K-Smart ad pitching app as a tool against corrupt local body officials raises eyebrows

Thiruvananthapuram: Are all government officials corrupt? A recent advertisement video of the K-Smart app (designed to provide maximum local government services through an online platform to citizens) seems to suggest so. 

The video shows a person approaching a government official to get a licence to start a hotel. The video begins with a shot of the officer eating. The applicant then goes on to complain that only eating is happening but no license is being issued. 

The gluttonous officer is then seen saying that a license will be issued provided that people in the office are ‘taken care of’ in a proper manner, indicating bribes. Another individual sitting nearby then goes on to say, ‘No need to feed officers in this manner, just apply using the K-Smart app’. 

The ad which seems insulting to employees was prepared by K Smart under Information Mission Kerala. Joint Council state secretary Jayachandran Kallingal said that the advertisement was prepared carelessly and that it is wrong to carry out such negative campaigns against employees who are burdened with excessive workloads. 

Secretariat Association president Irshad said that the advertisement reads like an admission of corruption in local governing bodies and called it an embarrassment not just for employees but for the government as well.