Gujarat to add official seals to e-certificates to spare citizens extra office visits

Gandhinagar: Citizens obtaining certificates and attestations through Gujarat government’s digital portals will no longer need to make separate visits to government offices to get them stamped once a system to display official seals on the documents is implemented.

The General Administration Department (GAD), through a circular issued on October 21, has directed that a system be developed to display the official round seal of the competent issuing authority on digitally issued certificates and attestations, along with details of the office concerned.

The move aims to reduce additional formalities, save citizens’ time and make online government services more convenient.

At present, e-certificates obtained through digital portals do not display the round seal of the issuing authority.

Consequently, applicants have to visit the concerned government office separately to get the documents stamped, adding to the time and effort required to obtain and use them.

Under the new arrangement, the official seal and details of the office of the competent authority approving the certificate will be displayed on the document in accordance with applicable laws, rules and instructions.

The government expects this to reduce the need for physical visits after certificates have been issued online. The initiative is part of the state government’s efforts under 'Digital Gujarat 2.0' to simplify administrative procedures and make service delivery more accessible.

The government has undertaken Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) to streamline procedures for services that are frequently required and widely used by citizens.

The broader objective is to digitise the entire service delivery process under a ‘Digital-by-Default’ approach and integrate it with Digital Gujarat 2.0, reducing dependence on physical paperwork and avoidable administrative steps.

According to the circular, the departments concerned will coordinate with the Department of Science and Technology to implement the decision.

Once the necessary departmental procedures have been completed, technical changes will be made to the digital portal to incorporate the seals and details of the issuing authorities.

The government expects the changes to make the identity and authenticity of digitally issued documents clearer while reducing additional formalities for applicants.

The initiative is also intended to promote paperless governance by making online services more convenient from the application stage to the delivery of certificates.

The decision comes as the state government, under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, pursues administrative reforms aimed at simplifying citizen-facing services.

The circular sets out the proposed arrangement, with implementation dependent on departmental coordination and the required technical modifications to the portals.

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