The tide shifted this month; the doors to government collaboration that had opened before but left us waiting finally swung wider, and we even got a feature in The Hindu!
Meeting the new IGR
We had the opportunity to meet the new IGR (Inspector General of Registrations) of the Department of Stamps & Registration, Karnataka. For Zen to extend the impact of our volunteers’ hard work, partnering with the Government is essential. A lot depended on the outcome, and we were anxious, so we asked someone who was acquainted with the IGR for advice: should we lean on data/ or bring slides say/ or approach the conversation in a certain way?
The advice we received was surprisingly simple: “With this bureaucrat, just be yourself. He is one of the better ones. He will see that you are on a sincere mission, and facilitate for you”.
And that turned out to be true. We had a detailed exchange; not just about what we are doing, but also about why I had faced resistance from the Government so far. I didn’t speculate on reasons, only acknowledged the situation. The IGR promised to connect us with someone who could answer the questions citizens raise, and when I looked at him skeptically, he reassured me 🙂 He also seemed keen on incorporating our work and code into the Kaveri website. Additionally, he facilitated a meeting with the Deputy IGR, who assured us of their co-operation.
We’re excited to see how this partnership unfolds, staying hopeful but grounded 🙂
Our Story in The Hindu
We got featured in The Hindu – thank you to Elizabeth Shilpa Abraham for sharing our story. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the public. Coverage by one of the most respected newspapers has energized the team and boosted morale. And to think, all it took was walking into their office and asking to speak to a reporter!
Latest Guides & Stories
- Hypothecation Termination – thank you CalScorp & Renee
- Applying for the Gruha Jyoti Scheme (Electricity Bill Subsidy) – thank you Vignesh & Renee
- Juhi to Mrs. Juhi – A Four-Month but Rewarding Journey – Juhi had given up mid-process of getting her marriage certificate, ready to pay a bribe, when our RTI application finally broke the deadlock. It takes persistence, and Zen Citizen exists to guide that persistence.
What we are juggling
Here are some of the tracks we’ve put energy into this month. If it looks like we’re juggling a lot, we are; when one ball lingers in the air because of volunteer dependencies, we stay in rhythm by catching and throwing the next.
Tools & Platforms
– Conversation design for the WA bot (Lijo, Michelle)
– Productionizing Civic Compass so it can be extended to other cities (Abhik)
– Building a tool to simplify document registration on the Kaveri portal (Nikhil)
– Volunteer outreach for creating a “real-time, screen-aware guidance tool” (more on this soon!)
Research & Data
– Working with UCSD on a study of Govt service delivery, combining qualitative and quantitative work (Torsha)
– Analyzing reasons given by Sub-Registrars for rejecting EC and marriage applications, to inform communication changes on Govt websites
– Automating research for guides: surfacing “info nuggets” from forum discussions (Abhirup)
Content
– Website re-haul (Priti, Gaius)
– Guide on withdrawing PF (Vignesh). One of the most frustrating services for citizens. Aiming for a pan-India resource
– Producing an introductory YouTube video (Sanjay, Amrita)
– Using AI tools to create videos for guides
Partnerships & Outreach
– Following up with Sakala team: after our RTI revealed officers weren’t giving reasons for rejecting appeals, we flagged this to the Additional Mission Director and are pushing for accountability
– Reaching out to social listening tool companies for pro bono use of their tools to accelerate guide research and easier maintenance
Signing Up vs Showing Up
In August, we welcomed 10 new volunteers. Five of them made strong contributions. The others, however, dropped off after the initial step without completing their first contribution, some without a heads-up. This is a familiar challenge in volunteering. We’re still figuring out how best to support the conversion from intent to action.
Onward & Upward!