Himachal Pradesh's push to deliver all citizen services exclusively through its digital portal excludes elderly, rural, and digitally illiterate residents, making mandatory digitisation a contested public-rights issue.
Aaj ki debate ka motion hai: 'Himachal Pradesh Should Make Digital Portal Registration Mandatory for All Government Services' — yani kya HP ke sabhi sarkari sevaon ke liye ek digital portal par registration ko anivaarya kiya jaana chahiye. Yeh ek bahut hi mahatvapoorn prashn hai jo aam nagrik ki sahooliyat, sarkaari paardarshhita, aur digital divide — teeno ko ek saath sparsh karta hai. Main Counsel Aarav se nivedan karungi ki woh apna paksh rakhen.
My lord, main yeh dalil deta hoon ki Himachal Pradesh mein sabhi government services ke liye digital portal registration mandatory banana bilkul zaroori aur samay ki maang hai. HP GST Act 2017 ka Section 146 already ek precedent sthapit karta hai — wahan Government ko Common Electronic Portal notify karne ka adhikar diya gaya hai, registrations se lekar returns tak sabhi functions ke liye; yeh provision clearly dikhata hai ki HP Legislature ne digital portal ko legitimate aur preferred channel maana hai. Agar GST jaise complex tax mechanism ke liye mandatory electronic portal ka dhang chal sakta hai, to baaki government services ke liye bhi usi model ko extend karna logical, constitutional, aur praatical dono hi drishti se uchit hai.
Ref: Himachal Pradesh Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 · Section 146
My lord, paksh ki yeh dalil ki digital portal registration sabke liye mandatory honi chahiye — yeh sunne mein progressive lagti hai, lekin zameen par iski sacchai alag hai. Himachal Pradesh Municipal Services Act, 1994 ki Section 17 ke antargat Record of Service ka jo dhaancha khada hai, woh already ek systematic, physical record-keeping mechanism provide karti hai — toh yeh mandate un logon par anuchit bojh daalega jo remote pahadi ilakon mein rehte hain aur jahan internet connectivity abhi bhi ek sapna hai. Main yeh maanti hoon ki digitisation ek achha lakshya hai, lekin mandatory registration ka matlab hai ki un nagarikon ko unke basic sarkaari haq se vanchit karna, jinka digital access abhi tak sthaapit hi nahi hua.
Ref: Himachal Pradesh Municipal Services Act, 1994 · Section 17
My lord, vipaksh kehta hai ki mandatory registration ek burden hai — lekin main kehna chahta hoon ki HP Municipal Services Act, 1994 ka Section 17 saaf kehta hai ki har municipal service ka record rakha jaana zaroori hai, aur bina digital portal ke yeh record transparent aur accessible kaise hoga? HP Public Records Act, 2006 ka Section 12 bhi public ko records tak access ka adhikar deta hai — lekin jab records bikhre hue aur manual hain, to yeh adhikar sirf kaagaz par reh jaata hai. Mandatory digital registration isi gap ko bharta hai, my lord — yeh burden nahi, balki accountability ka zaroori dhaancha hai.
Ref: Himachal Pradesh Municipal Services Act, 1994 · Section 17; Himachal Pradesh Public Records Act, 2006 · Section 12
My lord, Paksh ne digital registration ko ek magic solution ki tarah pesh kiya — lekin main poochti hoon: jab HP ke pahadi ilaakon mein connectivity hi nahi, tab mandatory registration sirf kaagaz par hoga, haqeeqat mein nahi. Yeh motion un lakho logon ko government services se BAHAR kar deti hai jinke paas smartphone ya internet nahi — mandatory ka matlab choice khatam, aur choice khatam matlab rights khatam. Isliye main maanti hoon ki yeh motion jaise bhi lagu ho, bina infrastructure guarantee ke, yeh inclusion nahi — exclusion ka naya darawaza hai.
Ek taraf se yeh dali gayi ki mandatory digital registration se transparency aur efficiency aayegi, aur har nagrik ko seedha, bina kisi beech-wale ke, sarkaari suvidhaayein milegi — doosri taraf se yeh takrar tha ki HP ke pahadi aur door-daraaz ilakon mein digital infrastructure aur literacy ki kami hai, isliye mandatory registration kaafi logon ko unke haq se vanchit kar sakti hai. Nyaya ki taraf se ek balanced suggestion yeh hogi ki HP sarkar ek phased aur inclusive policy banaaye — jahan digital portal primary channel ho, lekin sath mein offline ya assisted-access kendra bhi anivaarya roop se rakhe jaayein, taaki koi bhi nagrik kewal digital divide ki wajah se sevaon se mehroom na ho. Ab hum aap sabhi nagrik bandhuon se nivedan karti hoon ki aap is debate ko rate karein aur apna mat den — yahi is jagrukta manch ka asli uddeshya hai.
Ab hum Q&A session shuru karte hain — main faisla karungi ki kaun sa counsel jawaab de. Advocate Arpit Thakar, aap is charcha mein koi prashna rakhna chahenge?
Jo remote pahadi ilaake hain usme agar yeh section laagu padta hai toh Bharat ek sanyukt desh hai toh usme kya har ek pradesh ke liye alag-alag niyam hone chahiye?
Adv. Arpit Thakar ne ek achha point uthaya hai. Aarav (paksh), aap is par apna jawaab dijiye.
My lord, yeh argument bilkul ulta padta hai mere paksh ke against — kyunki Bharat ek sanyukt desh hona ISILIYE zaroori hai ki har nagarik ko samaan suvidha mile, aur agar HP remote ilaakein hain to State ka DAYITVA BANTA HAI ki woh pehle connectivity aur digital infrastructure wahan pahunchaye, phir portal mandatory kare — yeh motion wohi karta hai, woh ilaakein exclude nahi karta. Alag-alag niyam isiliye nahi hote ki State kamzor ilaakeon ko ignore kare, balkee isiliye hote hain ki State unhe baaki ke barabar laane ke liye TARGETED intervention kare — mandatory registration ka phased rollout precisely wohi hai. Isliye is ek point se motion galat nahi hota, balki aur zaroorat badhti hai ki State ek structured digital policy laaye.
Shukriya Aarav. Bahut acchi baat hui — ab hum wapas is debate ke asli motion par aate hain.
Koi aur advocate apna sawaal rakhna chahe to abhi apna haath uthaayein — warna hum is charcha ko yahin samet lenge.
Koi aur advocate apna sawaal rakhna chahe to abhi apna haath uthaayein — warna hum is charcha ko yahin samet lenge.
Filhaal koi aur sawaal nahi — sabhi advocates aur shrotaaon ka dhanyavaad. Yeh charcha yahin samapt hoti hai. Yaad rahe, yeh sirf public legal awareness hai — kisi bhi mamle mein licensed advocate se salah zaroor lein.