Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji: A comprehensive review of state administrative processes has revealed that 19 out of 31 key departments currently operate without district-level data dashboards, signalling a significant void in real-time digital monitoring for public welfare initiatives.
While various central government programmes utilise national portals to ensure transparency, a vast array of local developmental and welfare schemes continue to function without digital public interfaces or automated oversight tools.
A data dashboard serves as a visual, interactive information management tool that consolidates, tracks and displays key performance indicators and metrics, translating complex raw data into understandable charts and graphs to enable quick decision-making.
The deficit in digital accountability is widespread, with the 19 entities lacking district-level dashboards including the Directorate of Tribal
Welfare, Directorate of Transport, Directorate of Technical Education, Directorate of Museums and the Department of Sainik Welfare.
This list further extends to Department of Information and Publicity, Directorate of Art and Culture, Directorate of Official Language, Forest Department, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Directorate of Higher Education and Department of Archaeology.
Additionally, Water Resources Department, Department of Handicraft, Textile and Coir, Office of the Commissioner of Excise, Department of Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications and the Goa Medical College operate without these tools.
Beyond the lack of digital tracking, a critical administrative blind spot has emerged where several schemes possess neither a monitoring mechanism nor a district-level dashboard.
Within the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, both, the Consumer Protection Cell and the Strengthening Consumer Forum initiative operate in this complete oversight vacuum. Similarly, the Directorate of Museums lacks both components for its financial assistance scheme, as does the Department of Sainik Welfare for its assistance to pre-2001 war widows and monetary incentives for Goan youth joining the armed forces.
The Department of Information and Publicity reports seven such schemes, including the Journalist Welfare Fund and film assistance grants, while the Directorate of Education lacks oversight for its Sanskrit education, Bharat Yatra and school cultural activity programmes.
Furthermore, the Vidhya Sahayya Scheme and the Toddy Tappers Welfare Fund were identified as lacking critical safeguards.
In the absence of automated dashboards, these departments rely on traditional, manual oversight methods to track implementation. The Directorate of Transport maintains physical registers of applications to track subsidy payments and sanction dates, while the Directorate of Art and Culture utilises a multi-stage manual process involving newspaper advertisements and inspection committees to verify beneficiaries.
The Forest Department and the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs rely on range-wise periodical progress reports and physical inspections by supervisory officers.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Higher Education manages its various schemes via Direct Benefit Transfer data, which is forwarded monthly to its statistical section for manual updates.
