UTTARA

Universal Transparent Tracking of Applications and Responses to Applications (UTTARA)

The quantum of transactions that happen in public offices far exceeds the capacity of these offices to handle using the pen and paper method that is in vogue as on date. Every public office needs to have a credible system of addressing the applications received and give a response under the extant rules, regulations and accepted way of life in the society. The citizen has a right to response, which forms part of the right to dignified life. Also, there is a need to augment the ability of offices and functionaries to properly chronicle the applications received, to track them effectively and to inform the citizens on the response of the public office in a transparent easy to access manner. The responses could be of four major types

1.       The matter was found to be genuine and has been completely redressed

2.       The matter was not found to be genuine and has been therefore rejected

3.       The matter was found to be genuine but would require time till <date> for appropriate closure

4.       The matter was found to be genuine but requires work from another office where it has been referred.

UTTARA - Universal Transparent Tracking of Applications and Responses to Applications tries to provide a solution in this regard. Finding that the Office of the Collector is often bogged down by applications which needs to be addressed by offices like Gram Panchayats, Tehsils and other Government Offices, UTTARA tries to open up the inward register of all Government offices in the district for common citizens to write into - real time.

 The digital identity of all Government offices is made available online where citizens can directly enter their applications. The citizens would get a text message on their mobiles about the registration of the application that they make in the kiosks online. They would also be able to track the responses to applications which are made by the public office. This would mean that there needs to be lesser amount of applications under RTI and so on, as the information would be automatically available to people enabling administration to concentrate on other important activities. Again, since the application entered at a particular level would also give a text message to the concerned officer – say a village officer or a gram panchayat secretary, he would need to access internet only when he has an issue to address and need not be synchronously available online.

The pen and paper method would not be completely done away with. The registration of application on the software would be a consequence of pen and paper not yielding the desired results in getting the application registered at the appropriate level. This would mean that there is a registration of the transaction between Government and Citizen as and when the citizen wants the same. Also the Government office would be able to migrate to the system completely according the manpower available to make all transactions online. Since the applications would be registered by the applicants themselves there is a lesser probability of malafide or bonafide mistake in marking that happens in higher offices. Making applications at higher level when the matter can be resolved at a lower level will only contribute delay for the application – as it would require some other human intervention for appropriate marking – thereby ensuring cooperation of individual citizens in making the applications at the appropriate level.  The applications and the responses would be properly chronicled and filed automatically saving on time for public offices .

When a citizen is not satisfied with the response, he can prefer an appeal with the reference which is readily available and since all pertaining record would be available on line the higher authority would be able to arrive at a decision expeditiously. Again, there would be no requirement for higher authorities to merely function as inward registers for lower authorities which will save on their time to decide on more pertinent issues.

For the lower functionaries, who do not have ministerial support, this system would help them to systematise their work. Also it would save them from motivated complaints which could be foisted against them. If some one makes a complaint that the concerned functionary is not properly registering applications, it is often one word against another. Also, this would clearly bring out the pendency at various levels and thereby help senior officers to plan the work distribution appropriately. They could reinforce a particular office which is found to have a lot of pendency.

Thus apart from the common man, the system would be of advantage for all stakeholders who do not have vested interests in lack of transparency and in the asymmetry in access to resources. Corruption, defined as the market mechanism for priority in access, should go down with more transparency and efficiency in public transactions. This could be part of the answer that we are seeking.

Attached is a presentation giving the technical details which could be suitably modulated.

Please see uttara.nic.in. Contact  for technical assistance

Yogesh Kumar Singh
Scientist-"C"
National Informatics Centre
M. P. State Centre,
Vindhyachal Bhavan, Bhopal
Phone - 0755 -2551265