In a bid to reduce multiple visits to police stations and check corruption, 14 types of verification processes in Karnataka have been moved completely online.
Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) Praveen Sood tweeted the update on Wednesday. He urged citizens to apply and pay for verification on sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in. One can download the digitally-signed certificates from the same portal. More than four lakh people used the online facility last year, he tweeted subsequently.
No convenience fee will be charged for the online service, Sood tells Metrolife.
Seva Sindhu is a citizen service portal of the Karnataka government and police verification falls under it. Earlier, both online and offline verification were possible, but about six to eight months ago, the Karnataka police did away with the physical process, Sood confirms.
Barring address verification for passports, the Seva Sindhu portal can be used for verification of domestic workers, central/state government employees, trainees at PSUs, daily wage workers at government institutions, coolies, loaders, Class IV-passout security staff/supervisor at airports, and antecedents for matrimonial alliance, among others.
The “disruptive” decision was taken to reduce avoidable footfalls at police stations. Sood believes it will also save citizens some money. “On an average, people visit a police station eight times (during the verification process).Now, in some cases, one visit could be required — either people have to come to the police station or the police will visit them,” Sood shares.
Given that all applications will now have a digital footprint, he is hopeful the move will bring accountability. “These services come under the Sakala scheme (which guarantees services within a stipulated time),” he explains and adds that this will ensure police fulfill verification within 21 days.
Will the digitisation impact people who aren’t tech-savvy? Sood doesn’t think so. “Don’t underestimate Internet penetration and digital literacy in rural areas. We received 4 lakh applications for 4,000 constable posts this year. Most (applicants) were Class 10 passouts,” he says.