President unveils mobile governance in Karnataka

President Pranab Mukherjee Monday launched the unified mobile governance platform here to provide a host of services to people across Karnataka.

The Karnataka MobileOne multi-mode service, touted as the first of its kind in India, will enable the common man to access about 4,500 services in the public and private domains.

"This unique initiative signals a new era in governance," Mukherjee said.

The service is available across all platforms, including iOS and Android.

On feature phones, the service can be availed through integrated voice response and SMS. Users can dial 161 or *161# to access the services.

Services include payment of utility bills and property tax, booking of railway tickets and filing of income tax returns.

The platform also enables users to draw the civic body's attention for the non-functioning of its services or facilities like street lights, and also to damaged roads and garbage clearance.

About 4,500 services spanning G2C, B2C and G2B can be availed through the novel initiative anytime and anywhere from any location across the state, the country or the world using any mobile handset.

Payment on MobileOne can be done through debit or credit cards and online wallets.

Built on a public-private partnership mode with IMI Mobile, the service has also been integrated with social media websites.

"Many startups contributed to the state's visionary platform. The state government extended support to young technology firms for whom the platform can be a cost-effective distribution channel for gyro offerings," Nasscom product council chairman Ravi Guraraj said.