Gandhinagar, Aug 27 — More than one lakh citizens in Gujarat have obtained essential certificates from their homes through the ‘Sugam Digital Gujarat’ portal in the four months since seven key certificate services were made available online, marking a significant shift towards digital delivery of government services.
The State Government has placed seven certificates required for welfare schemes, education and recruitment processes on the portal.
These include the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) certificate, Non-Creamy Layer certificate, Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) Eligibility Certificate, Unreserved Category certificate, Religious Minority certificate, Nomadic and Denotified Tribes certificate, and Income Certificate.
"The initiative, launched under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and under the leadership of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pradyuman Vaja and Minister of State, Manishaben Vakil, allows applicants to apply for the certificates online without having to visit government offices," officials said.
After document verification, applicants can obtain digitally issued certificates bearing an e-Sign online.
The certificates will also be made available through WhatsApp and DigiLocker, allowing users to store and access them when required.
The facility is expected to be particularly useful for students and young people preparing for government recruitment.
Certificates required for college admissions, scholarships and recruitment can now be obtained online after verification, reducing the need for repeated visits to government offices and helping avoid delays in processes that require such documents.
The government said the digital system is intended to reduce administrative delays and improve transparency and timely delivery of education, employment and welfare-related services.
Director of Developing Castes Welfare, Vikramsinh Jadev, has appealed to citizens across the state to make maximum use of the services available through the ‘Sugam Digital Gujarat’ portal rather than visiting government offices to obtain the certificates.
The four-month usage figure comes as the state expands online access to certificates that are frequently required by citizens for education, employment and government welfare-related purposes.