Information

System as service delivery channels should be made

4 Acceptance of electronic workflows for processing of service requests instead of the existing

paper based workflow within PRIs with relevant procedure amendments needs to be made

4 Replacement of respective hard copy registers with digital databases for recording transactions

related to service delivery

4 All existing data relevant to Birth registration should be migrated to the proposed system for

effective usage of the proposed system.

4 It is proposed that all payments pertinent to services to be made during application phase at the

delivery channels itself, based on checklists presented to the applicant.

4 An e-payment infrastructure needs to be made available for services delivered through the State

Portal, and optionally at Akshaya Kendras.

4 Scanned versions of supporting documents should be accepted by PRIs for the purpose of

verification.

4 Provision needs to be there to dispatch birth certificates by Post/Courier to the applicant if

preferred by the same.

4 Availability and Integration of hospital information systems for birth registration with the proposed

system

4 Authorization and mechanism to distribute Revenue stamps through Akshaya Kendras, or an

electronic equivalent of the same should be made available

4 Adequate provisions should be made for collecting additional charges like Akshaya Kendra

service charges, post/courier charges, etc. from the applicant.

4 M-Governance infrastructure to be made available by the State Government for enabling status

tracking through mobile devices.


9 Summary of Recommendations

9.1 Key improvement areas (Beyond ePRI)

The following improvements could be brought about beyond the scope of ePRI.

a. The functions of land and property records/registration related functions could be transferred to

Gram Panchayats as they issue permits related to land use. The GPs also provide social support

in terms of housing.

b. Environmental planning and management is not being done adequately in Kerala by GPs.

Environmental conservation as a function needs to be strengthened at Gram Panchayat level

further through adequate capacity building, awareness and incentives for performance.

c. Digital signatures could be integrated into Government functioning.

d. A system based on Unique ID may need to be created to identify family units as many social

welfare schemes are based on family as an entity (for example: BPL family).

e. A standard needs to be established for GIS data which as of now is provided in many proprietary

formats. Only then such data can be used effectively for functioning of Gram Panchayats.

f. In Kerala, the ward demarcation is conducted periodically which results in changes in addresses.

It is vital to have a standard format for addresses in India. Only then can citizen communication

be improved.

g. It is suggested that court fee stamps be de-materialized. Changes to the process for sale of court

fee stamps through the following means:

a. Through mobile phones through sending a SMS

b. For bulk purchase of court fee stamp by AKSHAYA Kendra staff

9.2 Way Forward to DPR

This ePRI Study Project, which is a precursor to the ePRI MMP, was initiated with a comprehensive study

to assess the current information and services needs of citizens, PRIs and other stakeholders. This study

lead to the identification of the scope for re-engineering various functions and services carried out by

PRIs.

The BPR phase of the ePRI Study Project has resulted in a detailed analysis of the information and

services needs of the stakeholders. While designing the e-enabled scenario for the PRIs in the State,

equal emphasis has been given to improving the internal functioning of the PRIs through automation as

well as improving the service delivery to the citizens.

The recommendations for internal automation of the PRIs have centered on the role of PRIs in Planning,

Monitoring, Implementation and Accounting of the various developmental projects under their jurisdiction

and their co-ordination needs with other Government entities. While defining the citizen interface of the


PRI service delivery mechanism, a Single Window Service delivery mechanism has been emphasized to

ensure simple and convenient service delivery to the citizens. This will not only be highly beneficial to the

rural population but will also reinstate the relevance of PRIs as governments at the grassroots level.

The envisioned scenario has certain pre-requisites like adequate civil infrastructure, basic ICT

infrastructure as well as adequate backend ICT infrastructure to support the software applications

suggested to be used by PRIs. Also, certain enabling components like capacity building including training

have to be considered. These components need to be budgeted for while planning the implementation of

the ePRI MMP.

The next phase of this ePRI Study Project will focus on defining these components alongwith the

associated outlays. The implementation plan, detailing out the activities to be undertaken for project

implementation, will be charted out and the financial model for executing the ePRI MMP will also be

defined. This phase will result in head-wise cost break up of the ePRI MMP in the State, which will be

further combined with similar cost break up from other States to arrive at the nation-wide cost for

executing the ePRI MMP.


10 Annexures

10.1 Annexure – 1: Government Order for ICT procurement


10.2 Annexure – 2: Status of ICT deployed in PRIs

Status of ICT deployment in Gram Panchayats

S. No Name of District No. of

GP

Server

Installed GPs

Server

Installation

Pending GPs

No. of GPs Server

Room not ready

No. of GPs

Networking

not done

1 Thiruvananthapuram 78 74 4 18 2

2 Kollam 71 68 3 2 4

3 Pathanamthitta 54 51 3 5 7

4 Alappuzha 73 68 5 7 17

5 Kottayam 75 75 0 0 1

6 Idukki 52 51 1 0 0

7 Ernakulam 88 88 0 28 1

8 Thrissur 92 92 0 15 3

9 Palakkad 91 91 0 4 23

10 Malappuram 102 97 5 5 7

11 Kozhikkode 78 77 1 0 4

12 Wayanad 25 25 0 1 18

13 Kannur 81 81 0 5 8

14 Kasargod 39 39 0 5 6

TOTAL 999 977 22 95 101


Status of ICT deployment in Block Panchayats

S. No. Name of District No. of Block

Panchayats

Server Computer Installation of Server Sulekha

1 Thiruvananthapuram 12 11 12 12

2 Kollam 13 13 13 13

3 Pathanamthitta 9 9 9 9

4 Alappuzha 12 12 12 12

5 Kottayam 11 11 11 11

6 Idukki 8 8 8 8

7 Ernakulam 15 15 15 15

8 Thrissur 17 17 17 17

9 Palakkad 13 13 13 13

10 Malappuram 14 14 14 14

11 Kozhikode 12 12 12 12

12 Wayanad 3 3 3 3

13 Kannur 9 9 9 9

14 Kasaragod 4 4 4 4

Total 152 151 152 152

Status of ICT implementation in District Panchayats

Sl. No Name of District

Panchayat

Server Computer Supplied Electrification Network Cabling Installation of Server

1 Thiruvananthapuram Y Y Y Y

2 Kollam Y Y Y Y

3 Pathanamthitta Y Y Y Y


Sl. No Name of District

Panchayat

Server Computer Supplied Electrification Network Cabling Installation of Server

4 Alappuzha Y Y Y Y

5 Kottayam Y Y Y Y

6 Idukki Y Y Y Y

7 Ernakulam Y Y Y Y

8 Thrissur Y Y Y Y

9 Palakkad Y Y Y Y

10 Malappuram Y Y Y Y

11 Kozhikode Y Y Y Y

12 Wayanad Y Y Y Y

13 Kannur Y Y Y Y

14 Kasargod Y Y Y Y


10.3 Glossary

S. No. Term Definition

1. APL Above Poverty Line

2. AO Agricultural Officer

3. AAO Assistant Agricultural Officer

4. BP Block Panchayat

5. BPR Business Process Reengineering

6. BPL Below Poverty Line

7. BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

8. CSC Common Service Center

9. CSS Centrally Sponsored Scheme

10. CLM Central Line Ministry

11. DC District Collector

12. DD Demand Draft

13. DIC District Industries Center

14. DIO District Informatics Officer

15. DIT Department of Information Technology

16. DP District Panchayat

17. DPC District Planning Committee

18. DPR Detailed Project Report

19. FRIENDS Fast, Reliable, Instant, Effective Network for Disbursement of

Services

20. G2B Government to Business

21. G2C Government to Citizen

22. G2E Government to Employee

23. GoI Government of India

24. GoK Government of Kerala

25. GO Government Order

26. GP Gram Panchayat

27. HDD Hard Disk Drive

28. IAY Indira Awas Yojana

29. ICDS Integrated Child Development Scheme

30. ICT Information and Communication Technology

31. IKM Information Kerala Mission

32. ISNA Information & Services Need Assessment



33. JS Junior Superintendent

34. KILA Kerala Institute for Local Administration

35. KSEB Kerala State Electricity Board

36. KSITM Kerala State IT Mission

37. KSWAN Kerala State Wide Area Network

38. KWA Kerala Water Authority

39. LCD Liquid Crystal Display

40. LDC Lower Division Clerk

41. LSGD Local Self Government Department

42. LSGI Local Self Government Institution

43. LAN Local Area Network

44. MIT Ministry of Information Technology

45. MMP Mission Mode Project

46. MOM Minutes Of Meeting

47. Mbps Mega Bytes per second

48. MoPR Ministry of Panchayati Raj

49. NeGP National e Governance Plan

50. NIC National Informatics Center

51. NOC Network Operating Centers

52. NREGS National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

53. NRHM National Rural Health Mission

54. OS Operating System

55. OBC Other Backward Class

56. PC Personal Computer

57. PDS Public Distribution System

58. PEU Project Execution Unit

59. PHC Primary Health Center

60. PPP Public Private Partnership

61. PRI Panchayati Raj Institution

62. RAM Random Access Memory

63. RTI Right To Information

64. RFP Request for Proposal

65. RDO Revenue Divisional Office/Officer

66. SDC State Data Center

67. SC Scheduled Caste



68. SIO State Informatics Officer

69. SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan

70. SSLC Secondary School Leaving Certificate

71. ST Scheduled Tribe

72. SWAN State Wide Area Network

73. SLA Service Level Agreement

74. TSP Technical Solution Provider

75. UDC Upper Division Clerk

76. UPS Uninterrupted Power Supply

77. VEO Village Extension Officer

10.4 References

S. No Document Name Source

1 Case Study of Democratic Decentralization KILA

2 Panchayat Administration Guidelines KILA

3 Various Services and Guidelines KILA

4 Gram Sabha KILA

5 Front Office Arrangements KILA

6 Preparation of Watershed Master Plan KILA

7 Power line Mapping KILA

8 Government Orders and Circulars Vol 1 Resource Group





13 Training Program at KILA 07-08 KILA



16 KILA Budget KILA

17 KILA Newsletter - May 2009 KILA

18 Micro Sector Codes Resource Group

19 Notes Resource Group

20 Sanchitha IKM

21 Draft Development Plan Akathethara Panchayat

22 Office Order Book (Job Description Akathethara Panchayat


S. No Document Name Source

23 Citizen Charter 2006 Akathethara Panchayat

24 Net Planning (Agricultural Department) Akathethara Panchayat

25 ICT For Human Development State Planning Board

26 Guidelines for Preparation of Annual Plan Panchayat Directorate

27 Panchayat Development Guide Panchayat Directorate

28 Annual Report 2005-06 Panchayat Directorate

29 Minutes of Review Meeting Panchayat Directorate

30 Presentation on Kerala Panchayat Raj Act Ravi Nair

31 Notes on matters relating to Panchayats Ravi Nair

32 Project Formulation Form Akathethara Panchayat

33 Pension Related Forms Akathethara Panchayat

34 Marriage Registration Form Akathethara Panchayat

35 Forms related to Release of Funds for schemes Akathethara Panchayat

36 Fully vouched Contingent Bill Akathethara Panchayat

37 Building Permit related forms Akathethara Panchayat

38 Indent cum Invoice for forms and registers Akathethara Panchayat

39 Death Report for Statistical Department Akathethara Panchayat

40 Formats for Schemes Village Extension Office

41 Scheme Wise Expenditure of Akathethara Panchayat Akathethara Panchayat

42 Plan Document 2009-10 Malampuzha B.P.

43 Staff & Vacancy Position of Malampuzha Block Malampuzha B.P.

44 Indira Awas Yojana related Templates and Action Plan Malampuzha B.P.

45 Scheduled Tribe Survey Form Malampuzha B.P.

46 Scheduled Caste Survey Form Malampuzha B.P.

47 Anganwadi Monthly Progress Report and Annual Survey

Report

Malampuzha B.P.

48 Kudumbashree Study Material Malampuzha B.P.

49 Monsoon Calamity Report District Agriculture Office

50 Budget Provisions 2009-10 District Agriculture Office

51 Kudumbashree Annual Plan Format District Kudumbashree Officer