AVAKPANJI

AVAKPANJI is the inward register maintained in all government offices to keep a track on the communications received. The innovation in the website www.avakpanji.org is that this register which registers all communications made by the citizens is opened up - for them to write into and read from - 24*7. The response of the Government office which typically goes into the javak panji is also to be uploaded by the concerned Government office for public perusal. Three responses are termed acceptable from Government offices – that the application is outside legal limits and is hence filed, the application is legal and has been complied, the application is acceptable and will be complied by a specified date. This has advantages for all stake holders.  For the common citizen, he can have his voice registered. He does not have to run behind officials and public representatives to get an application registered. There is a clear mandate that a reply should be given which ensures that his or her claim would be replied to. To get something done by the Patwari, he does not need to wait for the Collector or the Minister. He can directly get the marking done rightly to the office which needs to act. The application is transparently available for everyone to view so that complaints, if any, made in this regard are credible and verifiable. The timing of the application is clear whereby the priority is clear. There is no mechanism for privileged access – which is to say there is lower corruption. He gets a receipt from the system on his mobile; thereby he can be sure of his voice being registered. For the field functionaries, there is clarity as to who has made what application at which time. This ensures that there are not many instances of motivated and manipulated complaints. Village officers or gram panchayats do not have clerical support whereby they can manage inward and outward sections. Since the different sections of the office is also maintained by the software, there is a separate maintenance of section wise record automatically. There is an SMS intimation on the receipt of application along with mobile number of application helping in prompt redressing of the application. For the officers, they have an idea on the pendency of work with each individual. As on date this is clear in the case of those applications under Lok Seva Guarantee Act. But for others, even when there is no statutory time limit, there could be an administrative time limit that can be placed for prompt disposal. Since the annexures and applications are permanently available on internet, details of the same can be readily accessed. This also helps in proper work distribution by helping out field functionaries who need reinforcement. The system  is not meant to replace the present paper based system. If someone has a feeling that the facility needs to be used because the paper based system has a lower probability of success or justice, they can use the system. There is a nominal charge that can be made by the registerd kiosk which will be much less than the opportunity cost in reaching the different offices in an elusive effort to get the application registered.