Category: Thinking through ZenC
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“What do you see as the ‘end-state’?”
I get this question a lot. If the pilot is successful, my ideal end-state vision for Zen Citizen would be: For now, though, my focus is on the proof of concept with ZenC. One breath at a time! 🙂
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Why do I call ZenC an “experiment” ?
There are a couple of reasons why I prefer to call ZenC an experiment. 1. I’m not sure if Sakala have enough teeth My belief in ZenC’s potential to make a difference is rooted in the Right to Public Services Act. This law mandates that once a citizen submits an application and receives an acknowledgment…
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The Mystery of the Dead Link
Due to significant delays by the BBMP in generating Property IDs, many citizens eager to pay their property taxes have been unable to do so on time, resulting in accrued interest and penalties. In March 2024, the BBMP announced that property tax payments could be made even without a generated Property ID, introducing an online…
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What Practical Content Looks Like
Zen Citizen provides actionable advice to save you time, effort, and frustration in accessing government services. Here are a few examples of the tips, tricks, and instructions we offer to help you navigate the system smoothly and confidently challenge any demands for bribes. Before applying Planning Ahead For transferring a BESCOM connection, visit the O&M…
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What am I missing here?
I wonder why there haven’t been more solutions addressing the pain of accessing government services, beyond agents acting as middlemen for corrupt government staff. Why we don’t have a third-party organization that solves for this problem. Or even something relatively simple, as an information-based solution like ZenC? On a related note, I wonder if it…
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“How do you plan to get this to people?”
I get this question a lot. To be honest, I haven’t planned that far ahead yet. Right now, I’m focused on conducting an experiment—a proof of concept. If there’s a strong value proposition, I’m confident we’ll find a way to take it to the masses, though I realize that might sound a bit naive. A…
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Exploring Wiki as a platform for Zen Citizen
While Zen Citizen includes a wiki component, it is not central to our vision of making government services more accessible. Currently, access to the wiki is restricted to our immediate team for collaborative content editing. We are uncertain whether the benefits of a wiki—such as community engagement and participation—outweigh the challenges of ensuring content accuracy…
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Can ZenC be effective for all services, or only those covered by the Right to Public Services legislation?
There are certain services that are not covered by the Karnataka Sakala Services Act that was passed in 2011. This act, now known as the Sakala act, provides guarantee of services to citizens in the Indian state of Karnataka with a stipulated time limiting to citizen related services. Some of the common public services which are to…
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How can clear, comprehensive information combat Apathy?
Today, I connected with a former co-worker who has achieved success in the social impact space. She is soft-spoken yet fiercely dogged, and I admire her incredibly. She expressed her reservation for Zen Citizen: How can information combat the uncooperative attitude of Government staff? I explained we provide two types of information and together they…
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Feedback: Emphasize Convenience, not Corruption
I received valuable feedback from a friend recently, which made me rethink how to present Zen Citizen. The end goal of Zen Citizen may well be to sidestep or work around petty corruption and eventually restore the stigma and shame attached to corruption. However, this may not make for an adequate value proposition. The vast…