Srinagar, June 22, KDC: The Jammu and Kashmir Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD) has secured two prestigious SKOCH National Awards, Gold and Silver, for its innovative and citizen-centric digital governance initiatives, marking a significant milestone in the Union Territory’s push towards technology-driven public service delivery.
According to a department statement, the awards were conferred on two flagship projects, the Automated Building Permission System (ABPS) using AutoDCR technology integrated with GIS-based land use and the J&K Gati Shakti GIS Asset Mapping System for comprehensive GIS-based asset mapping, monitoring and infrastructure planning.
The statement said both projects were conceptualised and initiated under the guidance of Commissioner/Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Mandeep Kaur, IAS, with the objective of transforming public service delivery and strengthening digital governance across the urban development sector.
On behalf of the department, Ankush Kapoor, Chief Informatics Officer and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), received the awards during the SKOCH Awards Ceremony held in New Delhi.
The Automated Building Permission System has introduced automated scrutiny of building plans through AutoDCR technology integrated with GIS-based land use verification, significantly reducing processing time, enhancing transparency, ensuring compliance with planning regulations and improving ease of doing business for citizens and stakeholders, the statement said.
It added that the J&K Gati Shakti GIS Asset Mapping System has enabled digital mapping and monitoring of public infrastructure assets across Urban Local Bodies and government agencies, supporting evidence-based planning, inter-departmental coordination, efficient asset management and informed decision-making through advanced GIS technology.
The department said both initiatives have brought transformative changes in public service delivery, government functioning, monitoring mechanisms and data-driven governance across Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the award ceremony, Ankush Kapoor formally presented and handed over the SKOCH Gold and Silver Awards to Mandeep Kaur in Srinagar, acknowledging her leadership and guidance in steering the projects from conception to successful implementation and national recognition.
The Commissioner/Secretary appreciated the efforts of officers, technical teams, Urban Local Bodies and all stakeholders associated with the projects and reiterated the department’s commitment to leveraging technology for delivering efficient, transparent and citizen-centric services, the statement added. (KDC)
