Get SMS updates about govt services

Soon, you will no longer have to drive all the way to the transport authority office to know the status of your driving licence application. Neelam Pandey reports.

Soon, you will no longer have to drive all the way to the transport authority office to know the status of your driving licence application.

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All you need to do is simply send a text message and you will get the required information.

The Delhi government, under its electronic monitoring service level agreement (e-SLA), has decided to integrate its online service with SMS facility. The system, which will be in place soon, is currently being tested.

Apart from driving licence, you can also check the status of various other facilities such as electricity connections, water connections, ration card, freehold of Delhi Development Authority’s flats, issuance of birth and death certificate, etc.

The government will make the number available to the public very soon.

“Right now, people have to go online to check the status of their applications. But soon they will be able to send a message with their application number and get an instant response.

"There have been instances where after reaching the offices of the agencies people get to know their licence or ration card is not even ready. They not only end up wasting their time but money too,” said a senior Delhi government official.

The Delhi government now brought 116 services Under the eSLA. Any delay in providing those services will result in a financial penalty ranging between Rs.10 per day and Rs.200.

Under the system, the government has so far received 41 lakh applications related to various departments such as discoms, civic agencies and other Delhi government departments.

The Delhi Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services Act had come into effect on September 15, 2011, and initially few services provided by various departments were brought under the ambit of the law.