K-SMART architect reveals how Kerala government's digital leap will enable corruption-free governance

Kerala is rolling out a first-of-its-kind initiative—K-SMART (Kerala Solutions for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation)—aimed at transforming governance and reducing bureaucratic red tape at all its local self-governing institutions with a single application. Uniquely developed entirely in-house, K-SMART was initially launched in January 2024 across municipalities and corporations. It is now set to be implemented across all panchayats also in the state by April 10.

As part of this ambitious project, the K-SMART team integrated over 500 crore records—some dating as far back as 1948—into the system. Every service offered by local governments has been unified into this single, standalone platform. Unlike most government software in India, which is typically outsourced or built by third-party vendors, K-SMART stands out as a 100 per cent home-grown solution, a rarity in the Indian public sector.

As the platform rolls out across Kerala’s local bodies, THE WEEK speaks with Dr K.P. Noufal, the chief architect behind K-SMART, to understand the vision, challenges, and potential impact of this ground-breaking initiative.

What is the context in which Kerala decided to have a unified smart platform that delivers all services offered by local self-government institutions?

You know, Kerala has around 1,200 local bodies, including 941 panchayats, 83 municipalities, and six corporations. Interestingly, nearly 60 per cent of Kerala's population lives in urban areas—municipalities and corporations. That’s why we started focusing early on urban governance and municipalities.

The digital revolution in local governance actually began around 2002. Back then, the strategy was a bit fragmented. They were developing separate software applications for every service—one for property tax, another for pensions, another for birth and marriage registrations, and so on. It was disjointed and difficult to manage.

After the pandemic, the government decided to shift to a platform-based approach. Initially, progress was slow—we could only develop three modules. Then a new discussion happened, and a fresh team was deployed. Our mandate was to build a one-stop solution for all local bodies—across all districts, municipalities, and panchayats.

We were working under tight timelines due to government policy decisions. Initially, we debated whether to outsource to multiple companies and run parallel operations. But then we decided to have an in-house development model—a first of its kind in India.

For this we onboarded several companies. We conducted an open, automated recruitment process—an online test and interview. Anyone could apply, but they had to pass the test first. Everything was automated: once someone passed, they were given a coding task. If successful, they were invited for a code walkthrough.

After reviewing over 1,000 iterations, we finalised and inducted around 104 developers from different companies. We structured them into 12 agile squads, each with around 10–12 members—typically 5-6 back-end developers, 4 front-end developers, along with a dedicated design and QA team. We adopted international development standards, similar to what companies like Tesla, Intel, or Google follow.

Though a government setup, we ran it like a corporate tech lab. This could very well be the first such initiative in a Kerala government institution.

To ensure the platform truly served its users, we involved domain experts—municipal and corporation secretaries, accountants, and other officers. They stayed with us full-time to prepare the Software Requirements Specification (SRS).

We then converted the SRS into wireframes, which were then turned into interactive prototypes. These prototypes helped visualise the final product before development, following international standards and ISO principles—just like how you see a 3D model before building a house.

This structured, user-driven, and high-quality development approach has set a new benchmark for government tech projects.

We used tools and practices aligned with global software development standards. We even integrated AI-based tools to ensure code quality. This elevated the overall quality of the application significantly—something often lacking in government software projects due to the absence of standardisation and corporate-level expertise.

We also implemented a rapid development strategy. Instead of a single shift, we ran the system in two shifts—morning and evening—so development continued round the clock. While one team rested, the other worked. Though the original plan estimated a three-year timeline, we completed the entire project in just one year—an exceptional pace for a government-led initiative.

How does K-Smart ensure transparency in government services?

I will explain with an example. Earlier, people had no clue how the property tax was being assessed. But with K-SMART, everything has changed. Now, citizens can self-assess their property tax. You can enter your property details—like the built-up area, whether you have centralised AC, roof type, etc.—and the system will automatically calculate your tax. This kind of visibility was not available before. Now, with K-SMART, people can see exactly how the officer is calculating the tax:

• What percentage is being applied,

• What penalties (if any) are being added,

• Previous tax history,

• Building-related data—everything.

All of this is accessible to the public. If you link your building to your account on K-SMART, you’ll get full access to all associated records.

Previously, if someone needed seven different certificates related to a building—like a building certificate, road certificate, or occupancy certificate—they had to submit separate applications for each. Now, we’ve merged all seven into one unified certificate.

There’s no need to file multiple applications anymore. Once you link your property with your Aadhaar or relevant details, the system will automatically generate all the certificates you need. Just imagine—three crore people no longer need to apply for these certificates manually. That’s the scale of change we’ve brought in. This is what a productive government looks like.

Will K-Smart also help in reducing corruption?
Absolutely. While the majority of government servants are honest, we can’t ignore the presence of corrupt elements. K-Smart will help reduce opportunities for corruption. Let me give you a real example. Take a typical house construction in Kerala.

Previously, to get a building permit, people had to submit every document manually—blueprints, plans, land deeds. Officials at the panchayat had to sit down, go through each page, check compliance manually—backyard, front yard, side spaces, setbacks—everything. Only then would they issue a permit number. And, this process opened up opportunities for corruption.

We replaced that entire manual process with AI.

We created a rule engine called EDCR (Electronic Development Control Regulation). It’s an AI system that verifies building plans automatically.

So, if you upload your building plan. The system geolocates it, checks all regulations, and in less than three seconds, it verifies whether your plan complies with the rules. We conducted 1,000 trial runs—a team of engineers manually reviewed files while the AI did the same.

The results were amazing—100 per cent success rate.

There was only one case where the AI accepted a plan, but manual verification said it didn’t comply. Upon rechecking, it turned out the manual check was wrong—the AI was right. That’s how accurate the system is.

So, yes, corruption is automatically reduced. There's no space for arbitrary human decision-making. If you apply today and your building plan complies with all rules, you’ll get your permit in under 30 seconds.

 So, the chance for corruption is eliminated. Another example is the payments. We’ve built something new — perhaps the first of its kind in the country — called KEFT-K (Smart Electronic Fund Transfer).

Say you’re a contractor and I’m an officer or secretary. Your contractor bill is ₹10 lakh, and I’ve approved everything — the file, the payment — and I’m not even a corrupt person. Still, after my approval, the file has to go to the accountant to issue the cheque.

Now, here’s the problem: the accountant may hold the cheque. Even when I’ve done my part honestly, he might delay it. Then he’ll call you, and often, as per the prevailing ‘culture,’ he’ll expect a cut — a bribe — in exchange for releasing the cheque.

To fix this, we created our own payment gateway and integrated it with all banks. Now, once the payment is approved, the amount directly goes from the panchayat’s bank account to the contractor’s account within seconds. No middleman, no accountant interference.

This way, if the approver is honest, the system doesn’t allow anyone else to interfere or exploit the process.

Another example is the marriage certificate process. Previously, the law required you to go to the municipality office with your spouse, witnesses, and documents. When you went there, they’d often say, “The officer is busy,” or “Come in the afternoon.” Sometimes, agents would approach you and say, “I can get you an appointment,” and then you’d get a call: “Sir, come tomorrow at 10:30, everything is ready.”

People were paying ₹5,000 or more [as a bribe] just to get a date and complete a process that should’ve been simple.

Now, with K-SMART, you don’t have to physically go to the municipality office for marriage registration. There’s a video-based registration process.

This application would bring transparency and give more power to people, as people would be able to track the current stage of their file. In fact, K-Smart has already delivered promising results in giving fast services to people. For instance, Irinjalakkuda municipality delivered a birth certificate within a timeframe of just 6.45 minutes. Meanwhile, Guruvayoor municipality delivered a marriage certificate in just 23.56 minutes. The Thiruvananthapuram corporation delivered a death registration within a time period of 8.54 minutes. This would bring revolutionary changes in governance in the state.

 

India