AI in Governance: The Government of West Bengal’s Finance Department has launched a landmark initiative to transform public services using Artificial Intelligence (AI). By inviting expert firms to develop advanced AI-based solutions, the government aims to enhance governance, improve service delivery, and promote transparency for its citizens. This major tech upgrade focuses on four critical areas designed to make your interactions with the administration smoother, faster, and more transparent.
How Will This New AI Initiative Benefit You?
This initiative is designed with the public in mind, aiming to reduce hassles and bring tangible benefits to your daily life. Here’s what you can expect:
- Fair and Transparent Property Prices: Buying or selling property will become more equitable. The government plans to develop a dynamic AI model for a scientific and transparent valuation of immovable properties. This system will analyze various factors like location, market trends, and amenities to determine fair prices, reducing ambiguity and the potential for corruption.
- Hassle-Free Land Records and Deeds: Property-related disputes could see a significant drop. The project will digitize legacy handwritten Bengali registration records, some dating back to the 19th century, using specialized AI and computer vision. AI will help reconstruct the complete history of a property’s ownership (‘chain deed’) automatically. Most importantly, another AI model will help generate standardized deeds from simple information, reducing the public’s dependence on deed writers and saving both time and money.
- No More Delays in Welfare Benefits: Accessing benefits from government schemes will be easier and faster. An “AI-powered Unified Social Registry” will be created to manage over 100 social welfare schemes more efficiently. This system will use AI to dynamically identify eligible beneficiaries in near real-time, streamline Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), and detect anomalies to prevent fraud.
- Faster Government Services: The internal workings of the government are also getting an upgrade. An enterprise AI model will be developed for the Finance Department to automate the analysis of files, preserve institutional knowledge, and speed up decision-making. A faster and more efficient administration ultimately means quicker services and approvals for the public.
How Will This Project Work?
The Finance Department has invited reputed firms with expertise in AI and ML to propose innovative solutions. After an evaluation, qualified firms will be asked to develop a Proof of Concept (PoC) to demonstrate their solution’s effectiveness. The firms will have to bear all costs for this PoC development. The most successful solutions may then be chosen for full-scale implementation. This step-by-step process ensures that the best technology is selected to serve the people of West Bengal.
This forward-thinking initiative marks a significant step towards building a data-driven, citizen-centric, and highly efficient administrative framework in West Bengal.
