JOIN USPresident Pranab Mukherjee here on Monday launched the State government’s ambitious mobile governance initiative. He hoped that the project, called “Karnataka Mobile One”, would bring governance closer to the people and break the divide between digital “haves” and “have-nots.”
The project will make available 4,500 government and private services like bill payments, traffic alerts, booking bus and railway tickets and other utility services through mobile phones. Mukherjee said the project would strengthen the bond between the government and citizens.
Mobile One is described as the world’s largest multi-mode governance platform. The services on Mobile One can be availed even on simple low-end phones through integrated voice response system by dialling 161. Those who have smart phones can download the Karnataka Mobile One app on Android or iOS platforms. The services are free and can be accessed across the country.
Mobile phones, the President pointed out, has revolutionised the communication system. The total number of mobile phone users in the country is 93 crore with 41 per cent of the subscribers residing in rural areas.
The President said projects like Mobile One would help in reaching out governance to rural areas. “I consider the ‘Karnataka Mobile One’ to be an initiative of great foresight. It is heartening to note that nearly 500 government to consumer (G2C) and over 4,000 business to consumer (B2C) services have been integrated into this platform. This will translate into ‘meaningful governance’ and take e-governance to the next level,” he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about mobile governance, Karnataka had made it into a reality. He said the state government would seek national services to be put on the platform. The state government was keen on offering the platform to youth so that they could come up with innovative solutions to civic problems. More services would be included on the platform.
“Soon Metro users can pay for their ride through their phone itself and once the legal formalities are completed by the judiciary, we can even consider filing first information reports from the mobile. Today, the presence of the citizen is required in person to sign documents in front of a police officer,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said an auction system for agricultural markets would also be introduced on the Mobile One.