Everything to know about K-SMART
What is K-SMART? Why K-SMART?
Local self-government bodies remain the foremost establishment on which the public are most reliant. They approach the local bodies for a slew of services ranging from birth and death certificates and property tax to building permits. The delivery of these services has turned digital long back as part of the e-governance initiative and smart government offices. However, now the government is gearing up to make these services more transparent and smoother through a unified platform that goes by the acronym K-SMART (Kerala Solution for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation). This digital platform will enable the public timely access to services from grama panchayats, municipalities and corporations across the State without ever visiting these offices.
The biggest advantage of K-SMART is that it replaces the current myriad software with a single web portal and a mobile application. K-SMART proposes a seamless transition from the Integrated Local Governance Management System (ILGMS) being used in grama panchayats now. In that sense, K-SMART can also be dubbed as the second version of ILGMS. K-SMART has been developed for the local self-government institution by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM), which is an autonomous institution under the Local Self-Government Department. The rollout of K-SMART will make service delivery from local bodies to the public more efficient, smooth and transparent.
How can K-SMART be beneficial for the common people?
Since K-SMART assures citizen-centric service delivery based on Constitutional values, it will be most helpful to the common public. Citizens will be able to submit applications/complaints and get status updates digitally. K-SMART has been embedded with an integrated messaging system that facilitates the delivery of acknowledgment receipts through the login ID of the applicant/complainant, WhatsApp and email. The same service can be accessed via Akshaya centers, Kudumbashree helpdesks and other citizen services centres at a nominal fee. To make this possible, a unified legal and procedural system will be implemented in all local self-government institutions. The launch of such a governance system that consistently responds to the requirements of the citizens will ensure transparent and corruption-free governance.
Will there be no middlemen?
K-SMART will eliminate middlemen in service delivery. Citizens can access the services through a mobile/web application and a web portal. Since the platform supports video call-enabled Know Your Customer (KYC) as well, there will be no need for any other introduction or affidavits.
What are K-SMART modules? The functioning of local bodies and services available from them are divided into 35 modules, which can be accessed by the public through the single online platform of K-SMART. Citizens can login to the web portal using individual login ids, access the respective modules and get delivery of the requisite service by providing the required details. Modules have been split based on the nature of the services and the procedures involved.
In the first phase, eight modules will be included in K-SMART:
- Civil Registration (birth-death-marriage registration)
- Business Facilitation (licenses for trade and industries)
- Property Tax
- User Management
- File Management System
- Finance Module
- Building and Permission Module
- Public Complaint Grievances
How K-SMART will benefit NRI’s?
As per the latest statistics of the Ministry of External Affairs, India boasts of one of the biggest expatriate communities with around 32 million Non-Resident Indians and people of Indian origin with Overseas Citizenship. Of these, 40 lakhs are Non-Resident Keralites. The critical role played by the Malayali expatriate community in the social-economic development of Kerala is undeniable. Notwithstanding that, expatriates often face immense challenges in accessing services from local self-government institutions. The absence of a unified system besides hardships caused by time and distance factors are often being cited as the main challenge in accessing services. With the advent of K-SMART, expatriates can access services from local self-government institutions remotely. They can complete formalities like registration of marriages from abroad by logging in using their login IDs and completing video KYC.
Building permission and geographic details
Speedy delivery of building permits will be one of the major highlights of the K-SMART-enabled service delivery system. Generating digital data about plots and buildings using Geographic Information System (GIS) will ensure this. The public will be able to know about the kind of buildings permissible in a particular area through the ‘Know Your Land’ feature on K-SMART. Field inspections will be eased to a great extent leading to speedy delivery of building permits thanks to the software-driven examination to verify whether building plans submitted are in compliance with rules. Citizens and licensees will be able to verify the building permits details online at any time. A plot can be scanned using the K-SMART app to verify whether it falls under the coastal regulation zone, railway-airport zones, environmentally sensitive zones etc. Data like the permissible height of the structures, setbacks (the minimum distance at which a building or other structure must be set back from a street or road, a river or other stream, a shore or flood plain, or any other place deemed to be protected) etc can also be verified in this manner.
How privacy is safeguarded in K-SMART?
K-SMART attaches utmost sanctity to personal details provided by individuals to local self-government institutions. Hence, the platform ensures a foolproof system to protect the privacy of users. Local bodies alone will have permission to use these details. These details can be used for generating reports alone but cannot be transferred to third parties.
How does K-SMART differ from the existing digital services?
The uniform nature of the service sets K-SMART apart from other digital services. All the services of local self-government institutions become accessible from a single platform. This will benefit both the officials and the public alike. Officials of the local bodies will be able to complete the entire procedure through a single login. If need be, they will be able to make decisions on files even when they are not at the office or while traveling. Since every official works on a file using his/ her separate login, the efficiency of their work will be recorded accurately. Officials not up to the mark can also be singled out enabling office supervisors to take corrective measures.
How digitally illiterate citizens can access K-SMART?
Citizens without computer literacy can still submit applications and complaints using their own logins with the help of another person. They can also fall back on Akshaya centres, Kudumbashree helpdesks and other similar citizen service providers. They can access the services concerned from the same centres on payment of a nominal fee without going to the concerned offices.
Complaints and Redressal : Complaints and memorandums can also be submitted online through K-SMART. Monitoring is also made easier since the status of the complaints is made available real time. This will facilitate efficient, transparent and time-bound complaint redressal mechanism. Measures taken on complaints will also have uniformity and hence more transparent.
Technologies used in K-SMART : K-SMART makes use of a lot of state-of-the-art technologies like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), GIS/Spatial Data, Chatbot, Message Integration, Application Programming Interfaces between numerous software, Machine Learning, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Internet of Things etc. A formidable backend support ensures uninterrupted service delivery. The use of AI-driven ChatGPT ensures accurate response to citizens’ queries.
Online Marriage Registration :
Under K-SMART, registration of marriage can be applied for and completed from anywhere in the world. This feature is in tune with the High Court verdict that a marriage under the Special Marriage Act can be registered online. Another highlight of the feature is that the wife and husband can complete the registration from two different destinations. This will be highly helpful to expatriates.
Digital Building Plan Mapping :
Although there have been previous efforts in the country to implement digital building plan mapping, Kerala will be the first state to successfully implement it. K-SMART facilitates the expedited issuance of building permits to the public by digitally preparing information on plots and buildings using GIS technology, ensuring a swift and efficient process.
Mass Petition :
In a first-of-its-kind initiative anywhere in the country, K-SMART will facilitate online mass petitioning by the public. Although a provision is now available for submitting a joint petition, this is the first time that a provision for mass petition has been introduced. Under this provision, a person will be able to share a petition prepared by him/her with more people in the form of a deep link. People can become part of that petition by simply clicking on the link. When the petition is received at the local body concerned, the exact number of petitioners will be shown. The status of the petition and details about further action taken on it will be delivered to each petitioner individually through a dedicated messaging system.
