A wave of frustration has swept across Kerala following the abrupt removal of the crucial e-application module from the state government’s e-Office citizen portal (eoffice.kerala.gov.in). This digital platform, once a cornerstone for streamlined public services, was lauded for its user-friendly interface and accessibility, allowing citizens to easily interact with government departments.
First introduced in 2014, the e-Office portal aimed to revolutionize governance by offering a single-window system for efficient processing of public requests. However, the recent, unexplained withdrawal of its e-application feature means citizens can no longer submit direct complaints or obtain vital acknowledgements for their submissions—a service previously available to all.
This controversial decision has drawn sharp criticism from rights activists, who are demanding answers regarding the lack of prior notice or clear communication. They point out that neither the Kerala State Information Technology Mission (KSITM) nor the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has offered a satisfactory explanation, even after numerous Right to Information (RTI) petitions were filed.
Complainants report that portal officials vaguely justified the removal by stating that e-Office is a generic NIC software deployed statewide by KSITM. Activists, however, find this explanation insufficient, questioning why a popular feature was silently discontinued without public input. They speculate that some government officials, perhaps resistant to citizen-friendly governance, might have influenced this move.
“To date, neither the NIC nor KSITM has provided any official reason for discontinuing the e-application module. The government, too, remains silent, although we await a response from the Chief Minister’s office,” states P.N. Krishnakumaran, a dedicated activist who has filed multiple RTI applications concerning the matter. He emphasizes that citizens are now severely limited in their ability to directly convey grievances through the once-accessible portal.
Krishnakumaran further highlights that this significant alteration was implemented without any official announcement or user notification. He passionately argues that a platform widely promoted as a ‘citizens’ portal’ by the government should never restrict its people from submitting their concerns online.
Interestingly, KSITM officials, in response to an RTI query, claimed ignorance regarding the precise reasons for the module’s disappearance. As the project’s nodal agency, KSITM stated they have requested details from the NIC, including information about the technical team responsible for the service.
Conversely, sources within the NIC suggest the module was removed because individual departments within Kerala already possess their own online grievance redressal systems. They also pointed out that a comparable service is now available on the Chief Minister’s official portal (cmo.kerala.gov.in), which is reportedly being extensively used by citizens for complaints and feedback.