Gone were the days when people spent time, money and energy for getting essential certificates such as income, community and nativity from the revenue department.
Now, they get certificates within a week from the date of submitting details at the Common Service Centres, established in all Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) as part of e-governance project of the State government. Moreover, except for some specific requirements, there is no need for them to visit the offices of Village Administrative Officer (VAO), Revenue Inspector (RI) or Tahsildar to get the certificates.
The ever increasing crowd at the PACS suggests that the e-governance project has become a hit among the people. The service, which was first launched in Srirangam constituency on a pilot basis, was extended to 147 PACS in the district since July 2014. Though it was started on a slow note due to lack of awareness, it gained momentum slowly.
As on March 31, as many as 30,100 certificates have been issued to beneficiaries. The PACS at Somarasmpettai alone has distributed 2,573 certificates. On an average, each PACS receives 10 to 15 applications from the people seeking income, community, nativity, family’s first graduate, destitute woman certificates. Most of them receive certificate on third or fourth day from submitting applications.
“I have got the community certificate on the fourth day. It is unbelievable considering the bad experience that I had in the past in getting essential certificates,” says I. Saveriar (63), a retired teacher in Somarasampettai.
K.C. Ravichandran, Joint Registrar of Cooperatives, told The Hindu that it had become an important value added service not only to customers of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies but also to common man. It had saved precious time and energy of applicants. They needed to just feed basic details of applicants with the system operator by paying Rs.50. It would be forwarded to respective VAOs and in turn to Revenue Inspectors and Tahsildars. After completing the process, they would forward the certificate to the Common Service Centres at PACS. It would be handed over to the applicants concerned with digital stamp.
Since it had received good support from the people, Mr. Ravichandran said it had been proposed to offer 10 more services including payment of electricity bills, corporation tax, insurance premium and others. Software was to be installed soon for extending services.
G. Rajkumar, Managing Director (in-charge), District Cooperative Union, said awareness camps would be organised in the district to popularise the e-governance project offered at PACCS.
