Kerala govt to let residents join gram sabha meetings online via K-Smart

# MK Suresh
District panchayat office at Kottayam | Photo: Mathrubhumi
District panchayat office at Kottayam | Photo: Mathrubhumi

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government will soon allow residents to join gram sabha (local body) meetings online through the K-Smart app. The move aims to make local services faster and involve more people.

At present, residents must attend gram sabha meetings in person in their wards. Authorities are now planning to change the rules to allow online participation through K-Smart. If needed, the government will issue a specific order. This will let residents who are away from their wards take part remotely.

All elected members in local bodies already have K-Smart login IDs. In the future, the app will keep records of governance committee meetings, agendas, decisions, no-confidence notices, responses, and committee resolutions. Decisions of both committees and gram sabhas will be visible to residents in their wards.