MMRDA launches 'e-Punarvasan' system for digital rehabilitation of project-affected persons

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA on Thursday October 1 launched an integrated digital system to streamline rehabilitation of Project Affected Persons PAPs with possession letters issued to 94 eligible slum dwellers from Garib Nagar on the first day of its implementationAs per the officials the Computerised Tenement Allotment Cell and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement RampR system named lsquoePunarvasanrsquo were operationalised by MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee IAS in the presence of Additional Metropolitan Commissioner1 Velrasu IAS and Joint Metropolitan Commissioner Pankaj Deore IASThe system brings various stages of PAP rehabilitation from the initial ground survey to the handing over of tenements onto a single digital platformMMRDA said the move is aimed at reducing dependence on separate manual and Excelbased records and making the status of rehabilitation cases easier to trackPAP details to be collected through esurveyUnder the new system PAP details will be collected through a mobilebased esurvey followed by Aadhaarbased Offline Verification Seeking Entity OVSE verification and online verification of electricity bills Joint verification and Annexure II which records eligibilityrelated information have also been incorporated into the digital processAfter the eligibility process is completed eligible PAPs will be allotted tenements through a computerised eLottery The authority said the lottery will randomly select tenements from the available inventory without human intervention in the selection processAllotment and possession letters will subsequently be generated digitally with Aadhaar OVSE verification forming part of the process The system will also record the beneficiarys thumb impression and live photograph while documents can be linked through QR codesAadhaarbased verificationAadhaar OVSE or Offline Verification Seeking entitybased verification is a key component of the new system MMRDA said it is the first organisation in the country to use the OVSE verification process developed by the Unique Identification Authority of India UIDAIThe system allows Aadhaarrelated information provided by PAPs to be verified offline MMRDA said this will provide an additional layer of beneficiary identification and help link the verified beneficiary to the relevant rehabilitation caseBeneficiary verification will also include online verification of old electricity bills through electricity service providers The authority said this will allow relevant historical records submitted by PAPs to be checked digitally rather than relying entirely on manual verificationTenement inventory goes digitalThe authority has also moved its records of rehabilitation tenements to the digital system Earlier information on available tenements was maintained separately through Excel recordsUnder ePunarvasan MMRDA will maintain digital information on rehabilitation buildings and individual tenements including those that are available allotted and handed over for possessionThe system also includes a management dashboard and MIS reports through which officials can track the status of PAP cases tenement allotments and rehabilitation progressAn official statement from MMRDA further added that the system will also maintain digital records of postpossession rehabilitationrelated action allowing cases to be tracked beyond the initial allotment and possession stagesWith the introduction of this new system these stages have been connected through a single digital workflow covering survey beneficiary verification eligibility eLottery allotment possession and subsequent monitoringMMRDA said the system is intended to provide PAPs with clearer information about their rehabilitation cases and reduce dependence on intermediariesMaharashtra CM Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde hail lsquoePunarvasanrsquoMaharashtra CM Fadnavis said ldquoTechnology proves its true value when it makes administration simpler more transparent and easily accessible to citizens Through lsquoePunarvasanrsquo the process from verification of Project Affected Persons to tenement allotment and handing over possession has been made digital and traceablerdquoDeputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde while hailing the initiative by MMRDA said ldquoProject Affected Persons should not have to depend on intermediaries or face uncertainty in securing the rehabilitation to which they are entitled Through lsquoePunarvasanrsquo MMRDA has brought verification eligibility computerised tenement allotment and possession under a single structured digital processrdquoldquoAadhaarbased verification online verification of records and computerised eLottery will make the process more transparent and reduce human intervention in tenement selection Our priority is to ensure that every eligible Project Affected Person receives the rehabilitation to which they are entitled through a clear fair and efficient processrdquo Shinde further addedMMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee said Under this system beneficiary identities will be verified every record will be traceable and tenements will be selected through a computerised eLottery without human intervention The ultimate purpose of technology must be to make administration simpler for citizensrdquo