Representational image | Mathrubhumi
Thrissur: No action has been taken so far against illegal Akshaya centres in Kerala months after the state government order following an intelligence report indicating that personal information and records could be misused. The Electronics-Information Technology department had issued a notice asking the authorities to be careful while online service centres and to take action against the illegal Akshaya centres.
A letter regarding this has is through the district collectors to the district police chiefs, district planning officers, panchayat deputy directors, tehsildars and local body secretaries. The officials are also directed to restrict the illegal use of Akshaya name boards, colour patterns, font and logo.
However, the Akshaya district project officer or the state IT Mission do not have the authority to take action against private entities. The officials usually forward the complaints to the district collector and the police.
Of the total 2,954 Akshaya centres in the state, every district except Wayanad has over 200 centres. Wayanad has 84 centres. The state also has over 3,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs), the central government agency. According to reports, the number of illegal service centres is about four times ofthe number.
The working of the Akshaya centres is controlled by an e-governance society chaired by the district collector under the IT Mission. The district project officers take care of the complaints. But the local bodies that have the authority to take action against the illegal centres are ignoring the government directive.
Services cost double the normal amount
Recently, an illegal centre in Thrissur that was named Akshaya changed it to “Akshay” after the involvement of authorities. Similar centres are open across the state and some of them even charge double the normal amount for services. These centres refuse to provide bills after the service. Their main target is the older generation.
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