Letter To Editor: The Bijbehara Model Offers A Lesson In Professional Service

Aadhaar in today's India is the key to almost everything: scholarships, pensions, ration cards, and bank accounts. At the heart of this digital system are Common Service Centres (CSCs), designed to bring governance closer to the people.

These centres often inspire more frustration than trust in Kashmir. I discovered this myself when my young son's Aadhaar card was suspended because his biometric details were missing. What should have been a quick correction turned into weeks of running from one CSC to another in Qazigund and Doru.

At one centre, the operator barely looked up from his desk. At another, staff admitted they had no idea how to fix the problem. At a third, I was made to feel like my request was a burden. Each failed visit drained time and energy, while my son remained cut off from services he needed.

The breakthrough came when my brother suggested I try the CSC run by Arshid Hussain at the Mini Secretariat in Bijbehara, Anantnag. The difference was striking. The staff welcomed us with respect, explained the process clearly, and within minutes my son's biometrics were updated.

Talking to Arshid Hussain, I understood why his centre felt different. He saw his work not as a private business but as a public responsibility. He spoke about ethics, accountability, and the trust citizens place in CSCs.“If we don't uphold professionalism here,” he told me,“people lose faith in the system itself.”

Others at the centre shared similar experiences. An elderly man who had struggled with Aadhaar-related pension issues said two other centres dismissed him with the excuse“system down.” In Bijbehara, the problem was solved in 15 minutes. A college student applying for a PAN card said she had braced for delays but was surprised by the patience and guidance she received.

These may seem like small stories, but together they reveal something larger. The Digital India mission cannot rely on technology alone. It needs professionalism: respect for people's time, transparency in fees, and dignity in service.

In Jammu and Kashmir, many complain of CSCs overcharging, ignoring ordinary citizens, or operating with poorly trained staff. Oversight is weak, and accountability often disappears once licences are issued.

Against this backdrop, the Bijbehara CSC shows what can be done when professionalism is taken seriously.

My son's case was resolved because one operator cared enough to do his job well. That single act turned a frustrating ordeal into a moment of trust.

If more centres in Kashmir and across India embraced the Bijbehara model, people would begin to see governance not as a burden but as a service that works.

The lesson is simple: when professionalism enters, trust follows.

Sincerely,

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