In a rare honour, Kerala has been included as the only Indian state in the World Bank’s appraisal list for its unique tech-savvy approaches in connecting with the public via mobile phones.
A World Bank report released on Tuesday hailed the state for effectively expanding conventional public services to the ‘unserved’ and the ‘under-served,’ because of their remote location or inaccessibility to internet.
The report titled ‘Information and Communication for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile’ showed that more than 3 million interactions were facilitated between the Kerala government and the public since December, 2010.
The state’s SMS facility that’s used to send examination results on request to students, reducing the need to wait in queue, also won plaudits from WB.
WB hailed the centerpiece in Kerala’s m-government architecture, a common service delivery platform (SDP) that integrates various channels such as voice, data, and SMS run by the Kerala State IT Mission.
The Mobile Crime and Accident Reporting Platform used by the Kerala police also received a pat on its back.
The report stated that the government had designed over 20 mobile applications and captured some 200,000 photos for crime and accident reporting purposes. Since its launch in December 2010, the programme had involved more than 60 government agencies.
However, the Washington-based organisation also listed the challenges in using mobile technology to create transformative change in the state. "Successful applications for citizen participatory monitoring and reporting remain elusive,” the report read.