Pune: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday launched the Divyang Sahayak Portal — an integrated, AI-enabled platform of the Maharashtra Divyang Kalyan department — to streamline welfare delivery to persons with disabilities.The portal enables beneficiaries to apply for schemes online from home and track applications in real time. Information about all schemes for persons with disabilities (PwDs) has been consolidated on a single platform, scuttling the need to visit multiple offices.“The Divyang Sahayak Portal will help accelerate digital empowerment of PwDs and make service delivery simple and transparent,” Fadnavis said.Divyang Kalyan secretary Tukaram Mundhe told TOI, “This is the one-stop website for availing anything under this department. It will help weed out middlemen and ensure there is proper tracking of benefits given.” Highlighting the technological integration, he said, “The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through an integrated portal is a major step towards the empowerment of PwDs. Services will now be available at their fingertips or through voice notes. The initiative will enhance transparency and accountability, and build trust among all stakeholders. All services, schemes and benefits will be accessible through a single portal, eliminating the need to visit offices or meet officials in person.“While the Census estimates around 29 lakh Divyangs in Maharashtra, about 14 lakh are currently registered with the department.Officials said general administrative procedures had been simplified through Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). A three-tier workflow has been introduced. PwDs must first create a profile. Then eligible schemes are displayed. Approval levels have been capped at three to reduce delays.
