Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh Police (APP) embraced digital transformation with the launch of the ‘ArunPol’, a mobile application, and e-Vigilance portal in a simple ceremony here on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the initiatives in the presence of deputy chief minister Chowna Mein, home minister Bamang Felix, and senior officials from the state police, home, and vigilance departments.
During the event, Khandu commended the home, police, and vigilance departments for their innovative efforts.
The introduction of ArunPol and e-Vigilance marked a significant step towards e-governance in the state, the chief minister said and expressed pride in the state’s excellent performance in e-governance.
The chief minister emphasized the potential benefits of the ArunPol mobile app in minimizing the inconvenience faced by citizens when accessing police services.
The app is designed to provide convenient online services such as lodging Lost Reports, obtaining Police Clearance Certificates, filing Missing Reports, conducting Servant and Tenant Verifications, reporting complaints related to women and children, filing complaints against the police, accessing information on rules and laws, vital contact numbers, helpline numbers, vehicle towing details, and more. The primary objective is to reduce unproductive man-hours for both citizens and the police.
Additionally, the ArunPol mobile app allows citizens to lodge complaints and provide information while maintaining their anonymity if desired.
Khandu mentioned that the department has initially identified 16 services to be offered through the app. He suggested that senior officers brainstorm and identify other citizen-centric services that could be incorporated into the app in the future.
The e-Vigilance portal, on the other hand, will initially focus on issuing e-Vigilance Clearance Certificates to government employees, which are particularly crucial for promotions.
Khandu acknowledged the online issuance of vigilance clearance certificates as a significant boon for government employees. He revealed that the decision to simplify and streamline the process was made due to the cumbersome nature of obtaining vigilance clearance certificates, which were mandatory for various cases, including promotions. He further urged the chief secretary to ensure the inclusion of all remaining government departments on the e-portal, as currently only 30 departments are on board.
As part of the digital initiatives, the chief minister also launched the ArunPol Sewa Vehicle, dedicated to community awareness programs on crime prevention, fire safety, women-centric policing, and anti-drug campaigns. The vehicle is equipped with high-quality features such as a smart TV panel, generator set, rain-protected audio system with cordless PA system. It will be manned by well-trained police personnel who aim to create a positive impact and enhance public confidence in the state police force.
Reassuring the state government’s commitment to strengthen the state police force, Khandu informed that his office is in touch with the union Home Ministry to work on it.
He informed that one of the steps taken in this direction is the recent approval by the state Cabinet for creation of Itanagar Range Police to be headed by a DIG level officer with three SPs – SP Itanagar, SP Naharlagun and SP Traffic.
“We have already approved sanction for creation of 310 posts for the Itanagar Range. In the long run, we have also approved creation of about 700 more posts,” he added.
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