Thiruvananthapuram: After achieving complete digital literacy, Kerala is now moving towards paperless governance. The aim is to provide citizens with application-free services, secure storage of essential documents and promote digital transactions through fully online systems, all supported by artificial intelligence.

Currently limited to government file processing, e-governance will now extend to citizen services as well. The Local Self-Government Department will act as the nodal agency for the initiative.

The first step towards paperless governance is DEED (Digitisation of Every Essential Document), a government-backed system to digitally store citizens' essential records and certificates by linking them with DigiLocker. A model software will be developed for this. Certificates related to birth, income, residence and more will be digitised and stored securely.

As a result, individuals will no longer need to apply for and submit these documents repeatedly for various services. Through K-SMART, each household in the state will receive a unique ID. The initiative is set to be expanded to all citizens by December 31, 2026.

To promote safe and secure digital financial transactions, a programme titled VINIMAYA (Virtual Inclusion Through Novel Initiatives for Monetary Accessibility) is also being rolled out.

Governance at your fingertips

The second phase of Kerala’s digital literacy mission aims to simplify people’s lives and make all government services accessible at a single click. The K-SMART app will be developed into a unified platform for all government services, according to Minister for Local Self Governments and Excise M B Rajesh.