In a move that perfectly captures the incongruity of our times, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah released a glossy coffee-table book commemorating J&K’s digital transformation.
Yes, you read that right: to herald an era of seamless e-governance, trust the J&K bureaucracy to have gone old-school with a physical tome—one presumably heavy enough to prop open doors in remote villages where, thanks to digitisation, services now arrive at the click of a button. Assuming of course that internet works without any hiccups.
Maybe, it is only proper to immortalise the digital leap in ink and paper since it will require no charging, no Wi-Fi, and survives power outages with stoic grace.
One can almost picture it: proud officials flipping through high-resolution pages showcasing satellite maps and app screenshots, while quietly hoping no one asks for a Kindle version.
After all, nothing says “future-ready governance” like a book destined to gather dust on a coffee table, even as the government vows more tech-driven milestones ahead.
In an age where everything is going paperless, this unique initiative stands as a charming relic. The least that could have been done would be to release an e-book. Perhaps, prior to digitalising governance, the mindset needs to be transformed.
The task for this government is to comprehend the enormity of change that the digitisation has brought in its wake, and how the offices, government and corporate are changing globally. It requires not just training of government officials at all levels, it also requires commensurate penetration of technology at all levels of the governance. Needless to say, technology is fast changing the face of managing affairs, from individual to collective, from public to private sector. Adopting technology is no longer a choice, it is a compulsion of new age. And this adoption of technology is not just a one time event, it is a world that is ever in flux. That is why it extremely important that the mind of government comes to terms with this change. A change that has penetrated to micro levels of today;s human world – from governance to management, from education to welfare, from commerce to entertainment.