Goa to launch portals for village panchayat services from August 1

The govt plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said

In a sweeping overhaul, almost all village panchayat services in Goa were being shifted online in a phased manner, bringing grassroots governance into the digital age, a minister has informed in the state assembly.

The shift to digital platforms will ensure people no longer have to physically visit panchayat offices for basic services, Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho said in the House late Monday evening during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. 

 

Godinho also said an Artificial Intelligence-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats will be launched from August 1.

"From income certificates to house repair permissions, nine major services are already available online. We are working towards 100 per cent digitisation of all panchayat services," he said.

There are 186 village panchayats across both the North Goa and South Goa districts.

Godinho said services like the issuance of residence, income and character certificates, NOCs for water and electricity connections, registration and renewal of trade and establishment licences and permissions for house repairs are already available online. 

 

From next month onwards, proceedings of the panchayat meetings and certified copies of resolutions adopted by the panchayats would be available online, he said.

"This will allow people to view decisions taken by their local panchayats, strengthening transparency and accountability," the minister told the House.

He acknowledged that some delays were being faced in hosting services online due to a contractor failing to deliver on time, but assured the government was accelerating the process. 

 

The government plans to launch online services in five village panchayats initially, adding 20 to 30 more every month thereafter, Godinho said.

The state will digitise nearly 10 lakh house tax records and eight lakh trade licence records of all panchayats in the coastal state, he said.

In future, the services, including house tax payments, issuance of construction licences, occupancy certificates and applications for lease rent, will be added to the online portal, he said. 

 

"I had promised in the last session that there would be reforms to bring more digitisation and streamline procedures at the panchayat level. We are on track to deliver that," Godinho said.

Speaking further, the minister also announced the rollout of an AI-based facial recognition attendance system across all village panchayats from August 1.

This system, which has already undergone a soft trial, will be supported by geo-tagging to ensure the staff attendance is marked only from designated locations, he said.

"If the attendance is marked from outside the designated area, the employee must provide a valid reason. This will help improve punctuality and discipline in the functioning of the panchayat staff," he added.