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Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the statewide rollout of K-SMART services, now extended to all three tiers of panchayats
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan addresses a press conference. (PTI file photo)
Kerala’s local self-government department portal, K-SMART, is now expanding to the panchayat level after its successful implementation in municipalities and corporations a year ago.
K-SMART (Kerala Solutions for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation) is an e-governance platform which enables citizens to access all key local self-government services online
Starting today (Thursday), residents in Kerala can register births, deaths, and marriages, pay property taxes, and apply for building permits without the need to visit local government offices. These services can be accessed from anywhere in the world using a phone.
Developed by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) for the Local Self Government Department (LSGD), the K-SMART service has now been extended to all levels of local governance, including 87 municipalities, 6 corporations, 941 gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats, and 14 district panchayats.
Since its launch in January 2024, K-SMART has processed a total of 35.65 lakh files, with 26.98 lakh (75.7%) successfully resolved by March 31, 2025. The platform uses advanced technology to speed up request processing by automating checks and reducing bureaucratic delays.
Citizens can now track the progress of their applications online, see who is handling them, and know how long each application stays at each desk. Additionally, certificates can now be received via WhatsApp, eliminating the need to visit local offices.
According to MB Rajesh, the Minister for Local Administration, Excise and Parliamentary Affairs, Kerala has become the first state in the country to implement marriage registration via video KYC through K-SMART.
“Previously, the bride and groom had to visit the office in person. Now, they can verify and register their marriage from anywhere in the world, anytime. Out of 63,001 marriages registered between January 2024 and March 31, 2025, 63,001 marriages were registered, with 21,344 done using this facility,” Rajesh said.
The minister also stated that one of the major issues people faced was obtaining building permits, but now, on average, a permit can be obtained within nine seconds.
“For buildings up to 300 square metres, permits are granted immediately through K-SMART on average, within 9 seconds. A total of 28,393 permits have been issued this way. What previously took weeks or months now takes seconds. Soon, license renewals will also be possible via self-declaration within a minute — currently a 15-day process,” the LSGD said.
According to the Kerala government, the biggest advantage of this system is that it eliminates red tape, delays, and corruption.
Earlier today, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the statewide rollout of K-SMART services.
During the inauguration, the building certificate for Minister Rajesh’s house in Palakkad was downloaded live on stage using K-SMART. Additionally, a live demonstration showed how K-SMART enables marriage registration via video KYC.
- Location :
Kerala, India, India