Kochi: Many would still recall those days when strikes broke out in Kerala against computerisation. The off-white boxes were perceived as mean machines that would take away jobs from people, already struggling to make both ends meet.

Cut to the 21st century Kerala, and the State is leading in e-governance, which is the more fashionable tag for computerisation. Those days of anti-computer agitations are just an embarrassing memory.

Keralites are fast realising that logging on to a computer is better than queuing up before a government counter and dealing with a fussy employee.

And to cater to them, more and more government departments in the State are rolling out e-governance initiatives, buoyed by the success of their peers.

The FRIENDS (acronym for Fast Reliable Instant Effective Network for Disbursement of Services) is perhaps the most successful e-governance venture by the State yet. FRIENDS, operational at all the district headquarters of the State, lets people make various payments such as electricity and water bills through a single window `no queue' facility.

Open throughout the week from nine to seven, FRIENDS presents a new face of governance to people. According to estimates, an average 700 to 1,000 people avail themselves of FRIENDS facility every day. Its popularity is evident from the rising number of transactions that stood at 34 lakh in 2004-05 from 26 lakh in the previous year.

Akshaya, though not exactly an e-governance project as it began as a computer literacy drive, is the State's most high profile initiative yet before world. Once its task of imparting basic computer skills to people was through, Akshaya centres were ramped up to serve as internet kiosks and

e-payment centres. Today in Malappuram, the district where Akshaya was piloted, people can walk into an Akshaya centre and pay their utility bills online.

Bringing about more transparency to the system of governance is the Citizen's Call Centre. Anybody can get information on various government schemes, programmes, welfare benefits, etc., by making a local call. The Centre, based in Thiruvananthapuram, has a database of over 2,000 government processes.

The Motor Vehicles Department has also made use of information technology in a big way. It has implemented a software called Smart-Move in three districts. Using this software, anybody can get an instant learner's licence by taking a test on a computer.

Apart from this, Smart-Move provides a range of conveniences such as randomly generated registration certificates, support system for booking and tracking of fancy number applications, faster retrieval of data and integration of modules like vehicle registration, permits and taxes. All

this would go a long way towards eliminating corruption and manipulation, besides expediting the process of getting through a driving test.

`Treasury Information System' is another major e-governance step in the State. All the 187 treasuries in the State, which handle 70 lakh chalans, 50 lakh bills and stamps worth Rs.350 crores a year, are now computerised. This means that those direct pensions of four lakh and money order pensions of 1.5 lakh every month can be distributed faster to the retired. Government claims that the results are showing: pensions are now given over the counter with no delay. Also there is no waiting period to disburse dearness allowance.

Apart from these projects, Departments of employment, registration, revenue and agriculture have rolled out their own versions of various e-governance projects.

Now that the fear of technology has given way to `taste of technology' the State needs to ensure that such initiatives are continued and kept pace with the march of digital evolution. Otherwise, another kind of agitation may break out.

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