Major leap: Kerala set to digitise all citizens records

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: No need to worry about carrying crucial documents or misplacing or losing them. The state is set to take a major leap in governance innovation, by launching Digi Kerala 2.0, a new phase of its digital empowerment. On Thursday, the government will unveil an ambitious programme DEED (Digitalisation of Every Essential Document) aimed at digitising citizens records by integrating them with DigiLocker, the Union governments flagship e-document service. Through DigiLocker, citizens can securely store all vital documents birth and death certificates, land titles, educational certificates, licences and welfare entitlements in digital form, with instant access. LSGD principal director Geromic George told TNIE that the digital documents, stored in DigiLocker, are legally equivalent to physical records and are universally accepted by government departments and institutions. We aim to implement the scheme in a campaign mode covering all households in the state. People can store, access and share important certificates securely anytime, anywhere. Its going to be a long-term process as we will have to create DigiLocker accounts and digitise all vital documents, said Geromic George. The state has already implemented the DigiLocker system across 6,303 institutions. The LSGD is planning to provide an ID through KSMART to enable families to independently access all services online without assistance. K-SMART is planning to organise K-SMART clinics in panchayats and other local bodies to sensitise and digitally empower citizens, Geromic George added. In the wake of growing cyber crimes, the Digi Kerala 2.0 will spearhead a campaign called Zero Cyber Crime Kerala. As many as 10 lakh digital volunteers will be created across the state to organise awareness classes on cyber security and digital frauds. Additionally the campaign also aims to equip the public with the ability to identify fake news and propaganda circulating on social media platforms.