Something has shifted

This month, Zen Citizen got the opportunity to walk into a room of people we had been building up to reach for months. And I dare say they bought into the vision. I also dare say that from this point on, access to people/data/systems will no longer be a significant challenge. I expect fewer unanswered messages, fewer dead ends and less waiting in Govt office corridors. 🙂 

It started with a cold email to the top bureaucratic brass of the State and culminated into a strong agreement to work together. I’ll write in more detail soon. For now, still absorbing this moment – we crossed a threshold after a year and a half of painstakingly creating tangible value/ earning trust of bureaucrats/and demonstrating that we are serious about being a constructive force in improving citizen access to Govt services. 

Tasting blood at BDA – eAuctions and Possession Certificate for Sites

Tasting blood, because we are moving from documenting Govt. processes and workarounds for website issues to directly making changes to the portals. Thank you, BDA, for being a friend and making this possible.

• BDA has been updating the eAuction portal we built for them over the last three rounds of auctions! They have adapted their processes and are actively using what we built – thanks to the SOPs we drafted and a few citizens who took to Twitter to ask why the portal wasn’t being updated.

When giving something away pro bono, there is always a nagging worry that it won’t be valued. We’re glad! 🙂 

• There’s more to share about the progress we’ve made in improving the online application form for BDA Possession Certificates on the Seva Sindhu portal. A range of emotions. From the fascination in uncovering seemingly minor points of friction that force citizens to middlemen, to the delight of realizing that fixing many of these points of friction is surprisingly simple – no sophisticated technology required. I’ll break this down in more detail in a separate blog! 🙂

Bye for now! 🙂

Appendix: Links to citizen testimonials displayed in header image

Kaveri Village Finder 1 “This is super helpful. You deserve an award. Without this I would have completely given up. Please let us know if I can contribute anyway in this effort. Thanks a lot again. https://cc.zencitizen.in/ is amazing.”

Kaveri Village Finder 2 “Super Useful! How are you guys not famous already. You should be on the news and papers.”

Marriage Certificate Guide “I actually followed up with an RTI around 10 days later from the day I paid. I got my certificate a day later! Thanks @zencitizen and the community here for this amazing guide.”