Srinagar, July 31: In a major push towards strengthening digital governance and citizen-centric service delivery, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday launched 162 new district-level online citizen services on the eUNNAT Portal, increasing the total number of Government-to-Citizen (G2C) online services in Jammu and Kashmir from 1,548 to 1,710.
The Chief Secretary launched the services while chairing a high-level meeting of Administrative Secretaries to review Jammu and Kashmir’s performance under the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA)-2026 and assess the progress made by the Information Technology Department in expanding the Union Territory’s digital governance ecosystem.
The newly launched services, developed for 18 districts across Jammu and Kashmir, include a wide range of public services and regulatory permissions such as approvals for fairs and exhibitions, cultural programmes, political and religious gatherings, processions, drone operations, and several other district-level services.
With the integration into the eUNNAT Portal, citizens can now apply online, track application status in real time, and receive digitally signed approvals through a completely paperless, workflow-based system without the need to visit government offices.
CS Directs Removal of Obsolete Services
Emphasising the need for continuous reforms, Atal Dulloo directed all Administrative Departments to ensure full compliance with mandatory NeSDA parameters and work closely with the Information Technology Department to digitise additional citizen-centric services.
He also instructed the IT Department, in coordination with the Law Department, to conduct a comprehensive review of all online services to identify and remove those that have become obsolete due to policy changes, legislative reforms, or government decisions under the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Reducing Compliance Burden (RCB) initiatives.
The Chief Secretary observed that many certificates, permissions and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) have already been abolished and should no longer remain available on digital platforms, as doing so causes unnecessary inconvenience to the public.
He stressed that the objective of digital governance is not merely to place services online but to simplify governance by eliminating outdated procedures and ensuring citizens are not forced to obtain permissions that are no longer legally required.
Dulloo directed that such services be categorised as “No Longer Required” on the eUNNAT Portal after legal validation, reiterating that the government’s focus is not only on improving national rankings but on delivering better governance at the grassroots level.
WhatsApp, SSO Integration for High-Volume Services
To improve accessibility, the Chief Secretary instructed the IT Department to identify at least 100 high-volume citizen services for integration with WhatsApp and the Single Sign-On (SSO) platform.
He said priority should be given to services frequently used by farmers, tribal communities, women, children and other vulnerable sections, enabling easier access to government services through widely used digital platforms.
Dulloo also called for integration of emerging digital public assets, including AgriStack-enabled digital land records and SVAMITVA Property Cards, as these become operational, making eUNNAT a comprehensive and future-ready digital governance platform.
Digital Governance Must Deliver Real Value: ACS Finance
During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Shailendra Kumar, said the success of digital governance should be measured by the actual value created for citizens rather than merely the number of services available online.
He emphasised that meaningful, high-impact and frequently used services should remain the priority to improve public service delivery and citizen satisfaction.
J&K Climbs to 3rd Position Nationally
Commissioner Secretary, Information Technology, Saurabh Bhagat, informed the meeting that the latest expansion of online services has helped Jammu and Kashmir secure the 3rd position nationally under the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA), reflecting the Union Territory’s rapid progress in digital governance.
He further informed that 159 services developed by BISAG across various departments, including JK e-SEHAT, JK Samadhan, JKCIP, HADP and the Public Works Department, have already been integrated with the eUNNAT platform.
Bhagat also revealed that nine additional online services have completed User Acceptance Testing (UAT), while five more services relating to the Revenue Department, Housing & Urban Development Department, and Gulmarg Development Authority are under development and expected to become operational shortly.
Once integrated, the total number of online services available on the eUNNAT Portal will increase to 1,724.
AI, Face Authentication & Aadhaar-Based Services Planned
The meeting also discussed the future roadmap for strengthening digital governance through Artificial Intelligence (AI), multilingual interfaces, WhatsApp-based service delivery, Single Sign-On (SSO), Face Authentication, Aadhaar-enabled authentication and e-Sign solutions to further simplify citizen access to government services.
The meeting concluded with directions to all departments to accelerate digitisation of high-volume services, strengthen compliance with NeSDA-2026 assessment parameters and sustain Jammu and Kashmir’s position among the country’s leading digitally governed Union Territories.(KNC)
