Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 27 : The Gujarat Government has accelerated the digitisation of citizen services by making seven certificates, including caste and income certificates required for various welfare and educational schemes, available online.
According to a release, as a result of this initiative, more than one lakh citizens have successfully availed themselves of these online services through the 'Sugam Digital Gujarat' portal over the past four months.
The 'Sugam Digital Gujarat' initiative has been launched under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and under the leadership of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pradyuman Vaja and Minister of State Manishaben Vakil.
According to officials, citizens can now easily obtain various certificates through the 'Sugam Digital Gujarat' portal, including the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) certificate, Non-Creamy Layer certificate, Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) Eligibility Certificate, Unreserved Category certificate, Religious Minority certificate, Nomadic and Denotified Tribes certificate, and Income Certificate.
With this digital initiative, citizens will no longer need to visit government offices to obtain these seven important certificates. They can apply for the certificates online from the comfort of their homes and receive digitally issued certificates bearing an e-Sign directly online. In addition, these certificates will also be made available through convenient platforms such as WhatsApp and DigiLocker, enabling citizens to securely store and access them whenever required.
The facility will provide significant relief, particularly to students and young people preparing for government jobs. Certificates required for admissions, scholarships and recruitment processes will now be made available online with an e-Sign immediately after document verification. This will help reduce administrative delays, enhance transparency across the system and ensure timely delivery of educational and employment-related services to citizens, the release said.
The State Government's initiative has received an overwhelming response from citizens. In this regard, Director of Developing Castes Welfare Vikramsinh Jadev has appealed to citizens across the state to make maximum use of the digital services available on the 'Sugam Digital Gujarat' portal, instead of visiting government offices to obtain these certificates.