Bangla Sahayata Kendras for e-services at grassroots level

Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to introduce "Bangla Sahayata Kendras" (BSKs) to help people across the state get "different government services through online" at the grassroots level.

As many as 2,274 BSKs will be set up. It will be set up in all the 324 Block Development Offices, all 66 Sub-Divisional Offices, all 23 District Magistrate offices, 159 PHC Sastha Kendras (sub-centres) and in 813 libraries.

As planned so far, various online-based government services of different departments like application for social schemes including Kanyashree, residential certificate, caste certificate, Rupashree and other social schemes will be covered. Information on various social and scholarship schemes will be made available at these centres. Subsequently more services will get added to the list, sources said. The state Panchayats and Rural Development department is the nodal department for implementation of the project. On June 9, Additional Chief Secretary M V Rao wrote to all the District Magistrates in regards to "establishment of BSKs". They have been directed to take all the necessary steps to ensure to initiate the project by July 15. "At present, most services of the state government are online based. The move of setting up the BSKs has been taken to help people reap its benefit without facing any inconvenience. Two experts will be deployed in each of these centres to help people turning up for related services," said a senior state government official adding that there will be two computer systems fitted with printer and scanner machines. Uninterrupted Internet services will also be ensured at the BSKs.

The official said it is now becoming possible only because the Internet service throughout the state has been strengthened with a series of steps by the government in the past nine years.

During the nationwide lockdown, online based work has received impetus as it helps in maintaining physical distancing.

In such a scenario, setting up of the BSKs is going to help in a long run. The state Panchayats minister Subrata Mukherjee said: "The initiative has been taken to help people at the grassroots level get the benefits of e-governance."

A resident of Nadia, Manoj Chakraborty, said it will be of immense help as people will get the services at their doorstep. At the same time, it will attract people to the libraries as well.

Similarly, Majusha Sinha from Howrah added that the initiative is expected to help people of all ages starting from students to pensioners.