Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation is planning to improve its digital infrastructure and train all the employees for a complete transition to e-governance.
A recent audit of digital equipment in the corporation office found that only 20% of the required number of equipment is currently available and many computers and servers are out of date.
in manual mode
Even some services which were shifted to digital mode are sometimes partially performed in manual mode. To ensure a turnaround to cater to e-governance at all levels of the civic body, as part of the ₹3.52 crore project, the civic body is expected to procure 403 new computers and seven servers and provide training to 60% of its employees. making plans. within 2-3 years.
According to a recent audit of digital infrastructure in the corporation, out of the total 31 servers of the corporation, 13 are out of date and need to be replaced urgently. The 327 computers here are up to seven years old and need replacement. Of the 22 entry-level servers, five need to be replaced and two more should be added. New networks and wiring are also needed.
As far as the implementation of e-governance in the corporation is concerned, most of the file work is still done manually though some services are available online through the software of Information Kerala Mission. This causes the old problem of ‘missing files’ to persist. The corporation will soon need to digitize its entire database as part of providing various services through the state government’s citizen portal, with which services of all departments, including the Department of Local Self-Government, are being integrated.
Proficiency in computing
In a survey among employees on proficiency in computing, only 20% were found to have the knowledge to use the system effectively, while 60% have only minimal knowledge for an adequate task. The other 20% did not have much proficiency in handling computers. To address this, the Corporation has planned training for all the employees in the Human Resource Employment and Development Center (HREDC) attached to the Corporation.
Presently, birth/death registration, marriage registration and business license are the services which have been completely shifted online. However, the payment of property tax and professional tax is yet to be completely done online. The property tax database, in which discrepancies were revealed, leading to a major controversy related to tax payment in the corporation, is now cleared. But in some zonal offices the database is still not fully digitized. Due to absence of a complete professional tax database with details of all employees in all professional organizations and commercial establishments within the local body, the corporation is unable to demand those who do not pay professional taxes. The cleanliness and robustness of the database will also be a major priority of the Corporation.