Transparency took new wings on Friday as chief minister Oommen Chandy virtually opened his office and chamber to public and promised a 24-hour toll-free help line.
After clicking the mouse to inaugurate www.keralacm.gov.in [1], on which people will be able to watch the happenings, though without audio, at the secretariat live, he said, “This signals our commitment to transparency in governance.”
Apart from the entire Cabinet, former Cabinet Secretary and planning board vice-chairman K.M. Chandrasekhar witnessed the launch.
“I’ll be in office till around 11 pm and will respond to most calls. In my absence, my staff will take calls and route them to different offices for immediate action. They’ll alert me, if necessary,” Mr Chandy said, adding that the toll-free number will be published as soon as BSNL allots it.
The website received a number of hits on Day-1 itself. Buoyed, Mr Chandy disclosed, “Labour minister Shibu Baby John also wants to introduce the facility in his office.”
Meetings, press conferences and Cabinet briefings will be webcast live on the site, which is enabled to accept memorandums to the CM and track status of petitions. General information, important government orders and a facility to interact through social networks are also available.
Links:
[1] http://www.keralacm.gov.in