Road and Transport Mission Mode ProjectThe Road and Transport Mission Mode Project (MMP) is one of the 27 Mission Mode Projects[1] of the National e-Governance Plan in India, a program to centralize governance operations online. Services and softwareUnder this project, Road Transport Offices (RTOs) are being computerized throughout India. Data is collected at State Registers, National Registers, and RTOs which are connected and share comprehensive data. Driving license (DL) services online can process applications for new licenses, select dates for driving skills tests, and accept online payments for license-related fees. Vehicle registration (VR) services include payment of registration related fees, clearance certificates, and ownership transfer. The project is being implemented by NIC.[2] The software for vehicle registration service is called Sarathi. and the software for driver's license services is called Sarathi.[3] Below is the list of services provided under the Sarathi Project:
Implementation in various state/union territories in IndiaVahan, the vehicle registration software, has been implemented in 29 States/UTs.[5]
Benefits to citizensAn Assessment Study was carried out by market research agencies empanelled by the Ministry of Information Technology to judge the effectiveness of the computerization undertaken in various projects, with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad acting as the technical advisor As per this study, the average number of trips decreased from 3.44 to 2.43, and the waiting time(in minutes) reduced from 130.62 minutes to 98.17 minutes. There was also an average saving of Rs 66 per transaction for 12 states where the survey was conducted(total cost=travel cost per tripXno.of trips+wage loss +proportion paying bribeXaverage bribe amount). The biggest gain in savings was in Madhya Pradesh where the cost per transaction decreased from Rs. 1031.82 to 700.02 with a saving of Rs 331.80. Other states where costs decreased include Haryana, Delhi, Kerala, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. However, in some states the cost per transaction increased. In Tamil Nadu, the cost per transaction increased, from 296.55 to 376.63 with a total cost increase of Rs 80.08. Other states where cost increased were Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab [16] [17] The National Informatics Centre received an award for this project which was stated to have benefits such as "customer satisfaction" as well as "transparency, efficiency and responsiveness in the system" [18] The CSI-Nihilent eGovernance Award 2009 to Shahid Bhagat Singh Nanagar, Punjab for its various e-governance projects, mentions that the implementation of VAHAN and SARATHI has resulted in improvement of processes and benefits for citizens [19] It has also been reported by the press that in Jharkhand, the quality of services has improved with single window clearance and simplification of processes.[20] References
Further reading |