(MENAFN- IANS) Chandigarh, Oct 10 (IANS) Punjab is set to become the first state to launch a unified citizen portal, a single-window platform that will provide access to a wide range of government services across various departments, state Minister of Good Governance and Information Technology Aman Arora said here on Friday.

He said the Department of Good Governance and Information Technology (DGGIT) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) of Rs 13 crore with a firm for the designing, developing, implementing and maintaining the new citizen portal.

He said the portal would be launched within six months to ensure maximum accessibility, efficiency and accountability in the delivery of government services. It will be accessible via web, mobile app, Sewa Kendras and WhatsApp to bring governance to citizens' fingertips.

Arora said the portal will be a single, unified digital gateway for all government services, catering to citizens' needs throughout their lifecycle.

A key feature is the auto-fetching of documents, eliminating the need for repeated submissions of documents.

Once a citizen uploads documents for any kind of service, they will be automatically retrieved for future applications.

This will streamline services and enhance citizen experience.

The minister said the integrated citizen portal would offer a one-stop solution for all government services, eliminating the need to visit multiple websites.

With AI-driven workflow engines, it will ensure faster decision-making and reduced service delivery timelines to making governance more citizen-centric.

Arora said with this initiative the government is set to revolutionise the digital governance by migrating around 600 offline services to online platforms.

With 848 services notified under the Punjab Transparency and Accountability in Delivery of Public Service Act 2018, and 236 services already live on the connect portal, this initiative will benefit approximately one crore applicants annually.

Citizens will enjoy easy access to government services from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need to visit government offices.

MENAFN10102025000231011071ID1110178495